The Buffalo Sabres are off to a 2-2-0 start to the 2026-27 regular-season, and in those four games, the Sabres have the NHL’s ninth-worst offense at an average of only 2.50 goals-for per-game. Offense has proven to be an issue, and if you’re finger-pointing regarding Buffalo’s ability to generate goals, you’ll need a lot of fingers, and even more pointing.
To wit: Sabres winger Josh Doan currently has zero points in four games. Winger Zach Benson has just one point in four games, and center Josh Norris also has just one point in four games. Meanwhile,center Ryan McLeod has one point, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has two points, as does forward Jack Quinn. So there’s an almost across-the-board issue when it comes to Buffalo’s players generating offense.
Not every one of the aforementioned Sabres has to start challenging for the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top point-producers. But they do need at least a couple of them to start putting up points and take some of the pressure off of Buffalo’s goaltenders. The Sabres have to get solid production from up-and-down the lineup, and there’s no time like the present to start turning up their offensive game a notch or two.
Star Tage Thompson has two goals and four points, so he’s doing the job. And Owen Power is having a stellar year on offense, with four assists and five points. So they need to keep on alleviating the pressure on the rest of Buffalo’s roster. Coach Lindy Ruff probably doesn’t care where he gets his goals from, but he has to be concerned that the offense isn’t flowing the way it should be capable of.
Last season, the Sabres had the NHL’s fifth-best goals-for average at 3.45 goals-for per-game. Losing former star winger Alex Tuch and star defenseman Bowen Byram has contributed to the drop-off in offense, but not by this much. The young Sabres in Buffalo’s dressing room have to take responsibility for their early struggles generating goals.
Buffalo doesn’t have the luxury of employing an abundance of superstar players, so improvement-by-committee is the only way their offense is going to rebound. The Sabres aren’t always going to be putting up less than three goals every game – Thompson alone is capable of scoring a hat trick – but it has to be concerning that Buffalo has lost some of its mojo in the offensive zone.
If the Sabres’ offense does rebound, Buffalo’s chances to win many more games than they lose will certainly improve. And if not? Well, they'll be highly-unlikely to make it back into the post-season.
And that is going to leave Sabres fans apoplectic.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 06: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves bats during Game Three of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Slow news day, eh?
The Atlanta Braves are out, the 2026 NLCS is set and the winner-take-all Game 5 in the ALDS between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians won’t be happening until tomorrow night, so we’re getting a sneak peek at what the offseason is going to feel like. It’s not fun, now is it?
Still, come on in and hang out. If you’ve got predictions for the ALDS, drop ‘em in the comments. If you’re hunkering down in the path of Hurricane Isaias, give us a thumbs up if you’re making it through. If you’re having something fun for dinner, let us know below.
Let’s have a chill evening, folks. Here’s a random clip for you as well:
AMES, IA - OCTOBER 7: LaMelo Ball #1 and Jonathan Kuminga #24 of the Minnesota Timberwolves high five during the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 7, 2026 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The preseason continues on Sunday in full swing with a preview of the regular season opener. The Timberwolves will look to continue their good vibes from training camp and gain the meaningless “upper hand” against the Miami Heat before the rematch kicks off the 2026-27 regular season.
It seems interesting to schedule a preseason game against two teams that will begin their respective seasons against one another, but it will be something to watch for in this one. While the regular starters and rotation players will most likely only play the first half, if at all, tracking if either team tips their hand will be something to monitor.
Because of the offseason movement for both teams, with the Heat adding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Timberwolves subtracting Julius Randle and Naz Reid from the mix, this is the exact type of team that Minnesota could struggle with in their attempt to reconfigure their roster to a smaller, more athletic team. The Heat boast possibly the best frontcourt in the NBA and how the Wolves choose to guard Miami from the jump will be something to follow in this matchup.
"I'm excited to put on that jersey." 🔥
Giannis will make his Heat debut vs. the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 21 on ESPN!
Joan Beringer has a large role carved out for him this season. That combined with his youth and minimal playing time last season has coalesced to be a huge talking point leading up to this season. Beringer has done exactly what you’d expect from him in the first couple of preseason games: showed flashes of huge potential while combining that with very bad stretches that come with the growing pains of acclimating to the NBA.
This goes hand in hand with Miami’s reworked strength in the frontcourt. The 19 year old will be relied upon to matchup in the first half with both of these dominant bigs. How he fares in this one will be a big part of the lead-in to game number one when it counts. Always take preseason outcomes with a massive grain of salt, but tracking Beringer against Giannis and Bam before the season opener is something to be on the lookout for.
Anthony Edwards on Joan Beringer in camp
“Everybody knows his intensity is just like no other. His attention to detail has gotten a lot better, he’s super young, super athletic. We’re trying to keep him from falling on the ground so much because he goes after every shot. Get his… pic.twitter.com/x7vwcpSwp9
These first two preseason games have been a treat for Timberwolves fans who were hoping for a reworked offense with this new look roster. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball have done their best to continue that hype train heading straight up.
On Wednesday against the Pacers, Ant scored 19 points with four triples while LaMelo scored 14 points and added seven assists to his stat line. Though Ball did have five turnovers, it was still an extremely fun time to watch the two of them play off one another and launch treys from downtown. This was the exciting theoretical fit between them, and watching Ball operate from the top of the floor and setup the rest of his teammates is night and day compared to what Minnesota looked like for the past two seasons.
This will hopefully continue to be a big part of their identity moving forward. With the rim protection that the Miami frontcourt can provide, the Wolves’ outside shooting will be necessary to create good offense for the Timberwolves.
It will be a clash of styles, but with the looming early season regular season matchup, both teams will do their best to not show their hands. Minnesota’s outside shooting should cause Miami problems, and due to them losing a lot of their depth in the Giannis trade, the Wolves end of bench should get the better of Miami in the second half.
Bruce Brown is a solid eight-year NBA veteran who played 82 games for Denver last season but was squeezed this offseason and signed an Exhibit 9, non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Knicks (hoping to make their roster). He vented to New York reporters about the NBA's salary constraints and their impact (quote via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).
"The new CBA is good for certain players, right? Max guys, top free agents and maybe rookie extension guys. But other than that, like the middle guys, it kind of sucks for us. As you see, there's not that many people getting that full mid-level (exception) anymore – or even the tax mid-level (exception). It's tough, but that's just the way it is right now. So each time you're out there, you've just got to play your best and hope for the best."
Friday, the NBA officially pushed back on that narrative.
Recent reports asserted that the second apron is hurting “lower” and “middle” class players. That’s untrue. Since the implementation of the second apron, the number of players on team rosters has remained the same and annual salaries have increased by nearly $1.3 billion…
The NBA's point is that the water level remains the same: There are 450 NBA roster spots and the players will get 50% (roughly) of the NBA's Basketball Related Income. It's not just the middle class getting squeezed, under the old NBA CBA, the Pistons' Jalen Duren would have been a no-question max contract (maybe the 25% max, but a lot). Instead, he and the Pistons got into a protracted contract extension negotiation and took $76 million less than his max (at five years, $200 million).
As happens a lot with Adam Silver's NBA, it is lawyerly correct on the facts but can miss the bigger picture, the spirit of what the Second Apron does.
Where the second apron is hurting the league is fundamental — it's eroding fan trust and loyalty. Detroit fans want to believe in a 22-year-old All-NBA center like Duren, not worry he might bolt because the team has to play hardball to build a contender in the apron era. Knicks fans have gone from celebrating their first title in 53 years to watching New York need to lowball Karl-Anthony Towns because keeping a championship team together and below the second apron is near impossible. Fans in Boston watched the Celtics draft and develop Jaylen Brown, a guy who won a title there, who was committed to the community and invested there, but who the Celtics had to trade in hopes of retooling under the second apron around Jayson Tatum. Oklahoma City had to start losing role players to keep its core together and that's going to get worse in future years. Already people around the league are talking about if/when San Antonio might have to trade De'Aaron Fox to keep its core of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper together.
If these fans — especially younger ones, where the league already struggles to keep engaged and watching full games — start to question their loyalty, that cuts at the foundation of the league in a way NBA Europe money can't replace.
But yes, the NBA players are still getting the same pool of money that they did before, and that pool is getting bigger.
When the Dodgers set their starting rotation for the National League Division Series, they did so with the NL Championship Series in mind.
And now that they’ve reached the NLCS, after eliminating the Braves in a four-game NLDS this past week, they have their pitching plans exactly where they want them.
For a second straight series, Tarik Skubal will once again be the team’s Game 1 starter against the Brewers on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced during a Friday video conference with reporters, setting up the reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner to square off with this year’s presumptive Cy Young winner in Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal celebrates after striking out Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley during the fifth inning of Game 1 of a National League Division Series baseball game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The Dodgers had pushed back Yamamoto’s start in the NLDS to keep him on his normal once-per-week pitching schedule, sliding Blake Snell in as their Game 2 starter instead.
However, Yamamoto calmed the waters by outdueling Chris Sale in Game 3, producing a seven-inning, one-run gem that lowered his career postseason ERA to 2.14 (second-best in the last 100 years among pitchers with at least 10 playoff starts, behind only Madison Bumgarner).
Now, just as the team envisioned, Yamamoto will be able to start twice in the NLCS — set to go on five days of rest for Monday’s Game 2, then on five days of rest again for a potential Game 6.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates defeating the Atlanta Braves in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park, Wednesday, October 7, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images
Snell, meanwhile, seems likely to pitch in Game 3. Tyler Glasnow would be the logical Game 4 choice. Skubal could go on four days of rest for Game 5.
“I think we’ve got the best rotation top to bottom in baseball,” Roberts said. “And it’s nice to be able to reset the rotation and get these guys going.
Indeed, the Dodgers’ rotation figures to represent their biggest matchup advantage over the Brewers. In last year’s NLCS sweep against Milwaukee, a quartet of Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani combined to give up just two runs in 28 ⅔ innings while combining for 35 strikeouts against the Brewers’ overmatched lineup.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell, left, celebrates with catcher Will Smith, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitcher Tyler Glasnow, and pitcher Tarik Skubal after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game four of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, Wednesday, October 7, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
One key to their success then: The Dodgers’ rotation peppered the Brewers’ contact-happy lineup with a heavy dose of off-speed and breaking pitches.
Snell spammed them with a flurry of changeups in a scoreless eight-inning masterpiece. Yamamoto leaned on his splitter and curveball in the first of his two complete-game performances last October. Glasnow abandoned his trademark four-seam/curveball combination for a mix of more sinkers and sliders in a 5 ⅔-inning start. Ohtani threw the kitchen sink at them with a seven-pitch arsenal in his iconic 10-strikeout, three-homer outburst in Game 4.
In those games, only Yamamoto didn’t significantly decrease his fastball usage compared to his regular-season average.
The plan worked, getting the Brewers to uncharacteristically chase more often and whiff on one-third of all their swings in the series.
Roberts was careful to note on Friday that this is a new year, and that the Brewers pose a different challenge than they did back then.
“They’ve got another year under their belt,” Roberts said. “They’re just a lot more confident.”
Still, the Dodgers will hope to replicate their pitching success once again, inserting the newly acquired Skubal in for the injury-hampered Ohtani in a starting rotation they hope can carry them to a third straight NL pennant.
MONTREAL (AP) — The Nashville Predators acquired defenseman Jayden Struble from the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft.
Struble had seven goals and 28 assists in 174 games for the Canadiens. The 25-year-old former Northeastern University player was a second-round pick in 2019.
An 0-3-2 start to the season is far from what the Philadelphia Flyers expected from themselves after such a promising 2025-26 campaign, but with so few offseason additions, they have only each other to turn to in order to turn the tide.
Despite his best efforts and playing like a savant, Joseph Woll remains winless, and without the newcomer, the Flyers might be 0-5-0 with no points in the bank at all.
"Goals for Woll" may become a trend in the near future, as the Flyers are tied for last in the NHL with just four goals at 5-on-5 through five games.
Overall, the Flyers have scored just six times in total, with only Calgary and New Jersey keeping them company while having played fewer games - four and three, respetively.
Defensively, the Flyers rank 28th in the NHL with 19 goals allowed in five games, though this number is buoyed in large part by the 7-0 onslaught suffered at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the season opener.
But, this is all to say that, outside of Woll and Dan Vladar, every Flyers player can improve.
Three, in particular, need to step their games up multiple notches if the team is to right the ship and insert themselves back into the playoff conversation.
Trevor Zegras
In five games this season, Trevor Zegras has managed to produce just two assists, one of which came on the power play thanks to a heads-up play by Matvei Michkov in the crease against Ottawa on Thursday night, sweeping a loose puck over the goal line while the whistle was being blown.
Already, Zegras has ceded his center-ice duties to Christian Dvorak, and the Flyers now have Matvei Michkov taking faceoffs on the first power play unit barely two weeks into the season.
After signing a four-year, $36.5 million ($9.125 million AAV) extension with the Flyers, expectations for Zegras were raised heading into the season. He and his camp won both ends of the negotiation, pulling in an elevated salary while keeping the contract at a short length.
Now, it's time for Zegras to hold up his end of the bargain. The 25-year-old has hardly looked like the ice-tilting offensive dynamo he was last season, though the Flyers' struggles offensively aren't solely on his shoulders.
Still, Zegras has the talent to be that guy for the Flyers, as he was last year, and while I have little doubt he will eventually turn it around and get going in the right direction, the Flyers don't have time to spare. They've already lost five straight games, including three to Metropolitan Division rivals.
The only way to win hockey games is by scoring more goals than the other team, and the Flyers are depending on Zegras to lead the charge.
Cam York
Analytically, Cam York has been one of the worst defensemen in the NHL this season. (Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
For the last several seasons, Cam York has been a staple in the Flyers' top-four on defense, though he has badly struggled to keep pace this season.
The 25-year-old has often looked a step or two behind and has shown little urgency with the puck. Offensively, much is still to be desired, even with an added opportunity quarterbacking the second power play that has now been lost to David Jiricek and Jamie Drysdale.
Among NHL defensemen with at least four games played this season, only Nashville's Roman Josi has a worse share of scoring chances (13-44, 22.81%) than York (20-53, 27.4%) at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.
Like Zegras, it isn't all on York with four other players sharing the ice at 5-on-5 at any given moment, but both Drysdale and Travis Sanheim have much better looking underlying stats without York on the ice compared to with him.
York has no points in five games this season and will need to improve dramatically to retain his hold on a featured spot in the lineup.
Otherwise, the Flyers may be left to seriously consider alternative options on defense, such as Simon Edvinsson or Alex Nikishin.
Tyson Foerster
In reality, Tyson Foerster has played mostly well, but the end product in his game has been completely absent, and it's been absent for some time.
Foerster, 24, has just two goals, his only two points in his last 15 games played, including the playoffs.
Of course, Foerster dealt with injury woes at the start and end of last season, and upon his second return to the lineup on April 2, Foerster scored three times in his first four games back.
Since his two-goal game against New Jersey on April 7, Foerster has just two goals and three points in 19 games, including the postseason.
The Flyers, like many fans, are enamored with Foerster's potential as a two-way winger given his shooting ability, 6-foot-2 size, and defensive prowess, but the former first-round pick is due to remind the organization and fans of that potential.
That inconsistency and drop-off is a bit worrisome, considering Foerster, like Zegras, signed a big-money extension this offseason, inking a eight-year, $56.8 million ($7.1 million AAV) deal to remain in Philadelphia for the long haul.
The Flyers have invested heavily in each of the three young players on this list, and in a time of great need, with heightened expectations, Zegras, York, and Foerster need to come through for the team and get the Flyers back on track in a hurry.
A logjam formed on the left side of the Montreal Canadiens' blueline, and GM Kent Hughes decided it was time to act. Less than 24 hours after his team dropped two points to the Nashville Predators, Hughes sent Jayden Struble to the Predators in return for a second-round pick at the next draft.
Struble was a healthy scratch for that game as the Habs elected to dress Adam Engstrom for the first time of the season. The young blueliner did well and it allowed to executive to finally answer the Struble or Arber Xhekaj dilemma that has been the talk of the town for three years now, even though it seems like we've been talking about it for longer than whether Ross and Rachel were on break.
During Thursday's game, former Habs prospect William Trudeau, another left-shot defenseman was forced to leave the game and was placed on IR today. He will be re-evaluated on a week-to-week basis. That left a hole in the Predators' defense and Montreal had a surplus, a match made in heaven.
Struble is 25 years old and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the current season. In Nashville, he'll get an opportunity to play everyday rather then have to sit out like he did in Montreal.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens' get a second-round pick for a defenseman they had picked with the 46th selection of the 2019 draft. Given the fact that he hasn't yet established himself as a regular in the NHL, this is a good deal for the Habs and it will allow Engstrom to see more action, at least until Kaiden Guhle's return.
The Canadiens could also call up David Reinbacher, although it is likely they prefer him to see plenty of action in Laval rather than sit on the press gallery in Montreal. For Xhekaj who wanted to stay in Montreal and now plays alongside his baby brother Florian, this is probably good news although bittersweet as Struble was a good friend of his.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 03: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to a defensive play by Tommy Edman #25 (not pictured) during the fourth inning in game one of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on October 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Winning the National League Division Series in four games afforded the Dodgers the luxury of setting their starting rotation exactly the way they wanted for the next round. Tarik Skubal gets the ball in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 to cover the first two games of the series in Milwaukee, manager Dave Roberts said via Zoom on Friday.
Skubal struck out seven in six innings in his win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS. This will be the fourth Game 1 start for Skubal, who has a 1.97 ERA in seven career postseason starts, with 63 strikeouts and seven unintentional walks in 45 2/3 innings, and he’s lasted at least six innings in all seven starts.
Yamamoto added to his legend in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, getting the final eight outs of Game 7 one day after starting and pitching six innings in Game 6. He’s the only pitcher in postseason history to win five straight road appearances while allowing no more than one run in each game, a streak that began in Game 2 of last year’s NLCS, also in Milwaukee.
Ahead of his NLDS start, Yamamoto expressed willingness to start on short rest or pitch of out of the bullpen if needed when asked.
“I’m going to get myself ready for any situation. If they want me to go out, then I go out,” Yamamoto said, with interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But for me, just those are key things for me. Postseason is just focusing on the game right in front of me.”
But this far, every one of Yamamoto’s 86 MLB starts — including 10 in the postseason — have come with at least five days rest, and Game 2 comes with five days rest after his 10 strikeouts in seven innings on Tuesday in Atlanta. And starting Yamamoto in Game 2 of a best-of-7 series would allow him to also start in Game 6 on five days rest, while Games 1 and 3 starters would start in Games 5 and 7 on four days rest.
“It’s more looking at how he’s gotten his rest this year, and what gives him the best chance to pitch potentially two games, Games 2 and 6,” Roberts said. “With the off days and the game schedule, that’s probably the best way to manage it.”
A day after facing off against the Montreal Canadiens, the Nashville Predators have now made a trade with them. On Friday evening, the Predators organization announced that they had acquired defenseman Jayden Struble from the Canadiens in exchange for a second round pick that originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Struble, a 25-year-old left-handed defenseman, has been a mainstay in the Canadiens' lineup for the last four seasons. Known mainly for his offensive ability during his time in collegiate and junior hockey, he hasn't been able to carry that offensive production into the NHL.
Last season, Struble scored two goals and added 10 assists for 12 points in 59 games for the Canadiens. He also had 58 penalty minutes. During the Canadiens' playoff run, he failed to record a point in 12 games.
The Predators' defensive core has struggled mightily to start the season and with William Trudeau out week-to-week, Struble will give Andrew Brunette another option to work with for the time being.
“Jayden Struble is a 25-year-old physical defender who will add mobility and a hard-to-play against quality that will help our backend,” Predators General Manager Chris MacFarland said in a press release. “We are excited to watch his growth and look forward to him being a player who can grow with us.”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mathew Dumba is retiring after 13 NHL seasons with five different teams.
Dumba last played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, with stints in Minnesota, Dallas, Arizona and Tampa Bay. The 32-year-old defenseman won the 2020 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplified leadership qualities on and off the ice and made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
“Matt Dumba is officially hanging up his skates after 748 NHL career games,” the NHL Players Association posted on social media Friday. “Wishing the former blue liner and 2019-20 King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner the best of luck in his retirement!”
Dumba spent his first 10 NHL seasons in Minnesota after the Wild drafted him with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2012 NHL draft. He signed with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023, but was sent to Tampa Bay just before the deadline.
Dumba played one season with the Lightning, another with the Dallas Stars and had a goal and two assists with the Penguins in 2025-26. He spent most of the season at Wilkes-Barr/Scranton, the Penguins' AHL affiliate.
Dumba had 85 goals and 176 in 748 NHL games. He also had give goals and 10 assists in 54 playoff games.
The Vancouver Canucks are 2–3–0 through their first five games of the 2026–27 season. This isn’t the worst record that they’ve produced through the past five seasons, but it’s not the best either. Here’s how the 2026–27 Canucks’ first five games compare to previous seasons.
The 2022–23 Canucks Didn’t Register A Win In Any Of Their First Five Games
The 2022–23 season was arguably the most significant in the team’s recent history, between trading then-captain Bo Horvat to hiring Rick Tocchet as Head Coach. The first five games of this season, however, made the start of the year look startlingly bleak. The goaltending tandem of Thatcher Demko and Spencer Martin combined for the team’s second-lowest save-percentage through the first five games of the past five seasons with .859% — ranking 30th in the NHL. The lone instance where either goaltender recorded a SV% of above .900 was in the team’s 3–2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 2022–23 Canucks’ first five games of the season also saw the team put up a particularly poor penalty kill with a success rate of only 58.8%.
When it came to individual stats, Horvat led the way in goals scored through the first five games with four. Quinn Hughes tallied the most assists of Vancouver’s skaters with five. Elias Pettersson was the team’s leader in points with six, scoring three goals and three assists.
Vancouver Started 2023–24 With Three Wins In Their First Five Games
2023–24 was, of course, Vancouver’s strongest season in recent history in terms of their place in the league’s standings and post-season contention. They started this particular season with a two-game win-streak, both of which were against the Edmonton Oilers. Thanks to their aggressive 8–1 win against the Oilers to open the year, Vancouver finished their first five games of the season with a total of 20 goals scored. They also logged the third-highest power-play percentage in the NHL with a success rate of 37.5%.
During this span, Vancouver put together their best combined save-percentage with .928%. Only one of these games — a 4–3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning — ended in a Canucks goaltender recording a save-percentage of less than .900. What makes this stat even more impressive is the amount of shots Vancouver allowed in each of these games. The Canucks allowed 40+ shots in both their 4–3 win against Edmonton and 2–0 loss to the Flyers, while the lowest number they permitted was 27 in their home-opener.
A four-goal performance in the Canucks’ season-opener gave Brock Boeser an early bump for the team’s goal-scoring lead, scoring six goals in the team’s first five games. Pettersson led the team in both assists and points this span of time with eight and 10 respectively.
Three Of The 2024–25 Canucks’ First Five Games Went To Overtime
The 2024–25 season started off memorably for the Canucks. They dropped their first game of the year by a score of 6–5 in overtime after climbing up to a 4–1 lead after the first period. Vancouver followed that up with a 3–2 shootout loss to the Flyers. After their third loss of the year, a 4–1 loss to Tampa Bay, the Canucks took their first win of the year in their third overtime game of 2024–25 — a 3–2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers.
2024–25 also saw Vancouver put up their lowest goals-for through their first five games in the past five seasons with 14 total. All but one of their first five games resulted in the Canucks scoring three or less goals.
Individually, Vancouver’s player stats through the first five games faced a fair drop-off compared to previous seasons. Boeser logged the team’s lead in goals once again, this time with three. He also finished with a team-high of five points. Jake DeBrusk finished with the team’s lead in assists with four.
No Canucks Averaged A Point Per Game Through Their First Five Games In 2025–26
The 2025–26 Canucks had a decent first five games of the season compared to how the year actually ended. They won three of their first five, one of which came in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks. Thatcher Demko had a particularly strong start, recording a save-percentage of .944% in back-to-back matchups.
Vancouver’s team stats landed towards the middle of the pack through their first five games of the year. Their power-play percentage (18.8%) was tied for 16th in the league, with their penalty killing rate (78.9%) coming in at 17th. Their highest registered team stat was their save-percentage (.909%), which ranked eighth throughout the NHL.
Vancouver’s goal-scoring was a lot more spread out through their first five games of the 2025–26 season. Boeser, Filip Chytil, and Kiefer Sherwood were tied for the team’s lead with three goals. Hughes, Conor Garland, and Filip Hronek shared the lead in assists with three. Hughes and Garland split the lead in points with four each.
The Canucks Have The NHL’s Worst Penalty Kill Through The First Five Games Of 2026–27
There are both positive and negative things that can be taken away from the Canucks’ first five games of the 2026–27 season. For starters, their overall effort level has been strong, with the team sporting two wins and one loss separated by only one goal. They’ve managed a strong offensive effort, scoring 21 goals since the start of the season — the most of all seasons through the past five years. They currently sit at third in the league in goals scored behind only the Colorado Avalanche (23) and Oilers (22).
Also positive about this start are the players’ individual stats. Paul Cotter’s four goals is currently tied for fourth in the NHL, while Pettersson’s six assists and eight points lead the Canucks in both categories.
There are, however, some things about the Canucks’ first five games to be concerned about. Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Meriläinen’s combined save-percentage currently sits at .837%, the lowest of all five seasons on this list. Their penalty kill also sits at the bottom of the league with a success rate of 57.9%.
Oct 3, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Leevi Merilainen (31) and defenseman Tom Willander (5) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and forward Drew O'Connor (18) celebrate the victory against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: Anthony Davis #23 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 08, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night. Let’s preview.
Game Info
When: Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network
Injury Report
Wizards: Jamir Watkins and Tristan Vukcevic are out. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr are day-to-day but according to … Greg Finberg of Bullets Forever (just had to be a little snarky here … WE LOVE YOU GREG!), Sarr is trending toward returning.
What to watch for
The Wizards are 1-0 in the preseason after beating the New York Knicks yesterday. However, it’s time for Washington to show what they can do at home. The Wizards will host the Pistons, a young team that was rebuilding not long ago but is now among the Eastern Conference’s best. Tomorrow night will be an opportunity for the Wizards to repeat what happened yesterday with the Dybantsa-Trae Young-Anthony Davis trio and show what’s in store this fall and winter.
But Volpe’s near-moment, after a season in which he was twice demoted to Triple-A after losing his job as the Yankees starting shortstop, was a reminder that he may still have a place in the future of the organization, namely as their second baseman next season.
There is a long way to go between now and whenever (or if) baseball begins in 2027 — due to the looming lockout — but as the Yankees enter the offseason, Volpe has at least given himself a chance to find a home again in pinstripes, as George Lombard Jr.’s double-play partner.
“If we were going to go win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team,” Aaron Judge said late Wednesday night. “He’s an incredible player, not only the talent he has, but to handle that type of adversity — not only from the game, not playing your best and then hearing it from fans, hearing it from everybody, and then for him to go down to Triple-A, work on what he needed to and then come up here with a bang like he did, it speaks volumes to his character and the type of grit he has.”
It was not long ago that Volpe was at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, looking like a player who might benefit from a change of scenery in a trade this offseason. It is not out of the question that the 25-year-old could still be dealt this winter, depending on how the Yankees offseason shakes out. But with Jazz Chisholm Jr. headed to free agency and unlikely to return (despite his wishes), Volpe at the very least looks like a placeholder at second base, if not something more.
In the Yankees’ five playoff games, Volpe started over Chisholm twice. The first came against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series before Chisholm’s untrustworthiness led to Volpe starting again in Game 3 of the ALDS against Rays righty Nick Martinez with the season on the line.
Aaron Boone even considered starting Volpe at third base, a position at which he has played just one career major league game, for Game 2 against the Rays before deciding not to risk his first game there on Tropicana Field’s turf coming in the playoffs (though the decision to stick with Ryan McMahon still ultimately burned the Yankees).
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) plays third base and throws out Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) during the eighth inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium, Oct. 7, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
That Volpe was at second base for Game 3 was an indictment of Chisholm, but it also spoke to how the club believes in Volpe’s makeup, which was reinforced with how he responded to the demotion to Triple-A when he was replaced by Lombard after the trade deadline.
“Volpe, what he’s able to do, talk about facing adversity, and what’s it tell you about him and his character and his makeup and his ability?” Boone said. “The way he’s come back and the level of at-bats he’s throwing up there [in Game 3], getting off the mat.”
While Volpe hit 3-for-7 with a double and two strikeouts in his two playoff games this year, it remains a question what the Yankees could get out of him offensively next season. The demotion to Triple-A gave him the time to make some adjustments in his swing — ones he couldn’t fully make last offseason, which he spent most of rehabbing shoulder surgery — most notably using a stepback with his back foot to get him in a better rhythm.
In the 14 regular-season games he played after coming back up from Triple-A, he hit .265 with a .695 OPS, one home run and five steals. Whether there is more where that came from (meaning more than his career .661 OPS across four seasons) remains to be seen.
Volpe did look comfortable at second base, where his arm plays better and gives him more time to not have to rush plays, and it might just be his ticket to staying in The Bronx next year after a turbulent season.
“I just wanted to stay in the moment,” Volpe said late Wednesday night. “I haven’t really even gotten to think of what’s happened or what happened to me or this year, anything like that, or how to get better from it. I just always tried to stay in the moment and do what I could do every single day to make myself the best player I can be, the best teammate, the best Yankee, everything.”
After he exited last night's game against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury, the Nashville Predators have placed defenseman William Trudeau on the injured reserve.
The Predators revealed that Trudeau is considered week-to-week. Notably, Mavrik Bourque who also left the game with an upper-body injury has not been placed on the injured reserve, so he'll likely be good to go in the near future.
Trudeau, who the Predators claimed off of waivers from the New York Rangers during the preseason, is a Quebec native who started his professional career with the Canadiens organization. Montreal originally drafted the now 23-year-old defenseman back in 2021 with the 113th overall selection. He spent the last four years with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, before being traded to the Rangers in June.
Trudeau then went on to make the Predators' opening night roster and made his NHL debut against the Dallas Stars on October 3. He left the game in Montreal after just 4:39 of ice time.
