Canadian slugger Josh Naylor helps Mariners put Blue Jays in big ALCS hole with home run back home

TORONTO — It was a tough start to the American League Championship Series for the Toronto Blue Jays. Canada’s team headed west for Game 3 in Seattle facing a daunting 2-0 deficit in the best-of-seven playoff.

Part of the reason for Toronto’s big hole? A big Game 2 performance by a Canadian slugger, Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor.

Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, the city immediately west of Toronto, Naylor went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in a Game 2 10-3 victory, putting the Mariners two wins from their first World Series appearance.

Naylor is the eldest of three baseball-playing brothers all drafted in the first round. Middle brother Bo is a catcher for the Cleveland Guardians, while little brother Myles is a minor league infielder in the Athletics organization.

Naylor’s 359-foot drive in the seventh inning of Game 2 made him the first Canadian-born player to hit a postseason home run against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Naylor called it a “little kid moment” to hit a meaningful October homer in the stadium he once visited as a fan of the home team.

“As kids, me and my friends and teammates growing up, we all looked up to a lot of Blue Jays players specifically,” he said.

Naylor is the fourth Canadian-born player to hit a home run in their home country during the playoffs. Russell Martin and Michael Saunders both did it for the Blue Jays in 2016, and Montreal-born Vladimir Guerrero Jr. joined the club in Toronto’s Division Series win over the New York Yankees.

“Super cool to do it in front of my family, too,” Naylor said. “Very blessed to have them all here, all my friends, and it was a really cool moment for them.”

Still, while Naylor’s family was no doubt delighted, the result was tougher not just for millions of Canadian fans, but also a bunch of Blue Jays players who were once Naylor’s teammates.

In the four-plus seasons he spent in Cleveland, Naylor took the field alongside infielders Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez, outfielder Myles Straw, and pitchers Nick Sandlin and Shane Bieber. All but the injured Sandlin are on Toronto’s ALCS roster.

“We were all super, super close when we were there, and those memories last forever, those friendships last forever,” Naylor said after Game 2. “They’ll go down as some of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had.”

Before the ALCS began, Straw said he considers Naylor a favorite, too.

“I love Nayls forever,” Straw said. “He was one of the best teammates I played with, for sure. Talked to him in the offseason all the time. Actually went to his baby shower throughout the season here while we were in Toronto. That was pretty cool to be a part of that. I’m always a Naylor fan but obviously this series it’s a little different.”

Naylor demonstrated the depth of his relationship with Straw during his previous visit to Toronto in June, when he was still with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the fifth inning of the middle game of the series, Straw slammed into the center-field wall while trying to catch Naylor’s RBI double and went down with a sprained right ankle.

Standing at second base, Naylor put his hands on his head when he saw Straw on the ground, then walked all the way out to the fence to check on his pal.

“I definitely see where he was coming from, but at that time I was like, ‘Man, please get out of here,’” Straw said. “He’s just looking out for my best interest. I would never do that for him. If he was out there, I would never walk out, that’s for sure. But I thank him for that. He’s a really good friend.”

Straw said he’s been watching plenty of playoff baseball this October and keeps seeing Naylor come up with key hits.

“He’s got the power, but he’s kind of a pest at the same time,” Straw said. “He’s just a complete hitter, and I’ve seen him ruin a lot of guys throughout the years.”

Unfortunately for Straw and the Blue Jays, their current October run might just be the next thing Naylor ruins.

Former Panthers Goaltender Picks Up Win In NHL Debut

Former Florida Panthers goaltender Brandon Bussi made his NHL debut last night with the Carolina Hurricanes, picking up a 5-1 win.

The 27-year-old wasn't too busy throughout the game, but the high-danger chances the San Jose Sharks did create were turned away. He finished the outing with 16 saves on 17 shots, allowing the lone goal to William Eklund, which came on a breakaway. 

Bussi's NHL debut has been a long-awaited one. He has played 111 games in the AHL, 72 in the NCAA, and another 52 in the USHL

"You work hard to get to moments like this, and you don’t know if it’s ever going to happen. Great effort by the team today, they made my job easy,” said Bussi after the game.

Bussi was set to be the Charlotte Checkers' No.1 goaltender this year and the Panthers' third stringer behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Hurricanes put a claim on him when he was placed on waivers. 

With Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, Bussi will likely be the third-string goaltender when they are healthy. But for now, he has an excellent opportunity to be the backup in Carolina. 

With Bussi gone, Cooper Black has taken charge of the Checkers crease, picking up a win in one of his two starts this season. 

Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández says ‘nobody to blame but myself’ for his role in weird NLCS double play

MILWAUKEE — Teoscar Hernández watched a replay of that bizarre double play from the National League Championship Series opener only one time as the clip went viral across social media.

No further viewings were needed.

“I saw it once,” the Dodgers’ outfielder said after Los Angeles overcame the 8-6-2 double play in a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. “Once the play was over, I realized I just (messed) up. Just one of those things that you don’t have to see it over and over to realize that you made a mistake.”

Hernández earned some redemption by hitting a home run in the second inning of the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory in Game 2.

In Game 1, Hernández walked to start the fourth inning. He was on third with the bases loaded and one out when Max Muncy hit a drive that appeared to be heading over the center-field wall.

Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick tried to rob Muncy of a grand slam, and the ball popped out of his glove and hit the top of the wall before the center fielder caught it in the air.

Los Angeles’ other runners scrambled back to their bases, thinking Frelick made the catch on a fly. Hernández still had plenty of time to tag up and score, but he hesitated and didn’t head home fast enough. Frelick threw to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who relayed to catcher William Contreras for a force out at the plate.

Contreras then completed the double play by jogging to third base and forcing out Will Smith, who was on second when the play started.

“It was one of those plays that, if you would have asked me two days ago what would you do in this situation, I would say as soon as the ball touched the glove, I would go,” Hernández said. “But in the moment, I got blocked, I think, and there’s not an explanation. I just (messed) up. It’s that simple.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any explanation that is going to be accurate. I saw it when the ball hit the glove. I went. Then I saw it bounced off the glove. And I just reacted bad. Just one of those moments, you block your mind. But there’s nobody to blame but myself. And it happens.”

Ortiz was asked whether he had watched a replay and noticed anything that wasn’t immediately apparent at the time it happened.

“Sal did make a pretty funny face,” Ortiz said. “That’s all over the social media right now. … But, no, I’ve never seen a play like that. It was a pretty crazy play to be involved in.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Game 1 that Hernández simply froze for a moment.

“Teo knows the rule. I think right there he had just a little bit of a brain fart, appreciating that when it does hit the glove, you can tag (up) there,” Roberts said. “But then he tagged, did it correctly, then saw he didn’t catch it, (and) he went back. That was the mistake. But he owned it. And after that, there’s nothing else you can do about it.”

On the official scoring, Muncy grounded into a double play on a 404-foot drive that never touched the ground. There had not been an 8-6-2 double play in the postseason over the last 35 years, the Elias Sports Bureau said. Those type of official scoring details are not always clear in records going back any further.

The most recent 8-6-2 double play in the regular season involved a ball hit by Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa to Cincinnati center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. in April 2004 — though that one ended with a tag at the plate.

Max Muncy sets Dodgers record by hitting his 14th career postseason homer

MILWAUKEE — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy set a franchise record by hitting his 14th career postseason homer in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Muncy’s 412-foot drive over the center-field wall in the sixth inning broke the Dodgers mark he had shared with Justin Turner and Corey Seager. The solo shot off starter Freddy Peralta extended Los Angeles’ lead to 3-1.

The Dodgers went on to win 5-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“It means a lot to me,” Muncy said. “The Dodgers are a franchise that have been around for a very, very long time. A lot of very successful players have played in this organization. And to be able to break that record is kind of huge for me.

“But the biggest thing I would say is it speaks to the fact that I’ve had a chance to play in so many postseason games. And that’s the biggest thing about being a Dodger. You know you’ll have a chance in October to play meaningful baseball games. To be able to have that chance every single year I’ve been here, that’s always been the most important thing to me. You get as many chances as you can to win that World Series. That’s the reason why you play this game.”

It was Muncy’s 70th postseason game with the Dodgers. Turner played 86 for Los Angeles from 2014-22. Seager appeared in 61 from 2015-21.

Muncy nearly set the team record in Game 1 when he hit a long drive to center that was inches from becoming a grand slam. That shot instead turned into an unusual 8-6-2 double play after the ball popped out of center fielder Sal Frelick’s glove.

Frelick attempted to make a leaping grab, but the ball bounced off the top of the wall before he caught it and the Brewers ended up forcing runners out at home plate and third base.

Muncy was asked after Game 2 whether he feared Frelick would make the catch when he saw the ball heading in that direction.

“I definitely thought he got it,” Muncy said. “That back wall is so close to the center-field wall. I didn’t see the ball bounce at all. When I didn’t see it bounce, I thought he came down with it again. And I was about to be very, very frustrated. But I saw him sit on the ground. That’s when I realized he didn’t have it.”

Muncy also holds the Dodgers record with 60 career postseason walks.

Kristaps Porzingis on contract extension with Hawks: 'I don’t wanna rush anything'

The Atlanta Hawks front office was aggressive in adding talent to the roster this summer — Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard — but was cautious in offering Trae Young a contract extension. Atlanta pushed its chips into the middle with this group, it wants to see how things look before deciding whether to continue down this road or turn the car around and make a dramatic change.

That applies to Porzingis as well, and he sees it the same way. Porzingis is extension eligible, but told Fred Katz of The Athletic there is no push to get a deal done now.

"I know that's an option. I wanna see how the year goes," Porziņģis said ... "I wanna show that I'm playing at a high level again, that I'm healthy, that I'm everything, and then that kind of stuff will take care of itself, you know? We'll see ...

"I don't wanna rush anything and say this or that, but I wanna take it one day at a time," he said.

Porzingis is set to make $30.7 million this season in the final year of a two-year, $60 million contract he signed in Boston. This summer, as it looked to cut salary, the Celtics traded Porzingis to the Hawks in a three-team deal with Brooklyn.

On paper, Porzingis is exactly the kind of big man Atlanta needed — an impressive rim protector on the defensive end who is a pick-and-pop threat with Young. Last season, Porzingis averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, shooting 41.2% from 3-point range. He looked good playing for his native Latvia this summer at EuroBasket as well. However, he played in just 42 games last season (due in part to a mysterious virus) and has played in 65 games just once in the previous seven seasons. He needs to show he can stay on the court, availability will have a lot to do with how much his next contract is worth.

A contract extension with the Hawks could start as high as $43 million a season, although a number closer to where Porzingis is now — in the $30-35 million range a season — seems more likely if he can stay on the court.

If the Hawks live up to the hopes and expectations of fans and the front office this season — top four seed, advancing out of the first round of the playoffs at least — then Porzingis, Young and others are going to get paid this summer and Atlanta is going to continue down the road. If the wheels come off, well, things are going to get hot in Atlanta next summer.

Slumping Brewers must improve their approach at the plate to have any hope of coming back in NLCS

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers are making the types of mistakes at the plate that they avoided while producing the best regular-season record in the major leagues.

No wonder they’re leaving home facing a 2-0 deficit against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

“We’ve just got to play better,” Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich said. “It’s not an ideal start to the series, by any means. Just have to continue to battle and find a way to get the offense going. I’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better. It’s just facts.”

The Brewers ranked second in the majors in on-base percentage (.332) and third in runs (806) and batting average (.258) while posting a franchise-best 97-65 regular-season record.

But they’ve totaled just five hits through the first two games of this series and mustered only one run in each of them.

The Brewers got just two hits in a 2-1 Game 1 loss, as two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell allowed one hit and no walks over eight shutout innings for Los Angeles. They managed three hits in Game 2 and fell 5-1 as Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched the first postseason complete game in eight years.

During the regular season, the Brewers had the best chase rate in the majors, meaning they swung at the lowest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone. But their inability to work counts the last two night allowed Los Angeles’ starters to go deep into the games and prevented the Brewers from getting many shots at the Dodgers’ vulnerable bullpen.

"Both those pitchers were as dominant as two pitchers have been,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “We chased way more than we’ve chased all year. We’ve been the best in baseball at not chasing. These pitchers brought out the worst in us.”

The most notable example came when Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang swinging at a neck-high fastball with the bases loaded to end Game 1.

But the chasing was prevalent again, allowing Yamamoto to pitch a complete game for the first time since entering the majors last season on a 12-year, $325 million contract.

Jackson Chourio homered on Yamamoto’s first pitch to continue his impressive postseason. The 21-year-old already has four career postseason homers to tie a Brewers record he now shares with Orlando Arcia and Prince Fielder.

But the Brewers accomplished little else. Their only other hits were two-out singles by Turang in the third inning and Sal Frelick in the fourth.

The lack of punch was particularly frustrating because the Brewers had knocked Yamamoto out in the first inning of a 9-1 victory over the Dodgers the one time they faced him in the regular season. Yamamoto gave up five runs — three earned — and got only two outs in that July 7 game.

This time, the Brewers had no answers for him.

“He wasn’t missing over the middle of the plate,” Turang said. “We hit some balls hard but they were standing right there. Sometimes it’s part of the game. He hit his spots.”

Milwaukee’s struggles are up and down the lineup thus far in the series.

Yelich, a three-time All-Star and the 2018 NL MVP, is 0 for 13 in his last four games. Two-time All-Star William Contreras and Andrew Vaughn each homered twice in the NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, but both are hitless so far in this series.

“We’ve got to take batter at-bats,” Chourio said through an interpreter. “That’s where it begins. But you have to credit those guys. But we haven’t had so much luck go our way. We have to stick with our plan and stick with process and hopefully change things around.”

The Brewers remain confident they can turn this series around. They won all six regular-season matchups with the Dodgers, all in July. The Dodgers are playing much better now than they were then, but the Brewers realize they can show much more discipline at the plate than they’ve displayed the last two nights.

“You guys might have us counted out,” Murphy said. “And I understand that — 90% of the teams that have been in this situation don’t win the series. But this team has been counted out a lot this year. And I think there’s some fight left in them.”

Canadiens Star Is Red-Hot Right Now

Cole Caufield (© Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

The Montreal Canadiens extended their winning streak to three games during their Oct. 14 matchup against the Seattle Kraken, as they defeated the Pacific Division club in overtime by a 5-4 final score. With this, the Canadiens now have a 3-1-0 record on the season and are tied with the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins at the top of the Atlantic Division standings. 

Canadiens star Cole Caufield was undoubtedly a huge reason why the Canadiens defeated the Kraken. The 2019 first-round pick scored twice in the Canadiens' contest against the Kraken, with one of them most notably being the overtime winner. 

With his impressive performance against the Kraken, Caufield has now recorded three goals, five points, and a plus-4 rating in his last three games. With this, the 5-foot-8 winger is certainly doing his job for the Canadiens early on this campaign, and there is no question that they are benefiting from it. 

It will now be very interesting to see how Caufield builds on his hot streak with the Canadiens from here. If he continues to have strong games like he has been as of late, it will undoubtedly be great news for a Canadiens club looking to take another step forward in the right direction. 

NHL Nugget: Wayne Gretzky Breaks Points Record This Day In 1989

Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Wild Wednesday Rewind heads back to Oct. 15, 1989, at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.

The Oilers faithful watched their former hero, Wayne Gretzky, come in as the opponent with the Los Angeles Kings, but this night carried much more significance than that with the NHL points record on the line.

Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media.  And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.    

Oilers' Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Reaches New Milestone

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to cement his place in franchise history. With a recent victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, Knoblauch notched his 96th career NHL win, moving past former coach Dave Tippett to claim fifth place on the Oilers’ all-time wins list.

Knoblauch’s early success in Edmonton has been remarkable. In just 154 games at the helm, he’s won 96 (96-47-11), a winning percentage that is among the best in the NHL, particularly for the length of time he's been an NHL head coach.

While he inherited a Stanley Cup contender, he came to the Oilers under less than ideal circumstances, replacing Jay Woodcroft early in a season and essentially being told to turn the team around or else. Knoblauch did just that, taking the team to the Finals, where they've barely lost out of the Florida Panthers in two straight seasons. A key factor in his success as a coach has been his ability to stay calm under immense pressure and his effective communication with elite stars. 

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The franchise recently confirmed its confidence in Knoblauch’s abilities by signing him to a three-year contract extension, all while knowing that every decision could impact whether Connor McDavid re-signed with the team. Knoblauch signed, and then McDavid followed just days later.

This season, an important start is key for the Oilers, but so is bringing along some new faces, including young players who need to find success at the NHL level. If he's able to do so, Knoblauch could realistically pass both Todd McLellan and Ron Low, moving him into fourth on the all-time list of Oilers coaches. He would need 56 more wins to tie Craig McTavish, which, while possible, would put them in elite company. That would mean the Oilers would go 58-23-1 on the season. That's 117 points, and only the Boston Bruins (135 points in 2022-23), the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche (2021-22), and Tampa Bay Lightning (2018-19) have done so in the past six seasons. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest newsgame-day coverage, and more  Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.

Blue Jays at Mariners – ALCS Game 3 prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, trends, and stats

Maybe Toronto celebrated their Division Series over the Yankees a little too much and too long. Maybe Seattle is just a better baseball team. Regardless, the Blue Jays are in must-win territory as they prepare for Game 3 of the American League Championship series against the Seattle Mariners.

Shane Bieber is slated to take the mound for Toronto against George Kirby for Seattle.

After scoring 34 runs in their four-game series against the Yankees, the Jays' offense has practically disappeared garnering a mere four runs and eight hits in the first two games of the ALCS. Seattle, meanwhile, is raking. Led by Jorge Polanco (4-9 with 1 HR and 5 RBIs), Seattle has managed 17 hits and scored 13 runs in taking the first two games in Toronto.

Lets dive into Game 3 and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Blue Jays at Mariners - ALCS Game 3

  • Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
  • Time: 8:08PM EST
  • Site: T-Mobile Park
  • City: Seattle, WA
  • Network/Streaming: FS1

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Blue Jays at the Mariners - ALCS Game 3

The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:

  • Moneyline: Toronto Blue Jays (+109), Seattle Mariners (-132)
  • Spread: Mariners -1.5 (+167)
  • Total: 7.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Blue Jays at Mariners - ALCS Game 3

  • Pitching matchup for October 15, 2025: Shane Bieber vs. George Kirby
    • Blue Jays: Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA)
      Bieber lasted just 2.2 innings against the Yankees in Game 4 of the Division Series allowing 2ER on 5H
      Bieber owns a 5.23 ERA in 4 career postseason starts
    • Mariners: George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA)
      Kirby appeared in 2 of the 5 games against Detroit in the Division series going 5 innings in each game and allowing 3 ER while striking out 14

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Blue Jays at Mariners

  • Anthony Santander is hitting .400 (6-15) with 2 HRs in his career against George Kirby
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 2-9 (.222) against Kirby
  • George Springer is hitting .375 (3-8) in his career against Kirby
  • Jorge Polanco is 8-29 (.276) in his career against Shane Bieber
  • Eugenio Suarez is the only Mariner to have gone yard in his career against Bieber

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s ALCS Game 3 between the Blue Jays and the Mariners

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Blue Jays and the Mariners:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Toronto Blue Jays at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Sports.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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India to host 2030 Commonwealth Games – next stop the 2036 Olympics?

  • Ahmedabad is also bid city for 2036 summer Games

  • Concerns over mismanagement and governance issues

India will be formally approved as hosts of the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030 next month as the country steps up its ambitions to stage the 2036 Olympics.

Commonwealth Sport says its executive board had recommended Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, as the host city for the 2030 Games ahead of what it called an “ambitious bid” by Nigeria. The decision still needs to be ratified by a general assembly in Glasgow on 26 November, but multiple sources described that process a formality.

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3 Things We Learned From Blackhawks’ First Home-Stand Of 2025-26

The Chicago Blackhawks are now through four games. The first two came on the road against the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, followed by the next two at home against the Montreal Canadiens and Utah Mammoth. Chicago is 1-2-1 with 3 standings points.

One thing that is evident through the first four games is that the Blackhawks are going to be involved in a lot more games. All four were either a Blackhawks win or losses by one goal. They are fast, have more skill, and play hard for Jeff Blashill. 

There were some things that we learned about the team during the first two road games. Now that they have played two at home, we know even more about them. These are the three things that the first homestand of 2025-26 told us about the Blackhawks:

Ilya Mikheyev can impact games

Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev is not a star player, but he did score a cool 20 goals in 2024-25. With no power play time, that is an impressive total. 

Coming into this year, it was fair to wonder how he would follow that up. So far, he’s been an impactful player all over the ice once again, which was evident in the two home games. 

In the home opener against Montreal, the Blackhawks found themselves on the penalty kill 10 times. They killed off eight of them, which is a great job by those units. Mikheyev is one of the key pieces to that success, as he was all over the ice during those kills. 

As a result of his work on the PK, and how frequently it was needed, he hardly had any even strength ice time. That’s the kind of warrior that helps build great cultures in the NHL. 

Two days later, when hosting the Mammoth, Mikheyev was rewarded with two goals. One was a beautiful effort to drive the net, and the other was an empty-netter. After the sacrifices he made against Montreal, he deserved to be on the scoresheet more than once a day later. 

Having bottom-six forwards who can do it all for your team is important. Right now, Ilya Mikheyev is a proven player who can impact games. His work on this homestand is a great sign that it will continue. 

Developing a "killer instinct" is a must

In the first game of the homestand, the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, the Blackhawks allowed the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. They were that close to at least getting a point, and giving themselves a chance to win in overtime. 

Once the game was over, Nick Foligno talked about developing a killer instinct. That is something that has lacked in recent years. The Blackhawks have become known for blowing leads late or letting their opponent find a way to win in the final minutes. 

One game later against the Mammoth, they did the opposite. Once Andre Burakovsky gave them a 2-1 lead, they did not allow Utah to get it tied. Instead, they threw one into the empty net and won 3-1 for their first victory of the season. 

Like Foligno said, having that "killer instinct" can be the key to winning hockey games. One game after talking about it, the team showed signs of improvement in that area. Seeing that become more of a trend is a must this year if they want to take a step as a group. 

Spencer Knight may be a high-end NHL starting goalie

Spencer Knight was a first-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019. Being selected so high is rare for a goalie, but Knight had the pedigree to live up to it. 

After some struggles on and off the ice in Florida, along with some flashes of incredible play, the Panthers included him in the trade to get Seth Jones. With Sergei Bobrovsky as their main man in net, they were able to make that deal to get another solid defenseman. 

With the Chicago Blackhawks, Knight is getting the opportunity he deserves to be a number one in the NHL. He got himself off to a good start when he came over at the end of last season, but he's gone to another level to start this year. 

Knight played both games at home and allowed only four total goals. His goals against average currently sits at 2.35 while his save percentage is .920. Knowing his team is outshot in every game, these stats look even better. 

The first game of the season on the road wouldn't have been close without Knight's brilliance. He came home and started both games, and his team had a shot to win each because of him. 

Is he going to compete for Vezina Trophies or lead them to deep playoff runs? That remains to be seen. All we know is that he dominated this homestand and looks like he may be a high-end NHL goalie.

If Knight can continue saving 81 of every 88 shots, the Blackhawks will be more than pleased.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.