Russian teen beats American 6-3, 6-4 at Indian Wells
French Open champion, 19, assures world No 2 ranking
The rise of Mirra Andreeva has seemed inevitable ever since she burst on to the tour as a precocious 15-year-old more than three years ago, but this week, six months after her maiden grand slam triumph at Roland Garros, she has taken another massive step forward in her career. The 19-year-old will attempt to close out the most impressive week of her career by winning one of her most significant titles after thoroughly outplaying Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the championship match of the WTA Finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
A year ago, Andreeva surprisingly failed to qualify for the WTA Finals, missing out by a paltry six points after bizarrely deciding not to compete in the final tournament week before the event. The world No 3 has been utterly supreme in her long-awaited debut appearance, bulldozing through elite opposition to reach the final without dropping a set. She has conceded just 18 games in four matches this week, including a 6-4, 6-0 demolition of the No 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, winning 11 games in succession from 1-4 down.
HELSINKI (AP) — Jordan Staal returned from injury, Andrei Svechnikov and Mark Jankowski each scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Saturday to sweep the NHL’s Global Series in Finland’s capital.
The Hurricanes (16-3-2) followed on their dominant 4-1 victory on Thursday and extended their winning streak to four.
Carolina became the first NHL franchise to win each of its first four regular-season games played outside North America following a sweep of a 2010 series against the Minnesota Wild, also in Helsinki.
Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes, Nikolaj Ehlers had three assists and Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 12 shots for his 12th win in 13 games.
Svechnikov scored on power plays with two identical goals from the right circle in the middle period, one-timing a precise snap shot to make it 3-0 and another for a 4-1 advantage. He has five goals in his four-game point streak and has 11 goals on the season.
His second goal with 9:55 left in the second period prompted the Kraken to pull Joey Daccord after he allowed four goals on 14 shots. Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves in relief.
Matty Beniers scored for the Kraken (9-8-1) to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
Blake beat Daccord with a snap shot after Sebastian Aho sent him a backhand pass in between his legs in the first period. Blake extended his career-best point streak to 11 games.
Jankowski doubled that advantage with 2:30 left in the period. He added his second with 8:54 left in the final period, tapping in a precise pass from Taylor Hall.
Staal, Carolina's captain, played his first game for the reigning champions after missing 14 following a calf tear on Oct 11. The 38-year-old center skated on the third line alongside wingers Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook and played 13:55.
The game Saturday was the 50th contested outside North America and ninth in Helsinki to tie Prague, with only Stockholm hosting more.
The NHL returns to Europe next month, this time to grow the fan base in Germany with a series between the Ottawa Senators and the Chicago Blackhawks in Düsseldorf on Dec. 18 and 20.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - NOVEMBER 12: Logan O'Connor #25,Noah Juulsen #47, celebrate with Parker Kelly #17 of the Colorado Avalanche after Kelly scored a shorthanded goal during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on November 12, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Troy Parla/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche make their final stop on their road trip through Canada tonight when they face the Montréal Canadiens at Bell Center.
However, they’ll take the ice without two of their best players joining them.
Colorado Avalanche (11-6-3)
The Opponent: Montréal Canadiens (12-3-4)
Time: 5:00 P.M. MST/7:00 P.M. EST
Watch: ALT2, ALT+, KTVD (Avalanche Local Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Avalanche Broadcast Area – US), SN+, TVAS, TVAS+ (Canadian National Broadcast)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are coming into tonight’s game off the heels of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators this past Thursday. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Avs’ special teams went to work. Artturi Lehkonen scored his team-leading fourteenth goal of the season on the power play in the second period. Parker Kelly recorded a shorthanded goal—the team’s first shorthanded goal of the season—early in the third period to tie the game, and a power play goal from Gabe Landeskog put the Avs ahead with less then ten minutes to play in the period.
Ottawa’s Drake Batherson tied the game late in regulation, and Shane Pinto capitalized on a botched pass from Kelly moments before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. Scott Wedgewood stopped twenty-two of twenty-four shots in the contest.
The Avs finished the contest without the services of both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, having lost both to injury. MacKinnon was on the receiving end of a cross check from Ottawa’s Artem Zub late in the second period. He went to the locker room prior to intermission and didn’t finish the game. Makar’s injury appeared to take place during the second period, but unlike MacKinnon, his didn’t appear to be from the result of a body check or a fall to the ice. He also didn’t finish the game.
Head coach Jared Bednar announced earlier this morning that both MacKinnon and Makar will miss time: Makar will be out for two weeks, while MacKinnon will be out for the next month. In the interim, the Avs will insert Gavin Brindley, who was recalled from Loveland yesterday, into the lineup. Defenseman Alex Gagne will make his NHL debut tonight, while defenseman Brent Burns will skate in his 1600th career game. Mackenzie Blackwood will likely start tonight.
In his postgame comments on Thursday, head coach Jared Bednar seemed pleased with how his team performed in the wake of the injuries to his star players. “I liked our effort all around,” He said. “It’s a good hockey team we played. If you’re running without a couple of horses, you know, for half the game, so, pretty gutsy effort from our group. I’ll take it. I mean, we weren’t perfect. We made some mistakes; they cost us, but all in all, I’m pretty happy with what we did. It’s a big point.”
The Avs have collected three of a possible four points thus far during this road trip, and the prospect of a victory in Montréal looms large. The Avs split the season series against Montréal last year, but lost by a score of 7-3 during their previous visit to La Belle Province. For you superstitious folks out there, they were wearing their Quebec Nordiques heritage jerseys in that contest, and won’t be wearing them tonight.
Just sayin’.
The injured MacKinnon leads all skaters in points (30) and assists (20). Defenseman Devon Toews is enjoying an offensive flourish this season, as he leads all defensemen in goals (7). A win tonight could move Blackwood closer to second place in wins among active goaltenders across the League.
With the exception of Nashville, all Central Division teams are in action tonight. A win tonight keeps the Avs within pace of the second-place Predators, while remaining ahead of Dallas, Utah, Winnipeg, and St. Louis in the Central Division standings.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Artturi Lehkonen -Brock Nelson – Martin Nečas Gabe Landeskog – Nicolas Roy – T.J. Hughes Jaden Schwartz – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Parker Kelly – Fedor Svechkov – Gavin Brindley
Defense: Devon Toews – Brett Kulak Noah Juulsen – Sam Malinski Alex Gagne – Brent Burns
Between the Pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Montréal Canadiens
After bowing out to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, Montréal is out to prove last season’s deep playoff run wasn’t a fluke. General manager Kent Hughes moved quickly to secure some key pieces of his roster this summer. He signed star right wing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73.2 million dollar contract extension and standout goaltender Jakub Dobeš to a three-year, $16 million+ dollar contract, respectively, during the first two days of free agency in July.
The rest of the summer was quiet for Hughes until September. Hughes then signed left wing Chris Kreider signed a one-year, $5.4 million dollar contract on September 12, while forward Zachary Bolduc, acquired last season from St. Louis, signed a four-year, $16.8 million dollar contract the next day. Two days later, former Avalanche forward Alex Newhook signed a four-year, $22.2 million dollar contract extension.
With several of their key pieces now locked into long-term contracts, the organization is now focused on making another deep playoff run, and their current record reflects that goal. Coming into tonight’s game against Colorado, Montréal currently shares the Atlantic Division lead with Tampa. They’ve won three of their previous four games, their most recent being a 5-2 defeat of their archrival Boston Bruins at T.D. Garden this past Thursday.
However, the injury bug has started to make its presence known in Montréal. Demidov has missed over a month with a fractured ankle, and goaltender Sam Montembeault has been out of action since October 31 with a lower body injury. Earlier today, the organization announced that Kreider will miss 6-8 weeks with a lower body injury, while defenseman Mike Matheson is considered a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Colorado.
Right wing Cole Caufield and defenseman Lane Hutson lead all Montréal skaters in points (18). Caufield’s twelve goals—none of which were scored on an empty net, to the delight and/or relief of Montréal fans everywhere—is first among all Montréal skaters.
Hutson lead the team in assists (10), while goaltender Jacob Fowler ranks third among all League goaltenders in wins (9). Defenseman Arber Hekaj leads all Montréal skaters in penalty minutes (32).
Tonight kicks off a stretch of five games in seven days for Montréal. After facing Colorado tonight, they will start a three game road trip next Monday. Montréal will wrap up the season series with Colorado on November 25 at Ball Arena.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovský Zachary Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier Alex Newhook – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson Owen Beck – Oliver Kapanen – Kirby Dach
Defense: Kaiden Guhle – Mike Matheson Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Solovyov, 26, has appeared in only three games this season, with the last appearance on Oct. 24 in a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. According to head coach Dan Muse, this decision was more so about getting Solovyov consistent playing time, as was the case the first time he was optioned to WBS this season.
"It's been awhile now. Hasn't played in a bit," Muse said. "So, it's an opportunity to play."
Of note, Solovyov did not have to pass through waivers again because he had not been back with the NHL club for either 30 days or 10 games. He was recalled on Oct. 18 after his initial placement on waivers Oct. 9.
The move shouldn't come as much of a surprise, especially since veteran defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is back practicing with the team. He played the first five games of the season before going down with a lower-body injury in mid-October, and he's been out ever since. He has not appeared in a game for the Penguins since Oct. 9, the same day Solovyov was waived.
Although van Riemsdyk, 35, has not officially been activated from injured reserve, the Penguins do expect him back soon. But Muse wants to see him ease back into things.
"We're going to get some more practices [is the] plan," Muse said. "Being out there with the team skate, a couple team skates now, some more practice time. So, that's the current plan."
MONTREAL (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche will be without forward Nathan MacKinnon for at least a month and defenseman Cale Makar for around two weeks, coach Jared Bednar told reporters Saturday before a game against Montreal.
Both star players are sidelined with lower-body injuries. It's a blow to a team that's among the Stanley Cup favorites.
MacKinnon and Makar left in the second period of the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss in Ottawa on Thursday night.
MacKinnon went down to his knees holding his right hip after being shoved by Senators defenseman Artem Zub while trying to win the puck. Makar left favoring his right leg in what appeared to be a non-contact injury.
Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, has five goals and 18 assists this season. MacKinnon has 10 goals and 20 assists.
The Winnipeg Jets have been surging behind red-hot forwards like Mark Scheifele and Dawson Mercer among others, but one of the top players for their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, is making a case to be considered if the offense slows down again.
Dima Zhilkin, Winnipeg's third-round pick in 2022, has not broken out at the NHL level yet, but he has steadily grown during his time with the Moose. He recorded 24 points in 62 games last season and is already six points shy of matching that total.
Through 16 games this season, Zhilkin has eight goals and ten assists for 18 points. He has at least a point in 11 of those 16 games and is riding a five-game point streak. That puts him on pace to be a potential point-per-game player.
With the Jets looking for offense wherever they can find it, Zhilkin could get a look if the team cools off. Through their first 12 games, Winnipeg's offense was one of the league's worst at 2.33 goals per game. Since then, that number has jumped to 4.13 over the last eight games.
If the offense starts to regress toward its early-season form, the Jets could turn to another young player, as they did with Brayden Yager. After the slow start, Winnipeg called up the former first-round pick after he recorded 12 points in ten AHL games. Yager has been decent so far, with a goal and an assist through five games.
Zhilkin could be a similar option with the 22-year-old having played six games with the Jets last season, so this would be his second stint at the NHL level. After making adjustments in the offseason and looking like a different player this year, he may be worth another look, and he could finally be mature enough to stay in the NHL and become a difference-maker for Winnipeg.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 26: Luis Morales #19 of the Athletics pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning of the game at Target Field on July 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Anne Sullivan then moved Helen Keller’s hand to feel the running water from the stream. “Waa—ter!!!” Helen exclaimed intensely. “Also the ghost runner is stooopid!!!!” “That’s enough for today,” Anne replied. “And yes, you’re right, it’s really dumb.”
Anne Sullivan was an incredible trailblazer for what’s possible in an impossible situation, somehow teaching someone who was blind and deaf how to recognize and pronounce words. This was a task only slightly easier than getting A’s pitchers to keep the ball in park while not walking everyone.
Enter Taylor Smith, who did not write “Cruel Summer” and is trying to avoid another one, and Cam Castro, who will try to do his job with Fidel-ity. They are charged with taking the A’s to the next level, a task that will involve turning the pitching staff from one of the worst in the business to one that performs at a level better than their home ballpark.
Be plenty optimistic that these two imports know a ton about pitching, about developing talent, about bringing out the best in players. But also be realistic that they are not about to replace Anne Sullivan on the “Top 10 ‘Believe it or Not’” lists.
One easy proclamation to make is that “Phew, finally we can expect Luis Morales and Jack Perkins to harness their stuff and pitch like Logan Henderson and Freddy Peralta!” But fixes are not simple matters when you are dealing with what is (or isn’t) between a pitcher’s ears, mechanics their body has internalized that you are trying to “unlearn,” pitchers who may or may not be fully receptive to your preaching, and the reality that “stuff” and “how well you can pitch” just don’t always correlate.
If the premise is “nowhere to go but up,” that the previous regime left every young pitcher stalled and hopeless, Luis Medina and JT Ginn offer a couple quick counterarguments. Similarly, the Brewers and Rays and Red Sox all have failed prospects in their histories whose performance just never played up to their stuff. It’s just the nature of the beast. In other words, even the Rays couldn’t fix Joe Boyle’s control so don’t put all your bullpen hopes in Luke Little’s left arm.
Another hope is to go outside the organization for an infusion of pitching talent, be it proven, “MLB ready,” local or international. As inspiring as it might be to hear that the A’s “plan to be aggressive” starting at some unnamed point that could be now, obstacles abound.
In luring free agents, the A’s will face one more season in a AAA park and are coming off of 98 losses no matter how they came by it. Payroll may be increasing but is not going to rival the top 10 spenders. The bigger free agent deals are known to generally be unwise investments and this off-season most everyone is seeking starting pitching creating a “player’s market”.
So to land someone worth getting excited about, you probably have to accept a player-friendly deal that wipes out much of your existing payroll flexibility for a contract you will later regret. It’s basically “a more expensive Luis Severino”.
In terms of trade, in order to add meaningful starting pitching the A’s would almost certainly have to part with a current key position player, e.g., Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof, or a coveted minor leaguer expected to contribute mightily to the team as soon as 2028, e.g., Leo De Vries, Jamie Arnold, Drew Burress.
Perhaps the best bet is an MLB-ready SP not yet proven, the next Dan Haren — who could also be the next Dan Meyer, an equally touted pitcher only he got hurt and was never the same. The type of pitcher the A’s may well have targeted when they were at AAA would be, I don’t know, Luis Morales and Jack Perkins?
Long term, Smith and Castro figure to greatly improve the A’s pitching through enhancement of the very way they draft, develop, and train pitchers from the ground up. But whether they can spin their magic to turn the current group into gems, whether they can bring in enough talent move the needle in the coming year — you might need Anne Sullivan for that and she’s been, er, retired for 90 years.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 07: Jack O'Dowd #18 of the Salt River Rafters prepares to bat during the 2026 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday, November 7, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This morning, Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP) was named the Arizona Fall League’s Breakout Player of the Year.
Congratulations to @Rockies Jack O’Dowd on being named Breakout Player of the Year!
An undrafted free agent who played a season in the independent MLB Official Partner Frontier League, Jack O’Dowd led the league with eight doubles, six home runs, and 14 extra-base hits. O’Dowd… pic.twitter.com/NRezuh5lML
The award as well deserved as the Rockies catching prospect led the league with eight doubles, six home runs, and 14 extra-base hits. O’Dowd also ranked third in the AFL in total bases (50) and RBI (21), fourth in slugging (.641), and eighth in hits (24).
Adding to his postseason accolades, the Rockies prospect won the Week 3 NFP Hitter of the Week Award after mashing three home runs and leading the league in total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
O’Dowd was named to the National League Fall Stars roster and participated in the AFL Home Run Derby, where he hit 15 home runs and advanced to the semifinal round.
“The Home Run Derby was a ton of fun,” he said. “It was a great experience. I’m very grateful I got to do that, and just the whole All-Star experience, too. They make it really cool for us. And getting to meet so many different guys is one of the best parts, for sure.”
As a reminder, O’Dowd was an undrafted free agent who played the 2025 season with the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer Independent League. He finished the season with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.
The Senators haven't exactly followed the traditional development manual with their prized young defenceman Carter Yakemchuk.
The seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft played in the club's first 13 games this season, but as the Senators have gradually returned to full health on the blue line, the 21-year-old has become the odd man out.
Yakemchuk has been a healthy scratch for six of the Senators' last seven games, spending way more time in the press box than on the ice.
Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News provides the Pittsburgh preview as the Penguins prepare to host the Senators on Saturday night.
He'll finally get back in there on Saturday night when the Senators visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. He replaces Nikolas Matinpalo on the third defensive pairing alongside Tyler Kleven. That's almost certainly not an indictment of Matinpalo, who's played very well of late. The kid just needs to play.
"We're fortunate we've got 7D that we really like," head coach Travis Green told the Senators social media team. "Yak's just been out of the lineup lately. We felt like it was important to get him back in.
"It's not a slight against (Matinpalo) at all. He's been playing great this year, but we just want to make sure that we're keeping everyone sharp, and Yak's more than capable. We're expecting a big game out of him as well."
Meanwhile, it's fair to wonder whether this is the ideal development model for a blue-chip prospect.
There's certainly value in having Yakemchuk practice with NHL players, learn from experienced teammates, and get a firsthand look at what it takes to succeed at this level.
But there's also a strong argument that he'd be better served playing big minutes in Belleville, where he'd be the big man on campus, quarterback the power play, and continue working on the quicker feet and defensive details that will determine his NHL future.
Saturday's opportunity will give him another chance to show he belongs.
Senators Projected Lineup
The Senators have announced their line combinations for Saturday's game, and they'll look almost identical to the setup that helped them defeat Colorado 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night.
The only change is Yakemchuk replacing Matinpalo.
Forwards
Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Dylan Cozens Phil Tomasino – Shane Pinto – Drake Batherson Michael Amadio – Ridly Greig – Claude Giroux Sammy Blais – Stephen Halliday – Hayden Hodgson
Defence
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence Tyler Kleven – Carter Yakemchuk
Starting Goaltender
Linus Ullmark
Ullmark will make his second consecutive start after returning from a lower-body injury that had kept him out since October 21.
As strategy goes, given Ullmark's constant battle with injuries and the grind of the long season, it may be worth considering a move to a true platoon situation at some point.
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup
The Penguins are expected to counter with the following combinations, with 22-year-old rookie goalie Sergei Murashov starting in goal.
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Egor Chinakhov Nicholas Robertson – Hendrix Lapierre – Justin Brazeau Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Rutger McGroarty
Defence
Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson Samuel Girard – Kaedan Korczak Declan Carlile – Kris Letang
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 10: Dax Kilby #11 of the River Rafters looks on prior to the game between the Javelinas and the River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
This year’s Arizona Fall League has come and gone, as the Salt River Rafters’ quest for an unlikely AFL title ended with a semifinal loss on Friday night. It was an up-and-down autumn for them and the Yankees’ contingent, who had some definite high points, but also some deep struggles. Starting with Sunday’s Fall Stars Game, here’s how it went down in the final week of the AFL. As a reminder, if you want a quick rundown on who was in the desert this month, check here.
November 8 (AFL Fall Stars Game): Three Yankees participated in the Fall Stars Game on Sunday, which the NL won 7-4. Dax Kilby went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, and Kyle West did the same. At least Chris Veach did his job, getting the last out of the fourth inning.
November 10 (Rafters 6, Javelinas 14): Returning from the pseudo-All-Star Break, Salt River got blasted by the team they’d eventually go on to play in the postseason. Kilby was removed in the fourth in what I can only describe as load management, given it happened to him again the following night and he’s DHing all week. Core Jackson went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, and West went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. Eleven of the 14 runs were allowed by Mack Estrada and JT Etheridge, who both struggled, but converted catcher Antonio Gomez threw a scoreless inning.
November 11 (Rafters 12, Solar Sox 4): In their regular-season finale, the Rafters rallied from a fifth-inning deficit to blast the Solar Sox in a seven-inning game to finish the regular season at 14-15. Kilby again left early after a hitless day with a walk and two stolen bases. Jackson had one of his better games of the entire fall, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, two walks, two stolen bases, and three runs scored.
November 12 (AFL Quarterfinals, Rafters 5, Solar Sox 2): Thursday night marked the start of a three-day postseason, where Salt River defeated Mesa for the second consecutive day in the quarterfinals. Kilby went 1-for-3 with a walk, and West went 0-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored.
November 13 (AFL Semifinals, Rafters 5, Javelinas 6): That’s the end of the line, folks. The Rafters fell short in a back-and-forth affair and saw their season end on Friday night. Kilby took it on the chin, 0-for-5 with a pair of K’s, West went 0-for-4 with an RBI forceout, Jackson went 2-for-4 with a pair of hard-hit RBI singles, and Chris Veach tossed 2.1 shutout innings.
MacKinnon will miss one month and Makar will miss about two weeks.
Bednar said Makar had been dealing with a soft-tissue injury and "it just kind of started gradually getting worse."
The two were dealing with injuries last season in the Western Conference finals, one of the reasons that the Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche play six games from Saturday night, when they face the Montreal Canadiens, until Nov. 28. That would cover the two weeks without Makar. The team has off from Nov. 20-24.
Colorado plays 13 games during the next month, the time that MacKinnon is expected to miss.
Recent callups forward Gavin Brindley and defenseman Alex Gagne will play in Montreal. Gagne will make his NHL debut and play alongside Brent Burns, who's making his 1,600th appearance.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 06, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026-27 edition ofSmash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today, we continue the series with the prospect of bringing Michael King back to his home region.
Who is he, and where does he come from?
He’s Michael King and he’s local! The right-handed pitcher went to high school at Bishop Hendricken in Rhode Island and played his college ball at Chestnut Hill for the Boston College Eagles. The Marlins drafted him in 2016 before a trade to the Yankees where he spent his first five MLB seasons. The Padres acquired him in the monster return for Juan Soto. He excelled in San Diego with Cy Young votes in 2024 and a 3.15 ERA in three seasons for the Padres.
Still only entering his age-32 season with a career 3.23 ERA (1.86 ERA in 29 postseason innings), King has plenty left to give on the mound and will get a multi-year, high-AAV deal on the open market.
Is he any good?
He’s not an ace but he’s a No. 2 nearly every team in baseball would feel great about. King continues to improve in stuff and durability – he logged a career-best 185 innings in 2026 in his age-31 season. His strikeout numbers took a step back last season (7.7 K/9), though his Baseball Savant page is still a thing of beauty – especially when it comes to limiting hard contact.
TLDR, just give me his 2026 stats
King went 12-10 in 32 starts with a 3.21 ERA for the Padres. He pitched 185 innings with a 1.178 WHIP and 159 strikeouts.
Would he be a good fit for the Red Sox?
He’d be a great Sonny Gray replacement to slot in behind Garrett Crochet and take pressure off of Payton Tolle to be the Scottie Pippen of the rotation at this point – even after a Rookie of the Year-caliber campaign for the lefty in 2026.
Crochet-King-Tolle-Suárez-Bello? Works for me.
Why wouldn’t he be a good fit for the Red Sox?
Is he really a necessity for the 2027 Red Sox? Not really.
The Red Sox clearly had offensive deficiencies last postseason (and honestly in 2025 too). Even with the Jake Bauers news (announced while writing this!), the lineup is clearly the priority of the winter. That’s obvious given how good the rotation was even without Crochet last year. Sonny Gray departs, but the group is certainly still a strength. King would make them better, but he probably shouldn’t be the priority for Boston’s resources.
What would it take to get him?
Keith Law of The Athletic speculated a multi-year deal in the ballpark of $30 million AAV. Gray is not returning on a $30 million option, so would the Red Sox really turn around and give that out on a multi-year deal for a 32-year-old pitcher? Seems unlikely.
Show me a cool highlight.
King has been a postseason demon – most recently flirting with a postseason no-hitter against the Cubs in the Wild Card round this year.
He also dominated the Braves with 12 strikeouts in the 2024 Wild Card round as well.
Smash or pass?
If the Red Sox still believe they have room to improve the offense in addition to adding King, then smash. Otherwise, the sacrifice to sign King is not worth the attention turn from the clear priority of making sure this lineup is finally October.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been showing signs of improvement lately, as they have won two out of their last three games.
A big reason for the Penguins' recent success has been goaltender Sergei Murashov. This is because the 22-year-old netminder has been playing very well for the Metropolitan Division club.
Murashov has not only won each of his last two starts but was excellent during them. In the Penguins' 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 7, Murashov stopped 26 out of 28 shots (.929 save percentage). He then followed that up by saving 34 out of 36 shots he faced against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 11, which equates to a .944 save percentage.
With numbers like these, there is no question that Murashov has been very good for the Penguins lately. The 2022 fourth-round pick is starting to show signs of breaking out, which is undoubtedly encouraging news for a Penguins club that wants to get better.
It will now be interesting to see if Murashov can continue to play this well for the Penguins from here. There is a lot to like about his game right now.
The Senators will begin a two-game road trip in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, and fortunately for them, they were able to get into town before Friday's air travel shutdown in the United States.
The Sens (12-6-2) have won three of their last four games and collected seven of a possible eight points in that stretch.
November 5: Beat Buffalo 2–1
November 8: Beat Utah 4–2
November 10: Lost to Washington 3–2 in overtime
November 12: Beat Colorado 4–3 in overtime
They've climbed into ninth overall in the NHL, despite an ongoing string of injuries that has tested their depth. In the deep Atlantic, where Tampa, Montreal, and Boston have been playing out of their minds in the first quarter of the season, that still only equates to a Wild Card spot at the moment.
Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News provides the Pittsburgh preview as the Penguins prepare to host the Senators on Saturday night.
The Senators caught a break on Friday, arriving in Pittsburgh before the Trump administration's Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide grounding of flights due to what they claimed were problems with their air traffic control communication.
There was also some concern about whether NHL officials would make it to their assignments. Unlike NHL teams, referees and linesmen generally fly commercially. However, longtime NHL broadcaster John Shannon reported Friday that all referees assigned to the league's 14 games had arrived in their respective cities.
On the ice, the Senators will face a Pittsburgh club that has generally struggled through the opening 19 games of the season, though they did win 2 of 3 on their just completed western swing.
The Pens (7-10-2) sit tied for sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 27th overall in the NHL with just 16 points.
The Senators, meanwhile, have gone 5-4-1 away from Canadian Tire Centre this season.
Saturday's matchup comes less than 48 hours after the Sens earned a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Shane Pinto was the hero, opening the scoring and then delivering the overtime winner. Pinto became the fifth player in Senators history to score an OT winner on his birthday. For those who curiously like to keep track of such things, the other four were Radek Bonk, Mike Fisher, Thomas Chabot and Josh Norris.
With 17 points in 20 games, Pinto stands third in Sens scoring and looks for all the world like he's finally having his breakout season as an NHL scorer.
Thursday also marked the return of Linus Ullmark, who had missed eight games with a lower-body injury. Ullmark has a 8-1-0 record and has generally had the Penguins’ number, posting a 1.62 GAA and .938 save percentage in 11 appearances.
While the Senators have been getting contributions throughout the lineup, Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson continue to lead the charge.
Stützle leads the club with 24 points, while he and Batherson share the team lead with 10 goals. Stützle also enters Saturday's game with two points in each of his last four outings, matching the longest such streak of his NHL career.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Sidney Crosby stands fourth in team scoring with 13 points in 19 games and seeing him outside the top 100 in NHL scoring is certainly unfamiliar territory.
Pittsburgh's offence is led by former Senators captain Erik Karlsson, who has 19 points in 19 games. He’s one of 11 NHL defensemen moving along at a point per game pace in the first quarter of the season.
But it’s already getting late for the Penguins. They’re eight points and six teams out of the final wild card in the East and the hole they’ve dug for themselves will soon be too deep to get out of.
They're also just home from a week-long western road trip, where they won two of three games, but the first game back home after a long road trip can sometimes be a challenge.
According to Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News Pittsburgh, the Penguins will welcome back Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford, and Jack McGregor and officially add them to the Penguins' Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.
Following Saturday's game, the Senators will continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Puck drop against the Penguins is scheduled for 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
The Vancouver Canucks have a second-period problem. Through their first 21 games, the Canucks have allowed 35 goals in the second period, including four in the middle frame on Friday against the New York Rangers. For comparison, the next highest team in the league is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have allowed 26 in 21 games.
It would be one thing if Vancouver were also scoring goals in the second period, but that has also been a struggle. The Canucks have only found the back of the net 14 times in the middle frame through 21 games, which ranks tied for 29th in the league. This means that Vancouver is allowing approximately 1.6 goals against while scoring approximately 0.6 goals per game in the second period.
"I think that the story of the second was just our unwillingness or inability to stick to the script," said Head Coach Manny Malhotra after Friday's loss. "But our first period was probably the best we've looked in a long time, just in terms of everything structurally. Created a lot of chances. Scored a great ozone sequence goal. Didn't spend a ton of time in the D zone, so again, coming back to that mindset of simple and direct works for us. And in the second period, it was just a string of turnover after turnover after turnover that feeds transition and doesn't allow us to do the things that make us competitive.
As for Brock Boeser, he spoke about the mistake-filled second period against the Rangers by saying, "It's frustrating. Obviously, I feel like we just haven't played a full game together, and we talk about it, and we talk about it, and it's the same stuff. So we're gonna have to learn eventually."
One reason the Canucks have struggled in the second period is a lack of shots on net. Vancouver has been outshot 225-138, with their -87 shot differential the highest by any team in a single period so far this season. As for the rest of the game, the Canucks' shot differential by period reads as -70 in the first, -24 in the third and +4 in overtime.
At this stage, it is hard to understand why Vancouver continues to struggle in the second period. The problem is even perplexing to the players and Malhotra, who don't seem to have an answer as to why this issue persists. Ultimately, the Canucks' second-period play is costing the team almost nightly and is a prime example of Vancouver playing "losing hockey".
Nov 13, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) and forward Marco Rossi (23) battle with New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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