NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees looks on during Game Three of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have a decision to make regarding second base: stick with Anthony Volpe, or explore other options on the free agent and trade markets. Whatever ends up happening, Aaron Judge seems to have Volpe’s back. Following the Yankees’ ALDS Game 3 loss to the Rays, Judge had this to say about the embattled shortstop: “If we were going to win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team.” I don’t know if I share that level of confidence, but Volpe did have a nice bounceback from a down 2025, accumulating 1.4 fWAR in just 70 games thanks to much improved defensive numbers. His bat, though, remains uninspiring, unless you believe his offensive resurgence since being called up from Triple-A in September was genuine. (I don’t.)
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Speaking of decisions, earlier in the week, the Yankees elected to retain Aaron Boone as their manager for the 2027 season — though he will not be getting an extension and will just manage the final year of his contract before the Yankees make any decisions on his future. Miller asked four anonymous baseball insiders about their opinion on whether the Yankees should have opted for change. While their conclusions vary, all sources touch on similar, familiar talking points: Boone being too much of a “player’s manager,” questions about clubhouse culture, shaky fundamentals, and concerns about now-free agent Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s behavior. Is it going to be more of the same from Boone and the Yankees in 2027, or will they opt for a more proactive approach in dealing with these issues? I’m leaning towards the former, but we shall see.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: Finally, Kirschner offers a useful, plainly laid out overview of the Yankees’ payroll situation for 2027 and the years beyond. While the team has often stated keeping payroll below $300 million as a goal, they currently have more than $200 million in guaranteed money for next year tied up in just seven players – Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón, Ryan McMahon, and Max Fried. Of those seven, McMahon and Stanton stand out in terms of the paucity of value they bring to the team. As such, their future with the team is uncertain.
Lastly, the Yankees’ two best players from 2026 were in attendance last night as the Knicks raised their first championship banner in 53 years at Madison Square Garden. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice are about as popular a pair of Yankees ambassadors as you’re going to find at this moment in time, so good move!
Los Angeles Kings (1-4-2, in the Pacific Division) vs. New York Islanders (5-3-1, in the Metropolitan Division)
Elmont, New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Kings visit the New York Islanders after Adrian Kempe scored two goals in the Kings' 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals.
New York has a 4-1-0 record at home and a 5-3-1 record overall. The Islanders serve 11.3 penalty minutes per game to rank 10th in league play.
Los Angeles has gone 1-1-2 on the road and 1-4-2 overall. The Kings have a -10 scoring differential, with 17 total goals scored and 27 allowed.
Thursday's game is the first time these teams meet this season.
INJURIES: Islanders: Mathew Barzal: out (knee), Matias Maccelli: out (lower body), Calum Ritchie: out (lower body), Alexander Romanov: out (acl).
Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Quinton Byfield: day to day (upper body), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte: out (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Vegas Golden Knights (8-3, in the Pacific Division) vs. St. Louis Blues (4-4-1, in the Central Division)
St. Louis; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues host the Vegas Golden Knights in Western Conference play.
St. Louis is 2-0-1 in home games and 4-4-1 overall. The Blues have an even scoring differential this season, scoring and allowing 29 goals.
Vegas is 3-1-0 on the road and 8-3 overall. The Golden Knights are 7-1-0 when scoring three or more goals.
The matchup Thursday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
INJURIES: Blues: Adam Jecho: out (personal), Torey Krug: out (ankle), Ross Johnston: out (lower body), Alexey Toropchenko: out (upper-body), Tyler Tucker: out (knee), Dillon Dube: out (neck), Logan Mailloux: out (hand).
Golden Knights: Parker Wotherspoon: out (upper body), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Nashville Predators (3-2-3, in the Central Division) vs. Boston Bruins (7-2-1, in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins and the Nashville Predators will play in a non-conference matchup.
Boston has a 3-1-0 record in home games and a 7-2-1 record overall. The Bruins are third in NHL play with 46 total penalties (averaging 4.6 per game).
Nashville has a 3-2-3 record overall and a 1-0-2 record on the road. The Predators have conceded 22 goals while scoring 23 for a +1 scoring differential.
The matchup Thursday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
INJURIES: Bruins: None listed.
Predators: Mavrik Bourque: day to day (upper body), William Trudeau: out (upper body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Las Vegas, N.V.– Time and time again, the Vegas Golden Knights have demonstrated a refusal to accept defeat or go quietly into the night. There are certainly games where they fall behind by multiple goals. Usually, they’re able to recover, and the final score is typically close. The thing about the Golden Knights is that they’re very rarely on the wrong side of a blowout.
Tonight was one of those rare occurrences.
So far this season, the Golden Knights have played very few teams who are currently in a playoff spot. The Tampa Bay Lightning were just the fourth playoff team the Golden Knights have faced through eleven games, and this matchup could have been a great test of how they stack up against one of the premier teams in the league.
Instead, the Golden Knights fell victim to self-inflicted injury after self-inflicted injury. They entered the second period tied at two apiece, but allowed three goals and never recovered. The third period was entirely noncompetitive, and the Golden Knights ultimately fell 6-2.
“We had our chances to get ourselves back in the game once it got to five,“ said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. “They get that early one in the third, and it’s pretty tough to come back from that. We’ll stick with it and learn from it… We gotta be better in these games.”
“I thought we were a little bit out of our rhythm, a little bit out of our execution, that we had maybe been in for the last nine games. But give [Tampa] credit,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 6-2 loss. “They did a lot to influence that as well.”
1. Unforced and Unassisted
The final score suggests an extremely lopsided game in which the Lightning thoroughly dominated the Golden Knights, but that wasn’t the case. The Golden Knights had no problem generating scoring chances, and they were extremely dangerous in transition.
The problem was that they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.
“If you turn the puck over against those top guys, they make you pay,” said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone following the loss. I think it’s definitely unforced errors. When you play against a team like that, you’ve got to get [the puck] outside the blue line. We had chances on [goals three and four] to get it out, and we didn’t.”
The Lightning scored four unassisted goals tonight, which means that most of their offense came directly off of Golden Knights’ turnovers.
“We didn’t help ourselves. I think that would be the easiest way to put it,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “I mean, they scored four unassisted goals tonight. We probably didn’t put ourselves in good positions to get out of areas, and then gave them chances to attack.”
“It probably goes back to puck management a little bit, right? Both teams are good at checking as well, and I think some of the situations we put ourselves in didn’t help,” continued Craig. “We probably just got a little bit cute at times, which led to being up and down a little bit. But if you don’t manage the puck, that’s what it’s gonna feel like.”
2. The Golden Lining
Prior to tonight, Ivan Barbashev was in a rut. He didn’t have any problem generating offense; heading into tonight’s game, Barbashev had seven points and was tied for fourth on the team in scoring. The problem was that his offense wasn’t translating into goals. All seven of his points were assists, and for a scoring forward playing on a line with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, that statistic had to be weighing on him.
That’s no longer an issue. Barbashev scored the first goal tonight for the Golden Knights, which tied the game at one apiece.
Barbashev can be a bit of a streaky scorer, and in the past, it only takes one goal to open the floodgates. Look for him to get on the board again on this upcoming two-game road trip to St. Louis and Columbus.
3. Game Eleven
Even after a blowout loss, the Golden Knights aren’t too concerned with their level of play.
“It’s game eleven; I don’t think there are measuring stick games in game eleven,” said Golden Knights’ captain Mark Stone following the 6-2 loss. “We’re still trying to build our game going forward. We’re playing 84 games this year, and we’re trying to build our game to go on a long playoff run. It starts at game one; we’re in game eleven. We still like where we’re at, as far as our record, but we want to get better.”
Because they’re only eleven games into the season, the Golden Knights can use tonight’s loss as a learning opportunity. They won’t hang onto the loss any longer than necessary. They’ll sit with it, and then move on and learn from their mistakes.
“When you play good teams, you’re not gonna come back from [being down] four in the third,” said Stone. “We have to correct your mistakes and build off some of the good stuff we did, because there was some good stuff. We had lots of chances. How did we create those chances… And what bad plays did we make to give them chances? That’s what we try to learn from.”
Plans for a new lakeside stadium in the centre of Canberra have emerged this month, with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr calling for the proposed rectangular venue to also be configured for AFL and cricket matches.
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights didn't have to look far for an explanation after Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at T-Mobile Arena.
They had their chances. They didn't capitalize. And when they made mistakes against one of the NHL's most dangerous offensive teams, the Lightning made them pay.
Anthony Cirelli scored twice during a decisive second period, and Tampa Bay scored four unanswered goals to hand Vegas its third loss of the season.
The Golden Knights (8-3-0) entered the matchup having won three straight, but their inability to manage the puck against Tampa Bay's skilled forwards proved costly.
"We didn't help ourselves," Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig said. "I think that would be the easiest way to put it."
Vegas outshot Tampa Bay 34-21 but couldn't overcome a three-goal second period that transformed a competitive game into a one-sided affair.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored first-period goals for the Golden Knights, who twice erased one-goal deficits before Tampa Bay seized control.
The Lightning's ability to capitalize on Vegas' mistakes became the defining difference.
"They scored four unassisted goals tonight," Craig said. "We probably didn't put ourselves in good position to get out of areas, and then gave them chances."
After the teams entered the first intermission tied 2-2, Vegas appeared positioned to continue trading opportunities with Tampa Bay.
Instead, Cirelli scored twice in a span of 3:25, breaking the tie at 6:44 before extending the Lightning's advantage at 10:09.
Victor Hedman added another goal at 17:56, giving Tampa Bay a commanding 5-2 lead after two periods.
The Golden Knights generated scoring opportunities of their own, including several odd-man rushes, but failed to convert.
Stone pointed directly to the defensive-zone mistakes that allowed Tampa Bay's most dangerous players to operate.
"You turn the puck over against those top guys, and they make you pay," Stone said. "We don't get a puck out on the third goal. Jack and myself don't get it out on the fourth. They burn you."
Craig agreed that the breakdowns extended beyond Tampa Bay's pressure.
"I think it's definitely unforced errors," Craig said. "You play against a team like that, you just gotta get it outside the blue line."
KEY STAT: Six Goals on 21 Shots
The Golden Knights finished with a 34-21 advantage in shots, but Tampa Bay's efficiency told the story.
The Lightning scored six times on 21 shots, while Vegas went scoreless over the final 40 minutes despite generating numerous quality opportunities.
Stone said the Golden Knights had several chances to change the momentum, including four or five two-on-one opportunities.
"We had our chances to get ourselves back in the game," Stone said. "Once it got to five, and they get that early one in the third, it's pretty tough to come back from that."
Craig acknowledged that his team struggled with execution and puck management, particularly as the game became increasingly open.
"I thought we were a little bit out of our rhythm, a little bit out of our execution that we maybe had been in for the last nine games," Craig said.
"But give them credit. They did a lot of that probably to influence that as well."
WHAT A KNIGHT: Mark Stone
Stone provided one of Vegas' few highlights when he scored shorthanded late in the first period to tie the game 2-2.
The captain recognized an opportunity to pressure Tampa Bay's puck carrier and capitalized after teammate Brett Howden made a strong read.
"I kind of took a look and I didn't have anybody coming back, so I tried to forecheck, and Howden made a great read as well," Stone said.
The goal was Stone's eighth of the season and briefly restored momentum for Vegas.
But his most revealing contribution came afterward, when he rejected the notion that Tuesday's matchup represented an early-season measuring stick.
"It's Game 11," Stone said. "I don't think there's a measuring-stick game in Game 11."
Stone emphasized that the Golden Knights are still building toward their ultimate objective rather than allowing one October result to define their season.
"We're still trying to build our game going forward," he said. "We're trying to build our game to go on a long playoff run."
Craig echoed the need for improvement without overreacting to one result.
"If you don't manage the puck, that's what it's gonna feel like," Craig said.
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights begin a two-game road trip Thursday against the St. Louis Blues before visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
For Stone, the response begins with correcting the mistakes while maintaining confidence in what the Golden Knights have accomplished through their first 11 games.
"You're gonna have these types of nights," Stone said. "You have to correct them. You have to correct your mistakes and build off some of the good stuff we did."
The Golden Knights will have an opportunity to do exactly that when they return to the road.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79), defenseman Shea Theodore (27) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) react to a shot into the second period at T-Mobile Arena.
The Knicks were, as Mike Brown said, stuck in the mud on both ends of the floor in a loss to the Sixers.
They allowed too many points in transition (17 in the second half). They had too many costly turnovers (76ers had 22 points off Knick turnovers). And they didn’t get enough easy baskets on offense (New York’s starters combined for just five assists on 35 percent shooting in the first three quarters).
There will be plenty for New York to clean up ahead of Friday’s game at Boston — Jalen Brunson believes that some positives can come from the ugly opening night loss.
“I think it's good for us to, you know, kind of get knocked down off the mountain. Humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what's gonna happen,” the Knick captain said.
Brunson has said several times already that the Knicks will learn a lot about themselves in the first few weeks of the season. They will be hunted by new teams with fresh legs. Ten of their first 15 games are against playoff teams. And one of the non-playoff teams they face is an Indiana team with Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt.
“I’ve told you guys since Day One. Whatever happens this first couple weeks of the season, it’s going to show who we truly are. So, let's see.”
MELO BULLISH ON KNICKS
Carmelo Anthony knows more than anyone not to make too much of the first game of the season.
Regardless of what happened on Tuesday, Anthony sees the Knicks as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
“For me, it’s very simple. I think the Knicks are still in the driver’s seat. I think they have an opportunity to really get off to a good start,” Anthony said Monday night at an NBA Tip Off event for American Express. “Especially with the way they played at the end of the season… I think going through what they went through, how they won, will help them [at the start] of the season."
Anthony was at the Garden working Knicks-Sixers for NBC. It was his first time attending a game since New York’s Game 4 win in the Finals.
Anthony, like the rest of us, was in awe of the Knicks’ comeback and the OG Anunoby tip-in to seal it.
“That’s probably the greatest moment, to me, in sports, almost. When you really think about it, that moment, the way that the Knicks were down, the way they were losing. Down 20, the fans still in there, it was still a packed house. The way that they just rallied back. And it came down to that OG tipoff,” Anthony said Monday night. “It’s funny how, in Knicks history, you can go from the dark days of missing the tip in to making the tip-in. That’s how the universe works, 53 years later.”
Anthony spent last weekend at an American Express event near the NBA Store in Manhattan. The event took place in a bus that was transformed into a showroom of vintage NBA collectibles. Anthony was on hand to meet and greet cardholders and fans.
“It was nice to kind of get back to that environment with the fans, up close and personal at the NBA Store,” he said. “Brought me back to my playing days.”
It'll be the first time in eight years that James won't be suiting up at Crypto.com Arena to open the season (not counting the sciatica injury that delayed his 2025 debut). This is now unquestionably Luka Dončić's team. The roster has been re-shaped around him to show for it.
But are they better off?
President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka wasted no time in overhauling the team with the roughly $52 million in cap space created by James' departure in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers. The first priority was locking in Austin Reaves long-term. They got him on a four-year, $184.8 million contract. The next box to check was acquiring a franchise center; they traded for Walker Kessler.
The third item on the offseason agenda was to sign players who could dribble, pass and shoot. Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams and Jaden Hardy check all those boxes.
There's a depth to this Lakers squad that previous iterations of this team simply couldn't afford. They seem to be tight knit after the offseason trip to Slovenia helped kickstart their chemistry. There's a level excitement among the players and third-year head coach JJ Redick, who's changing the defensive scheme to feature Kessler in a similar fashion to how the Spurs used Victor Wembanyama in their Finals run a year ago.
"I think this is going to be a team that is really committed to each other," Redick told reporters on Tuesday. "And that can take you a long way."
Walker Kessler lays it in for his first Lakers preseason bucket 👏
The new core of Dončić, Reaves and Kessler played just 13 minutes together in the preseason. The Lakers also aren't entering Wednesday's season opener against the Golden State Warriors at their healthiest: Collin Sexton, who is expected to be their primary ballhandler off the bench and pair nicely with Mamu, is questionable with a right calf strain. Williams impressed in the preseason and could potentially crack the starting five, but he's had limited time on the floor as well with a foot injury that seems to be cleared up by now.
Adou Thiero is out with fluid buildup in his surgically repaired left knee, while rookie Cameron Carr is dealing with a right oblique strain.
USA TODAY Sports projected the Lakers to finish 48-34 this season, particularly because of how hard it is to predict this team with so many new faces. Redick and Dončić have emphasized that there will be a need for patience as this team adjusts to each other.
"I think the biggest unknown to me is how this team deals with adversity," said Redick, who re-inforced that predictions don't mean anything. "And that's different for every team, and that's different maybe how we deal with adversity in November versus how we deal with adversity in March. Hopefully there's growth throughout the season so that we can deal with adversity in the right way, and that ultimately will prepare us for a deep playoff run."
Whether or not they're better off without LeBron is a question that will have to be answered at a later date.
What a difference a summer — and getting healthy — makes. Oklahoma City believes that if it had been healthy in the Western Conference Finals — specifically Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell — it would have had a chance to return to the NBA Finals and defend its title. Instead, they fell in 7 to the Spurs.
Game 1 of the 2026-27 season made the Thunder's point.
Behind an elite defense and 32 points from reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder comfortably beat the Spurs 116-104 in San Antonio.
While SGA looked like an MVP, Victor Wembanyama struggled offensively, missing 12 straight shots, shooting 1-of-13 from the floor, and finishing with 12 points. He grabbed 13 rebounds and had 6 blocks — he was brilliant defensively — but the Spurs needed more offense from him.
It's easy to forget that the Thunder had the best defense in the NBA last season — by a wide margin — and that showed for long stretches of this game. For the night, San Antonio shot just 38.7% from the floor, and were 10-of-37 (27%) from beyond the arc.
OKC took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Spurs 31-16, in part because the Thunder hit 5-of-8 from 3.
Jared McCain knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20.
Jared McCain tied his career high with his SIXTH triple in crunch time! NBA Tip-Off on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/Fr0NsfMNqV
Chet Holmgren was more aggressive on offense — to the point that De'Aaron Fox picked up a technical for throwing him to the ground — and finished with 14 points, while Jalen Williams had 12 points in his return but struggled with 5-of-16 shooting.
Stephon Castle had 24 points and Dylan Harper 18 for the Spurs.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each scored twice and had an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Vancouver 6-3 on Tuesday night to take the NHL points lead and hand the Canucks their eighth straight loss.
Nicolas Deslauriers also had two goals for the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes (8-2-1). Jackson Blake added three assists, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 14 shots, They rebounded from a 3-2 loss at Calgary on Sunday night.
Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks (2-8-1).
Leevi Merilainen provided a bright spot for Vancouver with 38 saves. He stopped Sebastian Aho on a penalty shot in the second period after Canucks center Elias Pettersson was caught throwing his stick.
ST. LOUIS -- The start of a five-game homestand gave the St. Louis Blues a chance to recalibrate after a tough stretch to begin this 2026-27 season in which they played six of their first eight games away from Enterprise Center.
Blues coach Jim Montgomery said Monday the hope was for the Blues to be above .500 when they opened one of their biggest homestands of the season starting with the Winnipeg Jets but that wasn't the case, so they had to start anew and being more dominant at the confines of home would be a good place to start.
And winning a tightly-contested, low-scoring game is not a bad place to start, and against the Jets, that's usually the case, and the Blues prevailed and got back to .500 with a 2-1 win on Tuesday.
Philip Broberg's power-play goal was the difference in the game, and Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots to help the Blues get back to .500 at 4-4-1 while dropping the Jets to 4-3-2, winning for just the second time in the Central Division this season (2-4-0).
Let's get to those key points ...
* 'Bro' was best player on the ice bar none -- Montgomery referenced Broberg's game on a scale of 1-5 as a "five-plus" on Saturday in their 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators and had even more praise for his No. 1 defenseman, who had his handprints all over this game on both sides of the puck.
"I think he’s gone from neutral to overdrive to Lamborghini style here in the last two games if you’re comparing him to a race car," Montgomery said. 'It’s just so fun to watch because he has so much intensity within him and when you watch him skate, he reminds me of (former Minnesota Vikings running back) Adrian Peterson. He ran like he was mad. This guy skates sometimes like he’s mad. ‘I’m going to take it right through your net,’ and it’s inspiring, I think."
He finished the game playing 23:41, had a game-high six shots on goal and had a hand in both goals scored, including the game-winner when he and Robert Thomas played pitch-and-catch before Broberg stepped into a one-timer from the high slot to beat Stuart Skinner:
Power play goal for St. Louis!
Scored by Philip Broberg with 11:13 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours.
“Good pass and I just shot it,” Broberg said. “It was good, good to see it go in.
“You try to read where the PK’ers are and where it’s open space and I think ‘Tommer’ and takes a lot of attention to him there, so they drive to him and good pass and I just tried to hit the net there.”
Thomas was just glad to get another opportunity, as he jokingly referenced, to get another chance to tee up a puck for Broberg.
"I’m surprised he passed it back to me," Thomas said. "My first pass was terrible to him. Nice he gave me another opportunity to pass it back to him, but that whole goal starts with 'Snuggy,' 'Holly' and 'Jakey.' We lose the face-off there and that usually that results in a clear and those three guys had great jumps. They kept the play alive and ultimately won us the game by doing it. It was a great all-around effort."
Broberg was also involved in Jimmy Snuggerud's goal at 12:30 of the first period for a 1-0 Blues lead, getting a couple cracks at the net, puck retrievals, one puck saved at the blue line and a direct seam pass to Dylan Holloway, who quietly extended his point streak to five games (one goal, six assists) before Holloway slid a puck to Snuggerud into the slot before it caromed in off his skate:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Jimmy Snuggerud with 07:30 left in the 1st. Assisted by Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg.
Broberg took shifts in this game with Justin Barron, Colton Parayko and Brandon Carlo. His ability to shut down plays with his skating ability enables him to join the rush simply by using his speed.
"I try to help the team in any way I can," Broberg said. "I like to join the rush and skate with the puck a little bit. I like to play good defensively and join the rush, so I think I just want to keep building on that."
When Broberg, who has scored in back-to-back games, affects the game, he's in fact doing plenty.
"A little bit of everything," Thomas said. "He plays against the top pair a lot of the time a lot of the time. He’s power play, penalty kill, a huge part of the team. You can see it in the … especially the last two games, he’s been a monster out there. He’s starting to gain that confidence that he can be a top defender in the league and it’s super-exciting for us."
Hofer added, "He’s fast. He’s all over the ice. He’s shooting it more, which is great. I keep harping on him to keep shooting it. He’s doing that and he’s getting rewarded.
"I’d say he’s just driving the play. His speed’s obviously the biggest thing. Up and down the ice, he’s been great for us. He’s been very steady back there for us and getting a goal tonight’s great for him too."
* Hofer controlling pucks key -- The Jets are a big, heavy and physical team. When they bog you down in the offensive zone, they like to get traffic at the net and pucks aplenty to the goalie.
For Hofer, who faced 33 shots and stopped 32 of them, only allowing a Cole Perfetti backhand through the wickets 32 seconds into the third that tied the game 1-1, making sure the puck stuck to him like velcro was imperative, or else Winnipeg would be able to convert on those loose pucks when they sent plenty of bodies his way.
"That was in the pre-scout that they go to the net hard and they're hungry around there," Hofer said of his hometown team. 'It was obviously a key point, but I thought our 'D' did a good job boxing out and keeping them to the outside, and if there was a rebound, they didn't get much, so it was good."
* Important penalty kill -- Yes, technically the Blues killed Snuggerud's high-sticking penalty that spilled over into the third period by a second, but Perfetti's goal was like a power-play goal, but they had another huge kill to get through when Colton Parayko was whistled for interference with 6:18 to play protecting a one-goal lead.
They did that and then some, minimizing the Jets' zone entry and with Montgomery being so confident in that unit at the start of this season, he was even comfortable enough to utilize Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki on it late to cap off an impressive kill that yielded zero shots on goal.
"I'm really comfortable using those two," Montgomery said. "They're smart hockey players, especially on the PK side of things. We have four vets that do a really good job that have been doing it all year, but to have two kids that can spread out the ice time on the bench makes a big difference in how everyone's ice time ends up pretty even."
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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Evan Bouchard scored on a power play at 3:32 of overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
Connor McDavid set up Bouchard's goal for his third assist of the game, pushing his NHL-leading points total to 26 and extending his season-opening points streak to nine games.
Leon Draisaitl scored twice, Mathieu Joseph also connected and Devon Levi made 27 saves. The Oilers (7-1-1) have won two in a row and seven of eight.
Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman scored for Minnesota (6-2-2), and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 shots. Kaprizov leads the NHL with 11 goals.
Kaprizov and Hartman scored in the third period as Minnesota overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime.
The Texas signal-caller has been thrust under the national microscope since Day 1, and this year's struggles have only intensified the noise around his NFL potential. But for Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice, the conversation around Arch is far from settled — and he remains steadfast in keeping Manning ranked among his top quarterback prospects.
He made his case on an episode of the "Football 301" podcast.
The constant social media barrage calling Arch "overrated" or a "bust" doesn't move Tice. He's seen enough from the process, traits and underlying play to keep faith in Manning's long-term NFL potential:
"There's more to Arch with his tools and even his process right now than I think what the narrative is right now," Tice said. " … It's a difference between him as a player right now and what he projects to be."
While the results aren't perfect and there's plenty to work on, Tice is willing to bet that Manning is still a "good prospect that should go in the first round" of the NFL Draft, even if he's not at the tier of a Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence.
Nuance gets lost amid the yelling about Arch Manning
The narrative around Manning has been overwhelmingly negative. Texas' consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida, paired with underwhelming stat lines, have led many observers to label Manning a disappointment.
But Tice urges a look at the tape, suggesting that what shows up on film tells a more positive story than what the box score reveals.
"Some of the film in those games that might have felt lackluster, the end of Oklahoma, the Tennessee game where he finished with one pick, no touchdowns, the film of those games was much better than expected."
Process over outcomes and a look at Texas' ecosystem
What stands out for Tice isn't necessarily the raw production, but Manning's process, particularly his willingness to work from the pocket, push the football downfield and stand tall under pressure. While Manning has had issues finishing critical drives and a few notable mistakes, Tice points out that Manning consistently shows toughness, advanced processing and the ability to step up in tight pockets.
There's a "willingness to push the football, work over the middle" and the traits that translate to the next level: size, athleticism, and a good — not just average — arm.
Manning's struggles, according to Tice, are as much a product of his supporting cast and Texas' coaching as of anything Manning himself can control. The Texas offensive line has struggled with blitzes and stunts, and the receiving corps has been "underwhelming." Even Cam Coleman, a preseason top-five player for Tice, "just doesn't have a real feel for the game" this year.
Manning's tendency to avoid tucking and running — sometimes missing open gains with his impressive athleticism — is viewed by Tice not as a flaw in confidence, but as a trait of a quarterback striving to own the pocket and process defenses like a pro, not just bail out for easy yards.
Tools are still there
Despite the up-and-down execution and a rough game against Florida, Tice still sees the elite tools that made Manning a consensus top recruit:
Athleticism: "Very, very good athlete … this guy's going to run a 4.5 if he does run the 40"
Toughness and poise: Willingness to stand in and take hits, work through progressions, and not rely on just his legs
Arm talent: Not just average but a legitimately good one, able to drive throws at the NFL level
That combination still justifies a spot in the first-round conversation for the 2027 NFL Draft.
After a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on banner night at Madison Square Garden, Knicks head coach Mike Brown was clear about his disappointment in his team's poor attention to detail.
"There were some things that we could've done better," Brown began. "Our transition defense was not good with our starting group in the third quarter. All throughout the game, we looked like we were running in mud; whether it was in the front court or it was in transition, we were not good getting to our spots and putting pressure on Philadelphia the right way ... That's where the game was won and lost."
Facing their newly-revamped Eastern Conference rivals, who added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to their already-stacked roster in the offseason, was always going to be a challenge.
It didn't help, Brown said, that New York failed to execute in small ways up and down the court.
"If we're going to play like we did, it don't matter who it is. It's going to be a long night for us," Brown said. "We have to make sure we focus on the little things -- Are we sprinting to the corner? Are we touching the paint and trying to spray it? When we do spray it, are we relocating and spacing the floor the right way so our teammates can now drive the basketball? ... Those are the little things that don't necessarily add up in the stat sheet that I didn't think we were good at tonight offensively, and then just sprinting back defensively and making sure we build a wall."
"All throughout the game, we looked like we were running in mud." Mike Brown's opening statement after the Knicks' loss to the 76ers, which he says was a "tough ballgame to watch for me" https://t.co/4CBo2DPGfV
As a team, the Knicks shot just 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from the arc. They turned the ball over 15 times for 22 points, and they allowed 28 total fast-break points (19 in the second half alone).
No one played particularly well individually either: OG Anunoby went 3-for-12, Mikal Bridges was 2-for-8, Deuce McBride went 1-for-5. After a historic effort in which he became the first Knicks player to record a first-half double-double in the season opener, Andre Drummond finished 5-for-13. Even Jalen Brunson, whose 21 points led the team, went just 6-for-19 (though he did knock down all eight of his free throw attempts).
"We have to finish with authority or some form of aggression, or what we do, which is spray the basketball," Brown said. "We've got to do a better job of those things: hit the paint, play off of two [feet], finish strong, or spray it ... You can't shoot 42 percent for the game in the paint while you're turning the ball over, while you're getting beat in transition."
In the playoffs, the Knicks quickly became known for their dynamic fourth-quarter comebacks, often spearheaded by a series of heroic buckets from Brunson. The Finals MVP attempted to pull from the same bag of tricks in the final five minutes of Tuesday's game, but it wasn't enough to beat a team like Philadelphia. A missed three with 10 seconds to play sealed New York's fate for the evening.
Understandably, Brown said he never wants to rely on being a team that can rally late.
"If we would've played the right way, it wouldn't come down to [Brunson's three]. We put ourselves in the hole not doing the other little things, and sometimes it works at the end of the games, and sometimes it doesn't," he said. "We have to watch the film, regroup, and go see how we can put a stretch of 48 minutes together the right way to try to get a win."
Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished the night second on the team in points (19) and total rebounds (12) but led the team in turnovers (4), admitted that no team is capable of using that strategy this early in the season -- not even one like the Knicks, who retained all but one of their core players from the championship squad.
“I just thought that we put ourselves too much in a deficit,” Towns said. “We're not that Knick team yet from last year. We had that spark, we had that execution, we had that time to figure it out as everyone, and I just think too early in the season we're trying to rely on that playoff Knick team you saw last year."
Despite the messy outcome, Brunson said he isn't taking the loss to heart.
In fact, he said an early loss may even help his team battle through the 81 games still left in the regular season.
"I think it's good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain," he said. "Humble ourselves, put our egos in check, and see what's gonna happen. Whatever happens these first couple weeks of the season -- that's gonna show who we truly are."
"I think it's good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what's going to happen." Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks losing tonight and how it can help them improve: https://t.co/sDFWPHE4Lh
