Orioles news: Waiting around to see how the postseason goes

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Tonal effects have been applied to this image) A general view of a baseball statue is seen as the Toronto Blue Jays play against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 21, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Hello, friends.

There are 157 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. We will probably not know whether a game will happen on that day or not until something like 110 days from now. Many of the days between now and then will have apocalyptic rhetoric about whether there will be a 2027 season at all. It’s going to suck for fans.

For now, the 2026 season remains to be decided. Milwaukee is sitting around waiting to find out who they will play in the World Series. The Brewers will probably be trying to stay sharp; they won’t play another game until Friday regardless of when the series ends between the Guardians and Rays to determine the AL representative. When the World Series is over, no later than Halloween, we can start to find out what will happen with the offseason.

Cleveland and Tampa Bay will play another one in Cleveland today. Game 5 was pushed back to today due to Friday’s rain in northeast Ohio. That is set to begin at the unusual time of 5:08 Eastern. The series will not end tonight. The Rays fought to even the series up on Saturday night. The Guardians cannot clinch in front of their home crowd. They can only hope to take a lead back to the Trop.

I am mildly hoping the Guardians are the winners in the series, but I’m not sad about the Rays winning last night. Cleveland had former Oriole Shawn Armstrong as an opener yesterday and then ended up using seven different pitchers on the way to a 7-3 loss. It offends me on an aesthetic level to see bullpen games or openers in the playoffs. If you don’t have starting pitchers that can even get you five innings in the postseason, you don’t deserve to move on. Deserve has nothing to do with it in baseball, not the regular season nor in the postseason. But for last night, the Rays had a real starting pitcher and they won, so, good for them.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Five surprising occurrences from the 2026 Orioles season (School of Roch)
Number one is that the Orioles catching duo of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo was separated in the middle of their first full season together. I’m still surprised Elias pulled the trigger on that one.

As Orioles look to improve outfield production, will a trade be the avenue to do that? (Steve on Baseball)
Looking at the list of this offseason’s available outfield free agents pushes the needle strongly towards yes.

A possible unexpected Orioles 40-man roster decision (Orioles on the Verge)
The prospect enthusiasts at the Verge are stumping for reliever Yaqui Rivera, which would keep hope alive for the Orioles getting any MLB value whatsoever out of the Cole Sulser/Tanner Scott trade.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Nothing of particular consequence has happened on this day in Orioles history. Until the team makes a deep postseason run in the three wild card era, this is not going to change.

There are a number of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2025 outfielder Jordyn Adams, 2007-08 pitcher Garrett Olson, 1992-98/2000-01 pitcher Alan Mills, 1995 pitcher Terry Clark, and 1977 one-game pitcher Ed Farmer.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: toy retailer Frederick August Otto Schwarz (1836), baseball Hall of Famer Candy Cummings (1848), longtime Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau (1919), rock’n’roller Chuck Berry (1926), tennis legend Martina Navratilova (1956), movie martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960), jazz legend Wynton Marsalis (1961), gold medal skier Lindsay Vonn (1984), and actor Zac Efron (1987).

On this day in history…

In 1597, Spain’s King Philip II had a third armada launched with the aim of invading England. Although some forces were actually landed from the armada in Cornwall and Wales, this endeavor was ultimately no more successful than the previous two attempts to invade.

In 1748, the War of the Austrian Succession came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, a treaty that was notably concluded without any Austrian participation. The result of the treaty was Austria losing a lot of territory to Prussia, which had begun the war in 1740 by refusing to accept a woman, Maria Theresa, as inheriting the throne of Austria.

In 1851, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was first published in London, although at this point it was simply called The Whale.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 18. Have a safe Sunday.

Phillies news: J.T. Realmuto, Dave Dombrowski, Alex Vesia

Sep 13, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) hits a single to drive in two runs against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was too late for me to add to the news yesterday, but how about the Orioles owner saying the quiet part out loud?

Honestly, I don’t think that it does much to sway anything in the upcoming negotiations either way too wildly. The MLBPA still hasn’t started putting out ads to combat the ones the league is putting out, so the PR battle is still kind of one sided.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

Premier League today: How to watch Nottingham Forest v Arsenal, TV channels & live stream

How will Nottingham Forest and Arsenal fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options

While the true stakes of this season’s Premier League title race won’t be clear until the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against 114 breaches of financial rules is known, Arsenal have no choice but to focus on catching Enzo Maresca’s pace-setters.

City are expected to overcome Ipswich Town at home on Saturday, meaning the Gunners could be six points behind by the time they kick off against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. They can’t afford any slip-ups.

Continue reading...

Today on Pinstripe Alley – 10/18/26

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Yandy Díaz #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with Richie Palacios #1 and Jonathan Aranda #8 at home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during Game Four of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Saturday, October 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The National League Championship Series might have ended in a four-game whooping of the Dodgers, but the American League Championship Series is already guaranteed for six. Following Friday’s rainout, the Rays brought the lumber to Cleveland with their best offensive showing of the postseason, ALDS sweep of the Yankees included. The 7-3 win knotting the ALCS up at 2-2 and ensured that no matter what happens today, we’ll have a Game 6 at Tropicana Field on Monday. Someone will have a shot at a World Series date with Milwaukee by then, but a Game 7 can’t be ruled out. Tire yourselves out, I say! (Or at least give us more compelling baseball than yesterday.)

Today on the site, Madison will recap Game 4 of the ALCS, Peter will discuss why he’s rooting for the Brewers in the World Series no matter what, and Matt celebrates what would’ve been the 95th birthday of a valued 1950s dynasty role player, Andy Carey. Matt then returns to recount the dumbest games of the Yankees’ 2026 season, and John runs through the weekly Social Media Spotlight.

Today’s Playoff Matchup:

American League Championship Series Game 5
(Series tied, 2-2)

Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Time: 5:08 p.m. EST

TV: TBS/HBO Max/truTV

Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Questions/Prompts:

1. Where are you now on your ALCS prediction? Would you say Rays in 6, Rays in 7, Guardians in 6, or Guardians in 7?

2. It’s Jets/Patriots and Giants/Saints today in the NFL. Who ya got in each?

The Kings Are a Disaster

The Los Angeles Kings are stinking up the show.

Usually, that means you're doing something right. Well, not in this case. They're stinking up the show in the worst way possible. And what's worse than being the only team left in the NHL that has yet to win a game? It can't get much worse than that.

It doesn't matter if this team outshoots its opponent by 20 or more shots. Somehow, someway, the Kings will find a way to lose.

Tuesday was a perfect example. The Edmonton Oilers defeated Los Angeles 4-1 despite putting just 16 shots on net. The Kings, meanwhile, fired 40 shots at the opposing goal and came away with — you guessed it — one goal.

Apparently, 40 shots still aren't enough when you can't figure out how to beat a goaltender.

At the other end of the ice, Darcy Kuemper — the supposed starting goaltender, although that title is becoming increasingly difficult to justify — was pulled in the first period after allowing three goals on seven shots. Three goals. Seven shots. Do the math.

Peter Laviolette turned to Anton Forsberg, the goaltender who helped make this team look at least halfway competent during last year's playoffs. Forsberg stopped all nine shots he faced in relief, but it didn't matter. The offense gave him virtually nothing to work with, and the Kings went on to lose 4-1.

Then came Saturday, with the Kings back in front of their home fans and desperately searching for something — anything — resembling a breakthrough.

At least Laviolette got one decision right. Forsberg got the start.

He stopped 24 of 26 shots, but Los Angeles still lost 4-1. Alex Laferriere scored the Kings' lone goal against Jeremy Swayman, and that was about as exciting as things got for the home side.

Another game. Another loss. Six straight now.

And before anyone wants to point out the two overtime losses, let me make something perfectly clear: if it's not a win, it's a loss. Collecting a point here and there doesn't change the fact that this team still hasn't figured out how to finish the job.

The Kings are an absolute mess right now. They can't score, they can't find consistency in net, and they keep giving their fans reasons to wonder what, exactly, is supposed to change.

Speaking of consistency, Kuemper has been about as reliable as Katie Zacharia's statements about her legal background.

So, who exactly is the starting goaltender in Los Angeles? The guy carrying a 4.53 goals-against average, or the one sitting at 2.63?

Because if the Kings actually want to give themselves a chance to win hockey games, Forsberg should be getting the call. If they want to keep rolling out Kuemper simply because he's the more expensive option, well, by all means, keep doing what you're doing. It's clearly working wonders.

Kuemper makes $5.25 million a year. Forsberg makes $2.25 million. That's a $3 million difference, and right now, the cheaper option looks like the better bet between the pipes.

Of course, a goaltending change isn't going to magically fix everything. That's the other problem here.

The Kings can't score to save their lives.

And Saturday's loss to Boston might have been the perfect summary of just how bad things have gotten in Los Angeles.

The Bruins won 4-1, with two of those goals coming into an empty net. That's right. Two empty-net goals. Laviolette was so desperate to get something going offensively that he was willing to pull his goaltender and give Boston a free shot at an empty cage just for the chance of getting another goal on the other end.

And what did the Kings get for that gamble?

Absolutely nothing.

Los Angeles was willing to risk giving up easy goals just to generate some offense, and it still couldn't make anything happen. That's how desperate things have become. When you're pulling your goalie because you need goals that badly, you'd better have an offense capable of making the gamble worthwhile. The Kings didn't. Instead, they gave Boston two empty-netters and went home with another loss.

At some point, you have to wonder what Laviolette is supposed to do with this group. He can change the goaltender, pull his goalie, shuffle the lineup, or cross his fingers and hope something finally clicks. But none of it matters if his team can't finish its chances.

You could give this team 40 shots every night, and it wouldn't mean a thing if they can't turn those chances into goals. Outshooting an opponent by 24 and still losing by three isn't just frustrating. It's a glaring warning sign.

The goaltending situation is a problem. The lack of offense is a problem. And the inability to turn promising performances into wins is an even bigger one.

The Kings aren't just losing games right now. They're running out of answers.

Six games into a winless start, there needs to be some accountability in Los Angeles. You can't keep pointing to shot totals as evidence that things are going well when the scoreboard keeps telling a completely different story.

At some point, the excuses have to stop.

Because right now, the Los Angeles Kings aren't just stinking up the show.

They're making a mess of it.

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Former Avalanche Forward Wastes No Time Scoring His First Goal With Nashville

Former Colorado Avalanche forward Jack Drury scored his first goal with the Nashville Predators on Saturday, helping his new team pick up a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Drury found the net 8:14 into the third period after Predators captain Roman Josi sent a pass across the ice to him in front of the net. Drury got the shot past Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to add to Nashville's lead.

Drury spent the last season and a half with Colorado after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes in January 2025. He was part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina, with Martin Necas and Drury heading to the Avalanche in return.

He played 33 regular-season games with Colorado after the trade, scoring five goals and adding four assists. Drury also appeared in all seven of the Avalanche's playoff games that spring before they were eliminated by the Dallas Stars.

Drury remained with Colorado for the entire 2025-26 season, playing in all 82 regular-season games. He scored 10 goals and recorded 17 assists, setting a career high in goals. His 27 points also matched his previous career best. Despite being a regular part of the lineup, his time with the Avalanche came to an end in the offseason.

Colorado reportedly wanted to bring Drury back, but the two sides couldn't agree on a contract. Drury was looking for a higher salary than the Avalanche were willing to pay for a fourth-line center, and the team ultimately moved on. Nashville acquired him in exchange for Zachary L'Heureux and Fedor Svechkov before signing him to a five-year, $22.5 million contract on June 28.

Drury had also shown he could contribute in the postseason during his time with Colorado. Across 13 playoff games in his final two seasons with the Avalanche, he recorded three goals and two assists for five points. One of those goals came shorthanded in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas swept Colorado in the series, ending the Avalanche's playoff run.

Drury's departure also wasn't the only connection between Colorado and Nashville this offseason. The Predators acquired Ross Colton in a separate trade, and the former Avalanche forward scored his first goal with Nashville on Oct. 10 against the Ottawa Senators in a 3-2 shootout loss.

With Drury now on the scoresheet for Nashville, both former Avalanche forwards have found the net with their new team. For Colorado, the trade marked the end of Drury's time with the organization after 115 regular-season games, 15 goals, 21 assists and 36 points.

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Yankees news: Nationals outfielder Jacob Young was in trade rumors

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals looks on before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 25, 2025 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Nationals 10-5. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images

NJ.com | Randy Miller and Bob Klapisch: With no baseball on Friday night, Randy Miller and Bob Klapisch of NJ.com sat down to discuss what Yankees fans throughout the world are probably talking about: general manager Brian Cashman. Discussing a whole host of trades, free agent signings, and other roster moves — and in particular, arguing over which ones had good logic but which didn’t work out for unforeseeable reasons (Giancarlo Stanton becoming injury-prone, Joey Gallo forgetting how to hit) and which ones were just bad overall (Ryan McMahon). I don’t totally agree with them on everything — the idea that the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, a move for a player that helped them make the 2024 World Series and was a major contributor in 2025, was a mistake is absolutely laughable to me — but it is an interesting read nonetheless.

MLB Trade Rumors | AJ Eustace: The playoffs may still be ongoing, but that doesn’t mean the hot stove hasn’t started to simmer. Jon Heyman this week highlighted that the Yankees have previously shown interest in Nationals center fielder Jacob Young. Arbitration-eligible for the first time, the 27-year-old is not known for his bat (his 95 wRC+ in 2026 was a career-high), but he provides great defense in center field. Young’s +49 Outs Above Average is second only to defensive wiz Pete Crowe-Armstrong.

Although it’s unclear whether the Nationals are looking to move him at this time, they have explored the possibility in the past, and given the recent history between the Yankees and Nationals front offices (they have struck deals at the past two trade deadlines), it’s not out of the question — especially with New York likely in need of a center fielder.

The Athletic | Keith Law: While most of the baseball world has their eyes on the ALCS and the upcoming World Series, the Arizona Fall League quietly began this week. A developmental league where young players go to learn new positions, get in some reps after injury-filled seasons, and just generally work on their play (check out my colleague Michael for some Yankees-specific coverage), the AFL has occasionally been used to test out potential rule changes. This year, the league is experimenting with restrictions on outfield alignment, using Statcast to force the corner outfielders closer to the lines and the center fielder more shallow than they typically play — an attempt to help more balls in play find the outfield grass. A week into the AFL season, Law calls this attempt a “misfire,” as not only has this actually resulted in balls down the lines turning into outs at a weirdly high rate, the test is itself inherently flawed because many of these players are learning the position for the first time.

The Athletic | Jason Lloyd: (subscription required) Friday night’s Game 4 matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays was postponed because of rain, pushing back Games 4 and 5 and eliminating the offday. This was no surprise to literally everybody who could watch The Weather Channel or has a weather app installed on their phones — in fact, Major League Baseball had even altered the schedule slightly already, playing Thursday night’s game during the day in order to get ahead of the storm. Even so, the league went through the charade of inviting everybody into the ballpark so that fans could pay “$70 to park, $30 on beer and nachos,” all without the slightest intention of playing the game. (Yankees/Orioles Game 162, anyone?)

No, this article might not directly matter to us — after all, the Yankees are unfortunately not playing — but with the CBA negotiations coming up and the inevitable lockout looming, it’s important to remember who Major League Baseball is, and what they care about.

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: As happens every time a quasi-dynastic team falls in the postseason (I refuse to say to call the Dodgers a dynasty yet), sportswriters have begun to ask which team will emerge as the next “superteam” and challenge for the right to be called a dynasty. In what may be a surprise to, well, everybody who is tuned into Yankees fan culture, which is arguably the most pessimistic place on the internet, the Yankees are considered one of the three powerhouses most likely to go on a dynastic run, alongside the Brewers and Dodgers.

Golden Knights Ride Early Goals to Dominant Win over Penguins

If there were an end-of-year award for Most Improved Starts, the Vegas Golden Knights would win in a landslide. Last year, they scored first in only 34 of the 82 regular-season games; this season, they’ve scored first in five of ten games.

On Saturday, the Golden Knights didn’t score 25 seconds into the first period like they did on Thursday. No, tonight, they waited until a full minute and six seconds had elapsed before they scored their first of five goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jack Eichel entered the zone, protected the puck from Declan Carlile, drifted below the goal line, and snuck a pass through Ville Koivunen to Mark Stone. Stone circled out from behind the goal line and waited until two Penguins converged on him, then dropped a return pass to Eichel. Eichel dusted the puck off and threaded a pass for Rasmus Anderson, who drove down into the right circle and beat Sergei Murashov.

The Golden Knights doubled their lead less than three minutes later. Jack Eichel rushed up ice with a head of steam and threaded a centering pass for Noah Hanifin, who beat Sergei Murashov with a wrister from the left dot.

The Golden Knights extended their lead on their second power play of the night at 17:46 in the first. Mitch Marner fed Trevor Connelly for a one-timer from the right dot, and Mark Stone lifted his skate off the ice to redirect the puck behind Sergei Murashov. 

The Penguins got on the board on the power play at 5:54 in the second period. Sidney Crosby got a piece of Tommy Novak’s shot from the right circle. 

The Golden Knights restored their three-goal lead a minute and 11 seconds later. Trevor Connelly intercepted Sidney Crosby’s pass intended for Kaedan Korczak and got a step on Pittsburgh’s defensemen. Connelly raced into the zone and beat Sergei Murashov top-shelf with Kaedan Korczak draped all over him. 

The Golden Knights made it a four-goal game at 11:17 in the second. Brayden McNabb faked a shot, faked another, and slid a pass to Shea Theodore. Theodore ripped a one-timer past Sergei Murashov for his second goal of the year.

The Penguins got on the board again at 4:43 in the third period. Tommy Novak dangled through the zone and got his own rebound after Adin Hill made the save. Novak flipped the puck into the crease; the Penguins crashed the net and banged it in. 

Down three, the Penguins pulled the goaltender for the extra attacker with 2:29 in regulation. Mere moments later, the Golden Knights forced a turnover, and William Karlsson chipped a pass out of the zone to spring Brett Howden on a rush up ice. Kris Letang hauled Howden down, and the officials awarded Howden the goal.

Stats of the Knight

Tonight, Jack Eichel skated in his 700th NHL game. He recorded two primary assists.

The Golden Knights scored six goals for the second consecutive game, and for the third time this season.

With a goal and an assist, Trevor Connelly moves into sole possession of the lead in goals (4) and points (7) among all rookies.

Adin Hill made 22 of 24 saves and improved to a 4-0-0 record in the Golden Knights’ 6-2 victory.

Three stars: Mark Stone, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin

Kings Free Fall Continues With Another Anemic Showing

Another Saturday night loss leaves the Los Angeles Kings as the NHL's only winless team. (0-4-2) Los Angeles held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes and played a solid first period, but missed chances and defensive breakdowns led to a 4-1 home win. 

The Kings are now the only winless team remaining after losing to the Boston Bruins. For some perspective, LA didn't lose their sixth game last season until Oct. 25, when they were 3-3-3.

All things considered, the Kings were on the verge of their first win of the season, but the Bruins capitalized on several missed chances in the clutch by LA. 

Mikey Anderson spoke postgame after losing another disappointing game. 

"We came out good, like we want to at home, and then lost it along the way. It’s on the team. It’s on us.”

If the Kings keep playing this poorly, especially early in the season, where every loss reduces their chances of making the postseason, they should at least decide which direction they're going. 

The home team's anemic offense continued, as they scored one goal again in their fourth straight game. After scoring eight goals in their first two games, the Kings now have just four total goals in their last four games. 

Playing the NHL's slowest, least effective hockey raises the question of whether it's time for the Silver and Black to blow it up and rebuild around young talent. For the last 5-10 seasons, the pattern has been the same: the Kings make or miss the playoffs and go home early in the postseason, with no real success since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. 

The bigger concern for Los Angeles isn't necessarily its six-game winless streak, but the possibility that the organization has reached its ceiling with the current core. Five consecutive first-round playoff exits, multiple coaching changes, and continued offensive struggles have left the Kings searching for answers.

General manager Ken Holland now faces a difficult question: Does he remain patient with a roster built to compete immediately, or begin looking toward the future with younger players such as Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke, and Alex Laferriere?

Now, just over two weeks into the season, it couldn't have been a uglier start for a team with high hopes after hiring a new coach and switching to a new system. The Kings entered the season with expectations of improving on last year's terrible run, reaching the playoffs despite being 12 games below .500 and getting swept out. But six games without a victory have already raised serious doubts about whether this roster is capable of competing

If the Kings are going to be this bad for the rest of the season, they should at least have the courtesy to plan ahead for an increasingly impatient, loyal, and passionate fanbase.

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The Kings' Hot Start Doesn't Stop the Losing Streak

LOS ANGELES — The Kings scored an early goal, 31 seconds into the game, but that didn't change the result. The Bruins were still able to clobber the Kings 4-1.

Alex Laferriere was plugged into the first line to pair with Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin. That move paid dividends for the Kings as they saw quick results early in the game.

“Every time I play with [Kempe and Panarin] we have good energy and good chemistry,” said Laferriere. “Just trying to make it easy for those guys to play the game and just trying to find open ice.”

Within the first minute of the game, Laferriere scored a goal to give the Kings an early lead. This goal allowed Los Angeles to control the tempo and keep the puck in the throughout the first period.

Despite a strong start by the Kings in the first period, it all came crashing down. The Bruins were able to flip the script and take control in the last two periods.

In the second period, David Pastrnak had a breakaway goal for Boston that shifted the momentum. The Bruins pushed the tempo, which allowed them to keep the puck in the Kings' defensive zone.

Los Angeles couldn’t keep up with the tempo, which translated to more penalties for the team. The Kings racked up 21 penalty minutes while the Bruins only had 11minutes in the box.

Heading into the night, the Bruins had 108 penalty minutes, which lead the league.

However, the Kings were so sloppy that they spent more time in the box than the most penalized team.

The Kings gave up a 1-0 lead to a Bruins team that was coming off back-to-back games played. This was a golden opportunity for Los Angeles that only resulted in a disappointing loss.

“We got to take [the loss] with us and stew on it a little bit. It's certainly not where we want to be,” said Coach Laviolette. “I thought the start was really good and on point and then as the second period rolled over it just seemed to tilt the other way. So we've got to be better.”

Six games into the season and the Kings have lost all six of those games. Los Angeles is the only team in the NHL that has yet to secure a victory.

Now the Kings head on a five-game road trip without much momentum on their side. However, this loss to the Bruins could be a turning point for the Kings to pull away some victories.

Even though the Kings lost, the first line change gave the team an energy boost that they desperately needed. The hot start was a sign of how fluently the Kings could play, but they didn’t finish the job. This loss showed the Kings that they needed to execute for 60 minutes, not just the first minute.

Fundora brutally knocks out Hadribeaj with one second left to retain 154lb title

  • Fundora lands decisive blow at 2:59 of final round

  • Champion makes fourth successful title defense

  • 6ft 5in fighter targets undisputed crown at 154lb

Sebastian Fundora kept his pursuit of an undisputed championship on track with a second to spare.

Fundora stopped Ermal Hadribeaj with a left hand at 2:59 of the 12th round on Saturday night at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

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Penguins/Golden Knights Recap: Pens trampled, lose in Vegas 6-2

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 17: Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates Brayden McNabb #3, William Karlsson #71 and Brett Howden #21 after Theodore scored a goal during the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period at T-Mobile Arena on October 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Pregame

The Penguins use the same skaters and groupings as last night while swapping in Sergei Murashov in net.

First period

Vegas activates defensemen and scores two goals in the first 4:02 of the game to set the tone.

First up it’s Rasmus Andersson jumping in the play and scoring 1:06 into the game.

Not long after that Jack Eichel draws all the attention and no one notices Noah Hanifin sneaking into the vacant space. No one except Eichel. 2-0.

The Golden Knights get a power play and try a lot of backdoor plays. It finally pays off, Mark Stone gets his third point of the night redirecting a puck from right in front of Murashov. 3-0.

Tough period on what’s becoming a tough road trip (and even tough season). Vegas flexes their muscles and get in full control.

Second period

The Pens get their first power play, and brace yourself, they score on it. Tommy Novak shoots, it hits Sidney Crosby in front and is good for goal No. 657 in his career. 3-1 game.

Faint hope doesn’t last long, a Crosby pass goes awry and the Golden Knights go off on the rush. Trevor Connelly snipes Murashov. 4-1.

Pittsburgh has a penalty coming and Sam Girard gets tripped and goes heavy into the boards on his arm. The 4v4 trickles away, Vegas wins the puck out of a scrum and feeds Shea Theodore for a big shot. 5-1.

It’s spooky season and this game has been a house of horrors so far.

Third period

Some mild signs of life with 15 minutes to go, Novak shoots the puck and then pokes it around Adin Hill. Both Evgeni Malkin and Ville Koivunen are crashing the net, one of them gets the stick on it to score, apparently Koivunen. 5-2.

Not long after, Novak sets up Koivunen for a really nice chance, his shot goes just wide of the net and that’s a back-breaker for trying to make a comeback effort.

Penguins pull the goalie, Golden Knights get awarded a goal.

Some thoughts

  • Bad game, sad game. Much like last night, the Penguins faced a really good team and it showed. They didn’t come close to measuring it up.
  • Not to go all Doc Internet, but the read on Girard didn’t look good at all. He favored his left arm, was on the bench briefly and left for the lockerroom. We’ll see what comes of it but given the velocity he went into the end boards at a tough angle, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’ll be dealing with a serious injury.
  • Well, at least the power play scored for the first time in seven games. That’s the most minor of silver linings but could be a bright spot on the confidence meter for those guys moving forward. Didn’t matter much tonight, could be something positive for the future considering how fastly those groups can go from ice cold into a heater.
  • After last night, Crosby and Bryan Rust said it wasn’t time to panic. That makes sense from their perspective and I’m not sure that veterans like that ever really would admit to it. And this weekend was tough, playing two legit championship contenders on the road. There’s no shame in dropping it, though it’s a look in the mirror to realize the difference in quality between yourself and a big-time team. The Pens are also 1-5-1 in their last seven. It’s a long year but the results are pretty clear that this team needs to find some answers really quickly.
  • Do such answers exist? That might be the trickier question. The Pens aren’t very good defensively, and that’s not reserved to just their goalies or defensemen. Give up three goals tonight to defensemen and that says a lot about the forward positioning and tracking. On the other side, the offense has been tough to come by.

Pittsburgh will look to salvage something out of this ugly road trip on Monday against Utah.

Alex Tuch has 2 goals and an assist in the Capitals' win over the Canadiens

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Leonard scored a highlight-reel goal and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.

Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner also scored and Vincent Desharnais had two assists for the Capitals, who have won back-to-back games.

Arsenal Gritsyuk and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, who dropped to 4-4-0 to open the season.

The Devils got on the board first roughly halfway through the first period, when Gritsyuk beat Logan Thompson through traffic at the end of New Jersey’s second power play of the period.

With 3:18 to go in the first, though, Leonard would even the score and change the momentum with his spectacular goal. In the final seconds of Washington’s power play, Leonard took the puck up ice himself, going coast to coast before beating Luke Hughes, cutting to the inside and deking out Jake Allen for his third goal of the season.

From there, the Capitals took over the game, starting with back-to-back goals in a span of 4 minutes, 46 seconds to open the second period. First, Protas buried a cross-zone feed from Alex Ovechkin to give Washington the 2-1 lead. Then, Strome finished off a passing play from Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou to put Washington up by two.

HURRICANES 3, JETS 2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers scored a power-play goal 6:43 into the third period to lift Carolina to their seventh straight victory, over Winnipeg.

The former Jet fired a wrist shot past the glove of Clay Stevenson.

Mark Jankowski — also on the power play — and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored for Carolina as well. Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists.

Pyotr Kochetkov made 21 saves and has posted victories in all five starts this season. With fewer than 40 seconds remaining, Kochetkov made a pad save on Cole Perfetti, following that up with a save on 18-year-old Viggo Bjorck off the helmet to preserve Carolina’s lead.

Mark Scheifele and Alex Iafallo scored for Winnipeg, which lost its first game this season on home ice in regulation. Stevenson stopped 34 shots.

LIGHTNING 4, CANUCKS 2

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored twice, Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, and Dennis Hildeby stopped 12 shots as Tampa Bay defeated Vancouver.

Guentzel scored the winner in the third period as Tampa Bay came back from a two-goal deficit.

Pontus Holmberg also scored and Brayden Point finished with two assists for Tampa Bay, which improved to 5-0 at home.

Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson scored while Kevin Lankinen finished with 31 saves for the Canucks, who finished winless (0-4-1) on a five-game road trip. Vancouver is winless in the past seven games (0-6-1) overall.

Guentzel picked up the winner at 2:04 of the third after Charle-Edouard D’Astous slid a pass off the wall to Guentzel for the quick snap shot that deflected off the stick of Vancouver’s Liam Ohgren.

For the second consecutive game, the Canucks had a 2-0 lead they were not able to hold.

PANTHERS 8 KRAKEN 3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe had a history-making natural hat trick, Sam Bennett scored his first three goals of the season and Florida rolled past Seattle

The Panthers became the first team in NHL history with natural hat tricks in three consecutive games, after Brady Tkachuk had them in wins over Columbus on Tuesday and Vancouver on Thursday. Florida also became only the third team in 30 years to have a hat trick — of any variety — in three consecutive games.

With four hat tricks already this season — all coming in the last three games — Florida has matched its total from the last three regular seasons combined. Niko Mikkola and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, and Matthew Tkachuk had three assists.

Freddy Gaudreau, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans had goals for Seattle, while Kaapo Kakko and Berkly Catton both had two-assist games.

ISLANDERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS

TORONTO (AP) — Bo Horvat scored the winner and added an assist to help the New York beat Toronto.

Simon Holmstrom scored twice, the second into an empty net, and Anthony Duclair also connected for New York (4-3-1). Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves.

Colton Sissons replied for Toronto (3-4-2). Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots for the Maple Leafs. They have dropped three straight games and four of their last five.

The Islanders jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 8:18 of the first period when Duclair took a pass in the slot and changed the angle before firing through a partial screen on Bobrovsky.

Coming off a hat trick Thursday night in a 5-4 home shootout loss to Buffalo, Maple Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko had a couple of chances that Sorokin turned aside in the second.

No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna, who was benched for the second half of Thursday’s contest, had an opportunity it late in the second period on a partial breakaway, but fired high and wide. The Islanders raced the other way, with Horvat eventually beating Bobrovsky with 1:27 to go.

CANADIENS 4, SABRES 3 (OT)

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored his second goal of the game 54 seconds into overtime to lift Montreal over Buffalo.

Caufield had a breakaway after Josh Norris missed his shot on a 3-on-1 rush. He ripped a shot into the top-left corner, extending his franchise record with his 14th regular-season overtime goal.

Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier also scored while Montreal built a two-goal lead before Buffalo stormed back. Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Carrier added two assists each.

Jacob Fowler stopped 23 shots in his fourth start in five games.

RED WINGS 4, SHARKS 3 (SO)

DETROIT (AP) — Lucas Raymond scored the only goal during the shootout and Detroit rallied for a victory over San Jose.

Alex DeBrincat scored with 1:33 remaining to send the game into overtime. DeBrincat’s team-high fifth goal left him one shy of 300 for his career.

Justin Faulk and Emmitt Finnie also scored for the Red Wings, who have won back-to-back wins for the first time this season. John Gibson stopped 32 shots.

Macklin Celebrini had a goal and two assists to lead the Sharks. Dmitry Orlov and Ivar Stenberg contributed power-play goals, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves in the second of six consecutive road games for San Jose.

With Gibson pulled for an extra skater, DeBrincat tapped in the puck with 1:33 remaining during a scramble in front of the net. Detroit needed to kill off Andrew Copp’s penalty in overtime to force the shootout.

FLYERS 3, SENATORS 1

PHILEDELPHIA (AP) — Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone each had a goal and an assist, and Philadelphia beat Ottawa for their first victory this season.

Philadelphia (1-6-3) opened with nine consecutive losses, a franchise record.

Michkov set up Martone with a nifty pass to the far post, and Martone tapped in his second goal this season at 9:03 of the second period to tie the score 1-all.

Martone returned the favor on a power play late in the period, firing a shot toward the net that Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark stopped. But the rebound went right to Michkov, who snapped home his fourth goal of the season at 18:33.

It was the 50th career goal for Michkov in 171 games. He became the fastest Flyers player to reach the milestone since Matt Read in 2014.

Trevor Zegras added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds left in the third to seal it.

BLUE JACKETS 1, RANGERS 0 (0T)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kent Johnson scored with 1:33 remaining on the clock in overtime, Jet Greaves got his fifth career shutout and Columbus beat New York.

Charlie Coyle brought the puck into the zone and passed to Zach Werenski near the left faceoff circle. Werenski then found Johnson in the slot, who fired a wrist shot past Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand for his team-leading fourth goal of the season as the Blue Jackets snapped a two-game slide.

It was Werenski’s 22nd career point in overtime. With seven goals and 15 assists, he passed Seth Jones for most overtime points in franchise history.

It was the fourth time the Blue Jackets won 1-0 in overtime. The previous occasion was Feb. 4, 2020, against the Florida Panthers.

STARS 4, BLACKHAWKS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Oettinger made 19 saves for his NHL-leading third shutout in six games, Arttu Hyry scored twice and Dallas beat Chicago.

Jason Robertson scored and Roope Hintz also connected before he exited late in the third period with a right hand injury. Dallas (4-3-1) won its second straight to give Glen Gulutzan his 200th NHL coaching victory.

Oettinger had his 19th career shutout and lowered his goals-against average to 1.00. The 25-year-old Hyry had his first multi-goal game.

The Stars, who trimmed their NHL-best team goals average to 1.50, outshot the Blackhawks 32-19 in this one and limited Chicago’s chances.

Spencer Knight blocked 28 shots in his fourth straight start as the Blackhawks’ two-game winning streak ended.

PREDATORS 5, BLUES 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Filip Forsberg scored a goal and added an assist to lead Nashville to a victory over St. Louis.

Jonathan Marchessault, Adam Edstrom, Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Drury also scored and Juuse Saros made 24 saves to help the Predators snap a three-game losing streak.

Phillip Broberg and Jimmy Snuggerud scored and Jordan Binnington made 19 saves for the Blues. They have lost consecutive games.

Broberg scored the game’s first goal at 6:21 of the opening period. Coming through the slot unchecked, Broberg beat Saros with a wrist shot on the glove side.Mason McTavish assisted on the goal, extending his points streak to six games. He has four goals and four assists over that span.

BRUINS 4, KINGS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the third period and Boston beat Los Angeles Kings for their fifth straight victory.

David Pastrnak had a goal, Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka scored empty-netters, and Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. The Bruins swept the three California teams as part of a four-game trip that ends in Dallas on Tuesday.

Alex Laferriere scored for Los Angeles, and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves. The Kings remained winless through six games to start the season and were held to one goal for the fourth straight contest.

Khusnutdinov put the Bruins ahead 2-1 with 6:24 remaining, scoring on a backhander after Forsberg failed to cover up Morgan Geekie’s shot and Matt Poitras kept the puck alive.

The Kings got off to a quick start, scoring 31 seconds into the game. Laferriere was at the top of the crease to put in Adrian Kempe’s pass for his second goal of the season, making the most of his promotion to first-line center.

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