ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 25: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves steals second base in the fifth inning during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on August 25, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Braves have spent plenty of time in the last decade at or near the top of the National League standings. The two teams met in the playoffs three times, highlighted by a pair of exciting NLCS matchups each team used as a springboard to a championship.
Now the matchup is set, the Dodgers are set to play the Braves in the National League Division Series beginning on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
The Braves took care of the Philadelphia Phillies, beating their NL East foes in three games in the wild card round at Truist Park in Atlanta.
This round will mark the first playoff matchup between the Dodgers and Braves in five years, after a pair of near misses. After the Dodgers won it all in 2020 and the Braves captured a championship in 2021, Los Angeles and Atlanta had the two best records in the National League in both 2022 and 2023, but in each year both teams won in triple digits and flamed out in the NLDS. The NLCS rubber match never materialized until now.
During the Dodgers’ title runs in 2024 and 2025, the Braves lost in the wild card round and missed the playoffs altogether last year. But now Atlanta is back, having won the NL East with a 94-68 record.
Braves ace Chris Sale allowed three runs (two earned) in 16 innings against the Dodgers this season with 18 strikeouts in his two starts. The Dodgers won that first start, on May 8, their only win against Atlanta this season, before a 1-0 shutout by Sale on August 27. Sale pitched Tuesday against the Phillies and presumably wouldn’t be available to face the Dodgers until at least Game 2 on Sunday, which was the thinking before Sale pitched an inning and a third in Game 3.
The 37-year-old Sale has pitched on four days’ rest twice this season, both in April. Now, it’s an open question who Atlanta will slot into the rotation with a day’s break for travel. Meanwhile, by earning the bye, the Dodgers have the luxury to set up their rotation however they see fit for Saturday’s likely blistering Game 1 start.
Oct 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) meets with teammates on the mound against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in game three of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Not with a bang, but with a whimper.” So wrote T.S. Eliot. He was many things, but he was not a baseball fan: if he had been, he would’ve known that the world, or at least a season, can end with both. The Phillies and their fans know this well: their 2026 ended with the bangs of Braves home runs, and the whimpers of their own offense.
It began quietly for the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber singled to left against Braves opener Ray Kerr, but Bryce Harper went down whiffing on a cutter, and Bohm grounded out.
Aaron Nola went down 3-0 on Ronald Acuña Jr. , eventually walking him, then went down 3-0 again against Matt Olson, walking him too. His pitches could not find the strike zone. What happened next has happened many times this season, and happened again tonight: Nola gave up a gopher ball. Michael Harris saw a pitch that was quite low, delivered a perfect swing, knocked it into right field, and the Phillies were down 3-0. Nola’s second inning saw him put the first two Braves down, though they made good contact. Dominic Smith did not, though he did enough: he dribbled one straight back, just far enough to get on base. Nola was pulled, and replaced with Tim Mayza, who quickly wrapped up the inning.
The Phillies offense couldn’t do damage against Kerr, and so the deficit remained at three as Zack Wheeler came out for the bottom third. He immediately encountered trouble, as Acuña smacked a line drive that bounced off of Trea Turner for a leadoff single. But he was sent back to the dugout on a fielder’s choice, and Wheeler navigated the rest of the inning without incident.
Kerr returned for the fourth, the Phillies still unable to solve him, and the Phillies got their second baserunner of the night on via a Kyle Schwarber walk. Bryce Harper hit a hard line drive, which Mauricio Dubon grabbed on a dive, tossing to second to put Schwarber out. Kerr was replaced with Grant Holmes, who bobbled a grounder from Alec Bohm but got the out anyway, and the Phillies left their half of the fourth still scoreless. Their season was teetering on the brink, and soon it fell over: Wheeler walked Austin Riley, then gave up a homer to Ozzie Albies. Braves fans, full of passionate intensity, performed their typical pantomime.
With the mood thoroughly nauseous, the Phillies finally got some breaks: Bryan De La Cruz singled to open the fifth, and a wild pitch advanced him to second. Brandon Marsh replaced Edmundo Sosa as a pinch hitter and negotiated his way to ball four. But the glimmer of hope vanished, snuffed out by a twin killing. The Phillies put another baserunner aboard in the sixth (Schwarber, single to right), chasing Holmes, who was replaced by Robert Suarez. Harper doubled to right, and Schwarber scored on a groundout from Bohm. The Phillies would not go into the night scoreless.
Wheeler continued into the sixth, walking two with two outs, but working his way to the last out without further damage incurred. The offense was punchless in the seventh, and Jonathan Bowlan was asked to keep Atlanta’s the same. He could not: Matt Olson homered.
Derek Hill, pinch-hitting for Justin Crawford, tripled in the eighth as a ball slipped past a leaping Acuña Jr; he scored on a sacrifice fly from Turner. Chris Sale was brought in to face Harper, who flailed to a strikeout. Jhoan Duran took the eighth, preventing the deficit from getting worse. Sale returned for the final frame.
Alec Bohm, in possibly his last at-bat as a Phillie, singled to center. Bryson Stott foul popped out, De La Cruz struck out, Otto Kemp did the same, and all was silence.
Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies homered Thursday night to give the Atlanta Braves their first win in a winner-take-all playoff game since Game 7 of the 1996 National League Championship Series. They had lost six straight in between.
And the reward for that breakthrough? They get fly across the country to Los Angeles to face the two-time World Series defending champion Dodgers.
The division series open Saturday with four games in one day, all best-of-five games series.
The Tampa Bay Rays had the best record in the American League. They also haven't won a playoff series since 2020. They host the New York Yankees, who gave up two runs in two games against Boston. The Chicago White Sox swept Houston for their first series win since 2005. Next is Cleveland, a division rival they have never played in the postseason.
Then there's Jacob Misiorowski. The Milwaukee right-hander led the majors in ERA, strikeouts and opponents' batting average, something only Sandy Koufax, J.R. Richard and Mike Scott have done since 1950. He gets the ball in Game 1 against San Diego, a team that just held the majors' highest-scoring offense to one run in two haves.
The best-of-seven league championship series start Oct. 11, and the World Series opens Oct. 23.
It’s a familiar foe from postseasons of the not-too-distant past.
After developing a budding rivalry with the Atlanta Braves through playoff meetings in 2018 (a Dodgers NLDS win), 2020 (a memorable Dodgers comeback from a three-games-to-one deficit in the NL Championship Series) and 2021 (a Braves NLCS upset en route to their most World Series title), the two iconic franchises will square off again this fall, opening their best-of-five NLDS on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts is congratulated by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants. AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillAtlanta Braves’ Matt Olson celebrates his sacrifice fly against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning during Game 2. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
The Braves got there after a dramatic 2-1 wild-card series win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Braves got the better of the Dodgers in the regular season, going 5-1 in head-to-head matchups including a series sweep at Truist Park in August.
But the slate has been wiped clean now. The 100-win, second-seeded, two-time defending champion Dodgers will be the favorite.
With the NLDS now set, the California Post analyzed how the two clubs match up ahead of their latest October battle:
At the plate
Getting on base
There was no better offense in the majors during the first half of the season than the Dodgers (through June, they ranked first in scoring, batting average and OPS). But there were few bigger disappointments at the plate down the stretch (from July on, they ranked 15th in scoring, 14th in batting average and 11th in OPS).
Despite that, they still outpaced the Braves in most offensive categories. Atlanta finished the year eighth in scoring (4.58 runs per game, compared to the Dodgers’ 4.94 mark), 10th in batting average (.246 to the Dodgers’ .257) and 16th in OPS (.718 to the Dodgers’ .762).
Another key difference between the clubs: The Dodgers showed better plate discipline. They posted the league’s third-highest walk rate and on-base percentage (10.1% and .338, respectively) while the Braves had the third-lowest marks in each category (7.7% and .309).
The Braves still boast big stars. First baseman Matt Olson led the team with 41 home runs and a .823 OPS. Catcher/designated hitter Drake Baldwin had a breakout campaign with 25 home runs and a .817 OPS. Michael Harris II paced the club with a .294 average to go along with 26 long balls. Even a relatively down (and injury-plagued) season from former MVP outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. still saw him record a .796 OPS.
Those were their only four regulars, however, to post at least league-average production, according to OPS+. The Dodgers nearly doubled that total with seven, between Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández. And that doesn’t even include the strides Kyle Tucker made late in the year, giving the Dodgers a deeper and more difficult lineup to navigate.
Edge: Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker connects for an RBI double against the San Francisco Giants. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Power
This is one area where the Braves matched the Dodgers offensively, with both teams finishing the year in the Top 10 of the majors in home runs with 204 each.
That Dodgers’ total, however, is deceiving. During their second-half slump, they hit just 86 home runs in their final 76 games, ranking 18th in the majors in long balls and 14th in slugging percentage during that stretch.
Thus, the Braves entered the playoffs possessing more of a power presence, with five players coming off 20-homer campaigns: Baldwin, Acuña, Olson, Harris and Ozzie Albies –– the latter three of whom all went deep in the Braves’ Game 3 clincher against the Phillies on Thursday.
Third baseman Austin Riley, who hit 19 homers in what was an otherwise disappointing regular season, also offered a reminder of his pop this week, when he hit a game-winning three-run bomb in Game 1 of their wild-card series defeat of the Phillies.
Edge: Braves
Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley celebrates with Tommy Watkins after Riley hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
On the mound
Rotation
No one will be able to match the star power of the Dodgers’ starting pitching group, which is headlined by four ace-level arms: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-9, 2.53 ERA this year), Tarik Skubal (12-7, 2.72 ERA), Blake Snell (4-1, 1.90 ERA) and Tyler Glasnow (5-2, 3.53 ERA).
Last year, the Dodgers’ rotation carried them to a World Series title. And though Ohtani won’t be pitching because of his injuries, the deadline addition of Skubal has more than compensated.
That said, there are few pitchers more feared in the playoffs than Braves ace Chris Sale. He went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA this season, pitched a five-hit shutout against the Dodgers in August, and struck out nine batters during a 6 ⅓-inning, three-run start against the Phillies in the wild-card round.
However, he also came out of the bullpen on Thursday to close out Game 3, putting 21 extra pitches on his arm going into the NLDS (when he likely won’t be able to start until at least Game 2). And beyond him, Atlanta has struggled to find another impact arm, relying heavily on their own deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle (who spun a seven-inning, one-run gem in the wild-card round).
Edge: Dodgers
Tarik Skubal of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the San Francisco Giants. Getty Images
Bullpen
It was a rollercoaster season for the Dodgers’ bullpen. It set a franchise record with a 38-inning scoreless streak in May. It posted a 4.95 ERA over the next two months, eighth-worst in the majors in that stretch. Then, it finished the year with a 3.20 mark in August and September, combining for the most wins above replacement (according to Fangraphs) over that period.
That late-season surge puts the relief corps in a seemingly strong spot now. Tanner Scott and Roki Sasaki are both closer options. Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart and Alex Vesia are prime setup men, with Vesia offering a left-handed option. Edwin Díaz has re-emerged as another leverage arm, with a strong close to an otherwise dismal debut Dodgers campaign. Kris Bubic and Justin Wrobleski can take down multiple innings, if needed. What was a critical weakness last October might now be an underrated strength.
The Braves’ bullpen was steadier over the course of the year, finishing with the fourth-best ERA (3.44) among all MLB relief units.
Closer Raisel Iglesias was key to that success, going 34-for-37 in save opportunities with a 2.55 ERA. Young flame-thrower Didier Fuentes and left-handers Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd were also important leverage options. And the recent return of top offseason signing Robert Suarez from a second-half elbow injury has only further bolstered the group.
Edge: Even
Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias reacts during Game 1 of the wild-card round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the field
Defense
The Braves were a top-five overall defense by both defensive runs saved and outs above average this year, with few weaknesses in their preferred starting lineup.
Acuña is a threat in right field, while Harris is a plus-glove in center. Riley and Olson were decent at the corners of the infield. Albies has formed a strong middle-infield combination at second base with shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and Mauricio Dubón.
The Dodgers were more of a mixed bag defensively. Pages has become perhaps the best center fielder in the sport outside of Pete Crow-Armstrong, but is flanked by two liabilities in Hernández and Tucker. Ditto on the infield, where Betts and Tommy Edman have been a good (though not flawless) double-play duo, but Freeman and Muncy have endured more ups and downs.
Edge: Braves
Base-running
Neither team was overly aggressive on the bases, with the Braves ranking 23rd in steals (83 on 106 attempts) and the Dodgers 28th (72 of 93).
Acuña led Atlanta with 21 steals, but has not been nearly the running threat he was in 2023 when he led the majors with 73 stolen bags. Ohtani has undergone a similar transformation since his 50/50 campaign in 2024, swiping just 11 bases this season (which was still just two off Pages’ team lead of 13).
Edge: Even
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves is introduced before game one of the National League wild-card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park in Atlanta. Getty Images
Manager
No modern manager has more postseason experience –– or success –– than Dave Roberts, who will be trying to become the seventh skipper in MLB history with four World Series titles (to go along with his all-time best regular-season winning percentage).
Walt Weiss, on the other hand, returned to the top step this year for the first time since serving as Rockies manager from 2013-2016, getting promoted from his bench coach role to replace the retired Brian Snitker. This week’s wild-card series represented his first postseason experience in the role.
Edge: Dodgers
Intangibles
Both clubs have ample postseason experience amongst their roster. But only the Dodgers have been able to consistently produce October success. The Braves did win a World Series in 2021, of course, knocking out the Dodgers along the way. But only three key players from that squad remain (Albies, Riley, Acuña). And their leader from that season, Freeman, now plays for the Dodgers.
The stage is set for the National League Division Series, with the Atlanta Braves advancing to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five matchup beginning Saturday, Oct. 3.
In Game 2, the Phillies staged an impressive comeback to keep their postseason hopes alive. Alec Bohm delivered a two-out home run in the 10th inning, lifting the Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Braves. With this win, Philadelphia forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the NL Wild Card Series.
NEW YORK — Igor Shesterkin became the first New York Rangers goalie to score when he lofted the puck the length of the ice into an empty net, capping a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
A year after failing to score in their first three home games last season, the Rangers wasted little time preventing a repeat performance, getting a goal from Mika Zibanejad less than six minutes into their Madison Square Garden opener.
Pavel Dorofeyev and Eeli Tolvanen each scored his first goal with his new team, and top prospect-turned-important contributor Gabe Perreault deflected in a shot by No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox.
Shesterkin scored with 2:34 remaining, becoming the 18th goalie in NHL history with a goal. The first of his career was the 21st by a player at the position, counting the playoffs.
It was a far cry from the nightmare start at MSG in October 2025, when the Rangers went nearly 181 minutes before setting off the goal horn there. They became the first team in league history to get shut out in the first three home games of a season.
The crowd at this home opener didn’t even have much of a chance to get nervous. Coming off getting blanked 3-0 on the road Tuesday night at Boston, New York was the aggressor early. Drawing a penalty paved the way for Zibanejad to score on the power play.
The offensive outburst allowed the Rangers to put up four goals on 24 shots against two-time Vezina Trophy- and Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. In a matchup of two of the best at the position in the world, Shesterkin stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced, leading to chants of “Igor’s better!”
The only goal Shesterkin gave up was to Nikita Kucherov, the reigning MVP who banked the puck in off the right skate of Rangers center Noah Laba.
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Cameron Carr #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers during Los Angeles Lakers Media Day at UCLA Health Training Center on September 28, 2026 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Praise has been heaped in bundles to countless Lakers win throughout the first days of training camp. A new name was added to the mix on Monday and is one Lakers fans will likely be excited to hear about.
While head coach JJ Redick admitted he’s still young and going through the struggles any rookie would, Cameron Carr also was on the receiving end of some of that acclaim on Thursday.
“Cam, we see a player in Cam,” Redick said. “We’re really excited about him. You can also see through three days that he’s a rookie. There were times where we kind of had to stop a drill or, at one point a minute into the second scrimmage, I had to call timeout and bring him over and just teach him a little bit.
“He picks up things quick so very confident that he’ll have opportunities this year.”
Carr will certainly have an uphill battle to playing time. Given the little we have to go on right now, it seems that a number of wings are excelling early in training camp. It will come down to impressing in the moments Carr will have during preseason games.
But even if that doesn’t happen in the exhibition slate, it’s a long season and, as Redick noted, opportunities will come.
Mysterious injuries
Redick has alluded a couple of times during training camp that a couple of players were limited. On Thursday, he was asked a bit more about it and provided very little more insight.
“Everybody did something,” Redick said of practice. “Again, we’ve had to modify a couple guys. We had an extended scrimmage today and cleaned up some things offensively for the first time since, really, last Wednesday when we were doing our small group work. We’ll continue to have an emphasis on that over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday before we go to [Sacramento].”
When asked if those unspecified injuries would keep players out of games, Redick said that was to be determined but that it was nothing they were worried about long term.
Best training camp ever
Ziaire Williams hasn’t been in the NBA long, but this training camp has left an impression. After years of training camps on teams without a focus on winning, joining a Lakers side focused on winning has been a change of pace.
“It’s a little different, for sure,” Williams said. “This is a winning culture, a winning culture, a winning team, a team that has high standards, so it’s a little different. Guys have been more experienced, more in the league so it’s a little less teaching and more just concepts and schemes versus Brooklyn, it was eight rookies or however many we had…so it was a lot more teaching.
“But training camp here has been great. I’m comfortable. Guys have helped me work my way in and I just feel like I belong. I’m happy where I’m at and we just got to keep doing it.”
Multiple players have said this training camp has been great. For basically every team outside of the Kings, vibes at this point in the season probably are good. Another theme that has gone hand-in-hand with that, though, has been the competitiveness during camp, too.
“This has been a very physical, competitive, intense training camp,” Jake LaRavia said. “I think it’s been the best one that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in the league and this third day just really put a stamp on what we’ve been doing.”
Other notes
Redick spoke about Dalton Knecht, who he said has “been a pro” during training camp. He credited his offseason work and said he was hungry to earn a rotation spot.
Add LaRavia to the list of people who have singled out Adou Thiero this summer. He said the second-year player had been “really good,” praise he also gave Williams.
Speaking of LaRavia, Redick talked about his conversations with him this summer, saying they spoke a lot in the first six weeks of the offseason, both about shooting and the “mental side of things.” To that point, Redick said LaRavia is in not just a good place physically this traning camp, but mentally as well.
Although the score indicated otherwise, the Philadelphia Flyers were completely outclassed by the New Jersey Devils in their 3-2 overtime loss on Thursday night.
By the end of the night, the Devils out-attempted the Flyers 74-34 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, and 96-41 overall thanks to four power play opportunities courtesy of the Flyers.
That is especially true when the Flyers themselves have struggled to make basic passes and connect on plays, whereas the Devils looked like the Harlem Globetrotters in contrast.
"Still some hockey IQ mistakes, not some smart hockey. We got to really buckle down here," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said after the loss.
Rasmus Ristolainen opened the scoring for the Flyers on Thursday night, scoring with an surprisingly deft deflection in front of Jake Allen on a long-range shot from Travis Sanheim on a delayed penalty.
New Jersey's Dougie Hamilton scored the only goal of the second period to tie the game at 1-1, though Sanheim uncorked another blast at the top of the third period to restore the Flyers' one-goal lead.
To tie the game for the Devils once again, Luke Hughes found soft ice in the slot, received a tidy pass from Luke Evangelista, and buried a bullet past Joseph Woll, who made an outstanding 41 saves on 44 shots (.932%) in his first start of the season.
"They feed off the rush, and if we keep turning it over, neutral zone, they're gonna go down and make their plays," Flyers forward Christian Dvorak assessed. "We're lucky we got a point because of Woller."
Sanheim agreed: "If it wasn't for Woller there, it could've been a lot worse ... What a performance from him, and obviously good to see and happy for him and the way that he was able to play, [the result is] unfortunate."
Jack Hughes ended the game in overtime, racing down the ice in transition, recognizing Travis Konecny was the lone man back on defense, and tapping in the game-winner.
Forwards Alex Bump, Porter Martone, and Carl Grundstrom effectively ended the game benched for the Flyers; Bump and Grundstrom each played just one shift in the third period, while Martone played four.
"I needed some lines to somewhat control Jack. He was caving some of our lines, and I just tried to get the best nine, I thought, for tonight," Tocchet said of the line changes.
The Flyers at least earned their first point of the young 2026-27 season, but the overall outlook is bleak through a two-game winless start and very little offense generated.
After a day off on Friday, the Flyers will be back at it at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday night, hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m.
The San Jose Sharks faced a tough test to begin the 2026-27 season, as they hosted the Florida Panthers, a team widely considered to be one of the NHL's top Stanley Cup contenders. For a team looking to make the playoffs and kickstart a new era, the Sharks had an instant opportunity to show that they could hang with the top teams in the league.
Yaroslav Askarov was called into work early, as he was forced to save a tough cross-crease pass, but he did so with ease. That save helped the Sharks get a rush, as Igor Chernyshov's speed helped him get past the Panthers' defense and get a shot on net, even though it was from a tight angle.
Kesselring had a nice defensive zone exit early in the period, chipping the puck off the boards for a self-pass that helped him spring the Sharks up the ice.
Jacob Trouba got his first fighting major less than half a period into his Sharks stint, dropping the gloves and standing up for his captain after a heavy off-the-puck hit by Brady Tkachuk knocked Macklin Celebrini's helmet off.
Darnell Nurse took the first minor penalty of the season for the Sharks as he was called for slashing, giving the Panthers' high-powered power play a chance early on. The penalty kill looked solid on the first shift, which ended with a two-on-one rush with Nolan Allan and Barclay Goodrow heading toward Akira Schmid. Allan opted to keep the puck and shot it straight at the Panthers' netminder.
Matthew Tkachuk hit the inside of the post with the penalty close to expiration, but Askarov was able to cover the puck.
Mason Marchment lit the lamp three quarters of the way through the opening frame, causing the Sharks' new goal song, "Holiday" by Green Day to blare throughout the SAP Center.
Shortly afterwards, Askarov once again came up big in his own end of the ice.
The Sharks got their first power play of the season when Seth Jones sat for interference with just under a minute remaining in the first period. They ran out of time before they were able to convert though, so the power play continued into the second period and was killed off by the Panthers.
Kiefer Sherwood, using his special "Kiefer" branded Sherwood stick, was called for high-sticking when he made contact with Aleksander Barkov. Barkov was cut by the stick, resulting in a four-minute double minor.
While the Sharks were killing off the penalty, Will Smith netted his first goal of the season on a rush with Macklin Celebrini, doubling the Sharks' lead. Considering Smith has had limited shorthanded ice time throughout his career, Ryan Warsofsky's decision to throw him out there on this occasion surely looked like a brilliant move.
Shortly after the goal, Barkov left the ice in substantial pain for the Panthers. He missed all of last season with a knee injury, as a result there is likely substantial concern in the Panthers organization.
Moments after he got out of the penalty box, Marchment was sent right back, this time for slashing. Once again, the Sharks' penalty kill was able to neutralize the Panthers' dangerous power play.
It was a period full of special teams, as shortly after Marchment left the penalty box for the second time, the Sharks earned a power play as Sam Bennett sat for hooking. The Sharks took advantage, as the captain, Macklin Celebrini seemingly scored on a wraparound to put the team in teal up 3-0 just over halfway through regulation, but the goal was later changed to Smith who had his second of the night.
After a hard hit by Uvis Balinskis on Ivar Stenberg, Collin Graf dropped the gloves to avenge his teammate. Graf lost his footing and immediately fell to the ice though. After all was said and done the Sharks got a power play, which was shortened after about a minute when Luca Cagnoni was called for interference. The Sharks once again killed it off, and remained perfect on the penalty kill so far this season.
Darnell Nurse handed the Panthers their sixth power play of the night when he was called for his second cross-checking penalty of the night. They finally capitalized on this opportunity, as Eetu Luostarinen got his first goal of the 2026-27 campaign. As a result, the Sharks' lead was cut to 3-1.
Early in the third period, Tyler Toffoli had a very nice breakout pass that found Michael Misa in the neutral zone and gave him a bit of a breakaway. Unfortunately for the Sharks, Misa was unable to capitalize on the chance.
Not long afterwards, the Panthers did capitalize on a scoring chance though, as Luostarinen scored his second of the night. Then, just 17 seconds later, Matthew Tkachuk scored his first of the season to tie things up at 3-3.
The Sharks responded well after the equalizer, as they should. Given the fact that they had a 3-0 lead in the third period, they couldn't afford to leave this game without any points.
Kiefer Sherwood was taken down hard in the offensive zone late in the first period by Niko Mikkola and skated gingerly to the bench where he was immediately evaluated by medical staff.
The Sharks ensured one point, as they pushed the game to overtime. They still had almost a full power play heading into the extra frame as well.
The Sharks had some strong chances on the power play, but the Panthers' defense and goaltender were even stronger as they made some big plays to keep the game tied.
Luca Cagnoni came through big time for the Sharks, scoring his first career NHL goal in overtime to win the game for San Jose 4-3.
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 15: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons listens to the national anthem before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round Two Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2026 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Jalen Duren drama is officially in the past. The All-NBA big man agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The move ends months of drama and seeming animosity between the Pistons and Duren’s agent Chafie Fields. Fields was the one to pass news of the deal along to Charania.
Fields, representing Duren, seemed to use every bit of negotiating leverage he could, waiting until 90 minutes before the deadline to accept a $9.6 million qualifying offer or accept the $200 million deal on the table. While there had been reports that the two sides were far apart, all indications are the Pistons’ first serious offer in the offseason landed between $185-$190 million. So the months of drama, meeting with teams in free agency, leaking interest from other NBA teams, threatening to sign the qualifying offer, and trying to engineer sign-and-trades netted Duren the $200 million deal he was seeking.
While Duren was technically eligbile for a $287 million max contract, there was never any indication that Detroit was interested in that number. Detroit made little headway in an extension last offseason, and there was thoughts it might have soured the relationship between player and organization permanently. It didn’t help that media leaks were obviously coming from Duren’s camp, and Detroit earned plenty of bad press by reportedly trying to include a weight clause in Duren’s contract. That provision was allegedly removed, and is not part of the $200 million deal.
If Duren had accepted the qualifying offer and then gotten a max deal in free agency next summer, he would have earned less than the $200 million the Pistons were offering. In the end, the Detroit deal always made the most sense, and that is the deal Duren decided to sign.
Now, we can focus on basketball.
Duren was a key cog in the Pistons’ resurgence over the past two seasons. In Detroit’s 60-win campaign last season, he averaged a career-high 19.5 points, earning an All-Star nod and All-NBA honors. He was a great rim threat for Detroit and added a face-up game that added versatility to his high-efficiency offensive game.
The problem, as yet unresolved, was a tremendous struggle in the playoffs. The hope is that at 22 years old, Duren will be able to build on that playoff experience and better understand what it will take to have the kind of success in the postseason that he had in the regular season.
The Pistons certainly added the kinds of pieces that should make life easier for Detroit’s core of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and Duren. All three are now on lucrative long-term deals, with the latter two signing new deals this offseason. The Pistons had great success last year despite having just one serious three-point threat in Duncan Robinson.
Now, Robinson will return and be joined by John Collins, Isaiah Joe, and Taurean Prince. Kevin Heurter, added at the trade deadline last season but slowed by injury in the playoffs, will also return.
The hope is that with two of the league’s best and most prolific movement 3-point shooters in Robinson and Joe, and reliable veterans who are efficient perimeter marksmen, there will be less congested lanes and more room to operate for Detroit’s three core players.
There is a lot more to say, but for now, I’ll just say I’m glad it’s over.
The saga between the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren has finally ended as the disgruntled center agreed to a new five-year, $200 million contract to return to Detroit, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the terms of the deal and because it was not yet publicly announced.
The agreement came in ahead of Thursday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline to decide on a $9.6 million qualifying offer.
Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 70 games in 2025-26 and was named an All-Star for the first time in his four-year career.
After being named to the All-NBA third team, Duren was eligible to sign a five-year deal, worth up to around $287 million, or 30% of the salary cap.
But Duren's dreadful playoff performance made any team, especially the Pistons, reluctant to pay that much. Duren's per-game production dipped to 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 51.4% shooting. The top-seeded Pistons were eliminated in the second round in seven games by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons had maintained they were not going to trade Duren, as few teams had the salary cap space available to take on the maximum contract Duren was seeking. He did not get the max, but is now set to make $200 million over the next five seasons.
Jalen Duren contract details
Duren became a restricted free agent this offseason upon completion of his four-year, $19.4 million rookie-scale contract. He could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he had accepted the $9.6 million qualifying offer from Detroit.
Agreeing to a five-year, $200 million deal, Duren is slated to be on the Pistons for the forseeable future.
Jalen Duren age
Duren is 22 years old. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft after one season of college ball at Memphis. Duren was traded to Detroit in a three-way draft-night deal that also involved the New York Knicks.
Jalen Duren career stats
In four NBA seasons, Duren has averaged 13.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 65% from the field. During the 2025-26 season, Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points, along with 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot 65% from the field.
New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin did something Thursday night no NHL goalie did all of last season: score a goal.
Shesterkin sealed the Rangers' win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning when he scored an empty-net goal at 17:26 of the third period. His length-of-the-ice goal made him the first Rangers goaltender with a score, MSG's Kenny Albert said on the Rangers' broadcast.
The goal gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead in what became their first win of the 2026-27 season.
Despite happening more in recent seasons, a goalie goal is still a bit of a rarity. Shesterkin is just the 18th different goalie to score, and his was the 21st goalie goal in NHL history, per NHL.com.
Blake Coleman didn’t have to wait long to make an impact with his new team.
Coleman scored his first goal as a member of the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators, finding the back of the net in his first regular-season game with Minnesota.
The Wild acquired Coleman from the Calgary Flames during the offseason as part of an effort to add more scoring, experience and toughness to their forward group.
The 34-year-old winger entered the season coming off his fourth 20-goal campaign and his second with Calgary and has reached the 30-goal mark once in his NHL career.
He picked up a beauty of a goal in the second period on the power play from Bobby Brink and Danila Yurov.
Coleman is the 34th player to score a goal in his first game in a Wild sweater.
Coleman has also brought a championship pedigree to Minnesota. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021 before signing with Calgary.
It took just one game in a Wild sweater for Coleman to get on the scoresheet — and into the goal column.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
“Probably would’ve took a couple weeks off,” he joked, “doing something.”
The something De Paula was doing instead on Thursday: Going through an off-day workout with his new big-league teammates at Dodger Stadium, stepping up to the plate for an impressive round of on-field batting practice before the club’s pre-National League Division Series intrasquad game and preparing for what will likely be the next step in his rapid rise through the organization — a potential spot on the team’s postseason roster just weeks after being called straight up from Double-A for his big-league debut.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Josue de Paula fields balls during practice ahead of the NL Division Series on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillLos Angeles Dodgers’ Josue de Paula, left, and Mookie Betts chat during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
No, the Dodgers have not announced any final playoff roster decisions yet.
“He’s just a special hitter,” manager Dave Roberts said last week. “[His skill set] lines up in the postseason. And no moment is going to be too big for that kid.”
Indeed, De Paula’s 11-game cameo in the big leagues last month wowed club officials and the team’s veteran clubhouse alike, as he hit .323 with one home run, five extra-base hits and seven RBIs while reaching base safely in exactly half of his first 42 MLB plate appearances.
“It’s crazy,” De Paula told the California Post. “I mean, I’ve always had super confidence. But I feel like this just gave me a little feel to it. To have the success here that I’m having, I just want to keep it going, man.”
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Josue De Paula (95) hits a triple during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That didn’t mean De Paula was upset when he couldn’t keep it going last week, getting optioned to Triple-A for the final five games of the regular season upon Shohei Ohtani’s return from the injured list.
Quite the contrary, actually, with the rookie saying the club had communicated that plan to him as soon as he learned of his surprise promotion to the majors in mid-September.
“To be honest, when I first came up here, my original intention was never really to stay here,” he said. “I just wanted to have fun and do what I know how to do, take advantage of the moment.”
He did. And now, after a brief detour with the club’s Oklahoma City affiliate during its postseason run to a Triple-A title (which De Paula aided with a towering RBI double in its Pacific Coast League clincher), he’s ready for whatever comes next this October.
“We’re here again,” he said, while glancing around an empty Chavez Ravine.
Barring a twist, not for the last time this fall, either.
Ozzie Albies is doing his part to make sure the Atlanta Braves win the NL wild-card series over division rival the Philadelphia Phillies. In the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 3 of the series on Thursday, Oct. 1, he hit a two-run home run.
The switch-hitter approached the plate to swing left-handed. After getting a strike from Zack Wheeler, Albies took a pitch down the middle of the plate, swung hard and blasted the ball into right field.
The crowd at Truist Park knew it was gone as soon as he made contact and erupted in celebration. Albies let out a yell and lifted his arm with a finger pointed up as he rounded the bases. The hit was his fourth career postseason home run. Austin Riley, who was walked, also scored, giving the Braves a 5-0 lead.
