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Sean Manaea struggles as starter, Mets' offense quiet in 3-2 loss to Nationals

The Mets lost 3-2 to the Washington Nationals on Sunday at Citi Field, and in doing so, also lost the series 2-1 against a team with a record of 64-92, the second-worst in the National League.

On Sunday the Mets fell behind 3-0 in the second inning and couldn’t put together a comeback against the pitching staff with a 5.33 ERA, the second-worst in the majors.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The blame for the loss has to fall mainly on the offense, but maybe the Mets should have stayed with what worked last time regarding their piggybacking plan.

They flip-flopped Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes, opting to start Manaea because of the Nationals’ lefty hitters at the top of the lineup, and it backfired. The left-hander gave up three runs in the second inning, two on light-hitting Nasim Nuñez’s home run to left field.

Overall Manaea didn’t look sharp, and Carlos Mendoza was quick to pull him with no outs in the fourth when Robert Hassell reached on Pete Alonso’s error at 1B. For the day, Manaea threw only 50 pitches, allowing four hits and no walks, while striking out three.

It had to be disappointing for the Mets because Manaea had given reason to believe he’d turned a corner of sorts, pitching well after his talk in the tunnel two starts ago with Mendoza.

Holmes did pitch well as the back half of the piggyback plan, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

-- There was plenty of reason to think the Mets’ offense would have a big day. Starter Jake Irvin has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball in recent weeks, at least statistically. In his seven previous starts before Sunday he had a 9.36 ERA, having given up 34 earned runs. He also had a road ERA for the season of 6.15.

And though Irvin had pitched well against the Mets in D.C., he was 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA at Citi Field. Yet the Mets managed only two runs against the right-hander in 5 1/3 innings.

Even so, the Nationals needed 11 outs from their bullpen, which started the day with worst bullpen ERA in the majors, at 5.60.

-- The Mets made all sorts of mistakes early that contributed to falling behind.

In the first inning, Juan Soto was picked off first as he tried to get an early running start on a steal attempt. In the second, Francisco Lindor made a bad throw that contributed to the Nationals’ three-run rally.

In the third, lack of awareness on the bases by Cedric Mullins proved costly. With Luis Torrens on second, Mullins’ fly ball down the line at first appeared to be caught by left fielder Daylen Lile going into the wall, but the ball fell out of his glove as he hit the ground. The ball was in plain sight on the ground, as Lile writhed in pain from a knee injury, and Torrens came around to score.

However, Mullins stood near first base, seemingly thinking the ball had been caught, even while watching Torrens score. He only ran to second when teammates yelled at him from the dugout, and by then umpires he called timeout due to Lile’s injury. Had he kept running he would have been allowed to stay at second, and that proved costly when he was doubled off first base on Lindor’s line drive to Josh Bell. It looked worse when Soto followed with a double to the right field corner.

In addition, Alonso made an error on a routine ground ball in the fourth inning, and though it didn’t cost the Mets a run, it continued their trend in recent days of playing sloppy baseball.

Game MVP: Nasim Nuñez

The Nationals’ backup shortstop came into the game hitting .185 with two career home runs in 151 plate appearances, but he hammered a fastball from Manaea over the left field wall for an early 3-0 lead that stood up.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets head to Chicago for a crucial three-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. on SNY.

David Peterson (9-6, 3.98 ERA) is scheduled to start against Cade Horton (11-4, 2.66 ERA).

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Mets prospects Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, Carson Benge all homer in season finale for Triple-A Syracuse

Ending the season on a high note, Mets prospects Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, and Carson Benge all homered for Triple-A Syracuse (77-73) on Sunday in a 9-0 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Williams blasted his seventh home run at the Triple-A level in the top of the third inning, giving Syracuse a 2-0 lead. 

Joining in on the fun, Clifford and Benge went back-to-back in the top of the sixth inning to go up 5-0. Luke Ritter and Kevin Parada also homered in the win. 

Williams, the No. 1 prospect in SNY's midseason rankings, finished his 2025 with a total of 17 homers, 10 coming in Double-A.

He slashed .281/.390/.477 with 29 doubles, five triples, and 37 RBI over 94 games in Double-A, earning a promotion in the middle of August. In addition to the seven homers in 34 games with Syracuse, Williams also recorded five doubles and two triples with 15 RBI. He hit .209 with a .718 OPS in Triple-A.

Clifford, SNY's No. 6 prospect, ends his 2025 season with 29 total home runs, 24 of them coming in Double-A, and 93 total RBI. He made the jump from Double-A to Triple-A at the same time as Williams and Benge after posting an .848 OPS with Binghamton. 

Benge, viewed as the No. 3 prospect, racked up 15 home runs in his first full professional season across all three levels of the minor leagues. He dominated Single-A with a .302 average over 60 games and was quickly promoted to Double-A at the end of June. The 22-year-old kept it going with a .317 average over 32 games with Binghamton before his August promotion to Triple-A.

Tyrone Taylor, playing in his second rehab game with Syracuse while recovering from a hamstring strain, went 1-for-5 with an RBI-single in the seventh inning. Carlos Mendoza said prior to Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals that the team would make a decision on the next steps for Taylor after he played.

Highlights

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(9-21-25) Wild Vs. Jets: Game Preview

The Minnesota Wild (0-0-0) is set to play its first preseason game of the year against the Winnipeg Jets (0-0-0) on the road today in Winnipeg for a 4:00 start.

Minnesota will start Jesper Wallstedt in net against the Jets today and he will play the whole game. It will be Thomas Milic in net for the Jets.

The Wild will bring PTO players Jack Johnson and Brett Leason to Winnipeg to play. Danila Yurov will also make his Wild preseason debut today. He will center Yakov Trenin and Vinnie Hinostroza.

David Jiricek will also play today. Winnipeg native and prospect who is hungry for an NHL spot out of camp Carson Lambos will also play today. He will play on a pair with Zach Bogosian.

Newly signed players in Nicolas Aube-Kubel,Tyler Pitlick and Matt Kiersted will all play as well.

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Phillies end 6-game road trip with 9-2 loss to Diamondbacks

Phillies end 6-game road trip with 9-2 loss to Diamondbacks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX – Small ball, long ball, ugly ball. It was all there early in the series finale between the Phillies and Arizona. Philadelphia supplied the ugly, the Diamondbacks the rest as they cruised to a 9-2 win.

Arizona, which had 15 hits on the day, batted around in the second inning, when they scored five runs off starter Ranger Suárez. They loaded the bases to begin the inning without a ball leaving the infield. Tim Tawa hit a chopper to third that Alec Bohm bobbled and threw late for an MLB single. Jordan Lawler walked and Jorge Barrossa laid down a perfect bunt. Katel Marte’s single scored two before Corbin Carroll launched a rocket to the rightfield seats for his 31st home run of the season and a 6-0 lead.

“They made me pay for all the pitches that I left in the zone,” Suárez said. “Ending the season healthy. There’s one more start before the post season so I just want to pitch as well and end the season on a high note. Pitch better, think a little bit better when I’m on the mound and just perform a little bit better.

“That’s what we work for (the playoffs),” said Suárez. “That’s why we have such a long season ahead of us every single year to get to October and perform in the postseason. It is exciting. We want to perform in the playoffs. I think we’ve lacked a little bit the past couple of years. We all want to perform there. That’s what it’s all about. We want to get it done this year.”

If Suárez needed to get an ugly performance out of his system before the playoffs begin, this one was it as he gave up six runs and eight hits in the first two innings alone. He was done after four innings and 79 pitches.

“He had a 33-pitch second inning, basically is at 80 pitches after the four,” said Rob Thomson of removing his starter. “Down 6-0, I just wanted to take care of him. They’ve got a lot of speed and other than Carroll’s home run, I don’t think they hit many balls that were hard off of Ranger. They’ve got a lot of speed.”

There was little excitement provided by the Phillies – perhaps the Eagles used it all up – as they could do nothing of significance against Arizona lefty starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who allowed no runs in his six innings. They did score two in the eighth on a single by Nick Castellanos that drove in J.T. Realmuto, and a bases loaded walk by Weston Wilson. Third baseman Alec Bohm remained hot since his return from the injured list on Friday, as he was on base five times with a double, three singles and a walk.

“He’s been great,” Thomson said. “I’ll probably have to move him up. He’s on everything. Maybe that healthy shoulder is really helping. He’s swinging the bat good. We had plenty of opportunities today. I think we were 1-for-14 (with runners on). Casty had the base hit. We had plenty of opportunities we just didn’t come through.”

There were some signs of a pulse in the sixth when pitcher Tim Mayza plunked leadoff hitter Katel Marte after Jorge Barrosa hit his first major league home run and celebrated circling the bases a bit too much, but nothing came of it. Later in the inning, Carroll stole second base for his 30th swipe of the season, becoming the first player in Arizona history to have 30 homers and 30 stolen bases.

The Diamondbacks got another run in the seventh when Tim Tawa belted a 2-2 slider from Orion Kerkering to the seats in leftfield. Kerkering gave up two more hits in the inning but got out without any more damage. They closed out their scoring by getting a run in the eighth off Jhoan Duran, who was simply getting in some work having not pitched since Tuesday.

“I talked to Duran and I said, ‘If you don’t pitch today, you’re going to be off six days going into Tuesday. Do you want an inning?’ And he said yes. So that’s why we pitched him in the eighth. I asked the same thing to David (Robertson) and he said, ‘Not necessarily.”

The Phillies have an off-day Monday before facing the Miami Marlins on Tuesday to start a three-game series. Cristopher Sánchez will get what could be his last start of the regular season as he prepares to be the Game One starter for the Phillies when they begin the playoffs.

Though his performance may not have showed it Sunday, Suárez is ready for the postseason.

“I feel better overall, if you want to compare it to last year (at this time),” Suárez said. “I’ve been feeling better overall after every single start. Whatever is best for our team to win, (starting) Game Two, Game Three, Game Four. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help this team win.”

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Penguins Icon Malkin Facing Uncertain Final Chapter Ahead Of 2025-26 Season

For years now, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been a study in disappointment. In failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the past three seasons, the Penguins have failed their core of veteran star talent, including captain Sidney Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, and defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. But in Malkin’s case specifically, he stated time and again that he wanted to remain in Pittsburgh for his entire career.

However, recent remarks Malkin made to NHL.com seem to have opened a door for Malkin potentially finding a new NHL employer. Rather than completely shutting down the question of where he’ll be playing this coming season, Malkin talked about possibilities. You can be the judge of what he said.

“(W)e see a story, like, with Brad Marchand – looking good, you know?” Malkin said of the longtime Boston Bruin-turned-Florida Panther, who won his second Cup last year in what is likely a Hockey Hall-of-Fame career. "But…if the team trades you and you (don't) win the Cup, it's like a little bit weird, too, you know? But we'll see what's going on (with) my future. But of course everybody wants to try to play in the playoffs and have maybe one more run to the Cup."

Does that sound like someone who is 100 percent certain he’s going to finish his NHL career with the Pens? Sorry, but it doesn’t sound that way to this writer. Malkin’s desire to get into the playoffs this season could be all but extinguished well in advance of this season’s trade deadline, so if he’s truly intent on hanging up his skates after this season, and if he wants one last shot at a Cup, he probably won’t get it in Pittsburgh. 

And if he’s comparing himself to Marchand, maybe there is a universe where Malkin decides to stay with the team the Penguins trade him to for another season after this one. Malkin is still only 39 years old – and in an era where veterans like Los Angeles Kings winger Corey Perry and Colorado Avalanche defensemen Brent Burns are filling important roles at age 40, it should surprise no one if Malkin finds a way to stick around through the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

This past year, Malkin produced only 16 goals and 50 points in 68 games – his lowest totals since he entered hockey’s top league in 2006 (excluding the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons). He’s also been used more sparingly, averaging just 17:47 last season – nearly two full minutes less than his career average of 19:34. But at a point in time when a slew of teams are looking for secondary scoring and a second-line center, Malkin would bring back a king’s ransom to Pittsburgh in a trade for his services.

That’s why Penguins fans should happily accept the prospect of Malkin wearing another team’s jersey before he retires and is quickly voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. There’s always the emotional allure of a top athlete staying in one city for their entire competitive life, but given the reality of how difficult it is for teams to quickly rebuild their roster, it makes more sense to part ways with an asset – however valuable they may have once been to any particular organization – and hasten the move to a new core of top talent.

It’s admirable that Malkin wants a universe in which he stays a Penguin, goes on a deep playoff run with them this season, wins his fourth Cup and rides off into the sunset. The likelihood of that happening, though, is an entirely different story. 

Evgeni Malkin (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)

Thus, it’s best for Malkin to be moved out at some point this season and cap off his NHL days with a long playoff run on a different team. Malkin’s desire to be a one-team star will make it hard to cut the cord, but he wouldn’t be the first icon to be separated from the only employer they’ve ever known, and he surely won’t be the last. Malkin’s last great gift to the Penguins is the gift of accepting a trade out of town – and Penguins fans should understand it’s an idea whose time has come.

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.

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Lando Norris defiant after failing to take advantage of Piastri’s Azerbaijan crash

  • Norris finished seventh in Baku after Piastri’s first-lap exit

  • ‘I’m doing the best I can. I don’t care how people look at it’

Lando Norris dismissed suggestions he should have taken greater advantage of a chance to narrow the gap to his title rival Oscar Piastri after the Australian crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the British driver insisting he did not care how his performance was evaluated.

The race was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but behind him Piastri crashed on the opening lap. Norris, who trailed his McLaren teammate by 31 points going into the meeting, started in seventh but finished only in the same position, taking just six points from Piastri.

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(9-21-25) Blues-Blue Jackets Preseason Gameday Lineup

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues are right back at it in preseason action on Sunday, another road tilt, but this time against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 4 p.m. (stlblues.com, Blues app, 101.1-FM ESPN).

The Blues will send out another group after opening on Saturday and falling 2-1 in a shootout against the Dallas Stars.

One player who will get another look is 2025 first-round pick, forward Justin Carbonneau, who scored the Blues’ lone goal on Saturday.

“You know what I love about the kid is he loves to play hockey,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said of the 18-year-old. “He loves to be on the ice, and you know he loves to score goals. He’s trying always to figure out where he can go to get the puck to score. Then you know there’s areas of his game, naturally, that he’s got to get better. He loves to go to the open ice, which is outside the dots. He’s got to get inside the dots. He’s got to become a more classic goal scorer we’ve seen here in the Brett Hulls, the Brendan Shanahans, Tkachuks. Those people score goals inside the dots.”

Carbonneau skated with Dylan Holloway and 2023 first-round pick Dalibor Dvorsky and made a couple subtle, sneaky plays to free up his linemates with strong scoring opportunities.

“He’s got high-end hockey sense. That he does,” Montgomery said. “In junior hockey, you get used to having to get the puck to make something happen. Now he has guys that think the game like him, he’s got to trust that if he gets open, now he’s getting a Grade A from inside the dots, the one-timers and stuff.”

- - -

Montgomery’s overall impressions with Saturday night’s game?

“One, it’s early in camp; we’ve still got a lot of work to do when I look at the team game,” he said. “Individually, our goaltenders (Jordan Binnington and Colten Ellis) were excellent. I thought out top pairing was very good (Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux). I thought some individuals up front looked very good, and then there were some individuals that didn’t show enough.”

Mailloux broke up a play during the overtime when the Blues were shorthanded 4-on-3 that really helped them settle into getting an important kill, and it’s roles like those that the coaches are looking to trust the 22-year-old in.

“We’ve got to see what he can handle, because his instincts are really good as a player,” Montgomery said. “Offensively, I saw some really good instincts. Defensively off the rush, I saw some good stuff. It’s his first time playing a zone, so he’s a little slow in the D-zone. That’s to be expected. There’s a little thinking going on by both teams last night. That’s why there weren’t that many scoring chances. But our goalies were fantastic.”

- - -

The Blues are taking more players on Sunday that have things to prove and not as much of a more polished lineup again, leaving a number of veterans behind.

Among those making his debut include Milan Lucic, in camp on a PTO; Nick Bjugstad is making his Blues debut; Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier are in the lineup, and young guys to go with Carbonneau include 2023 first-rounder Otto Stenberg, Dylan Peterson, Jakub Stancl, 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek, Quinton Burns, and Tyler Tucker, playing his first game since ending his season with a lower-body injury in the playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets.

“See who’s going to start asserting themselves to wanting to make the Blues team,” Montgomery said. “It’s really that basic, who can show is the habits and details of [Nathan] Walker and [Alexey] Toropchenko, who has that dogged determination that Holloway plays with, who is the defenseman that is going to break up plays and look to jump and go like [Colton] Parayko and [Cam] Fowler and [Justin] Faulk do.”

- - -

Jake Neighbours (personal) and Juraj Pekarcik (undisclosed injury), each who hasn’t been on the ice for the start of training camp, did not practice on Sunday but each was on the ice after skaters practiced doing skating drills and conditioning.

“Yeah, he’ll be back on Tuesday,” Montgomery said of Neighbours. “He’ll do a light skate today without the team and he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday.”

- - -

Blues roster:

Forwards – Nikita Alexandrov, Sam Bitten, Nick Bjugstad, Justin Carbonneau, Hugh McGing, Mathieu Joseph, Milan Lucic, Dylan Peterson, Jakub Stancl, Otto Stenberg, Alexandre Texier, Chris Wagner.

Defensemen – Quinton Burns, Adam Jiricek, Leo Loof, Corey Schueneman, Hunter Skinner, Tyler Tucker.

Goalies: Joel Hofer, Vadim Zherenko.

- - -

Blue Jackets Projected Lineup:

Yegor Chinakhov-Cole Sillinger-Mathieu Olivier

Dmitri Voronkov-Luca Del Bel Belluz-Hudson Fasching

Mikael Pyythia-Brendan Gaunce-James Malatesta

Roman Ahcan-Oiva Keskinen-Jack Williams

Brendan Smith-Jake Christiansen

Daemon Hunt-Charlie Elick

Marcus Kearsey-Dyson Mayo

Ivan Fedotov is projected to start in goal; Evan Gardner is projected to be the backup.

Observations From Blues' 2-1 Preseason Shootout Loss Vs. Stars Observations From Blues' 2-1 Preseason Shootout Loss Vs. Stars The St. Louis Blues opened the preseason with a 2-1 shootout loss against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday. Blues Prospect Continues To Stand Out; Making Quite The Impression In Second Season With TeamBlues Prospect Continues To Stand Out; Making Quite The Impression In Second Season With TeamSt. Louis Blues prospect Aleksanteri Kaskimaki took part in the opening pre-season game last night, continuing to make an impression on the coaching staff.
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Hurricanes Expecting To Ice Younger Lineup In Preseason Opener

The Carolina Hurricanes will host their first preseason game of the season on Monday, but don't be expecting to see too many regulars on the ice.

Instead, the Canes are much more likely to ice a lineup consisting primarily of young prospects as well as a few PTOs as well when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. at Lenovo Center.

"Planning it out right now, I've got almost all the minor league guys or guys trying to get up there playing two or three games," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour at training camp on Sunday. "Gonna get a good look at them."

The Hurricanes currently have 42 skaters and six goaltenders on their training camp roster, but they'll only need 18 skaters and two goaltenders for Monday.

However, Carolina can't just play only the prospects in the preseason as NHL rules mandate that at least eight "veteran" players must dress for every preseason game.

A "veteran" is a player who has either played in 30 NHL games the previous season, a goalie who dressed in at least 50 NHL games, any player who has played 100+ NHL games or a current year first-round pick.

The Canes didn't draft any player in the first-round this year, so that ones already out the window, but the team has quite a few other players who can fill that requirement.

For one, all three of the team's PTOs (Givani Smith, Kevin Labanc, Oliver Kylington) meet the veteran requirement.

Then there is the team's two depth defensemen, Mike Reilly and Gavin Bayreuther, who also meet the threshold. 

So right there, there's five players and the team can also have one of their two veteran netminders (Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov) backup a younger guy like Cayden Primeau too to bring that total up to six.

Then, it's just a matter of getting a few of the regular guys a game here or there and so while you'll see primarily the young guys on Monday, there'll still be a few regulars interspersed as well.

Oh, and it seems like rising star Alexander Nikishin will get a few more games than the rest of the regulars too.

"I count him as a young kid," Brind'Amour said. "When I talk about you're going to see a lot of our younger players, he's in that group right now."

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Hall of Famer Bernie Parent, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to two Stanley Cup titles, dies at 80

Arizona Coyotes v Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 27: NHL Hall-of-Famer, and member of the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame Bernie Parent walks onto the ice during a pregame Heritage Night ceremony on October 27, 2016 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

Bernie Parent, the Hall of Famer considered one of the great goalies of all time who anchored the net for the Philadelphia Flyers’ only two Stanley Cup championships during their Broad Street Bullies heyday, has died. He was 80.

The Flyers made the announcement Sunday but provided no immediate details. Parent died overnight in his sleep, said Joe Watson, a star defenseman on their Stanley Cup teams.

Watson said by phone that he saw Parent and other former Flyers players at a function on Friday night in Delaware.

“Bernie was in such pain, he could hardly walk,” Watson said, citing Parent’s bad back. “We had a great time, but I felt bad because he was in such terrible pain. To see this happen, it’s very sad.”

Parent’s steel-eyed stare through his old-school hockey mask landed him on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 when the Flyers reigned as one of the marquee teams in sports. He won Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in back-to-back seasons when the Flyers captured the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, the first NHL expansion team to win the championship.

“The legend of Bernie Parent reached far beyond the ice and his accolades,” the Flyers said in a statement. “Bernie had a deep love for Philadelphia and fans of the Flyers. He was passionate about his role as an ambassador for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education and inspired an entire generation of hockey fans. He dedicated his time, energy and enthusiasm to not only grow the game, but also to spread joy to anyone he encountered.”

After he made his NHL debut with Boston in 1965, Parent was left unprotected by the Bruins in the 1967 expansion draft and was selected by the Flyers. After 3 1/2 seasons, he was traded to Toronto but ended up back in Philadelphia ahead of the 1973-74 season. He won a league-high 47 games that season and led the NHL in wins again the next season with 44.

He retired with the Flyers in 1979 after 271 wins — 231 of them with the Flyers — over a 13-year career. Parent was accidentally struck in the right eye with a stick in 1979 and was temporarily blinded. He never played again.

The Flyers beat the Bruins in six games to win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and beat Buffalo in 1975. Parent had shutouts in the clinchers each season.

On the flight home from Buffalo, the Flyers plopped the Stanley Cup in the middle of the aisle. For close to 90 minutes, they couldn’t take their eyes off hockey’s ultimate prize.

“We were able to just sit back, look at the Stanley Cup and just savour it,” Parent said in 2010. “It was just a special time.”

With Parent the unstoppable force in net, “Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent,” became a popular slogan in Philadelphia that stuck with him through the decades.

Parent, team captain Bobby Clarke and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz all became stars for the Flyers under owner Ed Snider in an era when the team was known for its rugged style of play that earned the Bullies nickname. They embraced their moniker as the most despised team in the NHL and pounded their way into the hearts of Flyers fans. More than 2 million fans packed Philadelphia streets for each of their championship parades.

“We always felt comfortable with Bernie in the net,” said former Flyers winger and enforcer Bob Kelly. “He would challenge the guys in practice. He’d stop the puck and throw it back at you and say, ‘go ahead, try and catch this one.’ He was the first guy to jump in line to help another teammate if they needed it. He was a real testament to what a team player is all about.”

Parent’s No. 1 jersey was retired by the Flyers and still hangs in the rafters of their arena and in 1984 he became the first Flyers player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is still the Flyers’ career leader in shutouts with 50.

Parent remained connected with the team over the years as an ambassador.

“He was so good with people,” said Watson, who first met Parent in 1963. “A lot of athletes don’t get it or don’t give fans the time of day. Bernie gave everyone the time of day. He’d always have his rings on. He’d show them to the people and people loved to see them. This past Friday in Delaware, people were coming up, they wanted to see the rings. People were so excited to see him. He had a great sense of humor. Bernie was a funny guy.”

The final career highlight came in 2011 when Parent was in the net for an alumni game outdoors at the baseball stadium Citizens Bank Park ahead of the NHL Classic. “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” echoed throughout the park for the affable goalie, who played 5 minutes, 32 seconds and stopped all six shots. Each save made the “Bernie!” chants return.

Parent was the second Hall of Fame goaltender to die this month following the loss of Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden. Dryden helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970. He died at 78 after a fight with cancer.

“They’re big losses,” Watson said. “They were just prime, super goaltenders.”

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Giants rookie Trevor McDonald nails audition, earns another shot at starting

Giants rookie Trevor McDonald nails audition, earns another shot at starting originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LOS ANGELES — Trevor McDonald said all the right things Sunday, even though he’s just three appearances into his big league career. 

The Giants right-hander mentioned he was thankful for the opportunity and is simply focused on helping the team win as many games as possible down the stretch. But for the 24-year-old, September is about more than just filling innings.

Every opportunity is an audition, and McDonald certainly opened some eyes on Sunday. The game was won, 3-1, after he departed, but he more than did his part, allowing just one run over six-plus innings against a Los Angeles Dodgers club that has had its way with the Giants all season. 

It’s too soon to know what that will mean for McDonald in the offseason. But for now this much is clear: He has earned another start next weekend. 

“Yeah, for sure,” manager Bob Melvin said. “You pitch six innings against a lineup like that, you deserve another start.”

The Giants have much bigger questions to answer over the final week, but here’s a small one they should probably kick around in meetings next week at Oracle Park: Why did it take so long for McDonald to get a shot?

The right-hander is not a top prospect and didn’t explode off the page in Triple-A, but that’s a tough league for pitchers, and he generally handled himself well. Plus, there’s the simple, overriding fact that the Giants ran out of pitching weeks ago and McDonald has been on the 40-man roster all season. 

That lack of depth helped drop them below .500, but McDonald led the Giants on Sunday as they at least avoided a sweep. He struck out three and scattered six hits while getting a couple of huge double plays behind him. 

“Man, that was great,” Melvin said. “To be able to go against that lineup, his first start for us, I’ll tell you what — he’s not afraid. There’s some determination in him.”

That was no surprise to the organization’s top prospect, who also arrived on this road trip. Bryce Eldridge made his first start at first base and helped out with a diving stop that started a double play. Afterward he said McDonald was his favorite pitcher to play behind in Triple-A because he works quickly and throws strikes. 

McDonald relies heavily on his sinker, but it was the breaking ball that stood out Sunday. He got some ugly swings from Shohei Ohtani early on and said that helped him settle in. 

“That took the pressure off right away,” McDonald said.

When it got turned back up, the gloves were there. 

Willy Adames and Christian Koss teamed up for an athletic double play, and Eldridge ended the seventh with the dive and then a throw across the diamond to Matt Chapman. It skipped, but that can be excused from the former two-way star. A lot was thrown at Eldridge the last week and throws to third were not high on the list. 

“Thankfully we’ve got a Gold Glover over there,” Eldridge said. “I told him I’d get him back a few times.”

Eldridge should get a few opportunities over the final six games. The plan is for him to split first base and DH with Rafael Devers on the homestand, which could mean another day behind McDonald.

The Giants have had two empty slots in their rotation for most of September, but Kai-Wei Teng has impressed the staff with his strikeout stuff. Carson Whisenhunt could be back for one more appearance, but there still will be an opportunity for McDonald. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see some veterans shut down when the Giants are officially eliminated, which could come as soon as Tuesday. 

McDonald said he’s just trying to contribute, but he knows there’s a lot at stake for him right now, even if that’s not the case for the team overall. 

“I’m trying to finish strong,” he said, “and carry that into the offseason and come back next spring and try to make the team.”

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Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time goal cancelled out a beauty from Erling Haaland and denied City an old-fashioned away win

4 min Arsenal have started pretty well. Trossard makes a surging run down the left before being eased to the ground with a hint of disdain by Khusanov. No foul given.

1 min And they’re off. City have started with Phil Foden on the right and Bernardo Silva as the right-sided No8, a swap from the last two games. This is their revised line-up.

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