Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

With LeBron nearing a return, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic lead Lakers past Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 14: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after scoring on a three-pointer during a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. (Sean Gardner / Getty Images)

LeBron James is making progress in his return from injury and trending toward a return to the lineup, and that's a good sign for a Lakers team in search of something positive while on a five-game trip that has had mixed results.

James has been working all week back in L.A. trying to get healthy from sciatica on his right side that has sidelined him all season.

Before the Lakers' 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers coach JJ Redick said James took part in an individual workout on Friday following consecutive days of five-on-five practice with the South Bay Lakers.

The Lakers finish their trip against Milwaukee on Saturday night. James will then practice with the Lakers on Monday. If all goes well, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer could make his season debut and start his league-record 23rd season Tuesday against Utah at Crypto.com Arena.

Read more:Lakers can't keep up with Oklahoma City and are routed

When he does return, how will James, who turns 41 next month, adjust to the chemistry the Lakers have established with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the center of the offense?

“I've certainly thought about it,” Redick said about how James' return will affect the team. “The reality is, next week will be a great week for all of us to assess where we're at and figure out what we want to work on. It's rare that you have one game over the course of a week, so probably will think about it more then. But typically when you're playing every other day, you're using your time until 3 a.m. to review the game that you just played and then using the time the next day until 3 a.m. to get ready for the next game.”

Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season, while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.

Lakers players don't think James' return will cause any issues.

Jarred Vanderbilt said James “can bring an element that we need, essentially, knowing that he can provide that.”

“I know it’s probably tough,” Vanderbilt said. “But even just the integration, trying to integrate himself as a player, as a team midseason is kind of tough. But we’re excited for his return, whenever he comes back, and I know he can provide exactly what we need for this team.”

Reaves (31 points, seven assists) gave the Lakers what they needed to improve to 2-2 on this trip.

“I think we just played harder (and with) a little more attention to detail,” Reaves said. “We executed our game plan a lot better.”

Read more:How one aspect of Rui Hachimura's game reminds JJ Redick of Michael Jordan

Doncic (24 points, 12 assists, six rebounds) gave the Lakers what they needed in a game that gave them a 2-0 record in NBA Cup games. He had 20 points and nine assists at the half. It was the second time Doncic has recorded at least those two stats in a half this season, making him and Reaves (once) the first Lakers to accomplish that feat since the 1996-97 season.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans (2-10) with 35 points and six rebounds.

His teammates lauded his play, but Ayton was more concerned about the Lakers getting a win in Milwaukee to finish the five-game trip with a winning record and to take the sting out of the loss at Atlanta to open the trip and the blowout loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

“This has been a hell of a road trip,” Ayton said. “The best way to do it is to finish off these two road games strong as hell and get back to L.A. and regroup. But we have unfinished business and, yeah, we’re trying to wash away those two Ls, man, with a good win tomorrow.”

Etc.

Lakers rookie Adou Thiero, who has been out all season recovering from left knee surgery, was activated but did not play against Pelicans. Redick said he hopes to give Thiero some playing time against the Bucks.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

No. 21 Arkansas holds off Samford 79-75 behind freshman guards

Brazile returned to action after missing the Razorbacks' 93-56 win over Central Arkansas on Monday due to minor back spasms. Samford (2-2) was led by guard Cade Norris and reserve forward Zion Wilburn as each scored 15 points. Arkansas dominated fast-break scoring (22-9) while tallying more points in the paint than the Bulldogs (40-32).

Posted on

No. 23 Creighton finds its offensive rhythm in 2nd half of 84-45 rout of Maryland Eastern Shore

Jasen Green and Blake Harper scored 14 points apiece and No. 23 Creighton pulled away from Maryland Eastern Shore for an 84-45 victory after a clunky first half Friday night. The Bluejays (2-1) shot miserably in the second half of a 27-point loss at No. 19 Gonzaga on Tuesday, and their struggles continued over stretches of the opening 20 minutes against the Hawks (1-4) of the Mid-East Athletic Conference. Creighton went 7 for 8 while getting out to a 16-2 lead and 6 of 25 the rest of the half.

Posted on

Nets unable to close out Magic in 105-98 loss

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Tristan da Silva added 22 points and nine rebounds and the Orlando Magic held Brooklyn scoreless over the final two-and-a-half minutes for a 105-98 victory over the Nets on Friday night.

The win was Orlando’s second in NBA Cup Group play and dropped Brooklyn to 0-2.

Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who led 98-94 after a basket by Nic Claxton with 2:37 remaining. But, Wagner hit two three-pointers, da Silva made one and Brooklyn never scored again.

Desmond Bane scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Orlando and Jalen Suggs finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Ziaire Williams had 15 points and a steal late in the fourth quarter — off Orlando’s 19th turnover — that put the Nets up 96-92. Noah Clowney had 12 points before fouling out with 1:58 remaining.

Da Silva got his first start of the season in place of Paolo Banchero, who is out with a strained left groin.

The Nets had a 53-37 lead midway through the second quarter, helped by 3-pointers, 59 percent overall shooting and 10 Magic turnovers. Three-pointers by da Silva and Bane, and Goga Bitadze’s block of an attempted dunk by Terrance Mann, turned the game around quickly. Orlando outscored the Nets 25-5 over the next eight minutes and led by as many as seven in the third quarter.

After making six of their first 11 3-point shots, the Nets made only four of 29 and lost for the 11th time in 12 games.

Up next

Nets: At Washington on Sunday.

Magic: At Houston on Sunday.

Posted on

Karl-Anthony Towns early, Landry Shamet late lift Knicks past Heat, 140-132, in NBA Cup

Karl-Anthony Towns poured in 39 points and the Knicks’ bench added 75 to beat the Miami Heat 140-132, in NBA Cup action on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The pace, as expected, was blistering, and the shooting was pure as Towns set the tone early with 31 in the first half as he connected on 13 of 26 attempts from the floor (6-for-14 from deep) and added 11 rebounds, four assists, and a block, and was a plus-13 in 38 minutes on the night.

Playing without Jalen Brunson after he sustained a Grade 1 ankle sprain in Wednesday’s loss, New York lost OG Anunoby midway through the first quarter with a left hamstring injury. The bench erased that disadvantage, with their best game of the season, including going 24-for-41 from the floor and 11-for-20 from beyond the arc.

Landry Shamet scored 15 points in the third and 15 more in the fourth to give him 36 in the game. Jordan Clarkson had 13 of his 24 in the first half, and Josh Hart had a vintage game with his first triple-double of the year: 12 points (5-for-8 shooting) with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Heat went cold in the fourth and couldn’t keep the Knicks off the offensive glass (nine in the period), allowing them to keep possessions alive and turn a six-point lead into a 14-point edge with 4:20 to play. Miami cut the game to eight with a minute left, but New York kept them at an arm's length as both teams played out the final Cup minutes harder than normal.  

Norman Powell had 38 points on 12-for-22 shooting (8-for-15 from deep) as all five Heat starters had double-digits and Jaime Jaquez added 23 off the bench. But the Knicks had just enough against one of the league's highest-scoring offenses, making 21 threes on 53 attempts (39.6 percent) and coralling 51 rebounds (20 offensive).

“Fun game for the fans, probably,” head coach Mike Brown said after the win. “It was almost like a glorified pick-up game with good spacing. 

“... Both teams were just hooping.”

Here are the takeaways...

- With Brunson out due to his right ankle sprain, it was expected that Towns was going to have to carry the load. After the Knicks missed their first eight shots, with a turnover, Towns knocked down back-to-back threes to finally get the offense going. A Towns old-fashioned three-point lead put the home side ahead by one, erasing the early 7-0 deficit thanks in part to six early offensive rebounds, four from Robinson and two from Anunoby. Later in the first, an 8-0 run by the Knicks' big man put New York back up by one again, giving him 18 in the quarter on 7-for-10 shooting (3-for-6 from deep). 

After five early points in the second, Towns was quiet before exploding again for back-to-back threes before adding two more at the line to give him 31 for the game with his individual 8-0 run for a 69-62 lead with two minutes left in the half. The pace didn't slow a bit in the second with the Knicks going for 46 points (15-for-23 from the floor), grabbing a 78-68 halftime lead, holding the Heat to 11-for-23 from the floor in the period.

Miami changed its strategy after the half, sending more doubles the big man's way, and after a quiet third (four points on 2-for-7 from the floor), Towns entered with New York up a dozen in the fourth and had an equally quiet quarter with just four more points, all from the line, as he went 0-for-3 from the floor.

- Already down Brunson, the bench was going to be asked to pick up the load. And losing Anunoby after a few minutes didn’t help matters. At the half, the bench had 31 points, with Clarkson stepping up for 13 (2-for-3 from deep and 5-for-7 from the line), Hart adding 9 (4-for-5 from floor) with five rebounds and four assists, Shamet had six (2-for-5 shooting) but with three fouls, and Guerschon Yabusele three on his lone shot in four minutes of first-half action as he continues to see little time in the rotation.

As the Knicks looked to weather a storm that saw the 10-point halftime lead shrink to two, Shamet had 15 points in the third on 6-for-9 from the floor, including two threes and a dunk over the seven-foot-tall Kel'el Ware. He kept it up in the fourth, too, with 15 more, always popping up when the Knicks needed him, getting his name chanted by the MSG faithful.

Clarkson finished 6-for-13 from the floor (3-for-6 from deep and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line), he had five rebounds (four offensive) and three assists, and was a plus-4 in 33 minutes.

- It wasn’t all gravy early: Mitchell Robinson picked up a pair of illegal screen fouls and then, 13 seconds after the second bad pick, was whistled on the defensive end, sending him to the bench with 3:29 left in the first quarter. And Anunoby was seen on the bench holding the back of his left leg and went back to the locker room a few moments later. (He was then ruled out after the period.) Combined with a blistering pace and Miami shooting 55 percent (11-for-20) compared to New York's 43.3 percent (13-30) and the visitors had a 35-32 edge after 12 minutes.

Robinson saw some time in the second and grabbed two more offensive rebounds, but picked up his fourth foul under two minutes into the third quarter and was back on the bench. He picked up his fifth as the Heat cut the deficit to two with 2:06 left in the third. After two more offensive rebounds in the fourth, Robinson's final line was no points (0-for-2) with 10 rebounds (eight offensive), two assists, two turnovers, and was a minus-5 in 14 minutes.

Anunoby finished with two points (1-for-4 shooting), three rebounds, and a foul in 5 minutes; he was a plus-1.

- Mikal Bridges got off to a slow start, including blowing a breakaway dunk after a steal, and he had four points on 2-for-6 shooting early but walked into a three after grabbing his fourth steal of the first half to give him nine points in the half. After Bridges hit a three to open the third, he missed his next three from deep in the quarter to go 1-for-5 in the frame, but added two more steals, two rebounds, two blocks, and a turnover.

Bridges got a three to go (after a Hart steal and an extra pass by Shamet) to give the Knicks a 14-point edge, their largest of the game, and force a Heat timeout 2.5 minutes into the fourth in the hopes of stalling the 10-0 New York run.

He finished with 15 points on 6-for-21 shooting (3-for-12 from three) with seven steals, five rebounds, five assists, and was a plus-7 in 42 minutes.

- Miles McBride, getting the start for Brunson, started slow, 2-for-6 from the floor (1-for-4 from deep), for five points with two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes. He finished with nine on 4-for-10 shooting (1-for-6 from deep) with four assists, three rebounds, and was a plus-1 in 30 minutes.

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

It will be known as the Landry Shamet game as he went 12-for-19 from the floor (6-for-12 from deep) with three assists and two rebounds and was a plus-11 in 38 minutes off the bench. 

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks hit the road after the productive 6-1 home stand hit the road for five games, starting off Monday night in South Beach against the Miami Heat. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Posted on

Rodney Rice notches triple-double in leading USC over Illinois State 87-67 in Hall of Fame Series

Maryland transfer Rodney Rice had a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead four players in double figures and USC defeated Illinois State 87-67 on Friday night in the opener of the Hall of Fame Series doubleheader at Intuit Dome. The Trojans (3-0) got 18 points by Chad Baker-Mazara, 14 points from Gabe Dynes and 13 points by Ezra Ausar. Ty’Reek Coleman scored 16 points and Johnny Kinziger added 15 for the Redbirds (1-2), who won 22 games last season, their most in nine years.

Posted on

Boozer has 35 points and 12 rebounds as No. 4 Duke beats Indiana State 100-62

Freshman forward Cameron Boozer scored 23 of his season-high 35 points in the first half as No. 4 Duke put together three double-figure scoring runs on the way to beating Indiana State 100-62 on Friday night. Boozer, who also had 12 rebounds and five assists, finished 13 for 16 from the field after connecting on nine of 10 first-half shots. Caleb Foster added 14 points and Dame Sarr had 10 for Duke (4-0), which geared up for Tuesday’s showdown against No. 25 Kansas in New York City by reaching 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in nearly eight years.

Posted on

"I'm Pretty Fortune": Red Wings' Patrick Kane Reflects On Latest Major Career Milestone

The milestones just keep rolling for Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, a first-ballot future Hall of Fame player who is also widely regarded as the best United States-born forward in NHL history. 

With an assist during Thursday evening's 6-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, Kane became just the 31st player in NHL history to reach 1,350 career points, and is now immediately in the rear view mirror on the records of Guy Lafleur and Brendan Shanahan on the NHL's all-time points list. 

"I didn't know if 1,350 was a milestone or a number, or why it was being put up there," Kane said with a smile.

Oh, and it won't be long before Kane notches his 500th career goal, as he's currently at 494 tallies and counting. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

During Thursday’s game, Kane’s latest accomplishment was displayed on the scoreboard to roaring cheers from the sold-out crowd. However, Kane admitted after Friday’s practice that he wasn’t initially sure why he was being shown.

"I didn't know if 1,350 was a milestone or a number, or why it was being put up there," Kane said with a smile.

Throughout NHL history, several high-profile Hall of Fame players have hailed from the United States, and Kane is at the top of the list among active players who fit that description.

As a native of Buffalo, Kane grew up watching players like Pat Lafontaine skate for the Sabres while also admiring the likes of Mike Modano and Chris Chelios. 

"I like (Pat) Lafontaine, Modano, Chris Chelios, a huge fan of him on and off the ice, just a complete warrior," Kane said. "I didn't like him so much when we were going against him and he was cross-checking me in the back, but he's become a great friend and he's probably the guy who's the best American player of all time, and I definitely look up to those guys. "

Image

Becoming one of the greatest U.S.-born NHL players wasn't something that Kane initially thought of when he first started becoming active in hockey, but it's not something he takes for granted. 

"I was just a young kid from Buffalo who tried to play hockey and enjoy it, and maybe try and get a college scholarship," he said. "As time goes on, you get opportunities and take advantage of playing in different situations, stepping into good opportunities, you get chances to do some pretty special things. I'm pretty fortunate with that." 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

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. 

Posted on

Brady Tkachuk Tests Out Wrist Injury At Practice, Provides Potential Timeline For Return

On the first episode of his new podcast, Brady Tkachuk provided an update on how he's doing after wrist surgery. 

"I'm in the dog days of being injured right now. It sucks," Brady told his brother and co-host Matthew on the debut episode of their podcast, Wingmen, which launched on Thursday and appears to have been recorded earlier this week.

"On Thursday (Nov 13), I'm going to be four weeks post-surgery. Luckily, with this surgery, I was able to skate six days after. So I've been going probably three times, four times a week, over  the last three weeks."

That's the upside of upper-body injuries. You can usually keep your fitness up and not miss a beat when you return to play.

Matthew then threw it out there that Brady would probably be back in a couple of weeks, and the Sens captain agreed. Again, keep in mind the podcast was recorded at least two days ago. Brady also spoke about how pleased he was to work with pucks this week for the first time since the injury. And he was especially pumped about how good everything felt.

"Yeah, I was able to actually stick handle last night in the shooting room, my first time. And the hands felt good too. Like, they felt good. I was happy with them.

 "I'm able to stick handle on the ice now. And I'm really hoping that, come Friday, I'll be able to skate with the guys as a shadow, as I still work on my hands. I'll probably be able to shoot."

Brady did just that on Friday, and while he wasn't unleashing Happy Gilmore slapshots, his shots weren't muffins either. His rebuilt wrist looked strong at the club's optional practice. In one drill, he worked the slot area, receiving alternating passes sent from the boards and launching firm wrist shots at a practice goalie.

At his media availability, Green said Tkachuk was probably still a couple of weeks away at least, but he will be going on the club's upcoming seven-game road trip, which begins on Thursday.

Green also said that there's nothing new to report about Thomas Chabot's upper-body injury, other than he's day-to-day and doubtful to play on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, the last guy you would have expected to see at an optional practice was veteran defenseman Nick Jensen. Jensen is 35, coming back from off-season, hip resurfacing surgery and left Thursday night's victory over the Boston Bruins with an injury at the end of the second period.

But it's good to see that whatever knocked him out of that game obviously isn't serious.

Green didn't rule him out for Saturday's game, but if he can't go, the Sens will have to call someone up from Belleville. Their right-shot options would be former first-rounders Carter Yakemchuk and Lassi Thomson, along with Ottawa native Cameron Crotty. Thomson and Crotty are not waivers-exempt.

On the left side, it's probably Jorian Donovan, another Ottawan, or AHL-signed Scott Harrington. Harrington is the only one not on an NHL contract, but he does have the most NHL experience by far.

Yakemchuk is the club's top prospect and leads all Belleville defensemen with 8 points in 13 games. He was in Ottawa's final cuts in each of the last two training camps. If the Sens need a body, then giving Yakemchuk a little taste of the NHL at a time when they've built themselves a little room for error wouldn't be a bad play for his development.

You also never really know for sure how close a player is to being a full-time NHL player until you see him in meaningful NHL games. Perhaps Yakemchuk is more NHL-ready than they realize.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

The latest headlines at The Hockey News/Ottawa:
Four More Years: Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Four-Year Extension
Creator Of 'New Heights' Gives Brady And Matthew Tkachuk Their Own Podcast
Why Did The Senators Choose Kleven Over Spence For Overtime?
Senators Lose Defenseman Thomas Chabot To Injury
Former Ottawa Senator GM Passes Away At Age 70

Posted on

Knicks' OG Anunoby leaves Friday's game vs. Heat with hamstring injury; ruled out for remainder of contest

The Knicks are already short-handed with the loss of Jalen Brunson, but they will also be without OG Anunoby for their NBA Cup game against the Heat on Friday.

New York's forward injured his left hamstring on a fastbreak when he missed a layup and grabbed at his left leg. He was in visible discomfort on the Knicks bench during a timeout and went into the locker room with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter. The team ruled him out after the first quarter was completed.

Anunoby played just five minutes, scoring two points on 1 of 4 shooting (0-for-1 from three) to go along with three rebounds. 

While not having Anunoby for Friday's game is a blow to the Knicks, losing him for an extended period of time would, obviously, be worse, especially the way he's played this season. The 28-year-old is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game through the first 11 games of the season. 

Those numbers and his play have caused first-year coach Mike Brown to declare that his forward is playing like an All-Star and that he deserves to be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. 

This story is still developing....

Posted on

Takeaways: Penguins' Lack Of Injury Depth Exposed In 2-1 Loss To Predators During First Game Of Global Series

Despite all of the excitement and fanfare surrounding the start of the 2025-26 Global Series, Friday simply wasn't the night for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And - despite nearly sneaking off with the two points - it showed in the results.

The Penguins were defeated in overtime by the Nashville Predators, 2-1, in a game where the Penguins were outplayed for the final 40 minutes. Evgeni Malkin scored a fluke second-period goal to put the Penguins ahead 1-0 until the final two minutes of regulation, when Swedish forward Filip Forsberg knotted things up for the Predators and sent the game to OT.

Steven Stamkos got a partial breakaway just 44 seconds into the extra frame and buried the opportunity to give the Preds the win.

It was a sloppy game for the Penguins in general, but their goaltender gave them a fighting chance. Arturs Silovs made two breakaway saves and came up huge on several occasions, and he was - really - the only reason the Penguins even earned a point with the game they played.

He stopped 28 of 30 Nashville shots. 

"I thought he was outstanding tonight," head coach Dan Muse said. "I mean, he kept the score the way it was. We got a point because of him and the way he played, so I thought he was great."

Let's get to some observations, both from this game and just in general right now:

- The Crosby line was pretty good in this game, regardless of the fact that they did not show up on the scoresheet. They were generating chances that they simply didn't finish, even with some brutal defensive zone play from Crosby at times. At the end of the day, Kindel, Crosby, and Rust have some real chemistry. 

That said, this team is really hurting without Kindel as its third-line center. 

The Penguins May Now Have Three Pieces Of Their Future Core - And That's A Big DealThe Penguins May Now Have Three Pieces Of Their Future Core - And That's A Big DealObviously, there is such a thing as getting too far ahead of the curve in sports.

The problem, however, is that they don't really have anyone else to plug on 87's other wing right now. Injuries have caught up to them. Rickard Rakell isn't an option and won't be for a while still. Justin Brazeau isn't an option, either, and will still be out another few weeks. Filip Hallander is no longer an option and won't be for another three-plus months.

So, who does that leave? There's Kindel. There's also Ville Koivunen, who is struggling to produce anywhere close to the numbers he put up in a short stint last season. There's Tommy Novak, who is currently filling Brazeau's spot on the second line next to Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha. You could try Connor Dewar there, but it's probably not a sustainable thing, and he and Blake Lizotte have some serious chemistry. 

Yes, you can move Kindel back down. But the top line will be worse as a result. And what is more important right now?

- On that note, I think it's time for the Penguins to give forward prospect Tristan Broz a look.

Obviously, that won't happen ahead of Sunday's game to wrap up the Global Series in Stockholm. But the Penguins' bottom-six is lacking right now, and a large part of that is because they do not have an effective third line without Kindel centering it. 

October Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsOctober Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsIt's a new season, and with the month of October in the books, that means it's time for the first&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects update of the season.

They could use another set of youthful legs in the bottom-six. They could use a guy who has some good two-way potential and has shown an ability - at least at the AHL and NCAA levels - to put the puck in the back of the net. It also gives them the flexibility to keep Kindel on Crosby's line - or at least bump someone like Koivunen up - because there will still be two capable young players left on the third line.

This team desperately needs center depth and scoring depth. They need to make a move to try and address that now, especially with things beginning to go south and with some of their top producers still on the shelf for several weeks.

- Speaking of young players, this was the fourth consecutive scratch for 19-year-old rookie blueliner Harrison Brunicke. 

I wrote a detailed piece a few weeks ago speaking on the potential for an AHL conditioning stint if Brunicke is scratched for five consecutive games. If he does not play Sunday, that will be five consecutive games, and he will have gone two weeks without playing a game. 

If I were a betting person, I'd bet that's what's happening here. If not, why take him on the trip if they're not going to ice him and just plan to send him back to the WHL right after?

What Will The Penguins Do With Top Defensive Prospect Harrison Brunicke?What Will The Penguins Do With Top Defensive Prospect Harrison Brunicke?On Thursday, it was confirmed by <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' head coach Dan Muse that 18-year-old center <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/penguins-top-prospect-ben-kindel-to-remain-in-pittsburgh">Ben Kindel will remain in the NHL through his 10th game</a>, meaning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract will kick in.&nbsp;

Besides, Kris Letang, Connor Clifton, and Matt Dumba (save for a nice play he made on the Penguins' lone goal Friday) haven't been doing much to help their team defensively as of late. In fact, they - like Brunicke - have made plenty of defensive mistakes and misreads.

If he's going to remain at the NHL level, he's got to see the ice at some point. But, I do think the conditioning stint - at this current point - is what's probably best for both sides right now.

- All that said, I do think Ryan Graves has been quite a bit better in his short four-game sample size so far. And he's honestly looking like the kind of defense partner that wouldn't be the worst thing for Brunicke, should he stay.

If Graves continues to play a solid game, I'd try it at some point. 

- It was a really special moment for Erik Karlsson, who had the opportunity to play in front of his own country. He was the last player announced in the Penguins' starting lineup, and he got a nice ovation from the Swedish faithful.

SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) on XSportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) on XThat crowd pop when Erik Karlsson is announced during the player intros 🔊 Sweden is READY for some hockey 🇸🇪

Karlsson was operating at a pretty high level during the first period in this game. Like everyone else, he didn't quite stand out as much as the game went on, but it was a perfectly solid performance from him. 

And Stamkos's overtime winner? Yeah, he was the defenseman on the play, but he couldn't catch up because he was clearly out of gas. Can't really put that one on him, in my opinion. 

- All in all, these losses happen. In a vacuum, losing to one of the league's worst teams isn't a great look, especially on the international stage - and when things haven't been going your way in general. 

But I don't think it's time for folks to write off the Penguins yet. They've been a little less dominant as of late, their five-on-five metrics have taken a hit, and they can't find the back of the net like they were doing with regularity before.

Is There Reason For Concern With Penguins' Recent Stretch?Is There Reason For Concern With Penguins' Recent Stretch?After an 8-2-2 start to the season during the month of October, all seemed to be going well and right for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>.&nbsp;

But that tends to happen when two of your team's top goal-scorers are out of the lineup. It's not a mystery why the Penguins are struggling to score right now. 

I wouldn't read too much into their hot start, and I also wouldn't read too much into this current stretch for now. Yeah, you've got some of the "I told you so" and "see, this team just isn't good" folks populating sound boards. 

The truth is that this team is likely somewhere in the middle of where they started and where they are now. Injuries have played a big part, but they're not the only thing. Team defense hasn't been great, either. 

And that's why their start was so important and why this stretch is so important. Somehow, they just need to find a way to tread water and play at least .500 hockey until some of their key players start to return. And that won't be easy come December, when they have a gauntlet ahead of them.

Seven of their next eight opponents are outside of the current playoff picture. They need to bank the majority of those points, and it starts with getting two points on Sunday and three out of four on this trip.

Starting in Sweden, Penguins Must Win Upcoming Stretch Of GamesStarting in Sweden, Penguins Must Win Upcoming Stretch Of GamesOn Friday, the 2025-26 NHL Global Series kicks off.&nbsp;

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!