The NHL saw a notable free agent finally land his contract for the season on Thursday, as David Perron signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. This came a little over a week after Michael Bunting signed a one-year, $1.22 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers after not being signed during the off-season.
Now, as more recent NHL free agents are finally getting signed, one former Montreal Canadiens forward is still unsigned at this point of the season: Patrik Laine.
With free agents like Bunting and Perron finding new homes, it is fair to wonder if Laine could be the next free agent signed by an NHL club. Teams looking for more scoring could consider taking a chance on him. This is especially so with how frequently injuries are occurring early on this campaign.
Laine played in just five games last season with the Canadiens, where he recorded one assist. This was after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal in 2024-25. With that, he put up decent offensive totals not too long ago, so the possibility of him being signed by a team soon should not be ruled out.
It will be interesting to see if Laine can land with an NHL team soon. He is arguably the best free agent left after Vladimir Tarasenko.
Two former New York basketball stars are joining ESPN this season.
Former Nets legend and coach Jason Kidd and ex-Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin will join the Worldwide Leader’s rotation of NBA commentators, the network revealed on Thursday.
Kidd moves over to the broadcast side of the game after five seasons as head coach of the Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts on the baseline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 19, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Excited to join @ESPN for the 2026–27 season!” Kidd wrote on X after the news was announced. “Looking forward to working with some amazing colleagues and legends of the game, and providing my perspective in the studio for @ESPNNBA Countdown!”
Kidd will be part of the “new-look” team for “NBA Countdown,” and he will serve as an analyst on select games carried by ESPN.
The addition of Kidd on “NBA Countdown” will add him to a program that includes Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst.
Former New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin poses for a photo before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Lin had appeared part-time for ESPN during the 2025-26 season, appearing in March and then being part of the network’s coverage of the Knicks’ run during the NBA Finals.
He will be a regular contributor on “NBA Today” and serve as a game analyst.
Kidd and Linn join a rotation of analysts that includes Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler, Doris Burke, and P.J. Carlesimo.
Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and reached the Finals twice in New Jersey before being a key part Dallas’ championship-winning team in 2010-11.
Lin became a household name during the 2011-12 season during “Linsanity” when he led the Knicks to a surprise winning streak that February.
The 2026-27 season will mark the 25th consecutive NBA campaign that ESPN has had coverage of.
OTTAWA — Semyon Varlamov did everything in his power Thursday night to earn his first win after two partial knee replacements.
The Islanders, though, could only get a point to show for their goaltender’s efforts. They never made Linus Ullmark work all that hard in the opposite net, and Shane Pinto’s shootout goal was the difference in a 2-1 loss to the Senators.
The shame of it is that Varlamov — after two would-be Senators goals in the first period were called back for not crossing the line and for offside — was the Islanders’ best player, turning aside 19 shots and looking, in coach Pete DeBoer’s words, “like the old Varly.”
“I’ve been there, it’s not the first time [in that kind of game],” Varlamov said. “It hasn’t been for a while. There’s a lot of, I wouldn’t say new things, but just different moments for me, going to OT and experiencing the shootout. I haven’t been in that position for a while.”
In his second start of the season, Varlamov looked markedly better than his first, gaining more command of his crease as the night went on and making a terrific reaction save on Stephen Halliday in the second period.
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) makes a save against Ottawa Senators’ Drake Batherson (19) as Islanders’ Logan Stanley (8) defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP
This, though, was one of those nights that even when the Islanders were doing things right, pucks seemed to find a way of bouncing off their sticks.
They hung on for life through chunks of a second period in which they took three penalties and the game got dangerously open, with Ridly Greig’s finish from Warren Foegele — left completely unmarked to receive Artem Zub’s stretch pass at the Islanders blue line — the only damage.
Again, that was thanks in no small part to Varlamov, who made sure the Islanders penalty kill was flawless despite struggling to disrupt Ottawa’s puck movement.
Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig, second from right, celebrates with Michael Amadio (22) and Warren Foegele (37) after scoring against New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) during the second period in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP
Given the gift of a 1-1 score entering the last 20 minutes, the Islanders had every chance to walk out of Canadian Tire Centre with at least a point.
DeBoer made a series of changes to his forward lines to try to ensure it. Cal Ritchie and Anthony Duclair, both struggling, were dropped to the fourth line while Simon Holmstrom was moved up to the third and Emil Heineman to the second, where Brayden Schenn shifted to center.
That did have the effect of reinforcing the Islanders’ structure, and the third was a good display of physical, tight-checking hockey by both teams.
“We weren’t trying to be too cute. We were getting back to our game,” Bo Horvat told The Post. “Forechecking hard and started turning pucks over.”
It was enough to get the Islanders a point, but they couldn’t end it there — even after getting a four-on-three power play that immediately followed a successful penalty kill.
“It sucks that my stick broke there,” Horvat said. “They kinda had three-on-three at the end, me going back to get my stick. It happens.”
New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat (14) reacts after scoring against the Ottawa Senators during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP
The Islanders went oh-fer in the ensuing shootout and were left to rue their missed opportunities.
Matias Maccelli was a bright spot along with Varlamov, opening the scoring with 12 seconds left in the first by picking Pinto’s pocket at the blue line and burying it. Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s line — with varying combinations of wingers — was the only one that consistently managed to break the puck out against Ottawa’s forecheck.
It was mainly thanks to instant replay — and a good challenge by DeBoer on Halliday’s would-be goal — that Ottawa didn’t grab an early lead. Both overturned goals beat Varlamov short side, a potentially worrisome trend given it’s not the first time his reaction time has looked susceptible since returning.
By the end of the night, Varlamov had quelled any worries about his play.
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) tends net as Brayden Schenn (10) looks on against Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
“That has to be the hardest position to come back from an extended absence because so much of it is timing and seeing the puck compared to a forward or a defenseman,” DeBoer said. “And you can’t replicate game action in practice either for that.
“We saw game one, he got through [against] the Rangers. I thought he was pretty good. Tonight, he looked like the old Varly. It’s great to see, and it’s great for us because we’re gonna need him.”
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Shane Pinto scored the shootout winner to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Ridly Greig scored in regulation and Linus Ullmark made 20 saves for Ottawa (6-2-0). Ullmark has won his first six starts of the season.
Matias Macelli scored and Semyon Varlamov, making his second start of the season, stopped 18 shots for the Islanders (3-3-1).
The Islanders’ Adam Pelech took a hooking penalty with 3:08 remaining in overtime. Varlamov made two saves to extend the game before Dylan Cozens took a tripping penalty, catching Pelech as he came out of the box and looked to break in on Ullmark. Bo Horvat had the lone shot on the power play.
Trailing 1-0, the Senators tied the game late in the second on a 2-on-1. Warren Foegele broke in and made a cross-ice pass to Greig, who beat Varlamov high on the stick side.
New York opened the scoring with 11.2 seconds remaining in the period when Maccelli stripped Pinto of the puck at Ottawa’s blueline, took two strides and wristed a shot past Ullmark.
Artem Zub made his season debut Thursday, assisting on Greig’s goal. The Senators defenseman hadn’t played since sustaining a knee injury in Game 1 of the first round of last season’s playoffs.
The Senators had two goals called back in the first period. Foegele believed he had opened the scoring, but upon review, it was clear the puck hit the outside of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line. Just over seven minutes later, Stephen Halliday beat Varlamov, but upon review, Ottawa was offside.
Ottawa’s William Eklund had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn tendon in his ankle and is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
Up next
Islanders: At the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Senators: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Highlights
Maccelli with a goal to close out the first period! https://t.co/MNlCUXcPQE
The Senators got back on the winning track Thursday night with a 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.
Long Island native Shane Pinto scored the only goal of the shootout, while Linus Ullmark made 20 saves to improve his own record to 6-0.
After Tuesday's gnarly 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Senators (6-2-0) got some of their defensive mojo back on Thursday. But even with Travis Green's major re-shuffle of the forward line combinations, the offense was still having trouble finding some rhythm.
That was thanks, in part, to the fine play of Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who's one of the great stories of the young NHL season. He turned in an excellent performance in just his second NHL game since November 2024.
Varlamov has endured the bumpiest of roads after undergoing not one, but two partial knee replacements and spending 22 months rehabbing. That's a tall order for anyone, let alone a goalie who's now 38.
Judging by his work against the Sens, he still has plenty of game left. He made only 18 saves but there were some biggies in there.
Senators fans thought their team had beaten the Russian goalie twice in the opening period, going bananas in each case. Unfortunately for the home side, neither shot ended up being an actual goal.
First, Warren Foegele appeared to open the scoring with a snapshot that got past Varlamov. But after a review, it was crystal clear that the puck had only struck the crossbar and stayed out.
Then Stephen Halliday, promoted to the top line, ripped a shot past Varlamov and this one clearly entered the net. The fans went wild again. But they were disappointed again.
This time, the Islanders challenged for offside, and the replay showed that Drake Batherson had entered the zone just ahead of the puck.
Instead of carrying a lead into the intermission, the Senators found themselves trailing. With just 12 seconds remaining in the opening period, Matias Maccelli beat Ullmark with an unassisted wrist shot to give the Isles a 1-0 after one.
That lead held up throughout most of the second period when the Sens finally broke through on a beautiful two-on-one rush.
Foegele delivered a perfect backhand saucer pass to Ridly Greig, who one-touched the puck past Varlamov to tie the game at 1.
Varlamov's finest moment may have come against Halliday, who had two high danger chances in a row. The veteran stopped Halliday's initial shot, but the puck bounced right back to him.
With a net that was briefly wide open, Varlamov somehow scrambled to his right and arrived just in time to stop Halliday's follow-up. It was a fantastic save, particularly considering everything Varlamov has been through over the past two years.
After a scoreless third period and overtime, that's where Pinto delivered the decisive goal. Ullmark did the rest, turning aside all three Islanders' shootout attempts to secure the win.
The Senators improved to 6-2-0 and move into sole possession of first in the Atlantic. They'll return to action Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. ET.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a sour defeat against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Falling to the Sabres in a 5-4 overtime loss, the outcome of the game was fueled by Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna not seeing the ice for about half of the game.
The 18-year-old ended up taking nine shifts and finished the contest with 6:36 of ice time, the lowest of his young NHL career to this point. The last shift McKenna took was at the 10:20 mark of the second period.
"You know what? That was my decision," Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said after the game. We went for a stretch. I think we had those penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through the penalties, and then I didn't get him out there. You know, through that stretch, and then in the last few minutes of the period, we're just trying to, you know, get out of the period. I guess you would say. And then now, as I've sat him for so long, and he sits in the intermission, so I probably should have got him out there early in the third. I didn't. So I'll talk to him about that."
Hiller is referencing the two minor penalties the Maple Leafs took in the second period. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was called for holding at 14:35 into the middle frame, and Morgan Rielly was called for hooking at 18:07.
The Leafs' bench boss said he would speak to the rookie about why he didn't see the ice as much as he should have, and how much ice time Hiller intended to give him. However, he's not worried about how McKenna might react to the situation, highlighting his maturity.
"I'll talk to him," Hiller said. "I've said this before. I've talked to Gavin. Very, very mature. Doesn't take anything too, too personally. That's what I've got from him. He's usually ready to go. There's been other times I haven't played him as much and put him in there and double-shifted him and those kinds of things, and you know, he's responded. So, yeah, I'll talk to him, but I, I don't have a big concern about that."
Captain Auston Matthews, who scored the first goal of the game for Toronto, said the situation McKenna was in isn't an ideal one. But he knows a night like this will only motivate him.
"Those things kind of happen sometimes," Matthews said post-game. "I mean, I think everybody's been in that situation before. It's not necessarily a situation you want to be in. But we've all got his back. A game like tonight is going to just make him hungry for the next one to go out there and, you know, compete and dominate. And I'm excited to watch that."
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OTTAWA, CANADA - OCTOBER 15: Tim Stützle #18 of the Ottawa Senators stickhandles the puck against Matthew Schaefer #48 of the New York Islanders during the third period on October 15, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Hey everyone, glad to be back for another season of recaps for our favorite team that tortures us constantly!
The Islanders stuck around in this one for longer than they probably deserved, earning a point on the road and dragging the game out to a shootout by killing a full two minute penalty in OT.
Matias Maccelli scored the team’s lone goal and looked pretty good on the Islanders’ top line tonight and paired well with Bo Horvat in overtime, but Cal Ritchie’s line struggled all night and Ritchie and Victor Eklund both were benched for much of the third period. It was probably Ritchie’s worst game of the season so far, and he found himself on the fourth line for stretches, too, which might be good for him until he can find the form he had towards the end of last season.
Semyon Varlamov was sharp all game, turning aside 18/19 shots from the Ottawa Senators, and if he can continue that level of play it’ll be a huge help for Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders.
Early, Kyle Palmieri got tangled up with Shane Pinto, a fellow Long Island native (which the broadcast mentioned multiple times) and limped off the ice. It was a scary moment given his ACL injury last season, but he ultimately was fine.
Stephen Halliday had a great chance in the slot that he seemed to pass off for a backdoor set up which didn’t connect. Then, Warren Foegele sniped the puck past Semyon Varlamov and hit the crossbar. At first, it was ruled a goal on the ice, even though it didn’t entirely look like the puck actually went in, and after the Ottawa Senators celebrated, the call on the ice was overturned.
Halliday beat Varlamov after a defensive breakdown, but the Islanders challenged for offside, and once again Ottawa had a goal wiped off the board, leaving us at 0-0.
Matthew Schaefer rushed to the net and sent a backhand wide after he had Linus Ullmark beat and Emil Heineman had a great chance saved, too.
With 11 seconds left, Matias Maccelli stole the puck from Pinto and ripped it past Ullmark to give the Islanders a lead heading into the second period, his second goal of the season.
Thomas Chabot went to the box for high-sticking Brayden Schenn, and Schaefer had to break up a shorthanded chance for Tim Stutzle. Ultimately, the Senators killed the penalty.
Logan Stanley tripped Ridley Greig, and the Islanders killed that. When Stanley came out of the box, he had a chance on goal, but missed.
About a minute after that, Cal Ritchie took a hooking penalty in the offensive zone. He had a rough game overall, with his line getting hemmed in a lot and his passes just not connecting all game. On the penalty kill, Varlamov robbed Halliday to help get the kill. After that, Simon Holmstrom put a shot off the glass on a 3 on 2.
Foegele cherry-picked at the blue line and got a stretch pass from Artem Zub, and then passed it off to Greig, who put it past Varlamov to tie the game.
Then, Anthony Duclair took a holding penalty, but the Isles were able to get the kill.
Third Period
Varlamov made a big save on Fabian Zetterlund, and when the puck still got behind him he managed to keep it away with the help of a diving Adam Pelech.
Then, Pelech blocked a shot and went down to the dressing room but came back quickly looking no worse for wear, so it was, fortunately, probably more of a stinger than anything else.
Ritchie was moved down to the fourth line, and DeBoer put Emil Heineman with Schenn and Eklund, and then shortened his bench for much of the third period tied 1-1.
Heineman laid a big hit on Foegele a bit far from the boards, with no call, and Foegele wanted to fight Heineman who didn’t take him up on it. Shortly after that, a high stick from Nick Cousins on Matthew Schaefer sent the Isles to the power play, but the Senators got the kill.
Overtime/SO
In OT, the Islanders had their chances, mostly with the combo of Horvat-Maccelli-Schaefer on the ice. When they were off, the Isles got hemmed in, and Pelech took a penalty, hooking Carter Yakemchuk. The Islanders killed off the full two minutes, and Pelech was tripped setting up a play as he got out of the box.
The Islanders couldn’t convert on their 4 on 3 chance, and we went on to the shootout, where only Shane Pinto could convert, giving the Ottawa Senators the extra point.
Up Next
Next, the Islanders head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs for the second time already this season. Last time was for the season opener, where the Islanders lost to the Leafs 2-1. That game is on Saturday, October 17. Hoping for a better outcome this time!
“Let’s Go Devils!” and “Let’s Go Rangers!” chants echoed throughout the Prudential Center during the opening 30 seconds Thursday night, setting the stage for a heated matchup between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.
After 60 minutes, the Devils had secured a dominant 7-1 victory, backed by a strong offensive performance and goaltender Nico Daws’ first win of the 2026-27 season. The 25-year-old stopped 18 of 19 shots, while Luke Hughes scored twice. Timo Meier, Brett Pesce, Evan Rodrigues, Amadeus Lombardi, Dougie Hamilton and Dawson Mercer each recorded two assists.
Seven minutes into the first period, Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, appearing in his second game of the season, dropped the gloves with Will Cuylle after the Rangers forward took down Kovacevic’s defensive partner, Declan Chisholm.
For the second consecutive game, Rodrigues opened the scoring. At the 19:30 mark of the first period, he found the back of the net with an unassisted goal to give New Jersey a late-period advantage.
The Devils wasted little time extending their lead in the second period. Just 18 seconds after the puck dropped, Luke Hughes scored his first goal of the night, with Meier and Pesce earning the assists to make it 2-0.
Nico Hischier followed with his first five-on-five goal of the season, pushing the Devils’ lead to three. According to DevilsPR, the tally marked Hischier’s 203rd career goal, moving him past Travis Zajac and Bobby Holík for the third-most goals by a skater in franchise history.
“These things obviously make me a little proud, but for me, I'd rather get a fourth Stanley Cup to this franchise,” Hischier said. “So, obviously, I've worked really hard to get to this point, but I'm not done. I still want to keep working hard, and like I said last time too, with my 200th goal, there's been more to come, and I just want to bring this team somewhere.”
New Jersey continued its offensive surge less than a minute later when Arseny Gritsyuk found the back of the net, prompting the Rangers to replace goaltender Dylan Garand with Spencer Martin.
The goaltending change did little to slow the Devils.
At 16:34 of the second period, Luke Hughes scored his second goal of the night to extend New Jersey’s lead. Pesce recorded his second point of the game, while Lombardi picked up his second NHL point.
The Devils carried their momentum into the third period. Stefan Noesen scored off a pass from Lombardi, giving New Jersey a 6-0 advantage and marking the rookie’s first multi-point game.
Daws’ shutout bid ended at the 8:02 mark of the third period when Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second goal of the season on the power play.
With five minutes remaining, Cody Glass added another goal, scoring his first of the season to make it 7-1. Mercer and Hamilton recorded the assists on the late third-period tally.
Beyond the lopsided scoreline, the night also marked a career milestone for head coach Sheldon Keefe, who earned his 300th career victory.
The Devils (4-3-0) will practice Friday in Newark before traveling to Washington, D.C., to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (4-3-0) on Saturday.
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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Shane Pinto scored the shootout winner to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Ridly Greig scored in regulation and Linus Ullmark made 20 saves for Ottawa (6-2-0). Ullmark has won his first six starts of the season.
Matias Macelli scored and Semyon Varlamov, making his second start of the season, stopped 18 shots for the Islanders (3-3-1).
The Islanders’ Adam Pelech took a hooking penalty with 3:08 remaining in overtime. Varlamov made two saves to extend the game before Dylan Cozens took a tripping penalty catching Pelech as he came out of the box and looked to break in on Ullmark. Bo Horvat had the lone shot on the power play.
Trailing 1-0, the Senators tied the game late in the second on a 2-on-1. Warren Foegele broke in and made a cross-ice pass to Greig, who beat Varlamov high on the stick side.
New York opened the scoring with 11.2 seconds remaining in the period when Maccelli stripped Pinto of the puck at Ottawa’s blueline, took two strides and wristed a shot past Ullmark.
Artem Zub made his season debut Thursday, assisting on Greig’s goal. The Senators defenseman hadn’t played since sustaining a knee injury in Game 1 of the first round of last season’s playoffs.
The Senators had two goals called back in the first period. Foegele believed he had opened the scoring but upon review, it was clear the puck hit the outside of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line. Just over seven minutes later, Stephen Halliday beat Varlamov, but upon review Ottawa was offside.
Ottawa’s William Eklund had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn tendon in his ankle and is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
Up next
Islanders: At the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 15: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks reacts during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden on October 15, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tonight at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks played their final preseason game—a rematch with a Toronto team that clobbered the reserves on Tuesday. This time, the fight was fairer. The visitors played their starters (Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, and Jakob Poeltl), but so did the Knicks (mostly: Mohamed Diawara took Josh Hart’s spot). Determined to not lay a complete goose egg this preseason, coach Mike Brown returned to his starters in the fourth quarter, and that gave them just enough juice to win, 122-120.
The game started on the right foot. Resuming their championship ways, Karl-Anthony Towns took turns with Jalen Brunson on give-and-go sequences that were money in the bank. When KAT sat around the three-minute mark, he had five points, five boards, and six dimes on perfect shooting. Included in those buckets was a laser from deep. Every time he swishes the net this season will sound like a whispered, “Pay the man.”
Across the aisle, Barnes converted his first four shots for an early nine points. That’s what has Toronto fans excited: four scoring options in their starting lineup to complement a top-ten defense. Neither team lived up to their defensive potential in the first frame, however. They allowed each other to shoot over 60% from all areas of the floor by the midway mark.
Even Diawara (carrying two fouls) laced a corner three. Not to be outdone, Miles McBride (who had two triples through four preseason games) dropped three threes in his first four minutes. Those were positives. What wasn’t: Pacome Dadiet checking in and promptly getting stripped while over-dribbling. Soon after, he flushed a pass from Brunson, but there was nothing to change our minds about the youngster. In preseason form, the two teams traded buckets, but by the quarter’s end, the good guys were up, 35-32.
Miles McBride knocks down 3 threes in 67 seconds of play 🎯
Andre Drummond provided a steady hand off the bench, hoovering up rebounds (seven in seven minutes), rattling in a jump hook, tipping in a putback, and making a free throw or two. That softened the sting of seeing Mitchell Robinson doing his best Bill Russell impersonation at TD Garden. Also off the bench, Landry Shamet picked Jamal Shead’s pocket and, on a fast break, fed the trailing Jordan Clarkson. Just a few pros giving the team solid minutes.
Toronto fell behind by 10, but clawed their way back by disrupting New York’s offense. Shead and Jamison Battle hit threes; the former is a defensive pest and blocked two perimeter shots (Diawara, Shamet), while Collin Murray-Boyles intercepted two Brunson passes. Towns had lost the touch, missing two threes and coughing up the rock twice. Nonetheless, New York won the quarter 28–26, and entered intermission ahead, 63-58.
The hosts had shot 55% overall, 47% from deep, and had a 32-18 advantage in the paint. They’d out-bounded the Raps, 26-16, but turned the ball over 12 times, which kept them from running up the score. Top scorers through the half were Barnes (15 points) and Mikal Bridges (14 points, two blocks, 6-of-8 shooting). Bridges made all five of his two-point attempts and canned a Brunson-assisted three, but his jump-out-of-the-seat play was the block of Barrett’s three at the buzzer. I’d say Mikal is ready for opening night.
With our team fumbling and bumbling after the break, the guests gained ground and overran the score, 69-66, with scores from Leonard, Quickley, Barrett, and Murray-Boyles. For the Knicks, Anunoby continued to struggle from yard, having made just 1-of-11 through the preason after his miss early in the third. Diawara committed another foul trying to grab a board, and his fourth infraction in 13 minutes earned him a quick hook.
Remember when Brunson joked that his SNL episode would be like a Knicks playoff game: crappy through three quarters with a big finish at the end? The Knicks still feel like a team that can’t play a complete game. We cheered when Towns dished to a cutting Shamet for a dunk (yes, Shamet!), but no one boxed out Barrett at the other end for an easy response.
Coach Mike Brown wanted this win, we gather, as he left Brunson and Towns on the floor late in the third quarter. Brunson steadied the offense, scoring seven points and dishing two dimes to fuel a 9–0 run. Dadiet made a hook to tie it at 74 (then missed a dunk), and KAT connected from deep to regain the lead. With a 19-5 run—including OG’s first basket after missing seven shots—our heroes finished the frame up, 87-79.
A few times tonight, we saw Jose Alvarado and Drummond playing a nice two-man game. When Andre drove to the cup for a finger-roll, it gave the home team double-digit lead. Alvarado made his first three dingers from deep, too. We’re eager to see more of this dynamic duo. The Dinos went on a Barnes-heavy run and scored eight unanswered to tie the game around the 9:30 mark, but then Alvarado, Anunoby, and Shamet stimulated a seven-point swing to stop the insanity.
The toughest move of the night was Mike Brown refusing to go winless this preseason. At 8:28, he subbed Brunson, Towns, and Diawara in to hold the lead alongside Shamet and Anunoby. OAKAAKUYOAKs Barrett and Quickley would not willingly roll over on their old home court, however, scoring their 21st and 18th points respectively. For a scrimmage, this one was competitive late.
When Towns sat at 5:15, his box score read 13 points, 15 boards, and nine assists and his team clung to a six-point advantage. It would be up to the reserves to close out the dub: Tyler Kolek, Tyler Nickel, Dadiet, Diawara, and James Wiseman.
Tonight we got just four minutes of Wiseman, who seems to have secured the third-string center spot with today’s annoucement that Drew Eubanks has a torn pectoral.
With a minute to go, Jaden Bradley had tied the score at 117. From there, though, the Tylers combined for five points (including a trey for Kolek) that offset a late bucket by Malachi Smith. These games don’t count, but this one sure had some fun moments.
It’s no secret the connection that Knicks fans of a certain generation feel toward the 1972-73 championship-winning squad. But a pair of stars from that team share a deeper connection that was on display Thursday morning in the South Bronx.
Speaking before a packed gymnasium at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, two-time NBA champion and former U.S. senator Bill Bradley spoke from the heart about his friend, one-time on-court rival and eventual Knicks teammate, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.
“The fact that it has Earl Monroe on the [school] name, that might be a little reason why I’m here, but you guys are the reason that makes my heart full. Earl is the reason of my heart, because he is in my heart,” Bradley said with Monroe sitting off to his left and drawing an audible reaction from the school’s students in the crowd. “When you are a teammate and you go to the top, it’s a forever bond, and we did that twice.”
New York Knicks legend Earl Monroe, surrounded by Sen. Bill Bradley, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and kneeling from left, former Knicks John Starks, Stephon Marbury and Tim Thomas, poses for a photo at the dedication of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in the South Bronx, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Bradley, 83, added that his appearance Thursday was “one small way for me to say to my friend, I love you.”
The two Knicks legends were side by side once again to celebrate the opening of the new 69,000-square-foot facility for the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, a specialized charter school in The Bronx whose curriculum is based around basketball and careers beyond the court.
The school opened in 2021 and provides its 440 students from grades 9-12 with an education in topics ranging from broadcast, print and digital media to law and marketing.
“Everybody can’t play basketball, even though everybody wants to, but there’s so many other aspects of the sports and the game that you can be involved in without being the sports person,” Monroe, 81, said after the event. “I think that this is an excellent way for people to be involved in the sport and still get the same satisfaction as scoring a basket.”
New York Knicks legend Sen. Bill Bradley, left, shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew a star-studded list of guests, including former Knicks stars John Starks and Stephon Marbury, Knicks celebrity superfan Tracy Morgan, ESPN personality Mike Greenberg, who hosted the event, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Silver noted how fitting it was that Thursday’s ceremony was taking place after the Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought this past summer, making them the first Knicks title squad since Monroe’s 1973 team.
“It felt great,” Monroe said about seeing the Knicks win another title. “We’ve had some great players come through over the years, and finally getting over the hump. Not only just for me, just for the city itself. We’re a city of champs, so we deserve it.”
But the Knicks will have a target on their back this season as defending champions, and repeating is no small task.
Former New York Knick Stephon Marbury takes a selfie at the dedication of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in the South Bronx, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Monroe was part of the Baltimore Bullets team that prevented the Knicks from repeating in 1971, knocking them out in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer didn’t seem too worried about the Knicks’ mindset going into this season.
“Certainly, the fact that you’ve won, obviously, it makes it so that you understand that you can win again,” Monroe said. “So I’m quite sure that they’re coming into this thinking that we’re No. 1, and I’ll tell other people to prove that we’re not.”
New York Knicks legends Earl Monroe (right) and former Sen. Bill Bradley attend the dedication of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in the South Bronx area of New York on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostNBA commissioner Adam Silver stands with Dan and Abbe Klores as Silver announces the new Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School building will be named after them, in the South Bronx, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
While Monroe and Bradley are forever tied together on the court, from their days playing in the Baker League in Philadelphia through college and into the NBA, Bradley’s lasting memory of Monroe reflected more from what he saw Thursday than on the court.
“This is the Earl Monroe that I know,” Bradley said prior to the start of the ceremony. “From the first day I met him, when we had a shootout at Bry Pope Baptist Church in Philadelphia in the summertime, Earl Monroe was interested in the community, and this is the epitome of being interested in the community.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Ketel Marte #4 and Geraldo Perdomo #2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks look on during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Introduction
In case you’ve been living under a rock since the D-Backs were eliminated from the postseason chase, it’s been an exhilarating postseason to this point with impressive pitching performances, historic comebacks, and drama abounded. Sadly, for the third straight year the Diamondbacks find themselves sitting at home setting tee times rather than lineups at this time of year. There are plenty of reasons for that situation – both as a team and individually. We’ll have plenty of time to digest and dissect those reasons (especially if the sport’s labor relations take the expected turn for the worse). But even though the season as a whole was unsuccessful within that frame of mind, there was plenty of exciting success for individuals up and down the roster. I think it’s worth highlighting that success and the individual achievements players reach in a season so I’ve been picking some individual milestones that players might reach in the season for the past couple of years to spotlight them in a long season.
Ketel Marte’s Approaches 200 Homers
Like the team, the club’s unofficial team captain had a rocky season both on an off the field. It was his worst season by OPS and OPS+ in nearly five years and a sharp departure from the MVP-caliber play he showed at times last season. Additionally, for the second year in a row, he demonstrated serious, well-documented off-field issues that clearly affected his play and the play of his teammates. The year started very slowly for him at the plate as his OPS bottomed out at .619 at the end of play on May 15th after an 0-for-5 effort in a win against the Rockies. Even worse, Marte had clubbed just five home runs and only 12 extra base hits in the first 41 games. From that date through the end of the season however, Marte looked like his usual self with a .266/.336/.464 slash line, 17 roundtrippers, and 44 extra base hits in the final 101 games of the season. Those numbers are closer to his career norms of a .280/.349/.472 slash line, 23 home runs, and 65 extra base hits, but they were not enough for the veteran to reach the 28 homers necessary to hit 200 for his career. Instead, he finds himself seven homers short of the 200 career mark, facing down negativity from the fanbase, and even more question marks on his position within the organization.
Nolan Arenado’s Pursuit of 2000 Hits
It’s easy to say in hindsight, but I really like the move when Mike Hazen traded for Arenado this past offseason. It improved what was a mediocre defense last year, especially with Eugenio Saurez at the hot corner, brought in some needed veteran leadership, and would take whatever kind of offense they could get from him. Instead, the future Hall of Famer seemingly found the Fountain of Youth in the desert as he put together his best season since 2022. He reached 2000 career hits in late July and shortly afterward reached the bWAR milestone of 60 for his career. Ultimately, he ended the season with 2057 hits and a career 61.4 bWAR, a particularly incredible set of accomplishments considering how poorly the previous two campaigns with the Cardinals were for him. And while it’s unlikely he’ll be able to recreate that kind of success two seasons in a row at 36, the D-Backs do have an additional year of control with him for next season. If nothing else, Arenado has shown that he can contribute through his leadership and dazzling glovework.
TORONTO (AP) — Owen Power scored in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from two goals down in the third period to overcome Kirill Marchenko's hat trick and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Thursday.
Marchenko had the fifth hat trick of his career in his 300th NHL game. His third goal, at 16:51 of the second period, put the Leafs ahead 4-2.
Jack Quinn had a pair of goals for Buffalo before Dennis Gilbert and Mattias Samuelsson scored in the third to tie it at 4-all. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 26 shots for the Sabres, who were coming off a shootout loss to Montreal two nights earlier.
Auston Matthews also scored for Toronto, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves.
Acquired from Columbus on Sept. 28, just before the season began, Marchenko had scored only once for Toronto before Thursday.
John Tavares had two assists before he left the game early in the third after he collided with Buffalo forward Josh Norris. The former Toronto captain appeared to favor his left leg as he left the ice.
Toronto was sloppy with the puck in the first period — Quinn’s first goal came on a giveaway by defenseman Nick Blankenburg — but the Sabres only managed eight shots to Toronto’s 15 in the frame. Buffalo got back into the game in the third with Tavares not available to anchor the Leafs’ second line.
Up next
Sabres: At the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Maple Leafs: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday.
The Knicks looked like their championship selves Thursday night, beating the Toronto Raptors, 122-120, in their final preseason contest. New York finished the preseason 1-4.
Here are the takeaways...
-- New York mounted its strongest performance of the preseason, avenging (can you seek revenge for a preseason game?) its 50-point loss to the Raptors on Tuesday. Despite falling behind early, New York quickly took the lead with confident threes, quick drives to the basket, and clean rebounds.
Overall, the team shot 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from behind the three-point line, and 78 percent from the free-throw line — the first two representing preseason bests.
-- Though coach Mike Brown stayed true to his pregame promise of treating the matchup like a dress rehearsal for the regular season, affording his five starters — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mo Diawara — real starter minutes for the first time, the winning effort came from players up and down the roster. (Diawara was starting in place of Josh Hart, who missed the game with ankle soreness.)
Eleven different Knicks saw the court across the first half. Every one of them scored at least two points, and six grabbed five or more. Aside from Pacome Dadiet, they each played six-plus minutes.
-- Brunson, though, drove the effort, racking up 20 points, three rebounds, and seven assists across 29 minutes of play. He also went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and landed his single three-point attempt.
-- Towns had a huge impact at the high post, recording one-third of the Knicks' 21 first-half assists (7 of 21) and rebounds (9 of 27). He finished the game just one assist shy of a preseason triple-double (13 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds).
-- After waiving Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanksduring the day Thursday, the Knicks were left with just two candidates looking to fill the highly contested final slot: James Wiseman and Bruce Brown.
Only Wiseman played, and he only took the court in the waning minutes of the game. In that four-minute stint, he recorded two points and one rebound.
-- Though Miles McBride sat out much of the latter half of the game, the longest-tenured Knick carried the first quarter on his back, ending the frame with three-straight triples and going 3-for-6 both from the field and from the arc.
-- Toronto's Jaden Bradley, a 2026 second-round draft pick, tied the game at 117 with less than a minute left, landing a field goal and earning a free throw on a foul from Tyler Kolek, but the Knicks pulled ahead again by the end thanks to a three from Kolek and two foul shots from Tyler Nickel.
-- Scottie Barnes (23 points, 4-for-5 from beyond the arc), as well as former Knicks RJ Barrett (21 points) and Immanuel Quickley (18 points), kept the Raptors in the mix, but their efforts to topple the reigning NBA champions once again fell just short.
Game MVP: Scottie Barnes
The 25-year-old guard led all players in points (23).
The Knicks will kick off their title defense with the first game of the 2026-27 regular season at MSG, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 20. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Their four-run cushion, powered by Shohei Ohtani's 428-foot home run and delayed arrival to October, disappeared in the top of the fifth inning after what had been a stellar outing from Tyler Glasnow spiraled. Evan Phillips couldn't clean up the mess, leaving a bases-loaded jam for Alex Vesia, who proceeded to walk Jake Bauers to score the tying run for Milwaukee.
The very next inning, Garrett Mitchell took Tanner Scott deep for a late, go-ahead home run.
Sal Frelick began the fifth-inning rally with a one-out walk and immediately stole second. David Hamilton brought him home on an RBI single up the middle to bring the Brewers within one run and putting an end to Glasnow's night.
Phillips entered the game and got Jackson Chourio to line out, but intentionally walked Brice Turang after Hamilton stole second. The 32-year-old right-hander couldn't put away William Contreras, though, unintentionally walking him on six pitches to load the bases. Dave Roberts then pulled Phillips for Vesia, but Vesia couldn't find the strike zone and walked Bauers on four pitches to tie the game.
Vesia got out of the jam on a grounder from Christian Yelich in the next at-bat, and he was replaced by Scott for the top of the sixth. Mitchell led off the inning and worked a full count before taking advantage of a fastball down the middle on Scott's sixth pitch, sending it 409 feet over the wall in right center field to give Milwaukee a 5-4 lead.
The Brewers are three innings away from eliminating the Dodgers and clinching their first pennant since 1982.
