Sides have only met once since 2023 World Cup
Borthwick’s team to also face Fiji and Argentina
England will begin their inaugural Nations Championship campaign next summer by travelling to South Africa to lock horns with the two-times defending world champions.
As revealed by the Guardian in June, Steve Borthwick’s side, who are not playing the Springboks this autumn, also face fixtures against Fiji and Argentina next summer.
Continue reading...Can Giants find solutions in this offseason's international free agent class? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Watching Game 7 of this year’s World Series was painful for just about everybody in the Giants organization. But for a few front office employees who were heavily involved in courting Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago, there was an extra layer of discomfort.
For all of the attention that was paid to Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto was a more realistic addition. The Giants were crushed when they were told that they were out of the bidding, and then they watched as Yamamoto opted to join Ohtani in Los Angeles on a record $325 million deal. So far, the right-hander has been worth every penny.
Giants general manager Zack Minasian led the organization’s pro scouting efforts at the time and made plenty of trips to Japan to see Yamamoto and others. At the GM Meetings last week, Minasian said watching Yamamoto in the postseason brought back some flashes from those scouting trips. This type of success is what he envisioned when he tried to bring Yamamoto to San Francisco.
“It still stings a little bit,” he said on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “But I think one of the things about losing and seeing your rival win, as tough as it can be — we have to turn it into a positive. If it pushes us to go beyond our comfort zone, to challenge ourselves and be more creative about getting players, then so be it.”
The nice thing about being in charge of finding talent is there’s always another class coming, and this offseason is no exception. It’s not considered a particularly strong free-agent group overall, but there are several potential standouts who are expected to come over from Japan.
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai is considered by many to be one of the top-10 players on the market and infielder Munetaka Murakami is right there with him. They could be joined by third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, right-hander Kona Takahashi, Taiwanese right-hander Jo-Hsi Hsu and others. There also are several former big-league pitchers who had success in either Japan or South Korea and are looking to come back, led by former Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Cody Ponce.
Teams will even get another crack at Shota Imanaga — who came over in 2024 and just had his team option declined by the Chicago Cubs — and infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who loomed as an obvious option for the Giants last year before they signed Willy Adames.
The international market has exploded in recent years, and the Giants want to be right in the center of it, or at least right there with any team outside of Dodger Stadium. Earlier this year, president of baseball operations Buster Posey joined Minasian on a five-day trip to Asia to scout some players and lay the groundwork for potential future deals.
“We most definitely want to have a presence there,” Posey said on “Giants Talk” last week. “You can see the impact that Japanese players have had on teams, really, I guess you can go back the last decade now. We know how important it is to try to land those guys and just how talented they are.
“When I was over there I was impressed with the pitching. The pitching didn’t feel like it was too, too far behind. I’d say the hitting is probably a little bit behind still, but (there are) a lot of really good players.”
While the Giants have done a lot of work on Murakami over the years, most of that was before Posey traded for Rafael Devers, which gives them long-term starters at first and third (Matt Chapman), with Bryce Eldridge also in the mix with Devers at first and designated hitter. Some Giants people think Murakami can handle the outfield, but he’s expected to have plenty of big-market suitors who can play him on the dirt.
Imai stands out as the much cleaner fit this offseason, and he is expected to be posted soon by the Seibu Lions, opening a 45-day window to negotiate with MLB teams. The 5-foot-11 right-hander had a 1.92 ERA in Japan last year with 178 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings. He always has limited homers and has dramatically cut his walk rate in recent years, pairing a splitter and slider with a fastball that touches the upper 90s.
One of the reasons the Giants were so willing to go to $300 million for Yamamoto was his age, and Imai will hit the open market at 27. He is right in his prime, and Posey and Minasian happened to see him during that trip to Japan.
“We’d like to be a destination for those teams and for those players,” Minasian said. “We’d like the NPB and the KBO to look at the Giants as one of the premier Major League Baseball franchises (which) is how we see ourselves.”
The Giants point to their community and fan base as draws. While Jung Hoo Lee hasn’t fully broken out on the field, he certainly has become a fan favorite, and the Giants have put a good support system around him.
Of course, they still are playing catch up. The Dodgers are Japan’s team, and they added Roki Sasaki to Ohtani and Yamamoto last offseason. They always will be mentioned first when a Japanese star is posted, although they might not be a great fit for Imai this time around.
You can never have too much pitching, but it isn’t a need for them this offseason, when they likely will first look to bolster their bullpen and outfield. Any Japanese pitcher intent on joining the Dodgers might find himself behind Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki in the rotation, along with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and others.
Whether it’s Imai or someone else this year, or a future free agent, the Giants hope to have others from Asia join Lee on their roster. They spent years bolstering their efforts in Latin America and that’s starting to pay off, with Josuar Gonzalez signing last year and another big class on the way this offseason.
Teams on the West Coast often have an advantage with stars from Japan or South Korea, and the goal is for the organization to be able to go head-to-head with the Dodgers when a player is the right fit. Minasian said he doesn’t view it as convincing those players not to choose the Dodgers. He wants them to see all that San Francisco has to offer.
“(We) basically just put our best foot forward about who we are, how we can treat them, how we can take care of them, the things that we can do that separate ourselves from those other clubs,” Minasian said. “We’re pretty fortunate in San Francisco to have such a great fan base, a diverse fan base that appreciates what those players in particular can bring, so I think things of that nature hopefully mean something to Japanese players and Korean players going forward.”
Beating the All Blacks shows how far Steve Borthwick’s men have come – but there remains yet more room for improvement
After finally scaling Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953 the first person Edmund Hillary encountered on his descent was his longtime climbing friend, George Lowe. “Well, George,” Hillary said, “we knocked the bastard off.” Which is basically how England’s captain, Maro Itoje, and his team felt on Saturday having lifted the Hillary Shield, named in honour of the indomitable New Zealander who conquered the world’s most famous summit.
English rugby’s ultimate Everest is still up ahead of them, of course, in the form of the 2027 World Cup, but this was their South Col moment. And while a first home win against the All Blacks since 2012 and their second‑highest margin of victory in this 120-year-old fixture will both be sources of satisfaction there was also a powerful sense that their upwardly mobile trek is far from complete.
Continue reading...SEATTLE (AP) — First baseman Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a five-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the contract. ESPN was the first to report the deal.
Naylor, 28, became a free agent for the first time shortly after the Mariners lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Soon after Seattle’s season ended, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto stressed the importance of re-signing Naylor after acquiring him from the Arizona Diamondbacks and called it a priority to bring the first baseman back.
Manager Dan Wilson spoke highly of the impact Naylor had on the Mariners both on and off the field over his three months with the franchise.
“You need that intensity. You need that drive,” Wilson said. “I think his drive to win is incredible also. And that’s what you’re going to need from all your guys, and that’s a big part of what he brought to this club.”
In 54 games with the Mariners, Naylor hit .299 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. In 12 postseason games, Naylor hit .340 with three home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases.
Over the entire season, Naylor hit .295 with 20 home runs, 92 RBIs and a career-high 30 stolen bases.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche met another opponent riding a lengthy winning streak—and sent them home without one.
Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson scored 79 seconds apart in the second period to give the Avalanche a lead they never relinquished in a 4–1 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday at Ball Arena despite the game getting rough and physical in stretches Martin Nečas and Brock Nelson added insurance markers, and Scott Wedgewood turned aside 28 of 29 shots in another sharp performance.
PrimeMakar8 (@retro_colorado) on XROSS COLTON GOES SHORT SIDE #GoAvsGoEmil Heineman scored the first goal of the game off a deflection for the Islanders, but that’s all they could muster. Ilya Sorokin made some fantastic saves in net, but he took the loss in a 24-save performance.
The Avalanche found themselves in an early deficit as the Islanders struck just 2:05 into the game. Heineman redirected a shot past Wedgewood with his right skate—a play that initially appeared to involve a kicking motion, but after review, the officials confirmed it as a good goal.
Tensions rose minutes later when Jack Drury returned to the bench visibly frustrated after absorbing a slash to the hands that went uncalled. New York’s good fortune didn’t last, though. At 4:56, Scott Mayfield caught Nelson in the face with a high stick, sending him to the ice and giving Colorado its first power play of the night. Despite generating a couple of quality looks, the Avalanche couldn’t capitalize.
Midway through the period, Gavin Brindley nearly found space to test Sorokin, but Matthew Barzal disrupted the attempt with a well-timed poke check, collected the loose puck, and raced down the ice for a dangerous chance that Wedgewood turned aside with a sharp stop.
For much of the opening frame, the Avalanche found themselves chasing the puck, allowing the Islanders to dictate stretches of the pace. After 20 minutes, New York carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission. Shots were even at seven apiece.
Sam Girard attempted to clear the puck from the front of the Avalanche net, but his pass was intercepted, giving the Islanders multiple chances to crash the crease. Fortunately for Colorado, Wedgewood bailed them out with a pair of big stops, including a sharp save on Bo Horvat.
Moments later, Cale Makar connected with Colton off the rush. Colton tore down the left wing with Adam Pelech in pursuit and snapped a wrister past Ilya Sorokin to tie the game at 1-1. Just 1:29 after that, Olofsson redirected a point shot from Sam Malinski through Sorokin, quickly flipping the script and giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.
Parker Kelly was whistled for interference a little over eight minutes into the frame after bumping Alexander Romanov—this despite Romanov having knocked Kelly down without the puck seconds earlier. Kelly slammed his stick against the glass in frustration, and both Makar and Devon Toews had words for the officials. The outburst didn’t change anything, but the Avs penalty kill took care of business.
Soon after, the Islanders put Colorado on the power play when Ryan Pulock caught Kelly with a high stick. The Avalanche power play couldn’t capitalize again, but they maintained their 2-1 advantage.
With just under three minutes remaining, New York held an 18–15 edge in shots. Tensions rose shortly after the whistle when Mayfield punched Nečas in the mouth—no penalty on the play, but the Avs’ bench certainly took note.
In the closing stages of the second, Makar saved a goal when he hooked Matthew Schaefer from behind when he had a clear shot at a wide-open net.
Colorado kicked off the final period with 1:07 to kill on Makar’s penalty. Horvat snapped a shot from the left circle and Wedgewood came up with a scintillating glove save. The Avs killed the penalty, but Kyle Palmieri still found a way to get his hands on the puck and penetrated the Avs defensive zone, but Wedgewood again came up with a solid save.
As expected, the third period was intense. Mayfield attempted to bully the smaller Brindley, but Brindley responded by cross-checking him in the face, which the officials ruled a high-sticking penalty. Then, Brent Burns threw Heineman down to the ice like a sack of potatoes, which caused Anders Lee to go down as a result. Lee wasn’t done as he dropped the gloves with Josh Manson, only to get taken down with a sharp right uppercut just seconds in. Both men were given five-minute majors and Calum Ritchie was also slapped with a two-minute roughing penalty.
With 8:30 left in regulation, both teams had 23 shots on net. And although the Avalanche held a slim lead, it felt like anything could change at any moment, whether at the hands of a Colorado goal, or an equalizing shot from the Islanders.
After a series of back-and-forth action, Makar got his hands on the puck and rushed into the Islanders zone and fired a quick shot at Sorokin, but it was turned aside.
The Avalanche had to dig deep in the closing minutes, but ultimately they poured it on against the Islanders. Nečas was whistled for delay of game after sending the puck over the glass, and with roughly 1:40 remaining, New York pulled Ilya Sorokin for the extra attacker, creating a 6-on-4 advantage. Horvat teed up a one-timer from the right circle, but Wedgewood stood tall yet again with another clutch save.
Miraculously, Colorado survived the extended kill, and from there they slammed the door. Nečas redeemed himself with an empty-netter, responding to getting punch with a telling blow of his own, and Burns fed Nelson for a second empty-net goal to seal a 4–1 Avalanche victory.
With that, The Streakecutioners struck again, toppling yet another team riding a lengthy heater. The Islanders entered on a four-game winning streak, but despite a determined push, they couldn’t overcome Colorado.
Over their last nine games, the Avalanche have carved through a gauntlet of surging opponents. New Jersey entered with an eight-game winning streak, Tampa Bay had won five straight, and Anaheim arrived riding a seven-game heater. Now, the Islanders have joined the list of teams whose momentum Colorado has abruptly halted. Now, the Avs are sitting on a six-game winning streak.
The Avalanche (13-1-5) take on the visiting New York Rangers (10-8-2) on Thursday at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.
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DENVER (AP) — Ross Colton and Victor Oloffson scored in a 1:19 span in the second period to help the streaking Colorado Avalanche beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Sunday night.
Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist and Martin Necas had an empty-netter for NHL-leading Colorado. The Avalanche have won six in a row to improve to 13-1-5. They have earned at least a point in nine straight games.
Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for the Avalanche while Nathan MacKinnon, the NHL scoring leader, was held without a point for the first time in 12 games.
Emil Heineman scored and Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 shots for New York. The Islanders had won the first four games on a seven-game trip.
Colorado honored Islanders coach Patrick Roy during the first media timeout. Roy, who began his Hall of Fame career in Montreal, was traded to the Avalanche in December 1995, their first season in Colorado.
He led the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup title six months later and backstopped the franchise to a second one in 2000-01 before retiring following the 2002-03 season.
He returned as the head coach in 2013, led the Avalanche to a 112-point finish in his first season, but abruptly resigned in the summer of 2016. The Islanders hired him in January 2024.
Heineman put New York ahead 2:05 into the game when Tony DeAngelo’s shot from the right circle deflected off his left skate and past Wedgewood. Colorado argued Heineman used a kicking motion but the goal stood.
Colton tied it with his third goal of the season at 4:32 of the second, Olofsson tipped Sam Malinski’s shot by Sorokin at 5:51 to give the Avalanche the lead. Nelson and Necas scored in the final minute.
Islanders: At Dallas on Tuesday night.
Avalanche: Host the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
The New York Islanders played a strong brand of hockey against the league-best Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, but a lack of finishing saw them eventually fall 4-1.
Scott Wedgewood was a menace in goal for the Avalanche, and he deserves his flowers, but in the critical moments, the Islanders failed to hit the net. They ended the night with 16 missed shots and 11 shots blocked.
Here's how the game unfolded:
For the third straight game, Emil Heineman opened the scoring. At 7:13 of the first period, he redirected a Tony DeAngelo pass from the low slot for his eighth of the season:
Amazing soccer skills!
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 17, 2025
pic.twitter.com/aFqwukHsDD
After a strong first period, the Avalanche got on the board after Ross Colton beat Sorokin off the rush seven-hole to tie the game at 1-1 before Victor Olofsson gave Colorado the lead after a slot redirection just 1:19 later.
Wicked wrister from Ross Colton. pic.twitter.com/aamIb7Xw1O
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 17, 2025
Sneaky from Olofsson. pic.twitter.com/vL5gue8fyR
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 17, 2025
The Islanders had a handful of looks to tie the game but they continually missed the net. They had 16 missed shots on the night.
Martin Necas scored the empty-net goal at 19:25 of the third before Brock Nelson tipped home a Brent Burns shot with 16 seconds to go for the 4-1 final.
Up next for the Islanders is the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at 8 PM ET.
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov has started in two games since coming up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Nov. 4.
Murashov was recalled from WBS after the Penguins announced that Tristan Jarry would be out for at least three weeks with the injury. Murashov had been lighting up the AHL to start the season, compiling a 5-2-0 record, a 1.73 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage. One of his wins also resulted in a shutout, and he was named the AHL's Goaltender of the Month for October.
He made his first NHL start against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 9 and looked the part. He made an outstanding save on Quinton Byfield in the second period, showcasing his agility in the crease. Murashov kept the Penguins in that game and helped them take a lead into the third period before the rest of the team ran out of gas. He gave up two goals in the third period, including the game-winner to Kevin Fiala, and the Penguins lost 3-2.
Despite the loss, it was still a solid debut. None of the goals he gave up were bad. The first one came off a bad bounce, the second one was a blistering shot from Corey Perry, and the game-winner was a great move from Kevin Fiala.
Murashov made his second start on Sunday against the Nashville Predators, a game the Penguins had to have, and he was excellent. Was he tested a lot? No, but when he needed to be called upon, he answered the bell. He recorded a 21-save shutout and became only the second goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in his first win. Jeff Zatkoff was the first to accomplish that feat in 2013.
One of Murashov's best saves came in the third period off a one-timer from Matthew Wood. Murashov showcased his agility and made the save look super easy.
SERGEI SAYS N🚫 pic.twitter.com/sdsGgkzAHf
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 16, 2025
Sunday's game was a perfect example of why so many people around the Penguins are super high on Murashov. He looked so calm and composed in goal. His positioning was also exquisite. His rebound control, which has been a knock on him at times, was also totally fine.
Yes, the Predators aren't good this year, but they still have some good goal-scorers, including Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, and Matthew Wood. Even Steven Samkos, who only has four goals in 20 games this season, can strike at any time, and the Penguins found that out the hard way on Friday.
The Penguins will now have five days off before playing again on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. They'll fly home from Sweden and practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before Friday's game. After Friday's game, they'll play again on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
At the very least, Murashov will get one of those starts before the Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres in their annual "Thanksgiving Eve" game on Nov. 26. He deserves to keep getting some reps in the goalie rotation with Arturs Silovs before Jarry returns.
It's still early, but Murashov has been as advertised, and that should have fans excited. There's a real chance he could be the starting goaltender as early as next season.
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By the time the Ottawa Senators leave on their seven-game road trip, which begins this Thursday in Anaheim, there's a good chance they may have a new defenseman along for the ride.
If Thomas Chabot is still out with his upper-body injury, the Senators will need another defenseman for the trip. Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reported this week that Chabot may be lost for two weeks or more. If so, that would mean the Sens veteran won't be available to play for at least the first few games of the road trip.
The Senators' longest-serving player was hurt in Tuesday's loss to the Dallas Stars. The injury appeared to occur when Colin Blackwell took him hard into the boards at the Stars' bench. Chabot's lower back or rib area seemed to collide with the hard edge at the top of the boards. He played one more shift after that, then couldn't continue.
So the club will need a seventh defenseman for the trip in case someone gets injured during a game-day practice or wakes up from their pre-game nap with the flu. That could be accomplished by bringing up a defenseman from Belleville.
But Chabot's injury, combined with losing Donovan Sebrango on waivers, has highlighted the Sens need for more depth on the left side. Right now, if you add up all the healthy, left-shot defencemen who have NHL experience, you're left with two players – Jake Sanderson and Tyler Kleven.
The Senators could bring a right-shot defenseman, but leaving town with five righties and two lefties wouldn't be ideal.
Jorian Donovan, Scott Harrington and Tomas Hamara are the regular left side options in Belleville. Hamara probably wouldn't be considered at this point. He doesn't even have many AHL miles on him yet, much less NHL experience. Donovan is in his second AHL season, but he's still only 21 and as a fifth-rounder, he's probably not NHL-ready. What's more, the Sens would prefer their young guys to keep playing, not be probable spectators for a week or two.
That brings us to Harrington, a 32-year-old with 255 NHL games under his belt, mostly with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's on an AHL deal and would first need to be signed to an NHL contract, which the Senators have plenty of room to do.
But if they went that direction, could Harrington be more than just an emergency option for this road trip? With his NHL experience, could he be a better fill-in option for Ottawa than their current usage of righty Nikolas Matinpalo playing on his wrong side?
This is an organization that prefers its defenseman to be on their natural side. That was apparent last month when Kleven got injured and the Sens chose the left-shot Sebrango to play. They could have gone with righty Jordan Spence, the newcomer everyone was so excited about, but instead they made him a healthy scratch.
Knowing that, the Sens probably aren't in love with continuing to use Matinpalo on his wrong side, especially when he only has 56 career NHL games under his belt.
Harrington's last NHL season was 2022-23, when he got some looks as Erik Karlsson's D partner in San Jose before being included in the blockbuster Timo Meier trade that season with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils waived Harrington the day after the trade, and Anaheim claimed him for 17 games.
In 2023, Harrington tried his hand in Switzerland. He was injured for much of that season but returned with Zurich for the 2024 playoffs and won a championship. Harrington also played for Canada at two World Junior tournaments and won back-to-back OHL titles with the London Knights, where he served as captain in 2012–13.
As for how he's looked in Belleville this season, his game was described by a source close to the team as "steady."
The Sens' decision makers obviously like Harrington's game, or they wouldn't have brought him in last month. To sign him shortly after the season had started would seem to suggest they fully recognized how thin they were organizationally at left D. And that was five days before they lost Sebrango to Florida.
So Harrington is a player to keep an eye on as a possible solution, but if they don't think he's up to the task, then there's no getting around it. Expect Staios to go shopping to acquire a left-side NHL depth player, a role they had hoped Sebrango would fill this season.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
More Sens headlines at The Hockey News Ottawa:
Senators Have Big UFA Contract Decisions Over The Next Few Years (Who Stays And Who Goes?)
Brady Tkachuk Tests Out Wrist Injury At Practice, Provides Potential Timeline For Return
Four More Years: Ottawa Senators Sign Shane Pinto To A Four-Year Extension
Senators Lose Defenseman Thomas Chabot To Injury
Former Ottawa Senator GM Passes Away At Age 70
The tension in Madison Square Garden was already fierce, but things reached a boiling point as soon as the final horn sounded. The Detroit Red Wings took down the New York Rangers 2-1 in a narrow victory.
Detroit forward Mason Appleton, with the puck at his feet and the Rangers net empty, flicked it toward the cage even though time had just expired. It looked harmless, almost like a casual tap-in. To New York goaltender Jonathan Quick, it was anything but harmless.
Quick skated out to confront Appleton in the Rangers zone, visibly furious. The veteran goaltender felt disrespected and interpreted the empty-net attempt as unnecessary. That moment triggered a benches-clearing confrontation as players from both teams spilled onto the ice, pushing and shouting while several tried to separate bodies and calm things down.
The scrum unfolded in the Rangers end with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin stepping in as one of the voices of reason, helping direct players toward their locker rooms and urging both sides to cool off. Quick, however, remained angry even as he was escorted from the ice.
NHL Insider “Loved” Jonathan Quick’s Bench-Charge in Red Wings-Rangers BrawlJonathan Quick's fiery bench charge ignited a massive brawl, earning praise from an NHL insider who "loved" the unbridled passion displayed.Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Aside from the chaos at the end, the Red Wings earned a hard-fought win with star winger Lucas Raymond scoring the game-winning goal in the third period after Alex DeBrincat had opened the scoring earlier.
Detroit goaltender Cam Talbot faced only 19 shots and stopped 18 of them thanks to strong defensive play in front of him. Quick was the busiest player on the ice, facing 42 shots and made 40 saves in an impressive performance that ultimately was not enough.
The Red Wings now return home to prepare for a matchup with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.
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Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings scored 22 points, Chris Cenac Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds and top-ranked Houston held on for a 73-72 victory over No. 22 Auburn on Sunday. Auburn (3-1) rallied behind a raucous neutral-site home crowd and had two chances to take the lead on the final possession. Two driving attempts by Tahaad Pettiford were nixed by Houston’s defense, including a block by Flemings.
The Detroit Red Wings bounced back from their disappointing overtime loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday evening, defeating the New York Rangers by a 2-1 final score just 24 hours later.
Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond scored the game winning goal for Detroit late in regulation, breaking the 1-1 tie and giving him his second point of the evening.
With the loss, the Rangers remain the NHL’s worst club on home ice.
Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XLIVE FROM NEW YORK...
IT'S A #REDWINGS WIN!!!Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
There was also a scrum involving players from both sides after the game ended, as the Rangers took exception to Mason Appleton shooting the puck into the open net a split second after the final horn sounded.
Alex DeBrincat remained hot for the Red Wings, scoring a power-play goal midway through the second period. But the Rangers would knot the score at 1-1 after a controversial delay of game penalty assessed to Moritz Seider.
Detroit is now within a point of the lead spot in the Atlantic Division.
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Alex Condon scored 19 points, Thomas Haugh added 17 and No. 10 Florida held on to beat rival Miami 82-68 on Sunday night. Condon and fellow big man Rueben Chinyelu fouled out with more than five minutes to play, but the Gators (3-1) had enough cushion to close it out with the two starters on the bench. It didn't help that backup center Micah Handlogten took a shot to the head in the first half and did not return.
The hot stove had been safe to touch for a few days, but that may be starting to change.
The first big domino in the market for first basemen fell on Sunday night as Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners reached an agreement on a five-year contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Naylor, acquired at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, batted .299 with an .831 OPS in 54 games after being dealt. He was even better during Seattle's run to the ALCS, with five extra-base hits (three home runs) and five RBI while batting .340 with a .967 OPS in 12 postseason games. This made re-signing the first baseman one of Seattle's highest priorities this offseason.
Naylor, who turned 28 in June, now becomes the first big-name signing of baseball's offseason a year after hitting 29 doubles, 20 home runs, driving in 92 runs, and slashing .295/.353/.462 for an .816 OPS (128 OPS+) across 147 games. He was also 30-for-32 stealing bases, despite being one of the slowest players in MLB.
Naylor's quick exit from the market means Pete Alonsois the lone top-notch free-agent first baseman on the market and will have very little competition for that claim. Entering the offseason, the class was thin after Alonso and Naylor, with a big drop to other domestic options, including Ryan O'Hearn, Carlos Santana, Luis Arraez, Paul Goldschmidt, and Rhys Hoskins.
A great bounce-back season with the Mets that saw him win a Silver Slugger, in which he slashed .272/.347/.524 with 41 doubles, 38 home runs, and 126 RBI while playing in all 162 games, Alonso is hoping to turn that into a long-term deal. And after opting out of the deal he signed with New York last offseason, Alonso is reportedly seeking a contract of at least seven years. This could be tough as Alonso will soon turn 31, over two years older than Naylor, who took only a five-year deal.
Of course, the Mets and the slugger were able to work through their differences as he sought a long-term deal last offseason. And all indications are that Alonso's free agency will last quite a bit longer than Naylor's,
And after the Alonso and Juan Soto, 1-2 punch worked combined for 81 homers last year, Soto made it known that he would like to run it back.
“I hope nothing but the best, and I’m excited to see where he’s going to end up," Soto told the media this past week. "He’s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come. We can have fun together.”
Carlos Beltran agrees.
“Pete Alonso is another guy that is going to be on the market, I hope we can bring those guys back," Beltran said on Saturday, referring to closer Edwin Diaz, another free agent. "The front office and the team upstairs are going to do the best we can to make that happen.”
