Throughout the month of November, the NHL, NHLPA and the V Foundation are set to team up for the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign once again. While each team will host a day dedicated to Hockey Fights Cancer, they're going to be spread out throughout the season, although most of them are in the month of November.
Among the teams hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer night next month are the San Jose Sharks. On November 15, the Sharks will help raise awareness and raise funds for the initiative as they play the Nashville Predators.
According to the NHL, since partnering with the V Foundation and AstraZeneca, the initiative has raised more than $21.3 million in just three seasons.
Almost everyone has somebody in their lives who has been impacted by the effects of cancer and the NHL has consistently been trying to do their part in fighting the terrible disease since founding Hockey Fights Cancer alongside the NHLPA back in 1998. For more information, visit HockeyFightsCancer.com.
The Senators had plenty working against them on Tuesday night, and the St. Louis Blues took full advantage.
Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Pius Suter each scored twice as the Blues (3-2-1) defeated the Senators 7-2 at Canadian Tire Centre, handing the Sens (5-2-0) their second loss of the young NHL season.
The Sens were playing their second game in as many nights after defeating the Devils 4-1 in New Jersey on Monday.
They were also without three regular defencemen, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub and Nikolas Matinpalo, leaving the club with a makeshift blue line. In fact, three of their six defencemen (Carter Yakemchuk, Hoyt Stanley and Jorian Donovan) entered Tuesday's game with 10 or fewer games of NHL regular season experience.
With starting goaltender Linus Ullmark getting the night off, Samuel Ersson was given the assignment in goal. But the Senators' new backup struggled on the night, allowing seven goals on 26 shots and finishing with a .731 save percentage. By the end, a smattering of Sens fans gave him some sarcastic applause on a basic save.
Down 2-0 in the second period, the Senators got a nice goal from veteran Claude Giroux, who converted a feed from Tim Stützle with a well-placed wrist shot to cut the lead in half. But McTavish, the Carp native, restored the two-goal lead just 33 seconds later.
It was all Blues after that.
Giroux also added an assist on Fabian Zetterlund's first goal of the season in the final couple of minutes, long after the outcome had been settled.
Suter, who had two goals and an assist for St. Louis, has an interesting connection to the Senators' organization.
Back in 2017, four years before making his NHL debut, the Swiss forward attended Ottawa's rookie camp and performed well enough to earn an invitation to the team's main training camp, but he didn't make the club.
Nearly a decade later, and a couple of weeks before Halloween, Suter came back to haunt Ottawa and helped the Blues score a one-sided win. He was the one who got the offensive ball rolling, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period.
The Sens entered the game riding the momentum of a 5-1 start, but this just in: nobody maintains an .833 points percentage forever. They were due for a night like this, especially with a tough schedule, injuries on defence and an off night in goal.
The Senators will now have a day to regroup before returning to action Thursday night when they host the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.
Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.
Maccelli assisted on Palmieri’s goal at 5:38 of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie.
Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.
Boeser’s power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.
The Vancouver Canucks’ losing streak has officially hit five games after their 3–2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored Vancouver’s two goals tonight, while Leevi Meriläinen was strong in net, making 35 stops on 38 shots faced.
Vancouver actually didn’t look terrible during the first period, but a couple of quick goals on bad turnovers put them down 2–0 by the end of the frame. The Islanders’ first goal saw the puck go past a couple of Canucks before making its way towards the net, appearing to bounce off both Tom Willander and then Kyle Palmieri before beating Meriläinen. Zeev Buium, who played on Vancouver’s third-pairing tonight, coughed the puck up to Matthew Schaefer on New York’s second goal, with the Islanders defenceman threading it over to goal-scorer Matias Maccelli.
The Canucks debuted a somewhat new-look power play unit tonight as well. Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who has been playing well throughout the start of the 2026–27 season, was bumped up to Vancouver’s top-unit and made an impact immediately. The forward was only a short distance away from scoring Vancouver’s first goal of the game as he ripped a shot past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, though the puck hit the crossbar and flew out of bounds.
An overlapping penalty-kill put Vancouver down a player to start the second period. Despite killing the penalty, the Canucks found themselves contained within their own zone for the first half of their period. This resulted in long shifts, such as two-minute sequences for Willander and Jamie Oleksiak, due to Vancouver not being able to break the puck out.
One break-out sequence started by the line of Lekkerimäki, Elias Pettersson, and Jake DeBrusk gave Vancouver some much-needed O-zone time. The break-in triggered a line change for both benches, which the oncoming Sasson and Arshdeep Bains capitalized on to give the Canucks their first goal.
Things seemed to switch up after Sasson’s goal — and Vancouver’s second penalty kill of the night shortly after — as it was the Canucks’ turn to put together more O-zone time. They were able to utilize their momentum to get extended looks in the Islanders’ zone, one of which resulted in Liam Öhgren drawing a penalty on Palmieri. On the ensuing man-advantage, Boeser scored his 80th-career power-play goal to take sole-possession of fifth-all time in franchise history.
Just like at the start of the second period, the Islanders made a strong push for offence to start the third, with this paying off in the form of a second goal for Palmieri. Once the final few minutes of the period emerged, Vancouver pressed to try and score the game-tying goal, but a hooking call on Buium put the Canucks down a player and ultimately neutralized their attempt at going 6-on-5.
To give credit where credit is due, however, Vancouver kept things interesting right until the end. Even with Buium in the box, the Canucks killed the majority of their penalty before drawing a penalty themselves and playing 5-on-4 with Meriläinen on the bench. All in all, Vancouver put up a fair comeback effort but were unable to fully secure the win.
Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) skates with the puck past New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Stats and Facts:
Canucks record first-ever loss at UBS Arena
Leevi Meriläinen’s personal shutout streak against the Islanders ends at 74:57 minutes
The Canucks go perfect on the penalty-kill for the first time in a single game this season
Filip Hronek has recorded a point in all games played (7) against the Islanders as a member of the Canucks
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
14:57 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (1) from Matt Kessel and Bo Horvat
15:50 - NYI: Matias Maccelli (1) from Matthew Schaefer
2nd Period:
7:52 - VAN: Max Sasson (2) from Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak
18:55 - VAN: Brock Boeser (2) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG)
3rd Period:
5:38 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (2) from Matias Maccelli and Matthew Schaefer
Up Next:
Vancouver Canucks @ Florida Panthers, October 15, 4:00 pm PT
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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Pius Suter, Jake Neighbours and Mason McTavish each had a pair of goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Adam Jiricek also scored for the Blues, Pavel Buchnevich had three assists and Joel Hofer stopped 15 shots.
Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Senators, whose three game win streak came to an end. Samuel Ersson, making his second start for Ottawa, made 19 saves.
Ottawa was playing the second game of a back-to-back, coming off a 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
The Blues took a 4-1 lead midway through the third when Suter beat Ersson short side from a sharp angle. Neighbours scored his second off a snap shot, McTavish scored on the power play, and Jiricek scored his first career goal to round out the scoring.
Zetterlund added a late power-play goal to make it 7-2.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead midway through the second when Neighbours stepped in with a shot from the top of the slot and wristed a shot through traffic to beat Ersson glove side.
Giroux cut the lead in half with 2:08 remaining in the second on a feed from Tim Stutzle, but the Blues responded 33 seconds later. Some poor defensive zone coverage allowed McTavish to get a shot past Ersson from the top of the crease.
The Blues opened the scoring at 14:28 of the first period with a short-handed goal. Colton Parayko won a battle along the boards and found Suter with some open space and he beat Ersson blocker side.
With his second-period goal, Giroux recorded his 1,170th career point, tying Bobby Hull for 59th on the NHL’s career scoring list.
Up next
Blues: At Minnesota on Thursday.
Senators: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani needs to sit a lot more often this postseason. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.
Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.
The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.
Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.
Roberts drew a parallel between what might have happened with Ohtani and what did happen with Freddie Freeman during the NLCS two years ago, when the Dodgers provided what the manager called a “reset” — a day off for the team, followed by a rest day for Freeman.
“And he ends up winning the MVP in the World Series,” Roberts said.
Freeman had been playing with a bad ankle for three weeks, and even then he had been more productive that October than Ohtani has been in this one. Ohtani has been playing with a bad knee and biceps for three months, and the Dodgers already have tried intermittent rest.
They tried that in September, twice. They touted their bye week before the start of the playoffs. They talked up their three days off before the start of the NLCS.
They went 0 for 4. Enough already.
Roberts said the Dodgers — not just Ohtani, but the coaching staff and the training staff — see progress. True, no doubt. But we’ve heard similarly encouraging words after each of Ohtani’s rest breaks.
“We’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him,” Roberts said, “and that’s it.”
Ohtani said Tuesday that his symptoms have subsided since the Dodgers put him on the injured list, for the minimum stay. That was a month ago.
Shohei Ohtani is just three for 20 this postseason. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On Tuesday, he said his approaches can alternate between “focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”
There is no evidence so far that this might work, and an uncomfortable and increasing body of evidence that it might not.
Ohtani is batting .150 in the playoffs, with three hits in 20 at-bats. Of the 39 players with at least 20 at-bats this postseason entering play Tuesday, only three have a lower OPS than Ohtani’s .411.
One of them, Dodgers catcher Will Smith, has one hit in 23 at-bats. But he is hitting the ball hard: in the NLCS, one ball hit at 102 mph, another at 101, and every ball hit harder than the one Ohtani hit the hardest.
That exit velocity: 86 mph.
He has not pulled a ball in the series for a hit, or for an out.
Over his major league career, he has homered once every 14 at-bats.
He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18, a span of 107 at-bats. He has driven in one run since then; the Dodgers batted him cleanup in Game 2.
And, since hitting that last home run, Ohtani is batting .036 against fastballs thrown 95 mph or harder. The average fastball in this postseason: 96.2 mph, according to analyst Mike Petriello’s close-up of all the different ways Ohtani’s swing is fouled up.
When Ohtani spoke with reporters before the playoffs started, he said he might not know the full extent of his injuries or what he might need to do to rehabilitate them until after the postseason.
“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” he said then. “I think that process is going to happen during the offseason, when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”
The Dodgers did not need Ohtani to win the NL West. They needed to shut him down for an extended period to maximize their chances of winning in October.
They failed to do that. They believed a few days of rest would allow them to nurse Ohtani through the rest of the season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.
Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.
Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.
Boeser's power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the game against the New York Knicks on October 13, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Toronto Raptors may have been facing the New York Knicks’ C-Team, but that wasn’t why fans packed the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
New York could’ve grabbed randoms off NBA Twitter and the electricity in the building would’ve remained.
Here are a few thoughts and quotes to drop in your group chat after the Raptors defeated the Knicks 148-98.
He return
“I tried to get those guys as much as possible on the court together so they can figure out the chemistry and spacing” – Darko Rajakovic.
It’s been 2,682 days (seven years, four months, and three days) since Kawhi Leonard last donned a Raptors uniform in front of the Toronto faithful. That was when Leonard authored a mesmerizing one-man show against the Warriors before Head Coach Nick Nurse called (a now untimely) timeout.
Leonard seemed intent on knocking down a triple to begin his second stint in Toronto, with the superstar’s first three shots coming from beyond the arc. He eventually hit a three-pointer from the left wing, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
He followed that by posting up Jose Alvarado on the left baseline, before drilling a turnaround fadeaway. Leonard’s first points as a 35-year-old Raptor technically came at the free-throw line. That’s basically comfort food offence for a team that has previously struggled when things slow down in the playoffs or opposing defences resort to zone.
“I wanted to get after it and get tired,” said Leonard. “I still want to get in better shape but it was fun to play.”
When Leonard returned in the second quarter, he transported us back to 2019 with a right-corner triple that required a friendly bounce courtesy of his favourite rim in the league.
No better pairing than Kawhi Leonard and the right-side corner 🔥
Leonard was everything we remembered him to be. He finished with 21 points and five rebounds on 50 per cent shooting. He also added two steals. This was all accomplished in 17 minutes of play. Have the rest of the pre-season off big guy.
Chalk it up to rookie nerves
“I have huge trust in Allen and his three-point shooting.” – Darko Rajakovic
After missing the first two pre-season games in Quebec City and Vancouver, Allen Graves finally made his debut. If Leonard hadn’t dressed, Graves would have been the apple of everyone’s eye. It’s probably best that wasn’t the case, at least early on, as it seemed Graves had understandable “first-game-as-a-pro” jitters.
In less than four minutes, Graves picked up three fouls, with the third coming after he bowled over Drew Eubanks while trying to grab a defensive rebound.
For the most part, Graves was parked in a corner on offence. He missed his first three attempts from deep but finally knocked down his first bucket as a professional in the second quarter. It should be noted that he was wide open on these attempts, which should be a common occurrence playing alongside Leonard and as opponents dare him to shoot.
I loved how active he was on the court. There was a play where he chased down his own miss and poked the ball loose, subsequently resulting in Ja’Kobe Walter getting two points.
The trio needs a nickname
“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented…they make things easy.” – Kawhi Leonard
Speaking of Graves, fans were finally treated to the beautiful and blinding chaos that comes with the rookie playing next to Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. The trio made their debut in the back end of the first quarter. They were flying.
Flanked by Walter and Jamal Shead, the group forced a shot-clock violation, a handful of turnovers and deflections, a dead-ball and the Knicks’ bench into never-ending uncertainty.
Shortly after, Head Coach Rajakovic tried a different combination with Immanuel Quickley and Leonard. It’ll be fun to see what kind of lineups the coaching staff deploys with Toronto’s newest set of triplets.
That’s an interesting development
“When Kawhi is on the floor, he attracts so much gravity…they really complement each other well.” – Darko Rajakovic
It seems that even though Brandon Ingram may be in Los Angeles, his signature baseline fadeaway remained behind in Toronto, specifically in the hands of Barnes. The All-Star normally resembles a running back with the ball in his hands, but he was silky-smooth on the baseline and knocked down numerous jumpers with a high degree of difficulty. Ingram would have been proud.
As for Murray-Boyles, he finished a perfect two-of-two from distance. He averaged less than one three-point attempt a game in his rookie year, while shooting 34 per cent. If he can average around two three-point shots while maintaining a similar average, that would be incredible. Toronto shot 35.4 per cent from three last season.
“Collin worked so hard over the course of the summer on his shooting,” said Rajakovic. “We need more guys that can be willing to take shots.”
Eyes on Darko
“At the end of our conversation, he always tells me to go play basketball.” Kawhi Leonard on Darko
Pre-season reps are valuable, even for the coaches. With 1.2 seconds left in the first half, the Raptors forced a turnover, inspiring Rajakovic to call a timeout. The exhibition was already a blowout at that point, but Rajakovic wasn’t going to let a learning opportunity slip by.
The Raptors drew up a play that involved Leonard screening for CMB on the left elbow, before CMB pivoted into a screen for Leonard. This triggered the inbound, which Leonard caught on a ‘76ers bounce cut’ (what I’m tentatively calling the route). Before Leonard could add to his stat line, he was fouled.
A big part of the 2019 championship run was Nurse’s development. He started the season as an unknown variable type of coach, but later evolved into a mad scientist. Rajakovic’s continued progression will also play a pivotal role in determining the ceiling of the 2026-27 Raptors.
A New York state of mind
“We have good guys that are about the right stuff, are all in, and have embraced our culture.” – Mike Brown
Before the game, Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown was asked how the team plans to stay locked in despite potential distractions (Karl-Anthony Towns). With zero hesitation, Brown highlighted an organization-wide commitment to chasing one very obvious goal, and it’s more than just a verbal promise.
“We have our standard written down that everybody signed, similar to a contract,” said Brown. “This way, it allows all of us, starting from the top down, to hold each other accountable.”
The Knicks fall to 0-4 in pre-season play, once again proving that these are practice reps on public display.
LAS VEGAS — The Lakers marquee free agency acquisition was available to make his long-awaited preseason debut against the Warriors Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
He injured his left pinky finger (non-shooting hand) during the first week of training camp.
Walker Kessler of the Los Angeles Lakers arrives to the arena before a game against the Golden State Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images
The 7-foot-2 center progressed to participating during the live action portion of Sunday’s practice after doing everything else but live drills during Saturday’s session.
Kessler has had his left pinky wrapped the last couple of weeks after jamming it on a backboard during practice.
“Just taking precautionary stuff, especially since it’s preseason,” he said earlier in the week. “But it feels good.”
Walker Kessler with his left pinky wrapped. NBAE via Getty ImagesLuka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Getty Images
While Kessler made his debut, superstar guard Luka Doncic was held out of Tuesday’s game for rest.
Coach JJ Redick made it clear Doncic wasn’t injured after playing in two of the first three preseason games.
The Lakers’ last exhibition will come against the Nuggets on Friday in Los Angeles.
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 13: Meleek Thomas #15 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball during the game against the Orlando Magic on October 13, 2026 at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents that player performing to our expectations for them.
James Harden
13 points, 2 assists, 0 rebounds
The Cavs struggled to get into any kind of scoring rhythm. The bigs weren’t involved as much as you’d like, and the offense overall wasn’t able to generate many clean looks for outside shooters. Part of that blame falls on the starting point guard.
In addition to that, Harden had a tough time finding his own shot. He went just 6-for-14 from the field in an overall forgettable game.
Grade: D-
Donovan Mitchell
15 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists
Mitchell made a concerted effort to get others involved. That resulted in eight assists in under 25 minutes to go along with 15 points. This was a solid night from someone who looks ready for regular season basketball to start.
Grade: B
Evan Mobley
14 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists
Mobley missed his first five shots before slowly turning it around as he put up seven points in both the second and third quarters.
This preseason has been rough for Mobley offensively. He’s struggled to get to his spots on the floor and hasn’t been very efficient when he gets there. This 6-for-14 performance is on the heels of going 3-for-10 the game before.
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Peyton Watson
10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Watson struggled to find the range from deep as he went 1-for-5 beyond the arc. The three-point volume in 24 minutes is what you want to see, even though the efficiency wasn’t there.
The energy Watson plays with remains encouraging. He was an active defender as he racked up two blocks and a steal.
Grade: B
Jarrett Allen
9 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists
Allen was an afterthought on offense and wasn’t able to do enough on the other end to cover up for the poor point-of-attack defense elsewhere.
Grade: D
Jaylon Tyson
12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Tyson’s energy is infectious. He and Watson were two of the regulars who played with the appropriate amount of force.
Grade: B
Meleek Thomas
16 points, 0 assists, 3 rebounds
There are legitimate questions about whether Thomas is ready to fit into an off-ball role. There are fewer questions about how he looks when you put the ball in his hands.
Thomas played five minutes in the first three quarters with the regular rotation and struggled to make an impact. He attempted just one shot and never really felt a part of the offense. That changed in the fourth quarter when the Cavs pulled their regulars and put the ball in his hands.
Thomas scored 14 of his 16 points in the final frame. He relentlessly got where he wanted on the court, and scored efficiently when he got there, as he ended the night going 6-for-9 from the field.
You don’t want to make too much of garbage time in a preseason blowout, but this was another encouraging performance from Thomas.
Grade: A-
Mario Hezonja
12 points, 2 assists, 6 rebounds
This was a solid showing for Hezonja. He once again held up well against a physical Orlando team as he did a little bit of everything.
These last two games have been steps in the right direction for Hezonja after a rough debut against the Boston Celtics.
Grade: B
Craig Porter Jr.
0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Porter has a shot at earning a spot in the rotation, but he hasn’t done enough to definitively grab that role. He once again struggled to make an impact off-ball, and didn’t attempt a shot in 17 and a half minutes. Porter’s defense has been fine, and it’s good to have another play initiator in the offense, but guards need to be threats to score when they’re on the court.
Grade: D+
Tyrese Proctor
4 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists
Proctor got some run with the regulars, but didn’t necessarily make the most of it. He didn’t make much of an impact when he was with the other rotation players, which isn’t ideal for someone the team is hoping will take a leap in his second season. It wasn’t until he shared the court with some of the reserves that you started to feel his impact.
MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the decisive goal in a shootout for the second straight game, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 after blowing a two-goal lead Tuesday night.
Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist for Montreal. Josh Anderson also scored, and Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists.
Jacob Fowler made 14 saves in his third consecutive start after stopping 30 shots in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Detroit, which was decided by Bolduc's goal in the sixth shootout round.
Olen Zellweger had two goals and Josh Norris also scored for Buffalo as the teams met for the first time since the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres in the second round of last season's playoffs.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots, and Beck Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson had two assists apiece.
The Sabres scored twice in 61 seconds to erase a two-goal lead and tie the score at 3-3 at 5:25 of the third period. Norris bounced a point shot off defenseman Adam Engstrom before Zellweger converted his second with a wrist shot through a crowd.
In the shootout, Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored for Montreal. Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo, but Jack Quinn missed to open the door for Bolduc.
Zellweger opened the scoring on the game’s first shot when his point attempt hit Engstrom and bounced into the net.
Hutson answered with a wrist shot past a screened Luukkonen on a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game at 14:28 of the first period. Caufield then one-timed a pass from Slafkovsky to give Montreal a 2-1 lead early in the second.
Hutson showcased his skill again late in the second, stickhandling in from the blue line before sliding a no-look backhand pass to Anderson, who fired into the open net with 50 seconds remaining in the period.
Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin did not travel to Montreal after appearing to hurt his lower back in Monday’s 5-3 win over Florida. Zellweger stepped into Buffalo’s top pairing and scored his first goals since being acquired by Buffalo last summer.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks arrives to the arena before the game against the Toronto Raptors on October 13, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Having played last night at home, coach Mike Brown rested his starters tonight in Toronto. His opening lineup included Jose Alvarado, Miles McBride, Bruce Brown, Mohamed Diawara, and James Wiseman. Across the aisle, Kawhi Leonard made his preseason debut as the team returned to Scotiabank Arena following a cross-country tour of showcase scrimmages. The Knicks lost to the Timberwolves yesterday, and they dropped another tonight, 148-98. No, Virginia, these games don’t count.
The starters weren’t required to attend, but Mikal Bridges did. Because he’s a savage!
Both teams came out bricking, but the home team fixed their problems sooner, jumping out to a 13-4 lead that chased New York into a timeout. OAKAAKUYOAK RJ Barrett collected an early eight points in seven minutes to lead his team. For our heroes, James Wiseman blanked across the board in the first quarter, with two turnovers that cancelled a pair of rebounds. He played better (offensively, at least) in the second half, finishing the night with 18 points and 10 boards to lead the team.
Midway through the frame, Wiseman sat for Drew Eubanks, who didn’t wow us either, but at least got on the scoreboard. Pacome Dadiet checked in, too, and promptly suffered at the hands of Scottie Barnes—and then Barrett. Not great. (He also played better after intermission.) Seeing Diawara make his first three-pointer of the preseason made us happy, but ‘twas a mere sip while we thirsted for decent basketball. The two Tylers (Kolek, Nickel) checked in with four minutes left in the quarter, and they did little to help. By the break, Barnes had shot 6-of-7 for 15 points, and the score stood at 42-22. The gulf felt much wider than that.
Twice in the first quarter, Mike Brown and Alvarado had extended conversations. They seemed to not be on the same page. To be fair, few Knicks were on the right page tonight.
Toronto opened the second quarter with a 7–0 run, on a bucket from Quickley, a three from Kawhi Leonard, and a drive by Barrett. Tyler Nickel answered with a layup and a three, and Tony Bradley added two baskets inside, but the Knicks played defense like touch football, allowing the Dinos to continue to pour it on. After Bruce Brown’s cutting layup made it 56–33 with 7:16 left, the Raptors went on a 20–2 run. It’s never fun to be on the wrong side of that.
Ja’Kobe Walter scored all eight of his quarter’s points during that stretch, including a three after stripping Wiseman. Jamal Shead dished four dimes on that run, while Leonard added a free throw and a turnaround three. When Collin Murray-Boyles made a putback dunk, Toronto’s advantage reached 76–35.
Leonard had the biggest scoring impact with 11 points in the quarter and 21 in the half. Wiseman gave the Knicks a brief lift late, finishing an Alvarado-assisted dunk and converting a hook shot. Between those baskets, Miles McBride blocked Leonard’s layup (good!) but turned over the rock twice (less good). Alvarado missed two free throws (even less good). Kevin McCullar Jr., Ochai Agbaji and Pacôme Dadiet went scoreless in the period. When the half finally ended, the score was 85–47.
Through the half, the Knicks’ understudies turned over the ball 12 times compared to Toronto’s two, and were outrebounded 29-17. They’d shot a paltry 22% from deep versus the Raptors’ 40%. McBride and Nickel had eight points apiece for the guests, with no one yet in double digits.
After intermission, the abuse continued with the lead reaching 44 points. New York finally assembled some offense inside: Alvarado hit a pullup, then assisted on buckets by Eubanks and Dadiet. The latter also blocked a Barrett layup, and Eubanks rejected Quickley, but the losses outnumbered the gains. McBride went scoreless during that stretch, missing two threes and having a dunk blocked by Barnes.
Wiseman made the biggest difference for New York after entering at 6:55, scoring nine points on hooks, an alley-oop from Brown, and a putback hook. Jaden Akins (who really does resemble Quinten Grimes from a distance, if you squint) supplied three assists and turned a steal into a layup, while Kolek added a three and two freebies. Together, they powered the Knicks on a 20–9 run that trimmed the score to 109-76. Dadiet contributed seven points, but his fourth foul and Mohamed Diawara’s fifth underscored a general defensive ineptitude. Nickel kept letting shots fly, making just 1-of-9 on the night. After three quarters, the score remained lopsided, 116-70.
In the fourth frame, the differential topped out at 53. New York’s perimeter shooting fell to 17% for the game, a figure that passed the eye test. Your weary blogger fell asleep for a few minutes, but the clang of bricks woke him. Our guys sure left some dents in those Canadian rims. Against Toronto’s third-stringers, Diawara hit another triple (totaled 13 points overall), and Wiseman grabbed five boards. Those were encouraging signs. Less encouraging: Kolek missed four threes down the stretch, McCullar missed two, and Ochai Agbaji and Tony Bradley went scoreless. When it finally was time to go to bed, there was a special satisfaction in turning the TV off on this game.
Up Next
Back to MSG on Thursday to see the Dinos again. Last game of the preseason, too. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 10: Kristaps Porzingis #7 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 10, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There are still far more questions than answers surrounding Kristaps Porziņģis’ health and wellness. But, more than two weeks after Golden State Warriors kicked off training camp, we finally have a critical positive update: Porziņģis is in the house.
Recently inked to a two-year, $40 million extension, Porziņģis — whom the Dubs acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in February — did not join Golden State on their opening-week jaunt to Hawaii, with the team announcing at the eleventh hour that the All-Star was out indefinitely. There were no updates when the team returned home from the island either and that certainly led to rumors swirling. No one seems aware as to whether Porziņģis has an injury or an ailment or, if some of the more eyebrow-raising rumors are to be given any credence, something that the team is covering up.
On Monday we got the closest thing possible to an update, with coach Steve Kerr saying he expected Porziņģis to be at the facility on Tuesday. Kerr risked setting himself up for a disastrous own goal if Porziņģis were not present on Tuesday, but thankfully that didn’t happen. Per multiple reports, the 31-year old from Latvia arrived at the Chase Center (the Warriors’ facilities are at their home arena) on Tuesday, where he spent time with head athletic trainer Rick Celebrini and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. While that’s a critical first step, there’s still no word on when Porziņģis might be back on the floor.
Kristaps Porzingis did make it into the Warriors practice facility this afternoon and met with Rick Celebrini and Mike Dunleavy. Nothing more detailed about return timetable, but a first step.
It’s a little funny — and hopefully nothing more than that — that Porziņģis appeared at the arena when the team, conveniently, was not there. The Dubs are currently in Sin City, as they have a Tuesday night game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which may end up being the home of the next expansion NBA team.
While it’s certainly encouraging that we have a Porziņģis update — however mild and vague — it remains odd, concerning, and fairly unprecedented that this is, it seems, his first time back with the team. Usually players, whether sick or injured, spend a large amount of time at the facilities, working with the trainers and coaches. That Porziņģis has been, for lack of a better word, missing, raises a few eyebrows.
Then again, it’s also clear that the Warriors are being a little secretive here, and who knows how much communication is going on between the team and the player that we’re simply not privy to (per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, there has been “consistent contact” between the two sides).
Either way, Porziņģis is back … sort of. And while we don’t know a timeline, it certainly seems fair to assume he won’t be playing when the Dubs open the season in eight days.
On the second night of a preseason back-to-back, the Knicks lost their fourth-straight game, falling 148-98 to the Toronto Raptors.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Head coach Mike Brown relied solely on his bench in Tuesday's contest, giving the star quintet of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl Anthony-Towns a rest after Monday's 122-104 loss to the Timberwolves. Miles McBride, Bruce Brown, Jose Alvarado, Mohamed Diawara, and James Wiseman took their places.
Each member of the Knicks -- with the exception of Tony Bradley, who left the court early in the fourth seemingly nursing a hamstring -- played at least 10 minutes.
Toronto used its starters, re-debuting Raptors legend Kawhi Leonard and giving former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley significant minutes against their former team.
-- In keeping with the theme of this year's preseason campaign, the Knicks crew continued to struggle on the offensive end, shooting 40 percent from the field, 17 percent from three-point range (their worst of the preseason), and 70 percent from the free throw line.
-- Wiseman led the way for New York, making a strong case for his value as a backup center. The 25-year-old scored 18 points, shot a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line and 87.5 percent from field goal range, while adding 10 rebounds and three turnovers in 23 minutes of play.
Also battling for the final center spot, Drew Eubanks netted eight points (3-for-5 from the field, 2-for-4 in free throws), andBradleytallied four (2-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 in free throws).
-- Diawara walked away with 13 points in 28 minutes played. The 21-year-old went 50 percent in field goals (5-for-10) and 43 percent from beyond the arc (3-for-7).
-- Tyler Nickel led the Knicks in steals with two, contributing 11 points to the effort. His 80 percent from the free throw line tied with McBride (eight points) for second-best on the team Tuesday night.
-- In his first game in Raptors threads since leading the team to their first-ever NBA Title in June 2019,Leonarddrove the Toronto effort, netting a team-leading 21 points and two steals. He also collected five rebounds (tied with Jakob Poeltl for third-most on the team) and went 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
-- BarrettandQuickley -- both of whom New York sent to Toronto in exchange for Anunoby in December 2023 -- each played over 21 minutes. Barrett tallied 17 (6-of-12 from the field, 4-for-5 in free throws), and Quickley scored eight with a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Game MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Despite only playing the first half, the 35-year-old small forward led all players in points (21).
What's next
New York will conclude the preseason with another game against the Raptors, this time on home court at MSG, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
