The Philadelphia Flyers may appear set at the goalie position at the NHL level this year, but anything can happen, and the book isn't closed on prospect Aleksei Kolosov yet.
Lamentable performances in net over the last few seasons, including from Kolosov himself, have largely doomed the Flyers to their lack of success.
An offseason addition of Dan Vladar is expected to help stabilize incumbent starter Sam Ersson and give the Flyers a reliable duo, but Ersson, too, is guilty of struggling. He's also been bedeviled by injuries, which can anecdotally be attributed to his increased workload.
Knowing that, Flyers GM Danny Briere already warned that he expects Kolosov and Russian counterpart Ivan Fedotov to be ready when called upon.
In a press conference Wednesday, Flyers president Keith Jones echoed that sentiment, advising that the book is not closed on either Fedotov or the enigmatic Kolosov.
"We had hoped their ability to adjust would occur quicker than it did. I wouldn't write off either guy, Fedotov or Kolosov," Jones said. "Kolosov is obviously younger and is an extremely athletic goaltender. And, if he can put all the pieces together in the future, he could turn into a very good goaltender."
The question, for some Flyers fans, will be about Kolosov's commitment to patience and playing his role.
The 23-year-old Belarusian ultimately arrived, albeit late, to training camp last year, and made his NHL debut as early as Oct. 27.
Despite that, though, Kolosov's hot start flamed out, and he was sent to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
There were many occasions last season where the Flyers' former third-round pick sat in the press box as the third goalie in the NHL, which did his development no favors.
"He'll be here, and we're excited about that, too. He has an opportunity, just like everybody else, to come in and show what he has," Jones added. "Developmentally, we would prefer that last year he spent a little more time in the American Hockey League. It just was not in the cards. I wouldn't do it differently, but I'm excited about the depth that we have."
Jones was also sure to note that the Flyers are "happy" to have Vladar, and that Kolosov and Fedotov will have to prove they have the chops to cut it at the NHL level. For real this time.
Fortunately for both, and especially the youngster Kolosov, the Flyers seem intent on giving their homegrown guys one last opportunity to carve out an NHL path.
The Florida Panthers were back on the ice in Fort Lauderdale this week.
A group of the team’s best and brightest prospects gathered in South Florida ahead of the 2025 Prospect Showcase taking place in Wesley Chapel, just outside of Tampa.
It runs from Friday to Monday, with the Panthers facing prospects from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes in a round-robin.
Florida’s roster consists of 25 players, broken down to 15 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.
Coaching the Panthers prospects once again this year is Florida’s AHL head coach, Geordie Kinnear.
“The Rookie Tournament is a great opportunity for these guys to keep getting evaluated, but also an opportunity to get better, to get a little taste of playing competitive hockey against your peers,” Kinnear said.
On Thursday, the Panthers’ prospects gathered at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale for some practice and meetings before heading north to the Tampa area.
You can check out footage from Thursday’s practice in the video below:
Forward Gracyn Sawchyn, who Florida selected in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, is gearing up for his first professional season after signing his entry level contract earlier this year.
“I’m a lot closer to the guys now, so it’s good to be around everybody again,” said Sawchyn.
He’s playing in his third, and ultimately last, prospect tournament.
“Every year has been a little bit different,” he said. “I think the biggest thing for me is just trying to play a mature game. Do that this weekend, and hopefully carry that on to training camp with the big guys.”
Florida’s three-game schedule kicks off on Friday afternoon against the prospects from Carolina.
Here is the Panthers schedule:
Friday, Sept. 12 at 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 13 at 5:00 p.m. vs. Tampa Bay
Monday, Sept. 15 at 12:00 p.m. vs. Nashville
All games are open to the public and free to attend, and the Panthers previously said all games would be streamed online as well.
USC football faces its first test of the season when it takes on Purdue in its Big Ten opener. Here's what to watch for as the Trojans try to improve to 3-0.
Right after the league releases the schedule for the upcoming campaign, season ticket holders often huddle to divide packages split among friends and family. And the proceedings can be electric.
We’ve heard from multiple ticket-holders how much time and energy goes into plotting their draft strategy. Is opening night a first-round pick that year? (It certainly was last year.) How long will the lone Lakers visit stay on the board? Which opposing players are must-see when they come to Boston?
1. You can’t pick a tribute game. As we documented in Day 9 of the series, there likely will be four games this season in which a core member of the 2024 title team returns to the Garden and be honored for their time here. Those games will come off the board early.
2. You can’t pick Cooper Flagg’s first visit to Boston on March 6. Oh, you want to see the New England-bred rookie? Yeah, you and the rest of Maine. Get in line, buddy.
3. There were no restrictions on picking a road game. And, if we’re being honest, we encourage every Celtics fan to make a trek. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate TD Garden that much more.
We’re clearly making our panel work a bit here. Help me find some hidden gems. Give me a game with a storyline that isn’t so obvious. We probably should have told our panel no Lakers games either, especially with Marcus Smart now donning the purple and gold. But we don’t blame those who leaned that way. It’d be near the top of our list, too.
Here are five other home games we would target once the more obvious dates went off the board:
1. November 26 vs. Detroit. Not only are Cade Cunningham and the Pistons one of our favorite young teams to watch, but we get a 5 p.m. ET tip on Thanksgiving Eve. And it’s an NBA Cup game. What a way to kick off an extended holiday weekend.
2. December 28 at Portland. We’re skirting the rules here by using Christmas break to make a cross-country dash to see Celtics-Blazers.
Not only will it be Jrue Holiday’s first game against Boston, but it could be Robert Williams III’s first game against the Celtics, too. Time Lord hasn’t played in any of the four C’s-Blazers matchups since his departure. We’d fly 2,500 miles for that.
3. November 1 vs. Houston. The Rockets made a pretty big acquisition this summer (and we’re not just talking about JD Davison on a two-way deal).
Give us a Saturday primetime matchup with Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka, and a Houston team that has big goals this season.
4. February 8, 2026 vs. New York. The Celtics are back to hosting a Super Bowl matinee, and we get a divine 12:30 p.m. ET tip at the Garden. Even better, this one falls just a few days after the trade deadline, so there’s a good chance you’d see any player acquired in a move.
5. Any game in March or April at the Garden. Look, I have no idea if the Celtics will even entertain the idea of putting Jayson Tatum back on the court this season. Later in this series, we’ll ask our panel to predict his return date. But if we’re looking for a high-reward game, then we’re rolling the dice on a potential return after the All-Star break.
Let’s check what our panel came up with:
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
I wanted to choose a deep cut, but the answer is obvious: Celtics vs. Lakers on December 5.
There are too many good storylines here, from LeBron James potentially playing his last game in Boston, to Luka Doncic’s return to the scene of the 2024 NBA Finals crime, to Marcus Smart playing in just his second game against his old team — as a member of its longtime nemesis.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
I’m cheating and picking two games: November 7 and 9 at the OrlandoMagic.
It’s an odd choice because I actually despise watching games played in that arena. But I’m using last season’s Magic as a measuring stick for this season’s Celtics team.
Last year, Orlando was perfectly .500 at 41-41, good enough for the seventh seed in the East. With Boston’s expectations plummeting in Jayson Tatum’s absence, can the Celtics still be on the level of a mediocre Eastern Conference team that makes the playoffs? I think they should. Those two games will provide a real look.
Sean McGuire, Web Producer
December 26 at the Indiana Pacers.
Why? Joe Mazzulla is so maniacal that he’ll fabricate bulletin-board material even if it’s something silly. The Celtics not earning a spot in the Christmas Day lineup for the first time in a decade is a real slight. That doesn’t need fabrication.
I’m banking on Mazzulla coaching his ass off en route to a one-sided road win against a fellow playoff team.
Josh Canu, Media Editor
December 5 vs. the Lakers.
Boston vs L.A. is big enough, but mix in LeBron James and Luka Doncic coming to town, along with a returning Marcus Smart, and you got a formula for must-see TV. Oh, and it is a Friday night, so I expect a very loud TD Garden.
Jim Aberdale, Supervising Producer, Celtics
Timberwolves vs. Celtics on March 22.
The battle of Georgia natives Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown turns into a mano-a-mano scoring showdown.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
Easy answer: October 24 at the Knicks.
I don’t like the Knicks. I don’t like Knicks fans. I don’t like the fact they ended the Celtics’ season last year and I blame them for Jayson Tatum rupturing his Achilles. I NEED REVENGE (in the form of a Celtics win inside MSG)!
Kevin Miller, VP, Content
This is somewhat unfair because I still love any Warriors game, but I guess that gets eliminated as an option if Horford ends up there. I’ll go with a few others: Opening Night against the 76ers.
I’m so curious to see how this team plays, from the energy I expect they’ll play with to the new-look rotation to how Jaylen Brown looks Plus, you can only watch it on NBC Sports Boston (shameless plug).
The other one for me is the back-to-back with the Timberwolves and Thunder on March 22 and 25. I think the Celtics are going to be scrapping their way to a top-four seed in the East, and I always love these measuring-stick games late in the season. Good players on both teams and top competition.
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
December 5 against the Lakers.
There are few things I enjoy more than Jaylen Brown ruining Luka Doncic’s night.
As he bids for a fourth Finals Day title, Hampshire’s captain is enjoying a new life in Dubai as a T20 freelancer with few regrets over his England career
Finals Day beckons for James Vince this Saturday and to call it familiar territory would be an understatement. This is Hampshire’s 11th appearance at the T20 Blast’s annual jamboree – a record they share with Somerset – and their captain is the only man to play in every one.
However, Hampshire’s relationship with Finals Day is one of extremes: three titles, in 2010, 2012 and 2022 – a fourth would be the outright record – and seven times on the first bus home after a semi-final exit. “We have never lost a quarter-final either,” says Vince, in a freewheeling chat over the phone that spans his new freelance life, England and even sandpaper.
Boxing’s biggest fight in years takes place on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Here’s everything you need to know about Canelo v Crawford, including how, when and why to watch
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Terence Crawford, two of the most accomplished boxers of the past 20 years, will climb through the ropes on Saturday night in Las Vegas for one of the sport’s biggest events in years.
Álvarez, 35, will be defending his undisputed super middleweight title at his natural 168lb. Crawford, 37, is attempting the jump of a lifetime: moving up two full divisions to that weight for the first time after winning his fourth world title last year in his 154lb debut. That size gap is at the heart of Saturday’s intrigue. And because the fight will be carried globally on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers, it could draw the largest audience ever for a major championship bout.
The Pittsburgh Penguins put out a cryptic tweet regarding former goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury on Thursday.
They tweeted a video of "Fleury Flakes" with a Fleury bobblehead next to it, along with the caption, "Starting our day with a balanced breakfast." The video also shows someone pouring milk into a bowl of cereal.
Allan Walsh, Fleury's longtime agent, has been posting cryptic tweets about that video throughout the day, including one with Fleury in a Penguins' uniform.
It doesn't seem like this is by accident since Fleury spent 13 seasons with the Penguins before spending time with the Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild. He helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cups and is one of the best goaltenders in NHL history. Fleury retired following the 2024-25 season after 21 NHL seasons.
He was a fan favorite during his time in Pittsburgh and got one heck of a standing ovation when he played his final game inside PPG Paints Arena last season. The Wild came from 2-0 down to beat the Penguins 5-3 in that contest.
This could be about Fleury signing a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Penguins, so let's see where this goes.
Thursday saw a brutal loss by the Mets that capped off a brutal series.
Already in the midst of a five-game losing streak and dropping the first three games of their series to the Phillies, the Mets blew an early 4-0 lead and were ultimately swept by their division rivals. After putting up four first-inning runs on Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo, the southpaw shut down the offense over the next seven innings. Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth to lock down the 6-4 win with Phillies pitchers retiring 25 straight batters.
"Whether you’re up four, down four, at the end of the day, you didn’t get the job done," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the loss. "Frustrating, but nothing we can do about it now. We have to get back at it tomorrow, go back home and win some baseball games."
The Mets (76-71) are now losers of six straight games and hold a slim 1.5-game lead over the idle Giants and Reds for the final wild card spot. It wasn't too long ago that the Mets' spot in the postseason was inevitable, but going 5-10 over their last 15 games has hurt their chances of holding on.
When Mendoza was asked if he's worried about their wild card spot, the second-year skipper said he's not, but acknowledged there aren't a lot of games remaining.
"Teams are right behind us," he said. "The way you look at it is, we’re still in control of the situation, we’re still in control of the ultimate goal. We just have to go out and do it."
"Gotta play better. Simple as that," David Peterson said after his start on Thursday. "We’ve seen what this group can do. We got 15 [games] left, we have to take care of business. Past is the past, and we have to let it go and play better. It's as simple as that."
Peterson was solid, giving the Mets five innings while allowing three runs before the bullpen -- led by Reed Garrett -- gave up the lead in a three-run sixth. A part of that bullpen implosion was the misplay of Jeff McNeil in center field that led to the go-ahead run. The longtime Met didn't show concern about the team's standing in the playoff picture when asked after the game because of his teammates.
"Got a bunch of great guys in here. We’ve been through a lot this year. Right now, we’re still in a playoff spot," he said. "Could be worse. We’re going to come tomorrow, tough game tomorrow, and be ready."
After a 10-game road trip, where the Mets went 3-7, the team returns home for nine games. The Mets are 45-27 at home this season, the fourth-most in the NL this year, so perhaps going back to Citi Field could cure what ails them.
Mendoza said it's "always nice to go home," but repeated that it comes down to the Mets playing better and winning games. When asked how the Mets can "reset," he put the inenviable task on himself.
"I’m responsible. I’m the manager, it’s my job to get these guys going and I will," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in myself, my coaches and the players. It’s not easy right now. We are all frustrated, but we still got an opportunity here to achieve our goal."
He later added, "As bad as it looks right now, as bad as it’s been, we’re still in control. But we got to play better, that’s the bottom line."
Carlos Mendoza was asked if there's anything he could do to reset the Mets:
"I'm responsible. I'm the manager. It's my job to get these guys going and I will" pic.twitter.com/uk8XGuKTPD
Aaron Judge smacked two home runs and the Yankees knocked around the visiting Detroit Tigers for 14 hits in a 9-3 win Thursday night in The Bronx.
The Yanks avoided the sweep and kept their hopes of winning the American League East alive as they improved to 81-65 on the season (44-31 at home) and are now 3.0 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays, who won earlier in the day to improve to 84-62.
Here are the takeaways...
- Judge put the Yanks ahead in the bottom of the first, crushing a 3-2 pitch into the visitor’s bullpen for a solo home run when a Tyler Holton cutter found the middle of the plate and it got smoked: 413 feet, 110.1 mph off the bat.
In his very next at-bat, Judge launched his second homer of the game to nearly the exact same spot, this time belting it 21 feet further, for a 434-foot solo shot to lead off the third. This one, off righty Sawyer Gipson-Long, was 114.9 mph off the bat and was the slugger’s 361st career home run, leveling him with Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the all-time Yankees home run list. He now has 46 home runs and 100 RBI for the season.
His hardest-hit ball (115.6 mph) came on a single up the middle to start the sixth. He finished 3-for-4 with a hit by pitch, but struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch to leave the bases loaded to end the seventh.
- Yanks’ starter Cam Schlittler retired the first four batters with three strikeouts before allowing back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners with one out in the second. Schlittler jammed Dillon Dingler on the 11th pitch of the at-bat but was able to muscle it into right to level the score. After an early mound visit from Matt Blake, a strikeout and groundout got the righty out of the jam.
Again pitching with a lead, Schlittler allowed a leadoff double in the third, but a lineout doubleplay set up six straight retired to get the next seven outs. That came to an end with Parker Meadows’ single to right with one down in the fifth. After back-to-back two-out walks, the Tigers had the bases loaded, and Blake was out for another visit. But on a fifth straight fastball, Schlittler got Riley Greene swinging at a 98 mph heater at the top of the zone to leave ‘em full.
A quick sixth finished the day for the 24-year-old, his final line: 6.0 innings, one run, five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts on 95 pitches (62 strikes). His ERA stands at 3.05 on the year. Schlittler tossed first-pitch strikes to 17 of 24 batters he faced.
- With one out in the third, Giancarlo Stanton got a 3-2 hanging breaking pitch and smacked it 429 feet into left field stands (108.9 mph off the bat). It was his 20th home run of the year, giving the Yanks seven players with 20 or more on the season, which ties a franchise record. Stanton now has 449 in his big league career. He finished 1-for-5 with three strikeouts and bounced into a 5-4-3 twin killing.
- Jazz Chisholm opened the home half of the second inning by cracking a two-strike single to right before stealing second with one out, his 28th steal of the season. Chisholm came around to score on Ben Rice’s double to the right field corner for his 55th RBI of the year.
Jose Caballero, playing short for the second straight game as Anthony Volpe had a cortisone shot on Wednesday, kept the line moving with an RBI single to left and immediately stole second for his 44th steal of the year, but was left stranded there.
- Rice cracked another double down the right field line to start the fourth and was moved to third on a single slapped into right by Caballero, who then stole second with one out. Austin Slater, batting leadoff and starting for the first time since August 4, was hitless his first two times up, but cracked a single against a drawn-in infield for an RBI. After Judge was hit on the elbow pad to load the bases, the Tigers brought in Bailey Horn, who promptly allowed an RBI single to Cody Bellinger. With two down, Chisholm muscled a broken-bat two RBI single to right to make it a 9-1 game.
Chisholm finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Rice went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.
- Ryan Yarbrough was the first man out of the bullpen and surrendered a homer to Dingler down the line in left on the third pitch he threw. He allowed a two-out walk in the seventh and a two-out walk and single in the eighth, but no further damage. Javier Báez drove a triple off the wall in center with one out in the ninth before scoring on a groundout before the Tigers' 27th out. But Yarbrough's three innings of work were enough to earn him the save.
Game MVP: Judge
Judge entered the game batting .319, the lowest his average had been since he started 1-for-4 on Opening Day. He fixed that with his three hits, bringing it back up to .322, and raising his OPS to 1.112 for the year.
Highlights
Aaron Judge launches his 45th homer of the season to get the Yankees on the board first! pic.twitter.com/tO2KozW75O
New York, with a half-game lead over the Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot, heads to Boston for a three-game set at Fenway Park, starting with Friday night's 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
New York has yet to name starting pitchers for the series. Boston is sending out right-hander Lucas Giolito for the first game, with RHP Brayan Bello and LHP Garrett Crochet following.
The Mets got off to a roaring start, but the bats fell asleep and the bullpen gave up the lead in New York's 6-4 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Philadelphia completed the four-game sweep and the Mets have now lost six games in a row. With the loss and the Giants and Reds idle, the Mets' lead for the final wild card spot is now at 1.5 games.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Mets' offense has struggled mightily during this losing streak, but broke out early in this one. Back-to-back singles from Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, to go along with a double steal, gave the team an early scoring chance. Pete Alonso struck out looking before Mark Vientos stung an RBI single to right field. Brandon Nimmo followed with a single to drive in the game's second run. Starling Marte then crushed a double off the top of the left field wall to give the Mets a 4-0 lead.
But that's all the offense would get on Jesus Luzardo, who retired 22 straight batters, not allowing a baserunner since that four-inning first. It's the first time a Phillies pitcher has allowed four runs in the first inning and gone eight innings since Steve Carlton in 1977.
Luzardo allowed four runs across eight innings (97 pitches/68 strikes), on five hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts.
-Down just two runs in the ninth against closer Jhoan Duran, Soto (strikeout), Alonso (strikeout), and Vientos (strikeout) were retired in order to end the game with 25 straight Mets batters retired.
-David Peterson worked in and out of trouble early on, allowing the leadoff hitter in the first two innings to reach, including two who reached scoring position, but the young lefty pitched out of it. In the fourth, Otto Kemp jumped all over a first-pitch hanging slider for a two-run shot to get the Phillies back in the game. It's the second homer Kemp has hit in this series. An RBI double from Bryce Harper in the fifth cut the Mets' lead to 4-3, but Peterson would get through five innings.
Peterson's final line: five innings pitched (86 pitches/61 strikes), three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, while striking out eight batters.
-Reed Garrett was the first arm out of the 'pen, and allowed back-to-back doubles to lead off the sixth and tie the game at 4-4. Jeff McNeil, starting at center, misjudged the Kemp liner that allowed Nick Castellanos to score. After getting two batters out, with a walk sandwiched in between, Harrison Bader singled to give the Phillies the lead.
Brooks Raley came in to try and get the final out of the sixth, but a walk to Kyle Schwarber and a Harper single put a cap on the three-run inning before J.T. Realmuto flew out to put an end to the frame.
Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect inning each.
-Bader went 2-for-5 with an RBI and is now 19-for-36 in nine games against his former team.
Game MVP: Jesus Luzardo
Although he struggled early, the southpaw shut down the Mets' offense and allowed the Phillies to come back.
NHL Suspends Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Until DecemberAccording to a report, former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and the four other players involved in the Hockey Canada trial will be suspended until Dec. 1.
Flyers: Where Is Egor Zavragin?Top Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Egor Zavragin has yet to play for his KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, in the early goings of the 2025-26 season.
