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What To Know: NHL Global Series Feat. The Pittsburgh Penguins And Nashville Predators

The 2025-26 NHL Global Series is finally here, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators are gearing up for their two-game set at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

Pittsburgh's last trip to Stockholm in 2008 ended up turning out pretty well for them, as they later went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final for the franchise's third championship. And - according to NHL.com writer Amalie Benjamin - that's something that isn't unique to the Penguins. 

In fact, starting with the Penguins' trip to Stockholm in 2008, there have been 10 NHL trips outside of North America. Six teams participating in those contests went on to win the Stanley Cup in the same respective year as their trip.

In other words, these trips actually tend to mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, whether that's due to the team bonding experiences or a break from the normalcy of the NHL schedule. And there are added stakes since these games will count toward the regular season.

Here is what you need to know about this year's Global Series between the Pens and Preds:

- Including this season, the NHL debuted the Global Series in 2017 when the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche squared off, and it had been six years since the league played an international regular season game overseas - as the NHL Premiere series ended in 2011. This is the seventh season the NHL has done the Global Series, as there was a recess in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Penguins Five-Day Break Before Sweden Games Comes At Perfect TimePenguins Five-Day Break Before Sweden Games Comes At Perfect TimeThe Pittsburgh Penguins have five days off before their next game, and it couldn't come at a better time.

- Both games will take place at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, and it will be an international home-and-home series. The two-game set begins Friday at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and it concludes on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

- The games can be viewed on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Pittsburgh for regional coverage and on NHL Network for national/international coverage. 

- The Penguins enter the Global Series third in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 21 points and a record of 9-5-3. They have lost four out of their last five games and have blown leads in three of them. 

Forsberg And Wilsby Hope Global Series Will Breathe New Life Into PredatorsForsberg And Wilsby Hope Global Series Will Breathe New Life Into PredatorsFilip Forsberg and Adam Wilsby have an opportunity to play two NHL games in their home country of Sweden. But this trip could also provide a fresh start for the Nashville Predators.

- The Predators enter the Global Series at 5-9-4 with 14 points, which is second from the bottom of the league standings. The Calgary Flames are the only team with a lower points percentage (.278) than the Preds (.389). They are on a three-game losing streak. 

- The Penguins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against Nashville.

- The Penguins' active roster features two Swedes in defenseman Erik Karlsson and goaltender Filip Larsson - who was named the team's third-string goaltender for the trip. They also have two inactive Swedish players on their roster in forwards Rickard Rakell and Filip Hallander, who are both on injured reserve. Rakell made the trip, while Hallander did not. The Predators feature forward Filip Forsberg and defenseman Adam Wilsby.

Penguins Take Swedish Goaltending Prospect To Stockholm As Third GoaliePenguins Take Swedish Goaltending Prospect To Stockholm As Third GoalieThe trip overseas to Stockholm, Sweden for the NHL Global Series presented the opportunity for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> to bring a third-string goaltender with them.

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

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Three Takeaways: Flames Fall Short Of Comeback in St. Louis

Calgary Flames centre Nazem Kadri (91) controls the puck against the St. Louis Blues during their game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (Source: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

The St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 in what came to be a rare thriller situation for the Flames in the Gateway to the West.

Here are the takeaways:

Needed A Good Start

Until the two Calgary goals that were scored in a span of 25 seconds by the 14:29 mark of the second period, the Blues outshot the Flames 22-20, out-chanced them 21-16 in scoring chances and 12-4 in high-danger scoring chances.

After that, it seemed to light a fire in Calgary as until the end of the game, the Flames outshot St. Louis 21-9, out-chanced them 7-6 in scoring chances and 3-2 in high-danger scoring chances.

But Jordan Binnington proved to be too good.

A good start is always necessary.

In the bigger picture, the Flames outshot the Blues 40-31, but St. Louis doubled them in high-danger scoring chances 14-7. Quality counts...

Penalty Costing Dearly

In a one-goal game, a single goal given up on the power play will always be scrutinized. Deservedly so.

But that's not the only reason why the penalty was costly.

Out of the 18 games Calgary has played so far, the time on the penalty-kill in this game (3:46) ranks the seventh-lowest but the shots on goal given up on it (7) were the seventh-highest and the eventual goal was the nail in the coffin.

Dustin Wolf

Even though it was a losing effort and his small size was taken advantage of, Wolf did face the seventh-most shots on goal in a Flames game this season. He came out with a save percentage of 0.903 which is still a consolation prize in this loss.

Bottom Line

This game showed something new in the Flames. That they had spunk and fire (pardon the pun).

For the first time since the season opener, you saw passion on both sides of the ice.

Let's see if this carries on.

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Dwayne Aristode hits six 3-pointers as No. 5 Arizona rolls to 84-49 win over Northern Arizona

Dwayne Aristode scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, Jaden Bradley added 13 points and No. 5 Arizona routed Northern Arizona 84-49 on Tuesday night. The Wildcats (3-0) were sloppy at times offensively, particularly early, but locked down the Lumberjacks (1-2) to win their 36th straight game in the series. Arizona held Northern Arizona to 32% shooting, including 4 of 16 from 3-point distance, and scored 25 points off the Lumberjacks' 17 turnovers.

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Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson misses game with hamstring injury

Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson sat out Tuesday night's 77-46 rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after hurting his hamstring in a shootaround earlier in the day, but coach Bill Self does not believe the injury will keep the potential NBA lottery pick out of the starting lineup for long. The No. 25 Jayhawks, who were coming off a loss at North Carolina, rolled even without Peterson, who many considered the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school. “I actually told the guys, ‘I’m excited to watch you play because (Peterson) is not going to be there,'” Self said.

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No. 18 Tar Heels adapt to Trimble-less lineup in win against Radford

North Carolina had almost no time to bask in the glow of last week's rousing win against fellow blueblood Kansas before taking a shot to the gut, coming in the form of senior Seth Trimble suffering a broken arm in a workout mishap. “This lineup change, it just happened a couple of days ago,” coach Hubert Davis said. It will take some time to adjust without Trimble, both from an experience standpoint with the 6-foot-3 guard in his fourth year with the program and the fact that he's the team's top perimeter defender.

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Nets drop third straight after 119-109 loss to Raptors

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 25 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 119-109 on Tuesday night.

Immanuel Quickley had 24 points for Toronto, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jakob Poetl had 12 points and 10 boards.

The Raptors won for the fifth time in six games. They shot 49.5 percent (45 for 91) from the field and outrebounded the Nets 50-36.

Nic Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. each had 21 points for Brooklyn, losers of 10 of its first 11 games to start the season. The Nets are winless in six games at home.

Playing its third game of a five-game trip, Toronto led 60-52 at halftime and increased its lead to 14 points early in the third quarter.

Brooklyn closed to 83-81 late in the third, but Toronto responded with three consecutive baskets, including a buzzer-beating floater from Jamal Shead.

Quickley’s three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for the Raptors that made it 102-89 with 7:41 left.

Toronto has won in its last three visits to Barclays Center.

Up next

Raptors: Continue their trip at Cleveland on Thursday.

Nets: Visit Orlando on Friday.

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MLB GM Meetings: Market for closers expected to be hot. Meanwhile, Brewers could move ace Freddy Peralta

LAS VEGAS — The MLB offseason is in full swing and as Day 1 of the GM Meetings concluded, there is a big interest in this year’s reliever market that features some of the biggest names in baseball. 

The reliever market always moves quickly and this year should be no different, especially with a full caliber of players available. This year’s free-agent reliever class is highlighted by Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams, Pete Fairbanks and Robert Suarez at the top of the market.  Industry sources believe the market for the group will also be competitive.

Teams that have serious needs for high-leverage arms include the New YorkYankees, New YorkMets, ChicagoCubs, Los AngelesDodgers, BostonRed Sox, San DiegoPadres and Toronto Blue Jays. 

Díaz had the best year of the group with a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves. Unlike the other three relievers, he is the only player who has a qualifying offer. So if another team ultimately signs the three-time All-Star, it would have to forfeit a draft pick and the Mets would receive draft-pick compensation. 

Suarez became a free agent for the first time after opting out of the remaining two years and $16 million of his deal with the Padres. The right-hander went 4-6 with a 2.97 ERA and a NL-leading 40 saves. His 76 saves since 2024 are the most in MLB in that span. 

Williams, 31, had the most interesting season of the group, spending his final season prior to free agency with the Yankees. While the overall numbers don’t stand out as the right-hander pitched to a 4.79 ERA in 67 appearances in 2025, underlying numbers tell a different story that could soften the fact that he lost his closer role in the Bronx in late April. Williams owned a 2.68 FIP in 2025 and an eye-popping 0.36 FIP over the final six weeks of the season. 

Last but not least is Fairbanks, who might be one of the most consistent relievers in baseball over the past three seasons. The former Tampa closer has at least 23 saves each of the past three seasons and had a career-high 27 saves in 2025.

All eyes on Brewers as decision with trade-target Freddy Peralta looms

The clock has begun on the Milwaukee Brewers as several teams wait to see what the fate of ace Freddy Peralta will be. Peralta, 29, is entering his final year of club control prior to becoming a free agent next offseason and could be one the biggest names to be traded this winter. 

Sources tell Yahoo Sports that a trade for Peralta is “likely,” and unlike other names, like Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the right-hander is indeed a realistic candidate to be moved. 

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 09: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during Game Four of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Thursday, October 9, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Brewers ace Freddy Peralta could be on the move as he enters the final season of his deal in Milwaukee. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Mary DeCicco via Getty Images

“Clearly, there’s a lot of interest in Freddy,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Tuesday. “He means a lot to our group  but certainly a ton of interest there. And I've said before, we can never shut the door on anything with anybody in our market. We've had to make some very tough decisions over the years. … I mean, we want to try to compete next year, and I think he could be a really big part of that like he has for a long time.”

Peralta is coming off the best season of his career in 2025, with an NL-leading 17 wins and a career-best 2.70 ERA with 204 strikeouts in 33 starts. Milwaukee’s ace has a career 3.59 ERA in 162 starts over eight seasons with the Brewers. 

Nationals make another addition to new-look staff

The Washington Nationals have hired Simon Mathews to be their new pitching coach, the team announced Tuesday. Mathews, 30, has been with the Cincinnati Reds since 2021 and was serving as the team’s assistant pitching coach under Derek Johnson. Mathew’s hiring, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports, is unique as he becomes the youngest pitching coach in the big leagues. 

Nationals president Paul Toboni, 35, has been turning over Washington’s front office and coaching staff since he was hired in October and there has been a clear eye on youth. Toboni hired 33-year-old Blake Butera to be the team’s next manager, making him the youngest manager in MLB and the youngest in the last 50 years. 

While hiring youth has been the direction the Nationals have taken, Toboni says it’s not a requirement to be on Washington’s staff.  

“I thought about it a lot and one of the ways I think about it is, ‘Let's just evaluate this person. Completely remove age from the equation,” Toboni told Yahoo Sports after the announcement of Mathew’s hire. “Let's evaluate this person and evaluate on their merits and their knowledge, their intelligence and space and their leadership traits. Like, are they the best fit? 

“I almost think about it from a player perspective. Do we talk about the player’s ages at the basic level or do we just say, ‘Hey, can this guy play and produce or can he not play and produce?’ And so I view our staff in the same set of ways. Are these guys stud leaders? Are they going to do a really good job creating a culture that we want?”

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Knicks win fifth straight, stay unbeaten at home with 133-120 victory over Grizzlies

The Knicks led by 23 points at halftime, and as much by 28 points in the third quarter, holding on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 133-120, on Tuesday night.

New York has now won five straight games as the team improved to 7-0 at home to start the season. It's also the first time in franchise history they've scored 130-plus points in three straight contests.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Coming off a 40-point first quarter on Sunday against the Nets, the Knicks continued their stretch of fast starts against the Grizzlies. Memphis went up 5-0, but New York came storming back in what became a track meet at the Garden. OG Anunoby opened the scoring, and with Mitchell Robinson out, Landry Shamet stepped up with five of the team's first 11 points. Jalen Brunson then hit a three for his first points of the night and Ja Morant came right back with his first bucket on a floater.

Karl-Anthony Towns started to get going midway through the first quarter, blowing by Jock Landale for a two-handed slam to go up 18-15. Memphis continued to keep up, finding ways to score inside and tie the game at 30-30. 

-- Anunoby scored on a layup, Miles McBride came in and hit a three, and Anunoby got the crowd on their feet with a two-handed reverse dunk. The Knicks used that momentum and closed the quarter on a 12-0 run, as Josh Hart scored an and-one layup and Brunson hit a floater with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to put them up 42-30.

It's New York's second straight 40-point first quarter and seventh 40-point quarter of the season already.

-- The 12-0 run became a 19-0 run into the second quarter as Anunoby got another dunk, Towns scored quickly, and McBride made his second three-pointer. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Morant tried to stop the bleeding, but Towns made his first three-pointer to go up 52-35. Jordan Clarkson then heated up, scoring 10 straight of his own to pace the Knicks' second unit and build a 16-point lead, 63-47.

-- Memphis committed four turnovers in the first quarter, with three by Morant, and that trend became a real issue throughout the second. The Grizzlies turned it over eight more times in the second (12 total), allowing the Knicks to score in transition repeatedly (11 fast break points). Mikal Bridges' dunk put New York up 20 points with about a minute left in the first half, and then he connected with Hart for a three-pointer. Brunson hit a pull-up jumper with eight seconds left to make it a 77-54 game at the break.

New York won the second quarter, 35-24, as they shot 54.7 percent (29-for-53) from the field with 11 three-pointers (39.3 percent) in the first half. Brunson led the way for the starters with 14 points, while Towns and Bridges each had 10 points, Anunoby had nine, and Shamet had eight. Sandi Aldama was Memphis' leading scorer with 10 off the bench, with Jackson and Morant each scoring nine points.

-- Bridges scored on another Brunson assist, his ninth of the game already, to push the New York lead to 25 points with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter. Towns and Brunson hit back-to-back three pointers to keep the big lead, up 96-71 at the halfway mark, but the Grizzlies didn't give up. Vince Williams Jr. and Jaylen Wells each made three-pointers before Towns and Clarkson hit threes of their own, making it an 111-83 game.

Morant, Cam Spencer, and Williams made three straight threes to close the quarter for Memphis, but they allowed Bridges to hit a three with 13 seconds left to go up 114-93 at the end of the third quarter. Still, the Grizzlies won the third, 39-37.

-- The Grizzlies wouldn't go away and cut the Knicks' lead to 12 points on a Wells three-pointer, causing Mike Brown to call a timeout with 6:11 left in the game. The turnover problems resurfaced in the fourth as Williams threw the ball out of bounds, leading to a Brunson three on the other end to go up 129-116. It was Memphis' 22nd turnover of the game and New York's 33rd point off turnovers.

-- Towns scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes. Bridges had 22-7-4-4, while Anunoby put up 16 points on a tough shooting night (7 of 17, 1-for-10 from three). Morant finished with 16 points, 10 assists, and eight turnovers in the loss. Jackson and Aldama each scored 19 points, plus Wells had 18 points.

New York attempted a team record 55 three-pointers, making 22 of them. The franchise record for three-point makes in a game is 24 (Oct. 22, 2021 vs. Magic).

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

Brunson finished with 32 points, including 6 of 9 from three, with 10 assists and five rebounds. He was a plus-20 in his 35 minutes.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks will stay at home for a back-to-back on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic at 7:00 p.m.