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Takeaways: Penguins Fall Flat In 3-2 Loss To Jets

After a roaring 2-0 start to the season that featured 13 goals scored, the Pittsburgh Penguins were probably due for a bit of a regression.

And that happened in the third game of the young season on Monday.

The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Penguins, 3-2, in what was a flat, sluggish effort for the home team in black and gold. Ben Kindel and Declan Carlile each recorded their second goals of the season, but it wasn't enough to stop a third-period push by Winnipeg or enough to overcome their sloppy play in all three zones.

Rookie Sergei Murashov was in goal for the first time this season, and he was largely outstanding and kept the game close, stopping 30 of 33 Jets' shots. 

"I thought he played well," head coach Dan Muse said. "You look at that first period, especially in the last five to seven minutes, some of the saves that he made. I thought that we were not on point, and he made some huge saves to kind of weather some storms there.

"So, that’s [all] you can ask for."

A no-score stalemate carried into the second period, as both teams had a hard time generating anything and getting any sort of sustained pressure. Finally, Kindel broke through midway through the middle frame when he deflected a high shot by Carlile into the back of the net. It was ruled no-goal on the ice due to a high stick but was overturned on an official review afterward.

Then, the third period happened - as did several defensive breakdowns. Erik Karlsson lost possession of the puck at the net-front, and it trickled right to a completely uncovered Alex Iafallo on Murashov's left, who buried it to tie the game. A few minutes later, Adam Lowry capitalized after beating Sam Girard to a loose puck in the crease to give the Jets the lead.

Carlile tied the game back up shortly after. Ville Koivunen - back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Saturday - worked hard to win a puck battle and keep possession in the offensive zone, and he fed Kindel below the goal line, who already knew he was going to throw the puck to Carlile in the slot immediately. 

But that lead didn't last long at all. Nine seconds later, Cole Perfetti one-timed a perfect pass by Josh Morrissey off the rush, and the Jets came away with the 3-2 win.

It was ugly. It was sloppy. But it was also only game three.

As philosopher - er, netminder - Murashov says:

"You can think a lot, but there is a saying in Russian: 'Morning is wiser than evening.' So, just take a good sleep, rest, and calmly think about that tomorrow, so we can get better from this game. There is always something good, and there is always something to improve."

Here are a few takeaways from this one:

-  To be clear, Murashov is not going to be a perfect goaltender this season, as wise as he is for a 22-year-old. He's a rookie, and there are games where he's going to be off the mark. That's going to happen to any goaltender in the league, young or old, on occasion.

But, man, the talent is so clear. 

The Penguins had a 10-4 shot advantage midway through the first period, and the Jets really turned it on in the back half, ending the opening frame with 12 shots to Pittsburgh's 11. Murashov had to make several grade-A stops in that timeframe, with his most impressive, perhaps, being one that came as a result of his own mishap.

Murashov loves to play the puck. Sometimes, to a fault. He went to play the puck in the low slot with a lot of bodies coming into the attacking zone and in the vicinity, and he gave the puck away to a Jet at the blue line. Somehow, he scooted back and went full butterfly for an stop to his left on a one-timer, and he made it look effortless.

That's not a save most goaltenders make. I have no clue how he was able to stay graceful enough to scramble back that smoothly or how he was quick enough to get back and make that save.

Maybe he could have saved Perfetti's goal. But, at the end of the day, the Penguins were in this game because of the rookie, who is still adjusting to NHL speed after a phenomenal AHL playoff run.

Well, maybe not, actually.

"Puck's the same size, net's the same size, and we're playing five-on-five," Murashov said. "So, [it's] basically same thing I got to do. But we have great coaches who help a lot with adjustment. It all starts from preparation, from summer, from training camp. When you're practicing on this speed or even higher speed, and even in harder situations, you embrace it, and then you just go and play.

Another phrase which our psychologist gave to me is, "Train hard, fight easy." So that's the approach to be ready for the NHL."

This kid is special. Expect some growing pains, but there's something there.

Penguins Forward Prospect Off To Roaring Start This SeasonPenguins Forward Prospect Off To Roaring Start This SeasonPittsburgh Penguins prospect Carter Sanderson is lighting up the WHL to start the season.

- This was a really sluggish, flat start for the Penguins. They may have reached a double-digit shot total in the first period, but it didn't feel like it. They had a hard time getting sustained zone time, many chances were one-off, and none were particularly dangerous looks.

They also had far too many turnovers - a few by Erik Karlsson and one egregious one by Connor Dewar - and made Murashov work way too hard.

It took them a while to get find their footing in the middle frame, too, but they were at least able to start generating more offense. Still too many good looks for Winnipeg, but a much better job as the game went on. 

Once again, though, it's going to take some time for everyone to mesh. There are plenty of new faces on this team, and it's not going to be smooth-sailing every night, especially in the earlygoing. 

- This sentiment has been making some rounds, and I felt this game was an appropriate time to chime in on the Dewar discourse. 

To be honest, I was a bit surprised when he was extended this summer. It's not as if he's a bad player. Dewar, 27, had a really solid season for the Penguins in 2025-26 - recording 14 goals and 30 points in 78 games to go along with an impressive plus-16 last season, the last number being rare for a fourth-liner - and he and Lizotte have good chemistry on that fourth line. He kills penalties, and he's a key energy guy. 

But for those who are worried about the Bryan Rusts, the Rickard Rakells, and the Evgeni Malkins blocking younger players from the lineup, the guys like Dewar are the central culprits. Dewar played well enough to earn a contract this summer, but at the end of the day, he's a replaceable bottom-six player. 

I have a feeling that we're going to see a large rotation of sorts in the bottom-six to begin the season, with many different players - Dewar included - in and out of the lineup. But, if we're going based on training camp and the three-game sample size up to this point, I think all of Filip Hallander, Ville Koivunen, and Elmer Soderblom have been better. 

We'll see how things shake out. But I think both Hallander and Koivunen deserve to remain in the lineup right now. In any case, this "rotation" is probably serving as a tryout of sorts to see who separates himself and earns full-time minutes over the others.  

Does Red Wings' Young Defenseman Make Sense For Penguins?Does Red Wings' Young Defenseman Make Sense For Penguins?The Pittsburgh Penguins want to be harder to play against defensively - and the Detroit Red Wings may have a perfect trade target.

- As I said after the last game, I think all the new Penguins' defensemen have done some good things through three games. Trevor van Riemsdyk is good in front of his own net and makes some high-level stick plays. Kaedan Korczak has been good in his own zone, by and large, and is a shot-blocking machine. 

However, I have been most impressed by Carlile. He blocked three shots against the Jets. He scored his second goal of the season to seal career-highs in goals (2) and points (4). He is good in the neutral zone and is more fleet of foot than I thought. 

Karlsson was a bit of a mess tonight, but Carlile - his partner - managed to hold it together. This could be a Parker Wotherspoon situation again, although Carlile appears to have more offensive upside.

- Speaking of Karlsson, his "bad games" are fewer and farther between these days.

But, when they're bad, they're bad.

This was the worst game I've seen him play in a while, and Sidney Crosby was the same way. Crosby had four giveaways, and his passing was a bit off. Karlsson straight-up passed the puck to Jets on a few occasions and also misplayed the puck on Iafallo's goal. 

When Crosby is off, the Penguins can typically find ways around that. When Karlsson is off, though, the whole team seems to be off. 

This might be what folks call a "hot take," but right now, Karlsson is the single-most important player on this team. The game goes as he goes, the team plays as he does, and the season is most dependent on his performance and health.

Hopefully, he has a short memory with this one. 

- Wednesday, the Penguins will face the Washington Capitals for the first time this season. Alex Ovechkin announced Monday that this will be his final season in the NHL. 

Crosby and Evgeni Malkin already spoke on Ovechkin Monday, and folks kind of did the whole runaround with Ovechkin last season. This time, though, there is actually some finality.

It will be weird seeing this rivalry actually come to a close, but it will be must-watch TV.

Crosby, Malkin React To Ovechkin Retirement NewsCrosby, Malkin React To Ovechkin Retirement NewsSidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin discussed Alex Ovechkin's retirement on Monday.

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Disastrous defense sinks Yankees in ALDS Game 2 loss to Rays

For the second time in three years, the Yankees had a disastrous defensive game in the postseason and it cost them again, this time in a 5-2 loss to the Rays Monday night in Game 2 of the AL Division Series.

The Yanks made four errors in the loss, leading to three unearned runs, and they now teeter on the brink of elimination, down two games to none in the best-of-five series. Game 3 is set for Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Two years ago, the Yankee defense collapsed in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers and they were eliminated. But even that game only featured three Yankee errors – in the box score, anyway. 

Monday’s debacle was only the fifth time the Yankees have made four errors in a single postseason game. The last time was in the 2019 ALCS against the Astros. 

The Yankees have scored only twice so far in the series, on two solo home runs by Ben Rice Monday night. No Aaron Judge, who is out with a calf injury, certainly doesn’t help.

Here are the main takeaways...

-- Yankee starter Cam Schlittler was not nearly as brilliant as he’s been in his previous postseason outings. He lasted just 4.1 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (only two earned). He struck out just two and didn’t have a strikeout until the fourth inning and got only seven swings-and-misses. He also walked one. His career postseason ERA rose from 0.87 to 1.44. 

-- The Yankees defensive implosion started in the very first inning and set a dubious club record for errors in a single postseason frame – three. The Yankees had never had three errors in one October inning and this is the 61st postseason appearance in the Yankees’ existence. The Yanks last committed three errors in an inning in any game on Aug. 21, 2025 against the Red Sox. The last time it happened in any postseason game was Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS when the Rangers did it in a loss to the Blue Jays. 

-- Ryan McMahon, who has a fine defensive reputation, though he has not had his best season with the glove, made the first miscue when the leadoff hitter, Yandy Díaz, hit a topspin bouncer to him that McMahon muffed. Jonathan Aranda followed with a single and then Junior Caminero hit what could’ve been a double-play grounder to short. George Lombard Jr. made a not-that-graceful flip to the bag and Jazz Chisholm Jr. grabbed it and threw wildly to first. Díaz scored and Caminero went to second. 

Then it seemed like Schlittler had Hicks struck out, but, upon replay review, Austin Wells was called for catcher’s interference – his mitt was clearly in the path of Hicks’ bat. That was the third error of the inning. They nearly had a fourth – Chisholm fielded Simpson’s grounder but threw high to second base, pulling Lombard off the bag. But Lombard got back in time for a force out. Schlittler got a grounder from Victor Mesa to mercifully end the inning. The Yankees only allowed one run, but all the gaffes forced Schlittler to endure some tense moments and extra pitches.

-- The Rays scored four runs in the fifth inning and knocked out Schlittler. They got some weak contact and used their speed to exploit it. Poor Yankee defense helped, too. Aranda started the inning with a single and Caminero followed with a ringing double. With the infield mostly in – Chisholm was further back than the rest of the infielders – Liam Hicks hit a grounder that was slow enough to allow Aranda to score. 

Chandler Simpson later hit a soft grounder to short that Lombard couldn’t backhand and another run scored. The scoring on that play was changed several times, but it was ultimately scored a fielder's choice. But Lombard then made a throwing error to further prolong the inning and Richie Palacios added a single after an eight-pitch bout with reliever Brent Headrick that scored two more runs. 

-- The Yanks went nine up, nine down the first time through their batting order as Rays starter Freddy Peralta looked sharp. But Rice tied the score at 1 with a 372-foot drive over the right-field fence. Rice connected on the fourth of four consecutive changeups from Peralta. Rice also homered in the eighth inning, giving him four home runs in four games this postseason.

-- In the fifth, the Yanks had a big chance with two outs, but could not cash in. Wells lashed a double into the right-field corner that looked a lot like the ball he hit in Game 1 and got thrown out trying to stretch into a triple. He wisely stopped at second this time. McMahon then worked a walk in a tough, seven-pitch at-bat. He was the last batter that Peralta faced. He came out with Rice coming up to the plate. 

Rice worked another walk against southpaw Cam Booser, which brought up Cody Bellinger, who was 11th in MLB this season with a .340 average with runners in scoring position. Bellinger hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in center that held some hope, but it was caught. 

-- Peralta, the former Met who got his pitching together in Tampa Bay, lasted 4.2 innings and allowed one run and three hits. He struck out three and walked one. The outing lowered his career postseason ERA from 4.32 to 4.03. 

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees return home to New York with Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rays on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.

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Macklin Celebrini injury update as Sharks star misses game vs. Stars

San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini was a late scratch Monday, Oct. 5 because of a lower-body injury.

Celerbrini took part in warmups before the game against the Dallas Stars, but the team announced before puck drop that he wouldn't be playing. Alex Wennberg took his spot on the top line.

The Sharks fell 5-0 to the Stars, their first loss of the season. They had won their first two games with Celebrini picking up five assists.

Celebrini broke Joe Thornton's team single-season scoring record last season with 115 points. He received an eight-year extension in the offseason that made him, at the time, the NHL's highest-paid player with an $18.8 million cap hit.

The Sharks also named Celebrini, 20, the youngest captain in franchise story.

Macklin Celebrini injury update

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky didn't have an update on Celebrini after the game.

"We will evaluate tonight and tomorrow and see where he's at," Warsofky said, per the Bay Area News Group. "He's still being evaluated. He's in the building, so he's with the team."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macklin Celebrini injury update as Sharks star misses game vs. Stars

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ALDS Game 2: Rays 5, Ben Rice 2

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 05: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays is congratulated by Victor Mesa Jr. #25 after scoring a run during Game Two of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, October 5, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

How important is the second game in a five-game series? Sarah Langs from MLB.com reminds us that winning the first two games of a five-game series is a significant leg up:

New York apparently did not get the memo the way they booted and threw the ball around for several innings in this contest. The bottom of the first inning saw three errors made on the infield with Ryan McMahon booting a routine hopper from Yandy Diaz to lead off the game followed shortly by a throwning error by Jazz Chisholm Jr and one more still when Austin Wells interfered with a swing by Liam Hicks. Despite the extra outs and the traffic on the bases, the sole run came on the errant throw allowing Diaz to score:

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The second and third inning for the Rays was more traffic on the bases, but Cam Schlittler once again buckled down and stranded everyone. Through those first three innings, the Rays were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in this game and 0 for 13 in the series. Ben Rice made the Rays regret the lack of production with a homer to lead off 4th inning on a poorly located changeup:

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That home was quickly followed up by a line drive single by Cody Bellinger just past a diving Taylor Walls, but Peralta buckled down to strand him getting Spencer Jones (more on him shortly) and inducing an infield flyout to George Lombard Jr. The Rays went down somewhat quietly in the 4th with both Palacios and Walls striking out before Yandy Diaz scalded a baseball to the right center gap that Trent Grisham gracefully ran down. That batted ball was 103 off the bat with a .540 expected batting average, but more importantly, it was the loud contact that had mostly been absent in this contest the first two times through the batting order.

The fifth inning was the key moment of this contest, for both teams. In the top of the fifth, the Yankees mounted a two-out rally when Austin Wells hit nearly the same type of ball he did in Game 1, but did not have the same delusions of grandeur. That double was followed by walks to Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice before Cody Bellinger came very close to a grand slam. His 405-foot flyball would have been a home run in 12 parks, but Tropicana Field was just big enough to hold it in:

The Yankees would need about five minutes to regret how the top of that inning played out. The inning would begin with Aranda singling on a ball hit 109.1 MPH with a .650 expected batting average, but also looked very catchable in the moment by Spencer Jones. As it turns out, the data agreed as Jones had a terrible jump on the ball and let it play him rather than making the aggressive play like we saw Chandler Simpson do in his moment of game 1:

That hard hit was followed by a harder 112.4 MPH double to the right-center gap by Junior Caminero giving the Rays three consecutive 100+ batted ball events off Schlittler, but it would be the softest hit of the night that would drive in the first run of the inning. Liam Hicks would get absolutely tied up by a cutter, but the 55.1 MPH ground ball to second was perfect for the contact play with Aranda running because Chisholm Jr was the only infielder not up on the infield seam:

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That event was followed by a fielder’s choice contact play by Simpson driving in Caminero. That would chase a frustrated Schlittler for the evening birnging in Brent Hendrick to strike out Victor Mesa Jr before the fourth error of the game by the Yankees extended the inning allowing the Rays to plate two more runners after both Simpson and DeLuca stole second base around the Mesa Jr strikeout on a Richie Palacios single that came after him swinging at ball 4 in a 3-0 count:

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That would be the last hit with a runner in scoring position on the evening as the only other run in the contest would come on Ben Rice’s second solo home run of the evening.

Kevin Cash employed four pitchers on the evening: Freddy Peralta, Cam Booser, Ian Seymour, and Bryan Baker and it could be said Seymour was the best one of the evening. Peralta fought through 4.2 innings of work despite not having his best changeup. Peralta had 12 whiffs on the evening, but just three of those came off his changeup. Cash made the decision to pull Peralta at 66 pitches rather than allow him to face Rice a third time. Booser ended up walking Rice before getting the close-call from Bellinger before giving way to Seymour. The starter turne reliever worked three innings striking out 4, walking none, and the second Rice solo shot was the only blemish and baserunner of the appearance. Baker then came in for the 9th to secure the save with a 1-2-3 appearance.

Cam Schlitter came into this game talking about how games at Tropicana Field feeling like a home game because theRays don’t have a strong home atmosphere. For one inning, Schlitter’s statements were validated as that top of the 5th was quite loud on the broadcast but the air fell out of the visiting fans just as Bellinger’s flyball fell short of the wall. Aaron Boone needed to use five relievers behind Schlitter, whose defense did him no favors asking the young pitcher to throw more stressful pitches earlier than he or the pundits expected before the contest. Yankee fans have the thousand yard stare wondering how their road field advantage slipped through their fingers heading back to The Bronx with as many runs as they have losses to show for their efforts in Tropicana Field in this series.

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Yankees’ disastrous defense pushes season to brink with ALDS Game 2 loss to Rays

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is safe at second on a throwing error by New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. allowing a run to score in the first inning during Game 2 of the ALDS at Tropicana Field, Monday, October 5, 2026, Image 2 shows New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone takes the ball from pitcher Cam Schlittler as catcher Jose Trevino looks on during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays
Yankees lose to Rays in Game 2 of ALDS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, you now have company. 

The stakes were not quite as high Monday, but the Yankees turned in an even bigger defensive abomination to put themselves in a 2-0 hole in the ALDS. 

Three errors in the first inning somehow did not kill them, but it did set the tone for the night before another error in the fifth helped provide the dagger, sinking the Yankees in an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS witnessed by a raucous sellout crowd of 40,226 at Tropicana Field. 

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“Obviously, tonight was just not good enough for us and certainly not good enough to beat that club,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to get over it, and playing for our lives [Wednesday] night.” 

The Yankees flew home licking their wounds with their season on life support, needing to clean up their act behind Max Fried in Game 3 and Carlos Rodón if they can get to Game 4 to have any chance of returning to Tropicana Field. Of course, they will also have to find a way to score runs, which they have only done twice in 18 innings of this best-of-five series — on a pair of solo shots from Ben Rice on Monday after suffering a one-hit shutout in Game 1. 

In a recurring theme of too many postseasons past, the Yankees melted from the Rays’ ability to put the ball in play and wreak havoc, even with Cam Schlittler on the mound, resulting in four errors — one shy of their franchise record for a single postseason game. 

“It didn’t seem like we really showed up today,” Schlittler said. “That’s what happens.” 

After Schlittler had been dominant against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the wild-card series, racking up a career-high 24 whiffs and 10 strikeouts across 6 ¹/₃ shutout innings, he generated just seven whiffs and tied a career low with two strikeouts across 4 ¹/₃ innings. He gave up four runs, only two of which were earned, but the damage was done nonetheless. 

Of course, Schlittler was the reason the Yankees survived a three-error bottom of the first — a new franchise record for the most in one inning of a playoff game — before Rice homered off Freddy Peralta in the fourth inning to give the Yankees their first signs of offensive life in the series. But after they left the bases loaded in the top of the fifth — Cody Bellinger’s fly ball to center landed a few feet short of a grand slam — they lost the game in the bottom of the frame. 

The Rays put runners on second and third for Liam Hicks, with the Yankees playing in on the turf except for Jazz Chisholm Jr., who said he was told to be a few steps onto the dirt at second base because Hicks typically pulls the ball hard that way. Instead, the catcher hit a weak tapper to Chisholm, who looked at home before taking the out at first as the Rays went up 2-1. 

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is safe at second on a throwing error by New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. allowing a run to score in the first inning during Game 2 of the ALDS at Tropicana Field, Monday, October 5, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg for New York Post

The infield was in again when the speedy Chandler Simpson hit a chopper to shortstop, where George Lombard Jr. tried to backhand it and come home, except the ball got past him, allowing another run to score. 

“Against a good team like that, you can’t afford to make as many mistakes as we did,” Lombard said. 

That led Boone to pull Schlittler, who looked stunned, for Brent Headrick, who got a strikeout before generating a ground ball to shortstop that Lombard fielded and fired slightly off-target to first, where Luis García Jr. dropped it, putting runners on the corners. 

New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) reacts as he walks back to the dugout after ending the first inning of Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, Monday, October 5, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg for New York Post
Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. (96) reacts after striking out to end the sixth inning during Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg for New York Post

Brooklyn’s Richie Palacios came up next and delivered the big swing, a two-run single to center field that put the Rays ahead 5-1. 

“I feel like we beat ourselves today, in a lot of ways,” Chisholm said. 

The Yankees played a bottom of the first that was just about disastrous as it could possibly be, except by some miracle, Schlittler made sure it only resulted in a 1-0 deficit. 

It began with third baseman Ryan McMahon — in the lineup because Boone said he wanted to “prioritize the defense” — whiffing on Yandy Díaz’s chopper to lead off the frame. Then with runners on first and second, Junior Caminero hit a grounder up the middle that Lombard ranged to and flipped to second base for the out. But Chisholm tried an off-balance, ill-advised throw to first for the double play, which instead bounced past the bag, allowing Díaz to score for the 1-0 lead. 

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda (8) hits a single and slides to the base during the first inning against the New York Yankees in game two of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Honestly, I’d probably still throw it [if I could do it again], in the play that was trying to be made,” Chisholm said. “I feel like I could have tried to make an even better throw. I’d try to throw it a little closer to the base. My back was turned, so.” 

The third error was a catcher’s interference by Austin Wells, wiping out a strikeout, and Chisholm also had a high throw to second base that Lombard saved him on but wiped out a potential inning-ending double play. 

“These guys worked their asses off all year to get to a position like today.” Schlittler said. “We expect a lot out of each other. It’s been great all year, but we just didn’t play our brand of baseball.”

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Sixers Bell Ringer: Jaylen Brown begins preseason scorching

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 5: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on October 5, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The wait has concluded, and the new-look Sixers look as strong as imagined through the first preseason game.

They defeated the Knicks 120-97 without the services of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and, oh yeah, LeBron James.

It was a good test for Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe, who showcased the ability to hold their own without a full rotation. It was even an impressive night for the end-of-rotation guys like Jabari Walker, Caleb Love, Saint Thomas and Dillon Jones.

Call it a hangover or not, but the Sixers looked a step above the reigning champions.

The only negative of the night was an early injury to backup center Ariel Hukporti in the first quarter. Nick Nurse said postgame Hukporti would have imagining done on his right Achilles on Tuesday.

Now to Bell Ringer.

Jaylen Brown:22 points, 8-of-13 FG, 3-of-5 3PT, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block

The Jaylen Brown revenge tour is apparently not waiting until the regular season begins. He put up 22 points in 17 minutes against the Knicks and was effective from all over the floor.

While the Sixers were absent Embiid, Maxey and James for the preseason opener, Brown flashed his volume scoring. He came out the gates firing from midrange and the low post to establish a rhythm, and ended up accounting for nine of the first 13 Sixers points.

He got it going from three, including a straightaway pull-up jumper and fadeaway corner three in the second quarter. He had a block on Mohamed Diawara just following the fadeaway, showcasing his two-way ability early in his first Sixers campaign.

If anything, Brown’s performance displays the luxury Philadelphia has in scoring power. Three of the four main offensive engines were out, and they did not skip a beat against strong wing defenders on New York.

VJ Edgecombe:12 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4-of-5 FT

Edgecombe made his presence felt mostly in the paint, as his drives look as explosive as ever. He did not let a poor shooting night deter him from attacking the paint when given the oppurtunity, and was rewarded with a handful of free throws.

Edgecombe’s playmaking was on full display. He found Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for an easy look in transition and a beautiful dime to Dillon Jones late in the second quarter. Then, to finish the half, Edgecombe spun out of a double team on a drive, and found Caleb Love on the wing for the buzzer-beating triple before the break, giving the Sixers a 72-58 advantage.

Jabari Walker: 11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

Walker has made things interesting at the bottom of the rotation after his strong performance against New York. He was the best rebounder for the Sixers and was being a pest on the other end, doing the best he could against taller matchups like Karl Anthony-Towns or Diawara.

He finished 3-of-5 from three, joining Brown and Love as the only Sixers to make three from deep. He had a nice block on Pacôme Dadiet near the end of the first half. Walker took advantage of Dominick Barlow’s absence.

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Jake Oettinger posts a shutout as the Stars beat the Sharks 5-0

DALLAS (AP) — Jake Oettinger stopped 14 shots and earned his 17th career shutout as the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Monday night for their first victory of the season.

The Sharks were without star center Macklin Celebrini, who was scratched a few minutes before the start of the game due to a lower-body injury.

Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist, and Miro Heiskanen, Joel Kiviranta, Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Dallas.

Heiskanen’s goal on a backhand shot with 1:09 left in the first period proved to be the winner.

Yaroslav Askarov had 21 saves for the Sharks.

Celebrini, who was recently named San Jose’s captain, took part in warmups but left the ice earlier than usual.

Former Stars forward Ty Dellandrea made his season debut in place of Celebrini, the 20-year-old face of the franchise who assisted on Igor Chernyshov’s overtime goal Saturday that made San Jose 2-0.

Celebrini over the summer signed a five-year, $94 million extension.

LIGHTNING 4, FLYERS 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pontus Holmberg and Ilya Mikheyev each had a goal and assist, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 13 shots to move into a tie for 20th place on the NHL career wins list, and Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia.

Vasilevskiy’s 372nd victory moved him into a tie with Andy Moog. Vasilevskiy needs two more wins to tie John Vanbiesbrouck for 19th place.

Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning, who have won two games since an opening-night loss to the New York Rangers.

Tyson Foerster scored for Philadelphia and Dan Vladar finished with 32 saves.

The Flyers are winless (0-2-2) through four games to start the season for the first time since 2013-14. Philadelphia has been held to two or fewer goals in all four games.

Point scored his first goal of the season with a deflection off a wrist shot from John Carlson at 16:05 of the first period. Holmberg scored 17 seconds into the second period off the rush for a 2-0 lead.

Foerster wheeled a shot from the top of the left circle that hit Tampa Bay defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous in front of the net to bring Philadelphia with one at 7:22.

Mikheyev made it 3-1 with a wraparound with three minutes to play. Hagel added an empty-netter.

Nikita Kucherov picked up two assists and now has 1,128 career points to move past Mike Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk for 67th place.

SENATORS 4, BRUINS 1

BOSTON (AP) — Tim Stutzle had two goals and an assist and goalies Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson combined to stop 18 of 19 shots as Ottawa defeated Boston.

Stutzle’s multi-point game moved him into sole possession of sixth place for most points in Ottawa history with 413.

Ullmark started in goal for Ottawa, but wasn’t on the ice at the start of the third period. The onetime Bruin netminder, who stopped all 10 shots he faced in the first two periods, was on the bench five minutes into the final period. Ersson made eight saves in the final period for the Senators.

Ottawa’s Michael Amadio had a goal and assist, and Drake Batherson also scored.

Boston rookie James Hagan spoiled Ottawa’s shutout bid with a goal in the third period. Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves for the Bruins, who have lost two straight after opening the season with two wins.

Boston was outshot 24-19 and failed to score on four power plays.

JETS 3, PENGUINS 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Iafallo had a goal and an assist, Clay Stevenson made 29 saves, and Winnipeg beat Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh’s Declan Carlile scored 8:53 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2, but Cole Perfetti scored the winner on a wrist shot just nine seconds later, assisted by Josh Morrissey, to put the Jets ahead to stay.

Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who have won two in a row after losing their season opener.

Benjamin Kindel also scored for the Penguins and Carlile added an assist. Sergei Murashov made 30 saves for the Penguins.

The Jets outhit the Penguins by 12, 23 to 11.

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White Sox surge past Guardians 4-3 to take 2-0 lead in ALDS and move within 1 win of ALCS

CLEVELAND — The White Sox are returning to Chicago one win from advancing to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 21 years.

Braden Montgomery lined a two-run double down the right-field line in the sixth inning for the go-ahead runs and Sean Burke allowed one hit in 5 1/3 innings of impressive relief as the White Sox rallied past the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 on Monday to take a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.

Game 3 is Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, where the White Sox have two chances to do something they haven’t done since 1906 — clinch a postseason series at home.

“They’ve been waiting 120 years, so maybe we can do it this year,” said Grant Taylor, who worked 1 1/3 innings and allowed one hit as he got his second straight save. “I think it’s going to be unbelievable. Those fans deserve it. They’ve been with us for three years of 100 losses and they’ve been with us a good bit this year giving us a lot of support as we’ve gone through this. So being able to give them a postseason game is going to be pretty special.”

The surprising White Sox improved to 4-0 in these playoffs — all on the road — and are one win from reaching the ALCS for the first time since winning the World Series in 2005. Chicago became the first team to reach the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons, including a post-1900 record 121 defeats in 2024.

“Our club has been confident the entire year, regardless of the previous result,” manager Will Venable said. “They come in ready to play and turn the page. Now, we’re really excited to get playoff baseball to our fans.”

Munetaka Murakami hit an RBI single in the fourth to get Chicago within 2-1. Chase Meidroth added an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-2.

Jo Adell hit an RBI triple in the eighth and Chase DeLauter had two hits for the Guardians.

Gavin Williams struck out 11, tied for second-most by a Cleveland pitcher in a postseason game. But the offense failed to produce for the second straight game.

“We have had two-game stretches like this all year and we come right back. I’ve got a lot of faith in this offense. I have a lot of faith in this team,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. Like I said, this team plays its best with its back against the wall.”

3-run sixth propels the White Sox

The White Sox went ahead with a three-run sixth.

Miguel Vargas led off with a base hit to chase Williams and advanced to second on a groundout. Randal Grichuk drew a walk before a wild pitch by losing pitcher Erik Sabrowski with Tommy Pham at the plate advanced the runners to second and third. Pham flied out to shallow left before Montgomery jumped on a first-pitch fastball to drive in the go-ahead runs.

Montgomery celebrated at second base before scoring on Meidroth’s single to right.

“I was just ready for something to attack, and I was ready for his hardest stuff. I gave myself my best chance to succeed,” Montgomery said. “I can’t even describe how it felt. It’s exhilarating. I was just taking it all in.”

Burke silences Cleveland’s bats

Burke came on with one out in the third. After Travis Bazzana walked with one out in the fourth, the right-hander retired 13 straight batters until DeLauter got a base hit to end Burke’s night.

Burke struck out six and threw 83 pitches, including 53 strikes, to earn the win.

“I was able to settle in and find my groove,” Burke said. “I’ve had openers before, but not in this situation, so I talked with a lot of guys. It’s just normal baseball when you get into that game.”

Taylor entered and allowed an RBI triple to Adell before Nathaniel Lowe flied out to end the eighth.

Guardians get on the board quickly

After getting shut out Saturday, the Guardians struck quickly with a pair of runs in the first.

Steven Kwan led off with a single and José Ramírez walked before Chase DeLauter’s grounder off opener Anthony Kay moved the runners to second and third. Sean Newcomb came on and intentionally walked Adell to load the bases. Lowe hit a high chopper to drive in Kwan, but Newcomb threw it wide of the bag at first, allowing Ramírez to score on the error.

It marked the first time in four games this postseason the White Sox were behind.

Kay faced three batters and threw 17 pitches, including eight strikes.

Williams strong early

Williams didn’t allow a hit until Kyle Teel led off the fourth with a single.

The right-hander allowed two runs and four hits in five-plus innings. He had eight strikeouts in the first three innings and became the first Cleveland pitcher to strike out five straight in a postseason game.

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Oettinger earns 17th career shutout as Stars beat Sharks 5-0; San Jose's Celebrini scratched

DALLAS (AP) — Jake Oettinger stopped the 14 shots and earned his 17th career shutout as the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Monday night for their first victory of the season.

The Sharks were without star center Macklin Celebrini, who was scratched a few minutes before the start of the game due to a lower-body injury.

Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist, and Miro Heiskanen, Joel Kiviranta, Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Dallas.

Heiskanen's goal on a backhand shot with 1:09 left in the first period proved to be the winner.

Yaroslav Askarov had 21 saves for the Sharks.

Celebrini, who was recently named San Jose's captain, took part in warmups but left the ice earlier than usual.

Former Stars forward Ty Dellandrea made his season debut in place of Celebrini, the 20-year-old face of the franchise who assisted on Igor Chernyshov’s overtime goal Saturday that made San Jose 2-0.

Celebrini over the summer signed a five-year, $94 million extension.

Up next

Sharks: At the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

Stars: At the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Jets edge Penguins 3-2 as Cole Perfetti scores 9 seconds after tying goal

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Iafallo had a goal and an assist, Clay Stevenson made 29 saves, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Monday night.

Pittsburgh's Declan Carlile scored 8:53 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2, but Cole Perfetti scored the winner on a wrist shot just nine seconds later, assisted by Josh Morrissey, to put the Jets ahead to stay.

Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who have won two in a row after losing their season opener.

Benjamin Kindel also scored for the Penguins and Carlile added an assist. Sergei Murashov made 30 saves for the Penguins.

The Jets outhit the Penguins by 12, 23 to 11.

Up next

Jets: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

Penguins: Visit the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Up next

Jets: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

Penguins: At the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Padres deny Mason Miller pitch-tipping speculation

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Craig Stammen wearing San Diego Padres gear and sunglasses, Image 2 shows A San Diego Padres baseball player looks disappointed with his hand on his forehead, Image 3 shows Milwaukee Brewers players celebrate wildly on the field after a victory against the San Diego Padres

After it was all said and done, following the San Diego Padres’ questionable decision to have Mason Miller come out and pitch in the eighth and ninth innings, speculation arose that he was tipping his pitches.

For the Padres, who find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Craig Stammen begs to differ over his two-time All-Star closing pitcher being predictable.

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen doesn’t believe Mason Miller was tipping pitches during his outing. AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Before the Padres were set to begin a team workout at Petco Park, a day before Game 3 of the NLDS, ESPN baseball reporter Alden Gonzalez wrote that Stammen said, “I think we’ve seen some of that from Mason, and it mostly happens in the appearances where he goes more than one inning.

“I think that’s definitely something strategy-wise that we were very comfortable with going into the game, but something going forward that we may have to adjust as the playoffs go.”

For Miller, he’s built a reputation as being one of the best closers in baseball, holding a 1.67 ERA and leading the National League in 38 saves last season.

In 66 games during the regular season, Miller threw 70 innings. In nine of them, he pitched above a single inning. In seven of those games, he didn’t give up a run.

San Diego Padres closing pitcher Mason Miller suffers a ninth inning meltdown against the Milwaukee Brewers. AP Photo/Kayla Wolf

Perhaps Stammen could be right that Miller wasn’t tipping his pitches. But Sunday night was the worst time for him to not be able to close out the game, as the Padres are on the verge of elimination.

While Miller was six of seven in save opportunities in September, his production trended downward, as he’s given up six runs, five earned, and has been hit nine times while giving up six walks.

Gonzalez reported that Stammen said Miller is still learning how to “keep the same adrenaline in one inning and bringing it to the second inning.”

The Brewers celebrate their walk-off victory. Getty Images

During his ninth-inning meltdown on Sunday, Miller was in charge of preserving a 3-2 lead but wouldn’t be able to hold up his end of the bargain as he would give up two walks and would throw his 40th pitch of the outing by giving up a two-RBI single to Jackson Chourio to make it a 4-3 loss to the Brewers.

Aside from Stammen not believing Miller is tipping his pitches, Gonzalez reported that 12-year veteran catcher Gary Sanchez wasn’t aware if he was tipping pitches.

“I think even if he was and we were aware of it, hitting 104 is not easy by any means,” Sanchez told Gonzalez.

The Padres and Braves are set to play at 6:30 p.m. in Game 3 on Tuesday as Nick Pivetta will get the start for San Diego.

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Rapid Recap: Timberwolves 116, Bucks 97

MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 5: Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks moves the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a preseason game on October 5, 2026 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. 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 Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

In the first game of their new era, the Milwaukee Bucks showed glimpses of their potential in front of Fiserv Forum fans, but ultimately came up short, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-97 in their preseason opener. Despite fouling out in just 14 minutes, Ryan Rollins led the Bucks with 15 points, while Kel’el Ware chipped in with a double-double, and both Bucks rookies showed promise. The Timberwolves were led by sophomore Joan Beringer, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

After much anticipation, Taylor Jenkins rolled out his first set of Bucks starters—Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and Ryan Rollins—opting for veteran experience. Rudy Gobert won the tip but action lasted just two seconds before a technical delay. Wolves newcomer Jonathan Kuminga then opened the scoring on a slashing layup. A nice feed from Turner gave Rollins his first two and he doubled that on the Bucks’ next possession. Trailing 7-4, Rollins was sent to the locker room after a nasty elbow to the eye and the Bucks had their first substitution—Kevin Porter Jr. The Bucks generated plenty of good looks, but were largely unable to convert outside of Herro’s back-to-back threes with just over five minutes to go in the quarter. The good news? They hit the offensive glass, especially once Kel’el Ware and Jericho Sims checked in. More Bucks bricks—they shot just 6/28 for the quarter—and another technical delay brought the period to a close, Milwaukee trailing 31-20.

Ware looked to change that to start the second, nailing his second above-the-break three of the night, and despite the Bucks struggling to defend without fouling, a Turner three soon had them within three, 35-32. But Anthony Edwards sparked a 12-0 run that ended in alley-oop finishes from Kuminga and Gobert, forcing Jenkins to call a timeout. When action returned, Sims flushed his own—from Gary Trent Jr. no less (even if it might’ve been a shot)—but, moments later, the Bucks inexplicably let Jaden McDaniels sneak behind the defence for the easiest of twos after Kyle Kuzma bricked a free throw. And when LaMelo Ball swished a corner trey, things looked bleak. Jenkins noticed too, subbing in Brayden Burries for his first action. A three of his own and two assists for Trent threes brought life back into Fiserv, but Milwaukee still entered halftime with plenty of work to do, down 60-48.

Minnesota head coach Chris Finch pulled his starters to begin the second half and Rollins quickly found his groove with two triples and a sneaky layup, cutting the lead to seven. Dunks from Terrance Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer momentarily paused the Bucks’ momentum, and by the time Jaquez was called for an eight-second violation I thought I’d developed tinnitus—there were that many whistles. With 4:42 left on the clock, Nate Ament checked in for his first action and Kevin Porter Jr. came to life with an offhand layup bookended by trips to the free throw line. But it was Ament who brought the crowd to its highest decibel reading, first with a corner three that tied things up at 74, then with an offensive rebound putback plus the harm. An ill-advised Ware three-point attempt led to an Enrique Freeman leak-out jam and, by the time the siren blared, the Wolves had regained their lead, 81-77.

Ware showed off his length to begin the fourth, swatting a shot, but three consecutive paint buckets by the Wolves extended the lead to 10 before two more forced Jenkins into a timeout. He came out of it with an interesting lineup featuring Caris LeVert as the most trustworthy ballhandler. By this point, the game well and truly felt like garbage time. Still, Burries showed promise, looking comfortable getting his own shot and setting up others, and Ware finished strong, recording a double-double as the Bucks went down 116-97.

Stat That Stood Out

0, as in minutes. That’s exactly how many Ousmane Dieng, Kasparas Jakučionis, and Bogoljub Marković combined to play. It’ll be interesting to see how Jenkins manages minutes for the rest of the preseason.

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Game Recap: The Suns showed us plenty before giving it all back in 109-107 loss to Detroit

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 05: Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns tries to drive around Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons in the first half during a pre season game at Little Caesars Arena on October 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. 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. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On an early October evening, we finally arrived at a destination we’ve been pining for since late April. And while the game ultimately doesn’t count toward the standings, Monday night marked the debut of the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns as they made their way to the Motor City to tip off their preseason. The result?

The starters played only the first half, led by Devin Booker’s 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. He added three assists as well. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks combined for 22 points while shooting 3-of-8 from three. But perhaps the biggest presence you felt Monday evening was Jordan Goodwin, who was an absolute firecracker during his 11 minutes on the floor: 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Goodwin was active and everywhere.

Phoenix built a 19-point lead in the first half before coughing it up in a disastrous third quarter. The Suns turned the ball over 13 times and were outscored 34–16, completely erasing the cushion they had built over the first 24 minutes. There will be plenty of teaching points for the Suns after this one. Phoenix turned the ball over 32 times, allowing Detroit to score 37 points off those mistakes. After carrying a 68-50 lead into halftime, the Suns were outscored 59-39 in the second half.

Credit the Suns, they made things interesting at the end, putting together an 8–2 run to tie the game with 12.1 seconds remaining. But Pistons rookie Ebuka Okorie out of Stanford attacked and finished with his left hand, a bucket that ultimately proved to be the difference.

The loss showed us plenty, from what the potential of this team could be to where the opportunities for improvement lie. The standings will say 0-1, but we know the preseason isn’t about wins and losses. It’s about constantly learning, regardless of the result.

Game Flow

First Half

The first bit o’ news for all of those wondering? It was Oso Ighodaro who received the start at the five, receiving the nod over Khaman Maluach by head coach Jordan Ott.

Miles Bridges wasted no time making his presence felt. After Devin Booker turned the ball over on the opening possession, Bridges chased down the transition opportunity and stole the ball back. On the ensuing possession, he cleaned up a missed Jalen Green three with an offensive rebound and a dunk. Welcome to the Valley, Miles Bridges.

After another make, Bridges buried a corner three, scoring the first seven points of the game for Phoenix.

Shortly thereafter, Oso Ighodaro jumped the passing lane for a steal. Booker pushed the ball up the court to Bridges, who dished it to Jalen Green for another Phoenix jam.

It didn’t take long for Dillon Brooks to find his first skirmish of the season. With 7:23 remaining in the first quarter, the kung fu training was officially put into action. Following an offensive rebound by newly acquired Pistons power forward John Collins, Brooks aggressively swiped at the ball and was called for a foul. Collins took exception to the manner in which Brooks attempted to dislodge it, and the two exchanged words, resulting in double technical fouls.

But Collins grabbed Brooks by the neck during the altercation, prompting the officials to take a longer look at the play. After review, Collins was assessed a Flagrant 1.

With 5:36 remaining in the first quarter, we got our first look at Khaman Maluach as he entered alongside Jordan Goodwin, who replaced Miles Bridges at the four. Collin Gillespie replaced Jalen Green shortly thereafter. Green departed having scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-3 from beyond the arc.

We also witnessed one of the NBA’s points of emphasis early on. As Devin Booker attempted to come off a screen, Ron Holland II hooked him and was called for impeding his progress. Will it be something we consistently see throughout the season? Time will tell. But if Booker plans to play off-ball with more frequency, it could ultimately benefit him as he navigates screens and attempts to create separation in a manner reminiscent of Klay Thompson a decade ago.

Jordan Goodwin’s impact was immediate as he attacked the offensive glass and pressured opposing players. In his first three minutes, he grabbed three offensive rebounds, scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting, both coming on putbacks, and added a steal. He was a major reason Phoenix dominated the offensive glass early, grabbing six offensive rebounds and outscoring Detroit 13–2 in second-chance points during the first quarter.

The other reason? Khaman Maluach. His first quarter was impressive. He was aggressive on the interior, deterred shots on the defensive end, and put himself in position to protect the rim. The shooting could use some love, however, as he missed his lone three-point attempt and went 0-of-3 from the free-throw line.

After one quarter, despite shooting 4-of-14 from beyond the arc for 28.6%, the Suns led 35-21. Phoenix ended on a 9-2 run. Miles Bridges led Phoenix with seven points, while Goodwin had five rebounds and two steals. And Dillon Brooks? He had three of the Suns’ four fouls.

The nastiness carried over into the second quarter, and the Suns’ effort didn’t wane. It was apparent on one broken possession that could ultimately become a microcosm of what Phoenix is trying to establish. The Suns kept moving, kept hustling, and despite Detroit’s physicality and multiple attempts to tip the ball away, Phoenix maintained possession until Luke Kennard knocked down a 10-footer. A small sequence, but a perfect example of how hustle creates possessions.

Jalen Green appeared to have a little rust in his new point guard role. There were a couple of possessions where he delivered passes without a clear recipient, almost like a quarterback throwing into a zone and hoping one of two crossing receivers comes down with it. He looked a little fatigued as well, although some of that could be attributed to the effort he was putting forth on the defensive end, which deserves credit. One point of emphasis for Green moving forward will be driving with his eyes up rather than his head down. But you get him out in transition…

Yes, his explosiveness appears to be back. Green continually attacked the cylinder, flying through the air and getting to the line as a result. He finished the second with 4 points in the quarter, all coming at the line.

The three-ball started falling with much more regularity as well. Halfway through the third quarter, Phoenix was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, helping push its lead to 19 points. Add in the fact that Detroit was shooting 29.4% from the field, and the Suns were comfortably in control.

After scoring 35 points in the first quarter, the Suns added another 33 in the second, shooting 58% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc in the quarter. Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Jalen Green were all in double figures at the half, with Booker leading the way with 13 points while adding four rebounds and three assists.

Phoenix outscored Detroit 26-14 in the paint, 12-5 in second-chance points, and 7-2 in fast break points, carrying a comfortable 68-50 lead into halftime.

Second Half

The second half began with Collin Gillespie, Luke Kennard, Jordan Goodwin, Rasheer Fleming, and Khaman Maluach. The starters? They were done for the night. Detroit kept its starters on the floor except for Cade Cunningham, giving Phoenix’s second unit a chance to compete against much of the Pistons’ starting five.

Fleming looked a little choppy defensively and somewhat unsure when pursuing rebounds, but he confidently knocked down his first three-point attempt, which came off a dribble handoff from Gillespie.

Maluach continued to make his presence felt. On one possession, John Collins came charging toward the rim looking like he wanted to throw down one of his patented posterizing dunks. But when Maluach went up to challenge him, Collins adjusted his shot. He knew he wasn’t going through him. Then came a play in transition in which Maluach was rewarded with an easy dunk. He certainly looks bigger and more powerful this season, and that added strength is already showing itself on both ends of the floor.

Koa Peat entered the game for the first time midway through the third quarter. On his first opportunity, Peat went left and attacked the basket, drawing a foul as the Pistons pushed Duop Reath into him. Peat went to the line for his first points in a Suns uniform, but missed both free throws.

He would score his first points moments later, in true Koa fashion.

The lead the Suns had built in the first half completely dissipated in the third quarter as the second and third units struggled to hold onto the ball. Phoenix scored only 16 points in the quarter despite shooting 40% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. The problem was the 13 turnovers.

Detroit took full advantage, outscoring Phoenix 14-6 in the paint and 14-5 in points off turnovers. The Pistons won the quarter 34-16, closing it on a 22-3 run to erase what had once been a comfortable Suns lead. After three, we were right back where we started, 84-84.

Jamaree Bouyea provided a spark to start the fourth, knocking down a three and attacking the basket for five quick points. But an 8–0 Detroit run followed, giving the Pistons their first lead of the game.

The fourth quarter was much of the same. Sloppy play, turnovers, and clearly a group of players still learning how to play with one another and settle into their roles. Bouyea had a rough go of it leading that unit. He had no trouble finding his own offense, but some of his turnovers were simply ugly. With three minutes remaining and the Suns trailing 99–97, an ill-advised foul by Bouyea on Bryce Williams gave Detroit three free throws. When Rex Chapman starts singing Barnum and Bailey circus music on the broadcast, you have a pretty good idea of what it looked like on the court.

The same could be said for Detroit. This was their third unit as well, and the execution wasn’t exactly pretty on that side either.

With time running out, the Suns put together a late 8-2 run to tie the game. Jamaree Bouyea brought the ball down the floor with 24 seconds left, nearly losing it before recovering and knocking down a three to pull the Suns within 107–105. On the ensuing inbound, Kennedy Chandler came up with the steal and found Koa Peat, who threw it down to tie the game at 107 with 12.1 seconds remaining.

Detroit got the ball back, and rookie Ebuka Okorie went left and finished at the rim with 5.8 seconds remaining, putting the Pistons ahead 109–107. Jamaree Bouyea had one final opportunity, hoisting a three as time expired. It hit the rim and bounced out. Ballgame.

Up Next

Phoenix heads to the Windy City to play the Chicago Bulls for Game 2 of the preseason. We’ll see you then!

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Penguins/Jets Recap: Pens have sloppy performance, lose first game of the season

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 05: Goaltender Sergei Murashov #1 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save during the first period against Winnipeg Jets the at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 05, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame

The Penguins rotate Ville Koivunen back into the lineup and give Filip Hallander the night off. Sergei Murashov gets the start for his first appearance of the season.

The Jets bring the following lineup to the table, including ex-Penguin Jack St. Ivany who gets to make his debut for Winnipeg against his former club. In net, Clay Stevenson makes his first appearance for his new team.

First period

Rookie Viggo Bjorck took a penalty two minutes into the game having to hook into Ben Kindel to deny a scoring chance, the Penguins don’t do much with the early power play.

Later on Murashov makes his first big save of the game following a failed clearing attempt by Connor Dewar ended up resulting in a nice chance on the doorstep for Gabe Vilardi before Murashov’s quick lateral move sealed up the bottom of the net.

An Erik Karlsson turnover gives Vilardi another look, his shot goes off maybe Murashov and then definitely the post and the score stays 0-0.

The Penguins assortment of defensive bumbles and getting out of their own zone keeps piling up. The Jets get a few more really good chances by picking off various passes and mishandlings but Murashov is reading the play beautifully and square to everything coming his way. He’s sharp and it’s a good thing because that’s the only reason the period ends as a scoreless one.

The Pens started pretty well, then things soured big time. Shots end up 12-11 WPG through 20 minutes. Pittsburgh played a little too casual and hurried in the early going to find much success.

Second period

The teams trade chances early, Sidney Crosby gets a redirection in front of the net and then Kyle Conner hits the iron and sets up Mark Scheifele but Murashov robs him with a glove save.

The Pens get the second power play of the night, Josh Morrissey is off for tripping. Even the officials are sloppy, messing up the time and causing a long delay to get it right. The Pens aren’t any better, as they continue to show no sharpness or ability to make a pass or hold the puck very well.

Pittsburgh is able to score the first goal after all that. Ben Kindel wins an offensive zone faceoff and gets to the front of the net. Declan Carlile sends in a fluttering shot where the puck started way high but then dipped down low enough for Kindel to deflect it past Stevenson. The refs wave the goal off at first but a video review overturns that iniital call since Kindel’s stick was below the crossbar of the goal. 1-0 Pens.

Blake Lizotte takes the first Pittsburgh penalty of the game with a boarding minor. Winnipeg gets some zone time and a few looks on quick passing plays but are unable to score.

The Pens hold on to get to the locker-room up by a goal. Another Dewar failed clearing attempt ended up on Neal Pionk’s stick, his shot going off the crossbar and out of play in the last minute.

Shots are 22-21 PIT after two, hasn’t been the prettiest (to say the least) yet they’re up by one goal after two periods.

Third period

The Pens’ first line has a good shift but can’t score. Winnipeg does soon after. They shoot on the rush, Murashov makes a save and kicks out a rebound that Karlsson can’t corral and ends up pushing back towards the net. Alex Iafallo is there to slam it home. 1-1 game with 15:17 to go.

Winnipeg is able to build on that momentum and take their first lead. Dylan DeMelo jams Nick Robertson up at the blueline, the Pens can’t clear the puck and are in trouble from then. Iafallo, having himself a period, drives hard to the net. Murashov sprawls to deny that effort but the puck ends up sitting in the crease for Adam Lowry to drive hard to the crease and put it in. 2-1 Jets.

Pittsburgh’s able to fight back and turn the table to tie the game. It’s another great play by Kindel, who knocks down the Winnipeg pass and Ville Koivunen collects it. Koivunen sends it down low to Kindel who makes a great touch pass back to Declan Carlile. Carlile picks his spot on the blocker side and it’s 2-2.

The tie game only lasts nine seconds before Winnipeg re-establishes their lead. Morrissey gets a pass over to Cole Perfetti and his shot beats Murashov. 3-2 now as the gates come open on the scoring in a hurry in the third.

Murashov gets pulled for an extra attacker with about two minutes to go. The Pens take a timeout with 1:21 remaining to rest their players for a final push. They get a few looks but can’t solve Stevenson before the clock runs out.

Some thoughts

  • Some interesting line matching, the Jets started the game with their checking line (Adam Lowry) so the Penguins kept Erik Karlsson off the ice at the beginning of the game so that he could match up against the top scoring line (Mark Scheifele). The Pens didn’t run from starting the Crosby line against the Jets’ top checkers.
  • Boy, this one was a slog, especially through the first two periods. And that’s putting it kindly. The Penguins were credited with 12 official giveaways in the first half of the game, which was charitable since it could have been double that. Nothing was working for them. Players who usually can move the puck like Erik Karlsson, Tommy Novak and Sam Girard (who combined for seven of the first 12 official giveaways) were in shambles. It wasn’t just those three, it was endemic all over the lineup. Once on the power play in the second period, Crosby won the draw but the puck slowly skidded back. Crosby pulled up and didn’t skate to the puck, neither did anyone else in a black jersey. Kinda crazy how a team clicking enough to score 13 goals over the first two games of season can look like a bunch of beer leaguers that have never played together in no time flat. The beautiful game!
  • Everything was a struggle for Karlsson in particular. It can be jarring on his off nights to see him fight the puck, the first goal against was a bit of bad luck but given how the first 40 minutes went, it’s no surprise the puck went off his stick with him unable to get it out of danger.
  • Did you check that line on the ice for the first goal of the game? Kindel was with Dewar and Lizotte, a little spot shift for all (and to help manage the minutes of players in this case of Lapierre, Kuzmenko and Koivunen from the bottom lines that weren’t up to much). Kindel won the faceoff, soon after the puck was in the net. Paid off to mix and match and get some of the more important/better-playing bottom six guys extra time. Always nice to see a little wrinkle by the coaching staff to search for a little something missing.
  • The success of that goal led to the change lasting a little longer, as you might expect, to shuffle combinations around for the rest of the night. Hendrix Lapierre and Koivunen got shifts with Crosby, Koivunen was out there with Kindel on the second goal due to a line change in progress.
  • Murashov did have a 21-save shutout in his second NHL start last season, so tonight might not be a clear-cut ‘best game ever’ for him so far, but it was pretty darn good. Maybe you’d like to see a save on the third goal in the situation just seconds after the team rallied to tie, though a goalie can only be expected to do so much on a given night.
  • Much like his run in Wilkes-Barre last spring, sometimes Murashov can be a little over-active in aggressively leaving his crease in the attempt to help the team when they’re struggling defensively, it didn’t burn him tonight due to his athleticism to recover. That’s something to watch for the future, though at this point it’s a hallmark in his game that he might try to do a little too much with good intentions to do what he can to help out.
  • Kindel had two really nice plays on his goal and assist, it’s early yet but man he looks well on his way towards taking that next step into becoming a really solid player in the league. That’s about where the positives stop on this game, though shoutout to Carlile for scoring a goal for the second game in a row, doubling his NHL career goal total in the last 48 hours.
  • Third periods still look like an adventure this season based on the last two games. Granted, the Pens were mighty fortunate to be up 1-0 (and not conceded a goal, thanks largely to Murashov) going into the third and it wasn’t a massive collapse tonight. Then again, they gave up three goals in the last period and lost because of it, which is a troubling continuation adter last year and especially last game’s 5-1 mess turning into 5-5. It’s not very comfortable for the Pens holding leads yet again, having given up six goals in the third periods of the last two games to get back into uncomfortably familiar territory.

Given the situation of playing a home game against what could be a lower level (or middle of the road) team, who were on the second-half of a back-to-back, the result is disappointing for the Pens. You can’t say it was an unworthy outcome either, which is where the disappointment hits hardest. The team was sloppy and surely left everyone from players to coaches to fans frustrated by being unable to play clean or even connect with simple, routine plays at times. Can’t say that was expected after the fast start of what they showed in the early games, though such is life sometimes as performances ebb and flow from night to night. It was pretty obvious that the Penguins weren’t on their A-game in this one and they end up with their first loss of the season as a result. Now with a first small taste of some adversity, we’ll look for how the bounce back goes in a rivalry game on Wednesday night on the road against the Capitals.

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Tuesday's Time Schedule

All Times EDT

Tuesday, Oct. 6

MLB - Playoffs

N.L. Division Series - Game 3

L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta, 6 p.m.

Milwaukee at San Diego, 9:30 p.m.

NBA - Preseason

Brooklyn at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Denver at Utah, 9 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Golden State, 10 p.m.

NHL

Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Nashville at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Ottawa at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Utah at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m.

St. Louis at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Vegas at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.

Florida at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.

MLS

Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

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