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Embiid joins 1-on-1 fun, Nurse says ‘some chance' he'll play preseason finale

Embiid joins 1-on-1 fun, Nurse says ‘some chance' he'll play preseason finale   originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid was in a shotmaking mood after the Sixers’ practice Tuesday. 

The star big man was in the mix for a post-practice 1-on-1 session and had little trouble scoring on his teammates. With a smile, Embiid also disputed a call or two. 

“It’s just about us competing, which builds camaraderie,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said. “Sharpening each other’s tools and figuring out different ways to score against different body types. 

“And obviously the cheat code was out there today, so it was good to guard him and give him some different bodies as well. It’s all fun and for the love of the game.”

Embiid played Sunday at the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage and was a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice. Many Sixers have said he’s looked very good over the past few weeks and no one’s mentioned left knee problems. So … might Embiid play Friday in the team’s preseason finale vs. the Timberwolves? 

“I think there’s some chance, yeah,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “I don’t think we’re there yet; it’s a little early in the week to decide. It still could go either way. I think we’ve got some thresholds to get over yet before we get to that point.” 

Embiid’s last preseason appearance came on Oct. 20, 2023. Oubre and Tyrese Maxey are the only other holdovers from that Sixers team.

Nurse said both Trendon Watford (right hamstring) and Paul George (left knee) participated in the “introductory” parts of practice. Neither sounds close to a return.

Watford’s had minimal on-court time with his new teammates, which has contributed to the Sixers testing a variety of power forward options. 

“For sure it’s been a missed opportunity. … I would imagine there’s a little ways to go before we even get him out there in some live action,” Nurse said. “Hopefully, it’ll be soon. I think it makes evaluating really hard. He hasn’t really done anything in the fall or the training camp to date. But when we get him back, we’ll throw him in there and see what he’s got. That’s all we can do.”

Quentin Grimes also watched the Sixers’ preseason loss last Friday to the Magic. 

He’s continued getting up to speed since accepting the Sixers’ qualifying offer and expects to suit up against Minnesota. 

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Grimes said, “playing on Friday. For sure.”

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Former Wild Forward Named Captain Of Winnipeg Jets' AHL Team

With the NHL season underway, the American Hockey League (AHL) is also underway. The Winnipeg Jets' AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose announced its captain for the 2025-26 season.

The former Minnesota Wild forward Mason Shaw was given the 'C' for this season.

Shaw, 26, was originally drafted by the Wild with the 97th overall pick from the 2017 NHL Draft. He played in 82 NHL games with Minnesota over three seasons. He recorded eight goals, 12 assists, 20 points, 122 hits, and 118 penalty minutes in those 82 games.

The former Wild player signed a one-year contract with the Jets after the Wild let him go to free agency after the 2023-24 season. After one year in the organization last year, Shaw resigned on another one-year deal.

The former Iowa Wild captain has recorded 60 goals, 98 assists and 158 points in 271 career AHL games.

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Ilya Sorokin’s Start Isn’t Pretty — But It’s Not The Whole Story

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin will be the first to tell you he isn't playing his best brand of hockey.

Everyone can see that, and he told me as much on Sunday afternoon before the 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Through three games, Sorokin has allowed 12 total goals, posting a GAA of 4.81 with an SV% of .854, numbers that don't align with his $8.25 million salary cap hit. 

Of the 12 goals, nine of which have come at 5-on-5, he's allowed five in the first and second periods, but only two in the third. Three have come on the penalty kill.  

He's been great at keeping the Islanders in games but he's also played a part in them trailing. 

Stats are what they are, a fraction of the truth. Not all of the 12 goals that have gone past him fall on his shoulders. 

Here's the breakdown:

- Four breakaways

- Three screens

- Three backdoor plays

- One five hole

- One rebound

The five-hole goal was a brutal one for the Islanders, who had scored 14 seconds prior to cut their deficit to 2-1:

The first goal allowed on the season, Sorokin couldn't cover a loose puck while the Islanders were on the penalty kill:

The other one that Sorokin likely wants to play a bit better -- it's not his fault, but positionally -- is Winnipeg's fourth goal, as he lost his crease. But a failed backcheck on the high guy by Alexander Romanov is the sole reason why Tanner Pearson was able to score one of the easiest goals of his life:

At 5-on-5, allowing nine goals, MoneyPuck says that his xGA was 7.41, meaning that his GSAE is -1.6. A goalie never wants to be in the negatives. 

Collectively, Sorokin has faced the most high-danger shots in the NHL at 34, leading the NHL with 27 high-danger saves. His high-danger save percentage of .794% ranks ninth out of 20 when it comes to goaltenders who have played in two-plus games.

Islanders Defense Breakdown Through First Three GamesIslanders Defense Breakdown Through First Three GamesThrough three games this season, the New York Islanders (0-3-0) have been outscored 13-7.

Sorokin has faced 82 shots, the seventh most, allowing 12 goals, sitting tied with Calgary Flames netminder Dustin Wolf and Ottawa Senators netminder Linus Ullmark. 

The Islanders need Sorokin to be better, especially early in games.

But the Islanders need to play better in front of him, regardless of his price tag, which is a tale as old as time. 

"I got a lot of trust in him, a lot of trust in him," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said on Monday evening. 

Sorokin is expected to start against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. 

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Brewers turn potential grand slam by Dodgers slugger Max Muncy into wild double play in NLCS

MILWAUKEE — Max Muncy was inches away from hitting a grand slam for the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the scoring in the National League Championship Series.

Little did he know his 404-foot drive instead would end the top of the fourth inning in one of the most incredible plays of this or any postseason.

“It’s definitely the worst fielder’s choice/double play I’ve ever hit in my life,” Muncy said after the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1.

Here’s how Muncy’s potential grand slam turned into an unusual 8-6-2 double play:

With the bases loaded and one out, Muncy hit a long drive to center field, where Sal Frelick jumped and reached over the wall in an attempt to make the catch.

The ball popped out of Frelick’s glove and hit the top of the fence before Frelick caught it in the air. Muncy wasn’t ruled out because the ball hit the wall — but the Dodgers’ runners scrambled back to their bases thinking the ball was caught on a fly.

“I didn’t see it hit the wall,” said Will Smith, who was on second base. “I just thought he kind of brought it back in and caught it.”

Frelick fired to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who quickly relayed a strike to catcher William Contreras. Aware a force was still in effect, Contreras alertly stretched for the throw with his right foot on home plate, rather than position himself for a tag that would have been necessary if the ball hadn’t hit the wall.

Contreras caught the ball before Teoscar Hernández slid across the plate, forcing out Hernández after he had hesitated at third base.

“Teo knows the rule. I think right there he had just a little bit of a brain fart, appreciating that when it does hit the glove, you can tag (up) there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But then he tagged, did it correctly, then saw he didn’t catch it, (and) he went back. That was the mistake. But he owned it. And after that, there’s nothing else you can do about it.”

After the force out at home plate, Contreras smartly got up and jogged to third to force out Smith, too.

Smith had gone back to second when he thought Frelick made a clean catch.

“From home plate, I had a pretty good view of it,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “I could tell pretty much right away it hit off the wall. Right away once it hits off the wall, you know that ball is played live. Tremendous job by the guys there just doing what we needed to do to finish that play off.”

As all of it was developing, Frelick had his arms out with a quizzical look on his face, wondering what exactly had just happened — not unlike many fans.

The Dodgers challenged the call, but a replay review confirmed the force outs at home and third for a most unusual inning-ending 8-6-2 double play.

Umpires called it correctly in real time all the way through the play.

“Honestly, I didn’t know they ruled it a no-catch,” Roberts said. “I just wanted clarity on the whole situation. And then kind of making sure that they got a couple of force outs, which they did. And ultimately, those guys and replay, the guys on the field got it right. They nailed it.”

At 404 feet, it was the second-longest projected distance on a batted ball resulting in a double play since Statcast tracking began in 2015 — regular-season games included. For Muncy, it goes down as a grounded-into-double play, even though the ball didn’t touch the ground.

There had not been an 8-6-2 double play in the postseason over the last 35 years, the Elias Sports Bureau said. Those type of official scoring details are not always clear in records going back any further.

The most recent 8-6-2 double play in the regular season involved a ball hit by Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa to Cincinnati center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. in April 2004 — though that one ended with a tag at the plate.

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Blue Jays have 4 runs and 8 hits in falling into 2-0 ALCS deficit against Mariners

TORONTO — Two games into the AL Championship Series against Seattle, the Toronto Blue Jays look like a different team from the one that pounded the New York Yankees.

“Always going to have optimism about this team,” manager John Schneider said after a 10-3 loss to the Mariners dropped Toronto into a 2-0 series deficit. “We’ve got to figure out a way to limit damage, one, and then two, generate more offense

Of the 27 teams winning the first two games on the road of a best-of-seven series during the 2-3-2 format, 24 have gone on to win.

Toronto, which led the majors with 49 comeback wins in the regular season, is trying to reach the World Series for the first time since winning its second straight title in 1993.

Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0 for 3 with a walk and is 0 for 7 in the series. Guerrero went 9 for 17 with three homers and nine RBIs in four games against the Yankees.

Toronto has four runs and eight hits — just two for extra bases — in the two games against Seattle. Just one hit has come after the second inning.

Toronto went 40-41 on the road in the regular season but swept a three-game series at Seattle in May.

“We have a good day tomorrow to reset as a team and get ready for Game 3 and whatever happens there,” said rookie Trey Yesavage, the Game 2 loser. “I wouldn’t count this group out. This group is special.”

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Jeff Blashill gets his first win as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks

CHICAGO — Jeff Blashill’s first three games with the Chicago Blackhawks were one-goal losses decided in the third period or overtime.

His fourth one was a long-awaited victory.

Blashill directed Chicago to a 3-1 win over Utah on Monday night for his first victory since he was hired by the Blackhawks in May.

“It was really disappointing over the first three games that we had moments of good hockey and put ourselves in position to win and didn’t,” Blashill said. “So to get the win is nice. For me personally, it’s, you know, it’s a good feeling. You want to get that first one out of the way, and hopefully there’s many more to come.”

Blashill, 51, is beginning his second stint as a head coach in the NHL after he went 204-261-72 in seven seasons with Detroit. He was an assistant with Tampa Bay for the previous three years.

The Michigan native is hoping to lead the Blackhawks out of a painful rebuilding project that had the team in last place in the Central Division in each of the previous three years.

This season just started, but there have been some encouraging signs.

“I like him as a coach and a person,” goaltender Spencer Knight said. “I really appreciate his eye for details, for building a style that is sustainable over time to win not just one hockey game in October, but to build a system that can win continuously over the course of a season and then hopefully into the postseason. That’s what really matters.”

The Blackhawks were tied at 2 after two periods in each of their first three games. They lost 4-3 in overtime at Boston on Thursday night. They dropped their home opener on Saturday on Kaiden Guhle’s goal with 15.7 seconds left, lifting Montreal to a 3-2 win.

Blashill’s team had a 1-0 lead over Utah before JJ Peterka scored for the Mammoth 1:02 into the third period. But Andre Burakovsky scored a power-play goal for Chicago at 8:55, and Ilya Mikheyev helped close it out with an empty-netter in the final seconds for his second goal of the night.

“We’ve been in this situation four times now where you know they’re one-goal games late,” Blashill said. “That’s a good thing. But you have to find ways to win. You can’t just be close in those games. You have to continue to find ways to win, which we did tonight.”

Like Knight, the 30-year-old Burakovsky also praised Blashill’s attention to details, and he said it played a role in the victory over the Mammoth.

“I think today, even though we maybe didn’t have so much puck the whole time, I think our details on the defensive side were really good,” he said. “And that’s something we’ve been working on. So good job by him to help us get through there.”

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New Blackhawks Forward Is Already Impressing

Andre Burakovsky (© Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks did not have the busiest of off-seasons this year, but they still did add a few players to their roster. The most notable of their newcomers is forward Andre Burakovsky. 

The Blackhawks acquired Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken back in June in exchange for Joe Veleno. However, Veleno did not end up staying with the Kraken, as the Pacific Division club bought him out shortly after the trade. Now, Veleno is playing for the Montreal Canadiens. 

Early on this season with the Blackhawks, it is clear that Burakovsky is making an impact. In four games on the year, the 30-year-old winger has recorded two goals and one assist. This includes him scoring the Blackhawks' game-winning goal during their Oct. 13 matchup against the Utah Mammoth on the power play. 

Burakovsky also had a solid game against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 9, as he scored a goal and recorded an assist in the Blackhawks' 4-3 overtime loss. With this, Burakovsky has been giving the Blackhawks decent offensive production early on this season.

It will now be interesting to see if Burakovsky can keep this kind of play for the Blackhawks from here. So far, the 2013 first-round pick is certainly doing his job for the Blackhawks. 

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Sabres Scrambling To Find Their Offensive Mojo

It may not have been possible for the Buffalo Sabres season to have gotten off to a worse start, as the club struggled to maintain any level of consistency in a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on a holiday Monday matinee. The Sabres have started the campaign at 0-3, lost center Josh Norris to an upper body injury, and have struggled to generate any consistent offensive attack.

"The start the season is not where you want to be at all, and we've just got to find a way to win here." Sabres winger Tage Thompson said after the game.  "We're struggling to score, which in turn means we're not winning. That's what it is right now, and that's it's on me. I gotta find ways to score more and bear down, generate more chances. But that's a situation where we're in right now and we've got to find a way out."

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Buffalo were shutout in the season opener by Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin, but managed only a third period goal from Jason Zucker in a 3-1 loss in Boston on Saturday. On Monday, Thompson scored his first of the season, responding to Nathan MacKinnon’s opening goal in the first period, but Cale Makar and MacKinnon put the Avalanche ahead in the second period, and Buffalo showed a surprising lack of urgency in the final frame, managing only four shots on goal on Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood. 

"I didn't like our third, I thought we were overplaying (our) top-four (defense) I don't think we got up ice enough to help our forwards out and they broke it out quicker." Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Some of our execution, leaving the zone, it wasn't near as clean as it was in the first two periods."

For the second straight home game, Sabres fans booed the club for their effort and on Monday chants for the firing of GM Kevyn Adams were heard for the first time. Buffalo four of their next five games at home and has to be hoping for a quick reversal of their fortunes, otherwise the chants for change will grow louder. 

 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

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Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Suspended Pending Review For Late Blindside Hit

Kitchener Rangers forward Matthew Hlacar. Photo credit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a flyer on Kitchener Rangers’ enforcer forward Matthew Hlacar when they selected him 217th overall in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL Draft. A new philosophy has been adopted in the way Toronto drafts under Brad Treliving compared to former GM Kyle Dubas, and the selection of Hlacar further exemplifies that. 

Hlacar plays the game in the old-fashioned style. He is aggressive, aiming to inflict pain with his hits, and is not afraid to drop his gloves and engage in a fight. This often leads him to spend time in the penalty box multiple times during a game. At times, his actions exceed acceptable limits, prompting intervention from the OHL's player safety department.

The Maple Leafs prospect finds himself in hot water already, just four games into the season. 

On October 10, Kitchener drove into Sault Ste. Marie to face off against the Greyhounds. Early in the second frame, Hlacar took a checking from behind penalty on Greyhounds’ defenseman Hunter Solomon. He was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play and answered the bell, shedding the gloves with Solomon’s defense partner, Spencer Evans. 

Later in that same period, Hlacar threw a blindside hit on Jakub Winkelhofer after he distributed the puck. 

The Toronto seventh-rounder was assessed a match penalty for blindsiding and kicked out of the game. Not only was the hit a clear blindside, but it also appeared to be late. Hlacar had plenty of time to let up on the hit. 

His actions have prompted the OHL’s department of player safety to suspend him indefinitely pending review. Through four games this season, Hlacar has already totaled 24 penalty minutes.

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