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Penguins/Blackhawks Recap: Crosby scores twice but power play rotten in 5-3 loss

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 13: Roman Kantserov #80 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at United Center on October 13, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame

Andrei Kuzmenko returns and Sergei Murashov gets the start for the Penguins.

Chicago is happy to welcome their new captain, Conor Bedard, for his first game of the season tonight against the Penguins.

First period

Chicago scores right out the gates 28 seconds in. Declan Carlile gets pressured and passes the puck to the Blackhawks after a bad bounce. A quick pass gets Teuvo Teravainen in front of the net and the Finn finishes. 1-0

The Penguins get it back, it’s a good time for Sidney Crosby’s first goal of the year. This time it’s pressure by Bryan Rust along the wall that creates a turnover and the puck spits back to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson quickly feeds Crosby and the Pens have a 2-on-1. Crosby looks off the pass and calls his own number, blistering a shot past the far side of Spencer Knight. 1-1 game.

Pittsburgh earns the first minor penalty, they barely hold possession of it in the Chicago zone.

Kris Letang takes the first Pittsburgh penalty, the Blackhawks capitalize. After some nice puck movement, Bedard makes a little touch pass to Roman Kantserov who quickly fires it by Murashov. 2-1.

The Pens get another shot at their power play deep into the period. It’s awful.

Shots are 9-7 CHI after 20 minutes. The difference so far is the powerplays, the Blackhawks got one, made it look clinical and scored. The Penguins had two and it was nothing but odious, they’re behind by a goal as a result.

Second period

Nothing on the short carryover power play for the Pens, Nick Robertson draws them another. This one at least spends its time in the right end, think I counted six Erik Karlsson shots wide or blocked or redirected from in front wide, but at this point that’s an improvement.

Kantersov scores his second of the night. Carlile employs a man-concept and skates away from the net marking Patrick Kane. Ville Koivunen isn’t on the same page and doesn’t stick with the pointman, Artyom Levshunov and he gets a ton of space. That leaves Ben Kindel in front of the net to defend and Kantersov is strong enough on his stick to fight him off, with the incoming pass from the outside coming in with no resistance since Carlile has left his spot and Koivunen . 3-1 CHI.

Pittsburgh claws back within a goal, Blake Lizotte shoots on a 2-on-1 rush, he doesn’t score but makes a key play when Knight goes to cover the puck Lizotte beats him there and bumps the puck back out. It finds Robertson and he’s got an easy finish for his fourth goal of the season. 3-2 game.

Shots end up 19-15 PIT after two, and they’re well out in front on shot attempts 42-22. However, Chicago clings to the special teams edge and that is still resulting in a one-goal advantage for them at the second intermission.

Third period

Kaeden Korczak gets caught on the mic yelling a bad word after getting slashed, the refs heed his pain and send the Pens to a fourth power play of the night. Doesn’t work but they don’t lose momentum on it. A bit later on an improvised line, Crosby is out with fourth liners. Connor Dewar works in and takes a shot, Knight leaves an atrocious rebound that Crosby is able to corral and calmly move to his forehand and tuck into the net. 3-3 game.

Egor Chinakhov takes an interference call and Chicago gets a second crack at the power play. The Blackhawks look surgical with their passing but Patrick Kane can’t convert on the best chance they get.

Chicago pulls ahead with 4:18 to play. Teravainen strikes again, from all the way against the left wall. Murashov wasn’t square or set for that angle and the puck sneaks by him. 4-3.

Pittsburgh pulls the goalie for a last push, it doesn’t work out. Tyler Bertuzzi taps in an empty netter with nine seconds to go. 5-3.

Some thoughts

  • Great to see Crosby get on the board with his first goal of the year, then add another for good measure. Plenty written (including here) about whether or not to keep the top line together, we saw some pretty good evidence of why it remained together. Rust didn’t get an assist on the play but started the sequence with quality board work. Frequent Crosby collaborator Karlsson made a beauty of a pass and the captain took it from there.
  • Recurring note: move the ‘Consecutive games where Nick Robertson has drawn a penalty’ board up to three. His speed forces opponents to take him down. Then he scored a team-leading fourth goal. Why is this guy on the fourth line? (It is a good fourth line and they play a fair share, but still!)
  • Too bad those penalties only draw a power play for Pittsburgh. Now up to 0-for-16 in the last five games. Completely disconnected now, if it’s not a lost faceoff it’s the inability to gain the zone with possession, if it’s not that it’s an ill-advised pass that sends it back to square one. Ugly stuff.
  • Pittsburgh could take notes from looking no further than the video Chicago’s power play, which was dreadful coming into tonight, but then again they didn’t have Bedard until today. The Blackhawks’ point guy was creeping to the tops of the circles at time, common on a 5v3 but rare to shrink the ice that much and put so much pressure on a PK. They got setup and their passing had a purpose to look for back door plays and set up dangerous players on their shooting sides (Bedard on the left, Kane on the right). It was a thing of beauty.
  • Power play ends up 0/4 on the night and the PK gives up a goal. Team ends up behind by one goal (pre-EN goal). Tale as old as time. Identifying the issue (and it’s clearly on the power play side) is the easy part.
  • If you had a dime for every 2-on-1 rush in this game you wouldn’t be able to retire but you would have enough change to buy something out of a vending machine. (Do vending machines still exist? Or even accept cash? These are the intrusive thoughts when games are played outside of the Eastern time zone). Neither team was exactly sharp to details or keeping their defensive structure in close order with all the odd man rushes flying around at both sides of the rink.
  • One player not all that involved in the rush offense: Chinakhov. It was off the charts good last year when the sun was shining and all was well, seemingly to vanish for the start of this season. Naturally, as this thought comes into mind during the second intermission, Chinakhov did get a rush shot immediately on his first shift of the third period, for his first and only shot on goal of the game. Ideally there’s more to come there.
  • Which I guess a hallmark of this Pens team that is starting to develop is they’ll mostly play to the level of the competition. They were strong, sharp, focused against what they knew would be a tough Dallas team last game. Tonight, they surely had to know Chicago isn’t exactly a powerhouse, and wouldn’t you know some details slip and the overall effort/performance left a lot to be desired. This theory will get put to the test in coming games with tough matchups ahead against Colorado and Vegas, but hey, maybe the Pens will be ready to meet the challenge. Based on the past couple of games that wouldn’t be shocking.
  • Still don’t know what Carlile was thinking staying with Kane and abandoning the net. Kindel in front of the net will draw the kneejerk, base reaction but Carlile + Koivunen not being on the same page is the troubling pressure point in that play. Plenty to still iron out in that department.
  • A couple of different things can be true, while the Penguins didn’t particularly play a great game, they found themselves tied with under five minutes to play in regulation. Murashov, on a night where Moneypuck had his xGA just under two, can’t really be faulted for any of the first three goals. But an NHL goalie has to stop what held up as a game winner 100 times out of a 100 for a team to have a fighting shot, especially that late in a tie game. Bad goals are a part of the learning curve and growing pains a team signs up for when they go with a 22-year old in net at this level, occasionally that type of thing happens. Murashov earned the team a point they didn’t deserve in his last start in Columbus, tonight he might have cost them at least one. So it goes, onto the next.

And onto the next indeed. The degree of difficulty ramps up on the next leg of the road trip, Pittsburgh will need to be better almost from top to bottom in their next game against Colorado. On the bright side, at least Crosby showed he’s back on track

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In ALCS Game 2, José Ramírez let the Guardians down. He won't stay there for long

They will wake up in Cleveland still loving JosĂ© RamĂ­rez. That will never change, nor, likely, will RamĂ­rez’s regard for the city he’s insisted on making his baseball home.

Yet the love affair between future Hall of Famer and scrappy municipality hit a most unpredictable speed bump, right around the time a ground ball skidded off the very edge of the artificial turf on Tropicana Field’s infield.

Ramírez, the beloved third baseman whose playoff heroics drove the Cleveland Guardians into a commanding position in this American League Championship Series, failed to stay down on a ground ball off the bat of Tampa Bay’s Ben Williamson with two outs in the fourth inning of a scoreless game, runners at the corners, the Guardians still in position to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

It was a ball he’d fielded thousands of times in his 14-year career. This time, though, he appeared to eyeball the grounder hitting the dirt. Instead, it clipped off the turf and skidded right between his legs. Victor Mesa Jr. scampered home with the game's first run.

And if there's any team you don't want to leave the door open, it's the Rays.

"When they smell blood," says Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, "they take it and run."

Seconds later, after a Liam Hicks two-run single, a scoreless game turned into a three-run Tampa Bay Rays lead and eventually, a series-tying 3-1 victory Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Tropicana Field.

To that point, it seemed the Guardians were still in control. RamĂ­rez played hero in Game 1, his leadoff single sparking a go-ahead, eighth-inning rally, his RBI double and daring break for third base keying a put-away rally in the ninth.

Sure, Cleveland rookie starter Parker Messick and Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta were locked in a pitchers' duel. But Messick kept getting ground-ball double plays when he needed them. The Guardians had played flawless ball with their backs against the wall since falling down 2-0 in their AL Division Series against the Chicago White Sox.

Since then? Win-win-win-win, just like the song says. They were grooving.

Which is what made their franchise cornerstone giving it away so shocking.

"José Ramírez," says Rays manager Kevin Cash, "is as good as any third baseman there is in the game."

After the ball skidded by him, all RamĂ­rez could do was stare at his glove and furrow his brow, the telltale sign RamĂ­rez is not right. Tropicana Field roared around him.

"It’s a little faster here," Ramírez said of the Tropicana Field infield, through a club translator. "I was playing parallel to the base and the ball bounced right on the edge between the dirt and the turf.

"I tried to knock it down, but I couldn’t."

Said Vogt: "Josey kind of got stuck. It looked like he just didn't move his feet. And I don't know if it hit the lip or not on the second hop, but just kind of looked like he sat back a little bit with his feet set instead of moving his feet."

And after Peralta powered through six innings, and Tampa Bay’s good but not impenetrable bullpen held the line just enough, Ramírez’s gaffe was, to slightly overstate it, 100% the reason the ALCS is now 1-1.

And not 2-0, Guards up, going home to Cleveland.

Come Game 3 on Thursday, they will announce the starting lineups for both clubs, and the Progressive Field crowd will roar for RamĂ­rez, sure, for his Game 5 ALDS game-winning homer and Game 1 ALCS heroics.

Yet it will also be an acknowledgment that RamĂ­rez and The Land are still cool. They probably always will be.

For one moment, though, RamĂ­rez blinked. And the love song hit a rare sour note.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In ALCS Game 2, José Ramírez let the Guardians down. He won't stay there for long

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Islanders slip past Canucks thanks to Kyle Palmieri’s two-goal night

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Kyle Palmieri, who later scored the game-winning goal, celebrates after scoring on Leevi Merilainen during the first period of the Islanders' 3-2 win over the Canucks on Oct. 13 2026 at UBS Arena, Image 2 shows Ilya Sorokin makes one of his 23 saves in the Islanders' win over the Canucks

Say this for Pete DeBoer’s Islanders: They are not playing down to their opposition. 

It wasn’t as easy as their win over the Blackhawks that started this homestand, but the Islanders ended it by taking care of business with a 3-2 victory over the Canucks on Tuesday night, with a pair of goals from Kyle Palmieri pulling them back to .500. 

“We went into that third period knowing the recipe, and I think we put a ton of pressure on them in the third,” Palmieri said. “ 
 I thought as a team we went out there and every line was rolling and tilting the ice in our favor.” 

Kyle Palmieri, who later scored the game-winning goal, celebrates after scoring on Leevi Merilainen during the first period of the Islanders’ 3-2 win over the Canucks on Oct. 13, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post

DeBoer’s team played structured and effective hockey, surviving a shaky second period to regain control in the decisive third. That is as it should be against Vancouver, which has won just two of its first eight games and looks set for a miserable season. 

A hallmark of Islanders teams in recent years, though, has been struggling to put away or routinely beat teams just like that. The Islanders, for better or worse, had a tendency to play to their opponent’s level. 

At least so far this year — and this is where the obligatory “it’s early” caveat goes — that hasn’t been the case. Which, if DeBoer can turn it into a hallmark, will be critical to keeping the Islanders in the playoff race. 

This wasn’t a perfect 60 minutes, but the third period was as clinical of hockey as the Islanders have played this season. They did, though, have to survive the second to get there. Max Sasson seemed to zap the Islanders’ momentum at 7:52 of the second, cutting a 2-0 lead in half by blasting a rolling puck past Ilya Sorokin. 

Suddenly, the Islanders were losing battles, they were on their heels and you could feel the equalizer coming as soon as Palmieri tripped Liam Ohrgren late in the second. Not only did Brock Boeser tie it up with a one-timer from the slot, but the Islanders ended the second with another needless penalty after Tony DeAngelo took exception to a Sasson check that came after the horn. 

It was a gut-check moment for a team whose habit in the past would have been to let things spiral from there. Instead, they killed off DeAngelo’s penalty and — sparked, unsurprisingly, by Matthew Schaefer — found their game again. 

Kyle Palmieri and teammate Bo Horvat get into a scuffle with some Vancouver players late in the third period of the Islanders’ win over the Canucks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

“We learned through the first two periods what worked for us, what didn’t,” DeBoer said. “And then the third, we deserved to win that game with how we played in the third period.” 

Twice in the third period’s first six minutes, Schaefer’s play with the puck led to extended pressure in the Canucks’ zone. On the second of those, after Schaefer had two shots saved, Palmieri got one to go for his second goal of the evening. 

After the top line had gone scoreless through the season’s first five games, getting two goals from it at 5-on-5 — the second of which came after Matias Maccelli swapped places with Emil Heineman amid a superb evening from Maccelli — is just what the Islanders needed. 

Ilya Sorokin makes one of his 23 saves in the Islanders’ win over the Canucks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

For the remainder, they were relentless in possession, their retrievals and forechecking near-dominant at points. Right when the Canucks started to push with a few minutes to go, and looked ready to pull Leevi Merilainen, Heineman drew a penalty on Zeev Buium that kept the Islanders in the driver’s seat when they should have been frantically defending at 5-on-6. 

“I’ve always believed the best defense when you have a lead is to keep the puck in the other team’s end,” DeBoer said. “They can’t score from 200 feet away. So I think that was our goal and I actually liked our grind in the third period.” 

“We spent a lot of time in the other team’s end. We didn’t throw pucks away. We weren’t impatient.” 

Maccelli had driven play early in the night as part of a fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom — who moved down from the third line, swapping places with Ondrej Palat. At 15:50 of a dominant first for the Islanders, Maccelli ripped one from the left circle for the 2-0 goal, the feed coming from Schaefer. 

“You finally see one go in, it boosts your confidence. Puck just all of a sudden starts following you out there,” Maccelli said. “It feels really good.” 

That was just 53 seconds after the Islanders had scored first on Palmieri’s tip-in of Matt Kessel’s point shot. It was his first goal since Nov. 18, 2025, just 10 days before he tore his ACL. 

New York Islanders center Kyle Palmieri (21) scores during the first period against the Vancouver Canucks. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Fitting, then, that he ended with the game-winner too.

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Sharks to Host Hockey Fights Cancer Night on November 15

Throughout the month of November, the NHL, NHLPA and the V Foundation are set to team up for the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign once again. While each team will host a day dedicated to Hockey Fights Cancer, they're going to be spread out throughout the season, although most of them are in the month of November. 

Among the teams hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer night next month are the San Jose Sharks. On November 15, the Sharks will help raise awareness and raise funds for the initiative as they play the Nashville Predators.  

According to the NHL, since partnering with the V Foundation and AstraZeneca, the initiative has raised more than $21.3 million in just three seasons.

Almost everyone has somebody in their lives who has been impacted by the effects of cancer and the NHL has consistently been trying to do their part in fighting the terrible disease since founding Hockey Fights Cancer alongside the NHLPA back in 1998. For more information, visit HockeyFightsCancer.com.

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Senators' Hot Start Hits A Sour Note Against Blues

The Senators had plenty working against them on Tuesday night, and the St. Louis Blues took full advantage.

Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Pius Suter each scored twice as the Blues (3-2-1) defeated the Senators 7-2 at Canadian Tire Centre, handing the Sens (5-2-0) their second loss of the young NHL season.

The Sens were playing their second game in as many nights after defeating the Devils 4-1 in New Jersey on Monday.

They were also without three regular defencemen, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub and Nikolas Matinpalo, leaving the club with a makeshift blue line. In fact, three of their six defencemen (Carter Yakemchuk, Hoyt Stanley and Jorian Donovan) entered Tuesday's game with 10 or fewer games of NHL regular season experience.

With starting goaltender Linus Ullmark getting the night off, Samuel Ersson was given the assignment in goal. But the Senators' new backup struggled on the night, allowing seven goals on 26 shots and finishing with a .731 save percentage. By the end, a smattering of Sens fans gave him some sarcastic applause on a basic save.

Down 2-0 in the second period, the Senators got a nice goal from veteran Claude Giroux, who converted a feed from Tim StĂŒtzle with a well-placed wrist shot to cut the lead in half. But McTavish, the Carp native, restored the two-goal lead just 33 seconds later.

It was all Blues after that.

Giroux also added an assist on Fabian Zetterlund's first goal of the season in the final couple of minutes, long after the outcome had been settled.

Suter, who had two goals and an assist for St. Louis, has an interesting connection to the Senators' organization.

Back in 2017, four years before making his NHL debut, the Swiss forward attended Ottawa's rookie camp and performed well enough to earn an invitation to the team's main training camp, but he didn't make the club.

Nearly a decade later, and a couple of weeks before Halloween, Suter came back to haunt Ottawa and helped the Blues score a one-sided win. He was the one who got the offensive ball rolling, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period.

The Sens entered the game riding the momentum of a 5-1 start, but this just in: nobody maintains an .833 points percentage forever. They were due for a night like this, especially with a tough schedule, injuries on defence and an off night in goal.

The Senators will now have a day to regroup before returning to action Thursday night when they host the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Islanders complete positive homestand with 3-2 win over Canucks

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.

Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.

Maccelli assisted on Palmieri’s goal at 5:38 of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie.

Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.

Boeser’s power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.

Up next

Canucks: At Florida on Thursday.

Islanders: At Ottawa on Thursday.

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Canucks’ Losing Streak Hits Five After 3–2 Loss To The New York Islanders

The Vancouver Canucks’ losing streak has officially hit five games after their 3–2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored Vancouver’s two goals tonight, while Leevi MerilĂ€inen was strong in net, making 35 stops on 38 shots faced. 

Vancouver actually didn’t look terrible during the first period, but a couple of quick goals on bad turnovers put them down 2–0 by the end of the frame. The Islanders’ first goal saw the puck go past a couple of Canucks before making its way towards the net, appearing to bounce off both Tom Willander and then Kyle Palmieri before beating MerilĂ€inen. Zeev Buium, who played on Vancouver’s third-pairing tonight, coughed the puck up to Matthew Schaefer on New York’s second goal, with the Islanders defenceman threading it over to goal-scorer Matias Maccelli. 

The Canucks debuted a somewhat new-look power play unit tonight as well. Jonathan LekkerimĂ€ki, who has been playing well throughout the start of the 2026–27 season, was bumped up to Vancouver’s top-unit and made an impact immediately. The forward was only a short distance away from scoring Vancouver’s first goal of the game as he ripped a shot past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, though the puck hit the crossbar and flew out of bounds.  

An overlapping penalty-kill put Vancouver down a player to start the second period. Despite killing the penalty, the Canucks found themselves contained within their own zone for the first half of their period. This resulted in long shifts, such as two-minute sequences for Willander and Jamie Oleksiak, due to Vancouver not being able to break the puck out. 

One break-out sequence started by the line of LekkerimÀki, Elias Pettersson, and Jake DeBrusk gave Vancouver some much-needed O-zone time. The break-in triggered a line change for both benches, which the oncoming Sasson and Arshdeep Bains capitalized on to give the Canucks their first goal. 

Things seemed to switch up after Sasson’s goal — and Vancouver’s second penalty kill of the night shortly after — as it was the Canucks’ turn to put together more O-zone time. They were able to utilize their momentum to get extended looks in the Islanders’ zone, one of which resulted in Liam Öhgren drawing a penalty on Palmieri. On the ensuing man-advantage, Boeser scored his 80th-career power-play goal to take sole-possession of fifth-all time in franchise history. 

Just like at the start of the second period, the Islanders made a strong push for offence to start the third, with this paying off in the form of a second goal for Palmieri. Once the final few minutes of the period emerged, Vancouver pressed to try and score the game-tying goal, but a hooking call on Buium put the Canucks down a player and ultimately neutralized their attempt at going 6-on-5.   

To give credit where credit is due, however, Vancouver kept things interesting right until the end. Even with Buium in the box, the Canucks killed the majority of their penalty before drawing a penalty themselves and playing 5-on-4 with MerilÀinen on the bench. All in all, Vancouver put up a fair comeback effort but were unable to fully secure the win. 

Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) skates with the puck past New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) skates with the puck past New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Stats and Facts: 

  • Canucks record first-ever loss at UBS Arena 
  • Leevi MerilĂ€inen’s personal shutout streak against the Islanders ends at 74:57 minutes 
  • The Canucks go perfect on the penalty-kill for the first time in a single game this season 
  • Filip Hronek has recorded a point in all games played (7) against the Islanders as a member of the Canucks 

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

14:57 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (1) from Matt Kessel and Bo Horvat 

15:50 - NYI: Matias Maccelli (1) from Matthew Schaefer 

2nd Period: 

7:52 - VAN: Max Sasson (2) from Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak 

18:55 - VAN: Brock Boeser (2) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG) 

3rd Period: 

5:38 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (2) from Matias Maccelli and Matthew Schaefer 

Up Next: 

Vancouver Canucks @ Florida Panthers, October 15, 4:00 pm PT 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Suter, Neighbours and McTavish score 2 each as the Blues rout the Senators 7-2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Pius Suter, Jake Neighbours and Mason McTavish each had a pair of goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Adam Jiricek also scored for the Blues, Pavel Buchnevich had three assists and Joel Hofer stopped 15 shots.

Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Senators, whose three game win streak came to an end. Samuel Ersson, making his second start for Ottawa, made 19 saves.

Ottawa was playing the second game of a back-to-back, coming off a 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

The Blues took a 4-1 lead midway through the third when Suter beat Ersson short side from a sharp angle. Neighbours scored his second off a snap shot, McTavish scored on the power play, and Jiricek scored his first career goal to round out the scoring.

Zetterlund added a late power-play goal to make it 7-2.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead midway through the second when Neighbours stepped in with a shot from the top of the slot and wristed a shot through traffic to beat Ersson glove side.

Giroux cut the lead in half with 2:08 remaining in the second on a feed from Tim Stutzle, but the Blues responded 33 seconds later. Some poor defensive zone coverage allowed McTavish to get a shot past Ersson from the top of the crease.

The Blues opened the scoring at 14:28 of the first period with a short-handed goal. Colton Parayko won a battle along the boards and found Suter with some open space and he beat Ersson blocker side.

With his second-period goal, Giroux recorded his 1,170th career point, tying Bobby Hull for 59th on the NHL’s career scoring list.

Up next

Blues: At Minnesota on Thursday.

Senators: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Shaikin: Dodgers should have taken Shohei Ohtani off the postseason roster

Shohei Ohtani needs to sit a lot more often this postseason.
Shohei Ohtani needs to sit a lot more often this postseason. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.

Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.

They won’t. They won’t even take him out of Wednesday’s lineup.

Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.

“It was never a benching,” Roberts said.

Read more:Dave Roberts says Shohei Ohtani is adamant he feels good enough, will remain in lineup

Roberts drew a parallel between what might have happened with Ohtani and what did happen with Freddie Freeman during the NLCS two years ago, when the Dodgers provided what the manager called a “reset” — a day off for the team, followed by a rest day for Freeman.

“And he ends up winning the MVP in the World Series,” Roberts said.

Freeman had been playing with a bad ankle for three weeks, and even then he had been more productive that October than Ohtani has been in this one. Ohtani has been playing with a bad knee and biceps for three months, and the Dodgers already have tried intermittent rest.

They tried that in September, twice. They touted their bye week before the start of the playoffs. They talked up their three days off before the start of the NLCS.

They went 0 for 4. Enough already.

Roberts said the Dodgers — not just Ohtani, but the coaching staff and the training staff — see progress. True, no doubt. But we’ve heard similarly encouraging words after each of Ohtani’s rest breaks.

“We’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him,” Roberts said, “and that’s it.”

Ohtani said Tuesday that his symptoms have subsided since the Dodgers put him on the injured list, for the minimum stay. That was a month ago.

Shohei Ohtani is just three for 20 this postseason.
Shohei Ohtani is just three for 20 this postseason. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday, he said his approaches can alternate between “focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

There is no evidence so far that this might work, and an uncomfortable and increasing body of evidence that it might not.

Ohtani is batting .150 in the playoffs, with three hits in 20 at-bats. Of the 39 players with at least 20 at-bats this postseason entering play Tuesday, only three have a lower OPS than Ohtani’s .411.

One of them, Dodgers catcher Will Smith, has one hit in 23 at-bats. But he is hitting the ball hard: in the NLCS, one ball hit at 102 mph, another at 101, and every ball hit harder than the one Ohtani hit the hardest.

That exit velocity: 86 mph.

He has not pulled a ball in the series for a hit, or for an out.

Over his major league career, he has homered once every 14 at-bats.

He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18, a span of 107 at-bats. He has driven in one run since then; the Dodgers batted him cleanup in Game 2.

And, since hitting that last home run, Ohtani is batting .036 against fastballs thrown 95 mph or harder. The average fastball in this postseason: 96.2 mph, according to analyst Mike Petriello’s close-up of all the different ways Ohtani’s swing is fouled up.

Breaking balls? Brewers reliever JoJo Romero threw him one low and away in Game 2, and Ohtani lost his bat as he lunged to make contact.

When Ohtani spoke with reporters before the playoffs started, he said he might not know the full extent of his injuries or what he might need to do to rehabilitate them until after the postseason.

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers' three-peat dreams are on life support as the deflated heroes return home

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” he said then. “I think that process is going to happen during the offseason, when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

The Dodgers did not need Ohtani to win the NL West. They needed to shut him down for an extended period to maximize their chances of winning in October.

They failed to do that. They believed a few days of rest would allow them to nurse Ohtani through the rest of the season.

One big swing in October, and who cares? Ask Kirk Gibson, who hobbled to bat and then hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history.

Here is what the Dodgers ought to keep in mind: That was the only at-bat Gibson took in that 1988 World Series.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Wednesday's Time Schedule

All Times EDT

Wednesday, Oct. 14

MLB - Playoffs

National League Championship Series - Game 3

Milwaukee at L.A. Dodgers, 8 p.m.

NBA - Preseason

Brooklyn at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Detroit at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

New Orleans at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Phoenix at San Antonio, 8 p.m.

Denver at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

NHL

Montreal at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.

MLS

Atlanta at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

New England at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

New York City FC at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

New York Red Bulls at DC United, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Kansas City at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Seattle Sounders at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Saint Louis City SC, 8:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.

San Jose at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.

Austin at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.

Houston at San Diego, 10:30 p.m.

Portland at LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.

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Kyle Palmieri scores twice as Islanders beat Canucks 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.

Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.

Maccelli assisted on Palmieri's goal at 5:38 of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie.

Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.

Boeser's power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.

Up next

Canucks: At Florida on Thursday.

Islanders: At Ottawa on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Thoughts & Quotes for Your Group Chat: Raptors vs. Knicks

TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the game against the New York Knicks on October 13, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Toronto Raptors may have been facing the New York Knicks’ C-Team, but that wasn’t why fans packed the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

New York could’ve grabbed randoms off NBA Twitter and the electricity in the building would’ve remained.

Here are a few thoughts and quotes to drop in your group chat after the Raptors defeated the Knicks 148-98.

He return

“I tried to get those guys as much as possible on the court together so they can figure out the chemistry and spacing” – Darko Rajakovic.

It’s been 2,682 days (seven years, four months, and three days) since Kawhi Leonard last donned a Raptors uniform in front of the Toronto faithful. That was when Leonard authored a mesmerizing one-man show against the Warriors before Head Coach Nick Nurse called (a now untimely) timeout.

Leonard seemed intent on knocking down a triple to begin his second stint in Toronto, with the superstar’s first three shots coming from beyond the arc. He eventually hit a three-pointer from the left wing, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

He followed that by posting up Jose Alvarado on the left baseline, before drilling a turnaround fadeaway. Leonard’s first points as a 35-year-old Raptor technically came at the free-throw line. That’s basically comfort food offence for a team that has previously struggled when things slow down in the playoffs or opposing defences resort to zone.

“I wanted to get after it and get tired,” said Leonard. “I still want to get in better shape but it was fun to play.”

When Leonard returned in the second quarter, he transported us back to 2019 with a right-corner triple that required a friendly bounce courtesy of his favourite rim in the league.

Leonard was everything we remembered him to be. He finished with 21 points and five rebounds on 50 per cent shooting. He also added two steals. This was all accomplished in 17 minutes of play. Have the rest of the pre-season off big guy.

Chalk it up to rookie nerves

“I have huge trust in Allen and his three-point shooting.” – Darko Rajakovic

After missing the first two pre-season games in Quebec City and Vancouver, Allen Graves finally made his debut. If Leonard hadn’t dressed, Graves would have been the apple of everyone’s eye. It’s probably best that wasn’t the case, at least early on, as it seemed Graves had understandable “first-game-as-a-pro” jitters.

In less than four minutes, Graves picked up three fouls, with the third coming after he bowled over Drew Eubanks while trying to grab a defensive rebound.

For the most part, Graves was parked in a corner on offence. He missed his first three attempts from deep but finally knocked down his first bucket as a professional in the second quarter. It should be noted that he was wide open on these attempts, which should be a common occurrence playing alongside Leonard and as opponents dare him to shoot.

I loved how active he was on the court. There was a play where he chased down his own miss and poked the ball loose, subsequently resulting in Ja’Kobe Walter getting two points.

The trio needs a nickname

“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented
they make things easy.” – Kawhi Leonard

Speaking of Graves, fans were finally treated to the beautiful and blinding chaos that comes with the rookie playing next to Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. The trio made their debut in the back end of the first quarter. They were flying.

Flanked by Walter and Jamal Shead, the group forced a shot-clock violation, a handful of turnovers and deflections, a dead-ball and the Knicks’ bench into never-ending uncertainty.

Shortly after, Head Coach Rajakovic tried a different combination with Immanuel Quickley and Leonard. It’ll be fun to see what kind of lineups the coaching staff deploys with Toronto’s newest set of triplets.

That’s an interesting development

“When Kawhi is on the floor, he attracts so much gravity
they really complement each other well.” – Darko Rajakovic

It seems that even though Brandon Ingram may be in Los Angeles, his signature baseline fadeaway remained behind in Toronto, specifically in the hands of Barnes. The All-Star normally resembles a running back with the ball in his hands, but he was silky-smooth on the baseline and knocked down numerous jumpers with a high degree of difficulty. Ingram would have been proud.

As for Murray-Boyles, he finished a perfect two-of-two from distance. He averaged less than one three-point attempt a game in his rookie year, while shooting 34 per cent. If he can average around two three-point shots while maintaining a similar average, that would be incredible. Toronto shot 35.4 per cent from three last season.

“Collin worked so hard over the course of the summer on his shooting,” said Rajakovic. “We need more guys that can be willing to take shots.”

Eyes on Darko

“At the end of our conversation, he always tells me to go play basketball.” Kawhi Leonard on Darko

Pre-season reps are valuable, even for the coaches. With 1.2 seconds left in the first half, the Raptors forced a turnover, inspiring Rajakovic to call a timeout. The exhibition was already a blowout at that point, but Rajakovic wasn’t going to let a learning opportunity slip by.

The Raptors drew up a play that involved Leonard screening for CMB on the left elbow, before CMB pivoted into a screen for Leonard. This triggered the inbound, which Leonard caught on a ‘76ers bounce cut’ (what I’m tentatively calling the route). Before Leonard could add to his stat line, he was fouled.

A big part of the 2019 championship run was Nurse’s development. He started the season as an unknown variable type of coach, but later evolved into a mad scientist. Rajakovic’s continued progression will also play a pivotal role in determining the ceiling of the 2026-27 Raptors.

A New York state of mind

“We have good guys that are about the right stuff, are all in, and have embraced our culture.” – Mike Brown

Before the game, Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown was asked how the team plans to stay locked in despite potential distractions (Karl-Anthony Towns). With zero hesitation, Brown highlighted an organization-wide commitment to chasing one very obvious goal, and it’s more than just a verbal promise.

“We have our standard written down that everybody signed, similar to a contract,” said Brown. “This way, it allows all of us, starting from the top down, to hold each other accountable.”

The Knicks fall to 0-4 in pre-season play, once again proving that these are practice reps on public display.

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Lakers’ Walker Kessler makes preseason debut in against Warriors

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Walker Kessler of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during a 2026 NBA preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, Image 2 shows Luka Doncic holding a basketball during warm-ups

LAS VEGAS — The Lakers marquee free agency acquisition was available to make his long-awaited preseason debut against the Warriors Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Walker Kessler was upgraded to active for Tuesday’s matchup after missing the Lakers’ first three games of the preseason.

He injured his left pinky finger (non-shooting hand) during the first week of training camp.

Walker Kessler of the Los Angeles Lakers arrives to the arena before a game against the Golden State Warriors. NBAE via Getty Images

The 7-foot-2 center progressed to participating during the live action portion of Sunday’s practice after doing everything else but live drills during Saturday’s session. 

Kessler has had his left pinky wrapped the last couple of weeks after jamming it on a backboard during practice. 

 “Just taking precautionary stuff, especially since it’s preseason,” he said earlier in the week. “But it feels good.”

Walker Kessler with his left pinky wrapped. NBAE via Getty Images
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Getty Images

While Kessler made his debut, superstar guard Luka Doncic was held out of Tuesday’s game for rest.

Coach JJ Redick made it clear Doncic wasn’t injured after playing in two of the first three preseason games. 

The Lakers’ last exhibition will come against the Nuggets on Friday in Los Angeles. 

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Player Grades: Cavs fall to Magic in preseason finale despite impressive showing from Meleek Thomas

ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 13: Meleek Thomas #15 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball during the game against the Orlando Magic on October 13, 2026 at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers got blown out in their final preseason game 132-116 to the Orlando Magic.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents that player performing to our expectations for them.

James Harden

13 points, 2 assists, 0 rebounds

The Cavs struggled to get into any kind of scoring rhythm. The bigs weren’t involved as much as you’d like, and the offense overall wasn’t able to generate many clean looks for outside shooters. Part of that blame falls on the starting point guard.

In addition to that, Harden had a tough time finding his own shot. He went just 6-for-14 from the field in an overall forgettable game.

Grade: D-

Donovan Mitchell

15 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists

Mitchell made a concerted effort to get others involved. That resulted in eight assists in under 25 minutes to go along with 15 points. This was a solid night from someone who looks ready for regular season basketball to start.

Grade: B

Evan Mobley

14 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists

Mobley missed his first five shots before slowly turning it around as he put up seven points in both the second and third quarters.

This preseason has been rough for Mobley offensively. He’s struggled to get to his spots on the floor and hasn’t been very efficient when he gets there. This 6-for-14 performance is on the heels of going 3-for-10 the game before.

Grade: D

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Peyton Watson

10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Watson struggled to find the range from deep as he went 1-for-5 beyond the arc. The three-point volume in 24 minutes is what you want to see, even though the efficiency wasn’t there.

The energy Watson plays with remains encouraging. He was an active defender as he racked up two blocks and a steal.

Grade: B

Jarrett Allen

9 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists

Allen was an afterthought on offense and wasn’t able to do enough on the other end to cover up for the poor point-of-attack defense elsewhere.

Grade: D

Jaylon Tyson

12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Tyson’s energy is infectious. He and Watson were two of the regulars who played with the appropriate amount of force.

Grade: B

Meleek Thomas

16 points, 0 assists, 3 rebounds

There are legitimate questions about whether Thomas is ready to fit into an off-ball role. There are fewer questions about how he looks when you put the ball in his hands.

Thomas played five minutes in the first three quarters with the regular rotation and struggled to make an impact. He attempted just one shot and never really felt a part of the offense. That changed in the fourth quarter when the Cavs pulled their regulars and put the ball in his hands.

Thomas scored 14 of his 16 points in the final frame. He relentlessly got where he wanted on the court, and scored efficiently when he got there, as he ended the night going 6-for-9 from the field.

You don’t want to make too much of garbage time in a preseason blowout, but this was another encouraging performance from Thomas.

Grade: A-

Mario Hezonja

12 points, 2 assists, 6 rebounds

This was a solid showing for Hezonja. He once again held up well against a physical Orlando team as he did a little bit of everything.

These last two games have been steps in the right direction for Hezonja after a rough debut against the Boston Celtics.

Grade: B

Craig Porter Jr.

0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Porter has a shot at earning a spot in the rotation, but he hasn’t done enough to definitively grab that role. He once again struggled to make an impact off-ball, and didn’t attempt a shot in 17 and a half minutes. Porter’s defense has been fine, and it’s good to have another play initiator in the offense, but guards need to be threats to score when they’re on the court.

Grade: D+

Tyrese Proctor

4 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists

Proctor got some run with the regulars, but didn’t necessarily make the most of it. He didn’t make much of an impact when he was with the other rotation players, which isn’t ideal for someone the team is hoping will take a leap in his second season. It wasn’t until he shared the court with some of the reserves that you started to feel his impact.

Grade: C–

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Zachary Bolduc scores decisive goal in shootout for 2nd straight game as Canadiens beat Sabres 4-3

MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the decisive goal in a shootout for the second straight game, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 after blowing a two-goal lead Tuesday night.

Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist for Montreal. Josh Anderson also scored, and Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists.

Jacob Fowler made 14 saves in his third consecutive start after stopping 30 shots in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Detroit, which was decided by Bolduc's goal in the sixth shootout round.

Olen Zellweger had two goals and Josh Norris also scored for Buffalo as the teams met for the first time since the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres in the second round of last season's playoffs.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots, and Beck Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson had two assists apiece.

The Sabres scored twice in 61 seconds to erase a two-goal lead and tie the score at 3-3 at 5:25 of the third period. Norris bounced a point shot off defenseman Adam Engstrom before Zellweger converted his second with a wrist shot through a crowd.

In the shootout, Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored for Montreal. Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo, but Jack Quinn missed to open the door for Bolduc.

Zellweger opened the scoring on the game’s first shot when his point attempt hit Engstrom and bounced into the net.

Hutson answered with a wrist shot past a screened Luukkonen on a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game at 14:28 of the first period. Caufield then one-timed a pass from Slafkovsky to give Montreal a 2-1 lead early in the second.

Hutson showcased his skill again late in the second, stickhandling in from the blue line before sliding a no-look backhand pass to Anderson, who fired into the open net with 50 seconds remaining in the period.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin did not travel to Montreal after appearing to hurt his lower back in Monday’s 5-3 win over Florida. Zellweger stepped into Buffalo’s top pairing and scored his first goals since being acquired by Buffalo last summer.

Up next

Sabres: At Toronto on Thursday.

Canadiens: At Washington on Wednesday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here