The Islanders will be without one of their free agent forward additions for their second game of the season.
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday that Jonathan Drouin has officially been suspended one game for his cross-check late in Thursday's season opener.
With just over 10 seconds remaining in regulation, Drouin threw a rough cross-check to the head of Penguins forward Connor Dewar during a net-front scrum.
The veteran was assessed a five minute major and a game misconduct on the play.
Friday morning, the league announced that he would have a hearing, and shortly after news of his ban broke.
This is Drouin's first career suspension, but he has been fined in the past for another cross-checking incident (2022).
Prior to his absence, the winger enjoyed himself a strong debut with the Islanders, scoring the team's opening goal of the season during in the first period.
We’re just three games into the preseason, but it’s been a transformative stretch for the Knicks as they build up the foundations of their restructured offense under new head coach Mike Brown.
A primary reason for hiring him was to diversify and maximize an offense that finished top five last season, but steadily declined into the playoffs and stagnated too often by admission of the players running it.
We won’t see the final results until months from now, and even early returns should be taken with a grain of salt, given the undertaking of installing a new read-and-react system in a low-stakes preseason environment. Still, we can start to spot the big differences and how that might inform what this team looks like, fully formed.
Here are three major ways this Knicks offense is different from prior iterations.
Three-point emphasis
Brown wants 40 three-pointers per game out of these Knicks, a mark well above their previous 34.1 average and one met by only four other teams during the 2024-25 season. New York is currently on pace this preseason, averaging 44 behind a revamped shot diet.
A big focus for them this training camp has been getting two feet in the paint to collapse the defense and create catch-and-shoot opportunities for shooters. The Knicks have been doing more of this thanks to increased ball and player movement, pace, and cutting down on mid-range shots.
All of their top scorers have aligned early shot diets with these principles. Out of the 32 shots Jalen Brunson has taken this preseason, only two have come from the mid-range -- ditto for Karl-Anthony Towns (1 of 19), OG Anunoby (1 of 15) and even Mikal Bridges (1 for 26).
The Knicks will probably want to get a little more out of the paint and free throw line, but this is probably just a preseason thing. We’ll see how stringent these changes remain, how the personnel adjusts, and how much it boosts the offense once we’re well into the regular season.
Oct 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts as he talks with center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images
Freelance fundamentals
One thing that looks to be consistent with last year’s approach is a reliance on freelanced offense, or trusting the talent on the court to make the right reads without relying on too many canned plays. However, where the 2025 Knicks could stagnate in their approach -- often simplifying to a pet pindown or weave to get Brunson the ball in pick-and-roll or isolation -- this year promises increased motion and sharing to generate looks.
Brown mentioned running no set plays in the Knicks’ most recent win, in an effort to familiarize them with the new system. Two major tenants of the approach are spacing principles and emphasis on movement.
New York is trying to be more diligent with spacing the floor by keeping players spread and in motion behind the arc, while also being smarter about how they cut into the paint. There were times last season when guys would be bunched up in the same corner, or cutting into each other on a drive. Hyperfocusing on the right positioning with no plays running should help deter those mistakes.
The other piece is increased player movement, including a ton of quick-hit dribble hand-offs, give-and-gos, and weak-side cuts and flares to keep the opportunities flowing with no set being run. There also seems to be an informal dribble or isolation limit, as the ball is moving much freer than in years past.
Quicker pace
This change has been a little tougher to gauge on the eye test and by the numbers. Partially from preseason obfuscation, partially because this might be the biggest new adjustment for New York’s top players, and partially because it’s not as simple. Increased pace means more fast breaks and quicker shots.
Some of the changes have been more subtle -- like Brown preaching for guys to spread out to the corners as quick as possible semi-transition, which we’re seeing the beginnings of. But the results may not look like what some expect right away.
The Knicks won’t be turning into seven seconds or less anytime soon and probably at all, but they’re trying to get more leak-outs in transition, make space for trailers, and even get into their halfcourt stuff much quicker, which may bring the biggest impact.
A big issue with last season's offense was just taking six seconds to cross halfcourt and another eight to finally begin the action. It happened often.
Again, drawing any concrete conclusions from these early games is a fruitless exercise, but they’ve given us a real look into the core tenants Brown has been preaching for this new-look offense all training camp. It may take some time to fully realize, but we can see the building blocks starting to emerge.
What do you get when you combine The Hockey Show with the start of a new NHL season?
The answer is…the return of the Panthers Den!
During hockey season, every new episode of The Hockey Show with co-hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork will include a segment dedicated to the latest happenings in and around the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champs.
This week, they discussed Florida’s win on Opening Night against the Chicago Blackhawks and their victory two nights later over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Both games saw the Cats run into a hot goaltender but ultimately come out on top with the two points.
Also on this week’s show, Roy and Dave previewed Saturday’s matchup between the Panthers and their division rivals from Ottawa.
You can check out the first Panthers Den of the season in the video below:
There will be a new free agent joining the market this offseason.
Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami will be posted by the Yakult Swallows this winter, officially making him available to all 30 MLB teams, according to MLB’s Mark Feinsand.
Numerous teams are expected to be in the running for the lefty sluggers talents, and according to Nikkan Sports, both New York clubs are among them.
Murakami has been a star for the Swallows over the past eight seasons, taking home a pair of MVP awards while popping a combined 246 home runs, 165 doubles, and 681 RBI.
22 of those long balls came in an injury-riddled campaign this past season.
His biggest power display came in 2022, when he popped 56 homers and drove in 134 runs.
The 25-year-old mainly plays the hot corner, but he’s also spent time at first and DH.
For the Mets, Murakami presents an intriguing option for David Stearns to consider if slugger Pete Alonso were to leave in free agency after opting out of his deal with the club.
The Yankees, on the other hand, aren’t exactly a smooth fit at the moment but his powerful swing from the left-side certainly would be well suited for the short porch in the Bronx.
The Dodgers, Mariners, Phillies, Red Sox, and Giants are also expected to be in the mix.
Despite recording an assist and being on the ice for all of the Islanders' three goals in 17:15 TOI, here's what he wants to do better at when he plays in his second NHL game on Saturday night against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
"I want to end plays quicker in the D zone," Schaefer said. "I think that's a big one. Maybe get more shots through, you know, use my feet more on the blue line.
"I think that's a big thing that will come over time with confidence. But you know, things like that, getting shots through, pucks to the net. I mean things like that. I think those are all things that I can work on."
If we are being picky, Schaefer did struggle to get shots through in his first game, with just one on six attempts. Five of his shots were blocked.
The reason Schaefer was a No. 1 pick is because of how determined he is to improve each and every time his skates hit the ice.
So, don't be shocked if he gets more shots through and skates even better on Saturday night.
Barnes is based in the Detroit area; however, the fact that he was with the Canadiens’ executive bodes well for Canadiens’ fans. Bernier also adds that Kent Hughes had a reasonably busy morning in Detroit. The writer even ventures a guess, saying that he believes the AAV of a long-term deal could be similar to the deals signed by Luke Hughes and Jackson Lacombe.
I still expect the Canadiens’ GM to push for a maximum-term deal with the star blueliner. Hughes has been keen on locking up his core long-term signing maximum-term deals with Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Noah Dobson. The exception is Kaiden Guhle, who only signed a six-year contract, but given his injury history, that’s quite understandable. Furthermore, it would have been more expensive to buy unrestricted free agent years, so to speak.
The sooner a deal is ironed out with Hutson, the better. While the youngster is still the first on the ice and the last off it when it’s time to practice, he hasn’t had the best start to the season. It’s too early to talk about a sophomore slump, but it seems less effortless for him to play the game. He’s been held off the scoresheet in the first two games and has a minus-one rating.
As tough on himself as always, he blamed himself for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ game-winning goal in the season opener on Wednesday night. The bizarre sequence in which both Canadiens’ defenseman had lost their sticks, making it child’s play for Morgan Rielly to score as he walked in and received a pass that had no chance of being intercepted by the stickless blueliners. It was hardly Hutson’s fault, but the youngster likes to be the man who builds his team’s game-winning goal, not the one on the ice when the other team gets the game-winning goal.
Being held off the scoresheet in a game where his team scores five goals is not a frequent occurrence for Hutson, either, nor is it being unable to produce on the power play, especially with the kind of power play unit the Canadiens now have. Playing with the first line and Zack Bolduc, who has proven that he can be quite the goal scorer in the league already, should make it easier to pick up helpers.
It’s too early to criticize Hutson, and there’s really no reason to blame him. There’s no lack of effort in his play; you can see that he wants to do well and contribute, but the contract negotiations may be playing on his mind.
Players often claim that they don’t worry about contracts and let their agents handle them. Still, when a deal becomes a highly discussed topic in the market, it must be challenging, especially in Montreal, where the GM has been able to sign most of his players to team-friendly deals, leaving money on the table for the good of the team, giving the GM more money to work with and assemble a winning team.
Is it out of the realm of possibilities that it worries Hutson? Does he wonder what his teammates think about the prolonged negotiations? I don’t think so. In fact, it would just be a human reaction, and even if the youngster works tirelessly and looks like a hockey-playing robot at times, especially when he says he’s bored on days off, he remains a human being.
The sooner the contract is finalized, the better it will be for both the Canadiens and the player. I still believe Hughes is making every effort to keep his cap hit under Noah Dobson’s, and with the way the newly acquired defenseman has played since the start of the season, it’s understandable. He has played like a number-one defenseman. If Hutson signs an eight-year pact, it will take him straight to unrestricted free agency, and he’ll have time left in his career, making it possible for him to break the bank once again. That’s probably one of Hughes’ arguments to keep the cap hit reasonable.
“This is the nature of the business, especially in the offseason,” Dunleavy said. “You got to cover news, cover things that are going on. But once camp starts and you jump into basketball, that’s what our guys are focused on. Of course, there are going to be things that come up in the season, rumors and all those things, and the players have to deal with that.
“I think it’s impossible to go through a season without distractions and things like that.”
After a 92-day standoff, Kuminga and the Warriors finally agreed on a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a team option in the second year.
The 23-year-old returned to the Warriors’ practice facility for training camp last week, and all parties involved have downplayed any bad blood or drama between Kuminga and the rest of the team.
While his role within Steve Kerr’s offense still needs to be sorted, Kuminga’s sole focus is doing whatever he can to help the Warriors win. And a few weeks ahead of the 2025-26 season opener, that’s the only vibe Dunleavy has got thus far.
“But I don’t see the JK stuff from what’s happened in the offseason in terms of figuring out a contract for him carrying over into the season,” Dunleavy said. “That would be pretty surprising to me. He’s not that type of guy. We’re moving forward. The rest of the team is moving forward. I haven’t really seen any of those things lingering thus far in camp, even.”
As Dunleavy stated, the team won’t be able to avoid any outside noise. But as long as the Warriors are good within their own walls, Kuminga’s presence should be nothing but a positive for Golden State.
The first game of the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't go as they had planned, but being beaten by the Nashville Predators is a normal thing. Now they travel to Minnesota to play a Wild team that thrashed the St. Louis Blues 5-0 in game one of their season in St. Louis.
The Blue Jackets could only muster a single goal against Juuse Saros, who was looking to have a comeback year. Now, they will most likely get to play another hot goalie in Filip Gustavsson, who shut down the Blues. Playing their first two games on the road against teams that are hosting their first home game of the season is never an easy thing to do, but for some reason, the CBJ seem to have to do it every year.
Columbus has to put some goals in the net, plain and simple. Against Nashville, they put 38 shots on goal, so it's not like they didn't try.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 0.0% - 19th in NHL
Penalty Kill - 75% - 17th in NHL
Goals For - 1 - 25th in NHL.
Goals Against - 2 - 9th in NHL
Wild Stats
Power Play – 33.3% - 4th in NHL
Penalty Kill – 100% - 1st in NHL
Goals For - 5 - 2nd in NHL
Goals Against – 0 - 1st in NHL
Series History vs. The Wild
Columbus is 32-28-1-7 all-time, and 13-17-0-5 at Grand Casino Arena.
The CBJ went 0-2 against the Wild last season.
The Blue Jackets are 6-4-2 in the last 12 games in Minnesota.
Columbus has an all-time PK of 83.3% against the Wild.
Who To Watch For The Wild
Kirill Kaprizov has 10 points in 7 career games against the CBJ. He also has 3 assists in one game this season.
Ryan Hartman leads the Wild with 2 goals through one game.
Filip Gustavsson recorded a shutout in the first game of the season.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Wild
Cole Sillinger has 6 points in 8 games against the Wild.
Zach Werenski has 6 points in 13 games vs. Minnesota.
Boone Jenner has 3 points in 15 games against the Wild.
Injuries - None
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 0
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Let us know what you think below.
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Canadian
center Nicholas Baptiste, 30, has signed a one-year contract with
Dukla Trenčín,
the
Slovak Liga club announced on Friday.
While
Trenčín
hasn’t
had a bad start to the season overall, sitting sixth in the 12-team
league after 10 games, GM Mário
Bližňák expressed
concern over the fact the team has only scored 25 total goals so far.
“We
need to significantly increase our offensive
output
–
this
is one of the steps,”
said
Bližňák,
who
was a center who played in the
NHL,
AHL and WHL.
“We’ve
been
talking
about it with the coaches and the players. I believe that everyone
understands
the situation and is
taking
our on-ice
goals seriously.
“Nick
should be one of the offensive leaders, he has experience from the
top leagues, and he is also at the ideal hockey age,”
Bližňák
said about the 30-year-old
center.
“In
addition, he is an assertive, hard-working player, and that is
exactly what we will expect from him here.”
Born
in Ottawa, Baptiste played junior hockey for the OHL’s
Sudbury Wolves and Erie Otters, and was chosen in the third round,
69th
overall, by the Buffalo Sabres
in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Baptiste
has played in Europe since 2021 – in Finland for both Ilves and
Tappara Tampere, in Germany for Kölner
Haie and the Augsburger Panther, and 11
games in the KHL for Vityaz Moscow Oblast.
Internationally,
Baptiste won a gold medal with the Canadian team at the 2013 IIHF
U-18 World Championship.
The Shanghai Masters will witness one of the most astounding climaxes to any tournament as two cousins, Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, extended their shock breakthrough runs with monumental wins to face each other in the final.
Vacherot continued his fairytale by toppling an injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist. In his first match against a top-five opponent, the Monégasque world No 204 maintained his composure as Djokovic appeared to struggle with his left gluteal muscle from early in the first set.
In his first ever AHL game, this recently traded former Philadelphia Flyers goalie earned an impressive shutout.
On Friday night, in the head-scratching absence of NHL hockey, the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliates of the Columbus Blue Jackets, faced the Utica Comets in their first regular season game of the year.
Ivan Fedotov, who was traded to the Blue Jackets by the Flyers on Sept. 14, started for the Monsters against the Comets, out-dueling top New Jersey Devils goalie prospect Nico Daws, making 21 saves in a 1-0 victory.
Fedotov's 21-save shutout is his first professional shutout since Feb. 26, 2024, when he made 38 saves in a 4-0 win against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Gagarin Cup playoffs while playing for CSKA Moskva.
As for the Flyers, they're content with the 2026 sixth-round pick and the cap space they received for trading Fedotov, as much as they would have liked things to work out differently on the ice.
Heading into 2025-26, the Flyers and the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms will boast a goalie depth of Aleksei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason - two prospects younger than Fedotov who needed the playing time more.
While the NHL wasn't always his speed, Fedotov, 28, is off to a flying start to life in the AHL. With time and adjustments, it's certainly still possible the 6-foot-7 netminder can put the pieces together and grow into a serviceable NHL goalie.
The Florida Panthers will look to start their 2025-26 campaign with three straight wins when they wrap up their first homestand of the season on Saturday night.
Coming off one-goal victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers, the Panthers will face their first playoff team from a season ago when they host the Ottawa Senators at Amerant Bank Arena.
In recent years, meetings between the Panthers and Senators have often featured a plethora of penalty minutes and punches thrown.
Perhaps things will be more subdued this time with Florida missing their emotional leader, Matthew Tkachuk.
While he and his brother Brady, the captain in Ottawa, haven’t gone toe to toe, they are often the catalysts to much of the fun extracurriculars.
The Senators arrive in Sunrise fresh off an exhilarating season opening victory.
Ottawa overcame a pair of two-goal deficits while playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in Amalie Arena, clawing back on the Bolts and earning a 5-4 statement win.
Now the Sens will face a Panthers squad looking to complete a perfect three-game homestand.
Florida has picked up one-goal victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers over the past several days, but will now face what should be their toughest test of the young season in Ottawa.
The Panthers will be forced to utilize a different lineup than what they’ve deployed during their first two outings after defenseman Dmitry Kuilkov suffered an upper-body injury during Thursday’s win over Philly.
Kulikov has since been placed on IR by Florida, according to the team’s roster on the NHL Media site, which means Uvis Balinskis will see his first action of the season.
Balinskis played 76 games for the Cats last season, finishing with four goals and 18 points while earning the trust of his coaching staff with steady defensive play.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s showdown with the Sens:
Photo caption: Feb 20, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) punches Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering (center) hangs his head as Dodgers players rush onto the field to celebrate their Game 4 win. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
"All's well that ends well" as they say, but during the entire Game 4 on Thursday night it felt to me like a game the Dodgers would lose as soon as the bullpen got to the mound, because they were not hitting worth a darn. L.A. scored because of an unforgiveable bases-loaded walk to tie and a throwing error for the ages by the Phillies pitcher for them to win. Losing last night would've sent them back to Philly with their heads way down to play in cold weather, with rainstorms brewing. Yes, their season could've easily been over by Saturday night.
So I don't yet see them as a "dominating team" and am holding my breath while waiting for their luck to maybe run out. That said, I've really enjoyed their 2025 season … so far.
Doug Weiskopf Burbank
Andy Pages hits a broken bat comebacker to the Phillies pitcher and that play turns into the winning run. With that the Dodgers advance in the playoffs. Yet, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind had to do with Kirk Gibson hitting his walk-off home run against the Oakland A's in the 1988 World Series and two Hall of Fame announcers with their calls. Vin Scully saying "In the year of the improbable, the impossible has happened!" And Jack Buck saying, "I can't believe what I just saw!" Either call would have fit Thursday night at Chavez Ravine. What an ending!!
Chris Sorce Fountain Valley
I am happy for the Dodgers. I have been a fan since I was 11 (1955 World Series vs. Yankees). I just wish that Game 4 would have ended differently. It could have ended with Andy Pages getting a base hit, or either Trea Turner or Bryce Harper making an error. I feel badly for relief pitcher Orion Kerkering. This will possibly scar him for his entire career. Certainly the Phillies fans will never forgive him (see Bill Buckner and the Red Sox fans — it was Bill’s manager who put him at first base, but the fans never saw it that way). I hope Orion gets traded by the Phillies and has a nice career.
John Vitz Manhattan Beach
Anyone still believing the Dodgers don’t have a decent bullpen, please call Roki Sasaki. My only question is what took us so long to realize it!
Marty Zweben Palos Verdes Estates
Best headline of the year: A Game of Thrown.
Keep up the great work!
Billy Groak Fullerton
Momentous moment
Replays and close-ups that watching on TV provides can’t compare with the excitement of being present. But once in a while there is a moment that only TV captures. Jerry Neuheisel was experiencing such a moment in UCLA's upset of Penn State and his father Rick’s exhilaration over the joyful moment.
Richard Agay Los Angeles
According to the headlines, photos and first 12 paragraphs of Ben Bolch's story, playcaller Jerry Neuheisel nearly single-handedly masterminded the Bruins upset win over the Nittany Lions. The interim head coach, Tim Skipper, was eventually mentioned merely as an afterthought. This is akin to attributing a ship's safe passage through rough seas to the first mate, not the captain. Let's hope that Coach Skipper is not relegated to attention only after a UCLA defeat.
Dave Sanderson La Cañada
Championship coaching
So Lakers coach JJ Redick keeps harping on championship habits, championship communication and championship shape, even making a veiled swipe at Luka Doncic at the end of last season saying not everyone was in “championship shape.” Can someone tell me, what does Redick know about being in championship shape? He never won an NBA championship. He ought to get himself in championship coaching shape so he doesn’t make the same rookie mistakes he made against the Timberwolves in last season's playoffs.
Danny Balber Jr. Pasadena
Charge it
Any offensive coordinator who has the ball on the one-yard line and throws a pass should be fired on the spot. Any team, no matter whether it's Pop Warner, high school, college or pro, that can't score from the one with four downs doesn't deserve a touchdown. Somebody wrote last week that the Chargers were the Clippers of football. They weren't lying.
Luis Cruz La Mirada
Time for change
Is anybody else watching the WNBA finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Mercury Phoenix? The arena seats are not full and ticket prices seemed to have dropped. Could it be because of the lack of action from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, or maybe due to inconsistent officiating, or perhaps many star players injured, or being fined for speaking out about these issues all season? Sure, players are asking for more pay, but what they are really asking for is fairness and a change in the system at the top.
Joan C. Fingon Ventura
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