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Last Minute NHL Fantasy Draft Strategies for the Upcoming Season

Last Minute Draft Strategies for the Upcoming NHL Season

The NHL season begins Tuesday, and while some of you have already had your drafts, this weekend will be the busiest time for poolies.

Maximizing Value with Elite Goaltenders and Blueliners

There are many different strategies for drafting a team. I enjoy going after positions of weakness first.  There are not many goaltenders whom you can rely on year after year. Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger and Ilya Sorokin come to mind as the best netminders -- I have discounted Sergei Bobrovsky due to his age and the amount of hockey he has played over the last three seasons -- I would wait on goaltenders after these five. One big thing to remember when drafting this season is that there will be an Olympic break. Since the Russians will not be in Italy, I would upgrade all Russian players -- especially Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin and Alex Ovechkin -- as they will be well rested while the remainder of the NHL's best will be tired coming off the gruelling two-week Olympic Games. That also goes for everyone who does not make their respective National Team, as they get a big break in the action.

I also would take defensemen early, as there are not a bunch of high-scoring blueliners. I would tap Cale Makar as a top-five pick this season, taking Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Kucherov in front of him. There are some forwards who will outscore Makar, but by not a big enough margin to make them worth taking, as there are always plenty of forwards to choose from, especially in shallower pools.

There were 49 players who had at least 70 points in 2024-25, including just three defensemen, Makar, Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes. That's the importance of selecting blueliners. To make the point even greater, there were only five defensemen who had from 60 to 69 points. Rasmus Dahlin, Evan Bouchard, Victor Hedman, Josh Morrissey and Adam Fox. That's eight of the top 85 scorers.

If you play with forwards, rather than specific centers, left wingers and right wingers, I would load up with centers as they definitely get more points than wingers on average. If you play with those positions, I would wait on your centers, focusing on wingers, as there will be plenty of good centers available in the eighth round and later. I scored Jack Hughes three seasons ago in the eighth round, and he finished with 99 points. I also selected Nico Hischier in the same draft in the 17th and final round, and he managed 31 goals and 80 points in 81 games after missing Opening Night.

In most pools, there are between 160 and 225 players taken, including 20-28 goalies, 48-84 defensemen and 92-112 forwards. As mentioned earlier, 77 forwards managed to score at least 60 points. If you want players who scored at least 45 points in 2024-25, then add another 81 players to the list, including 10 defensemen. Of the top 166 players, you have 148 forwards (more than enough to fill all rosters and then some) and only 18 defensemen. While defensemen can help out in other categories, you can definitely see the importance of taking blueliners early and often while waiting on forwards.

Leveraging the Olympic Break for Fantasy Hockey Success

As previously mentioned, it's an interesting schedule this season due to the Olympics, as there is almost a three-week break in the schedule, from Feb. 6-26. There are four teams that play five games in a week. The Rangers play five games from Dec. 15-21, Carolina plays five contests from Dec. 29-Jan. 4, Edmonton has five games from Jan. 12-18 and most importantly, Pittsburgh plays five times from Mar. 30-Apr. 5. The Penguins' stretch will be during the head-to-head playoffs, and that will give a huge edge to a team. Don't forget to plan ahead, as trying to pick off some of these players may be difficult the Sunday before their big week.

If you are playing dynasty leagues, don't forget about players who are currently hurt, but may help you out long-term, either later in this season or next year. Aleksander Barkov (knee surgery) definitely comes to mind as he is likely out for all of the regular season in 2025-26, but will be worth his weight in gold next year, or perhaps even this season as trade bait if you are trying to improve your chances of winning this season. Others to consider are Matthew Tkachuk (groin surgery), who is expected to be out until at least Christmas and Zach Hyman (broken wrist), who is expected to return at the beginning of November. 

Navigating the NHL Schedule for Daily Transaction Pools

An important part of playing in daily transaction leagues is playing the schedule. For the most part, the NHL is a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday league with the majority of scheduled games slated for those dates. Edmonton and Montreal lead in those dates with 60 of their 82 games played on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Boston plays 58 times, while Ottawa is at 57 and Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are at 55. At the other end of the schedule (and these are players on teams you should target near the end of the draft) are Anaheim at only 40, Utah at 41, Chicago with 42 and the Rangers and St. Louis at 45 games.

Artemi Panarin and Nick Suzuki each had 89 points last season. Panarin is a more valuable play this season as he plays 15 more games than Suzuki on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, less popular days on the NHL schedule. It's a lot easier to find players to play on the more common days; therefore, in daily transaction pools, Panarin should be selected a full round earlier than Suzuki. Other examples are Utah's Mikhail Sergachev ahead of the Penguins' Erik Karlsson, the Ducks' Jackson LaCombe ahead of Morgan Rielly of Toronto, and later in the draft, Brayden Schenn of the Blues ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (unless you think Nugent-Hopkins is due for a huge comeback).

Don't be afraid to be the leader of the pack, rather than a follower. When there is a run on a position, be at the start of the run, not at the bottom. This way – using goaltenders as an example – when there is a slew of goaltenders taken in the middle rounds, it's better to take a Sergei Bobrovsky, rather than take a chance on Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Finally, here are some players I like near the end of drafts (around 180th and later) in alphabetical order: Ivan Barbashev (Vegas), Anthony Beauvillier (Washington), Zachary Bolduc (Montreal), Philip Broberg (St. Louis), Brandt Clarke (Los Angeles), Arseni Gritsyuk (New Jersey), Boone Jenner (Columbus), Anton Lundell (Florida), Matias Maccelli (Toronto), JJ Peterka (Utah), Sam Rinzel (Chicago), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis), Logan Stankoven (Carolina) Danila Yurov (Minnesota) and Trevor Zegras (Philadelphia).

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Cam Schlittler, now part of Yankees' terrifying trio of starters, could cause problems for teams this postseason

In the soaking Yankee clubhouse, Cam Schlittler stood talking to reporters, dripping wet -- Champagne was his postgame eau de parfum, considering all the celebrating that was going on around him. The championship wrestling belt given by teammates to the Player of the Game was slung over one shoulder and Schlittler was still wearing the high socks he had pitched with, though he had swapped his spikes for flip-flops. 

It was a compelling postgame tableau only minutes after Schlittler’s compelling performance led the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox in their AL Wild Card series. Schlittler, a 24-year-old rookie, threw eight shutout innings in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, sealing the best-of-three affair with the best performance of his life. 

So far, anyway. Considering his immense talent, which includes a 100 mile-per-hour fastball, that’s an important disclaimer. 

Seeing Schlittler soar in such an enormous win also might serve notice to the rest of baseball -- the Yankees were banking on their starting pitching going into the playoffs and felt they had a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. After Schlittler’s outing, perhaps they have a terrifying trio. 

Rodón was not great in Game 2 (six innings, three runs), but both Fried and Schlittler delivered gems. Overall, the Yankee rotation threw 20.1 innings against Boston and allowed only the runs Rodón surrendered. That’s a 1.33 ERA, the kind of pitching that can move a team through playoff rounds. 

So if you can’t wait to see what Schlittler can do against the Toronto Blue Jays in the next round, who could blame you after what he did to Boston, the team the Walpole, Mass. native grew up adoring. Schlittler struck out 12 and walked none and allowed only five hits. The Red Sox had exactly one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and it ended, perhaps predictably, now that you know his final line, with a K. 

The 12 strikeouts are the most ever by a Yankee rookie in a postseason game -- he broke Dave Righetti’s 1981 record of 10 -- and he was only the second Yankee ever to throw eight scoreless innings in his postseason debut, joining Waite Hoyt, who did it in the 1921 World Series. 

Schlittler is also the first pitcher in MLB history to throw at least eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a postseason game. 

“I mean,” said Aaron Boone, “what a performance.” 

“We needed to be perfect tonight because he was perfect,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I mean, the stuff is outstanding. It was under control. 

“He was electric.” 

Perhaps unbelievably, Schlittler had never had a double-digit strikeout game as a pro.

“That’s something I did in college,” said Schlittler, who was a seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Northeastern, which is in, um, Boston. “But my professional career, it’s not something I’ve gotten. I get nine a lot. I didn’t always throw 100, so once I got up here, that’s something that I was able to make an adjustment on…Obviously, (double-digit strikeouts) is not the goal, but that’s a good feeling, being able to go out there and dominate a lot.”

In the first inning, Schlittler got three outs on 14 pitches. Six of those pitches were 100 mph or faster. As the night went on, he worked efficiently. He threw his 100th pitch to finish the seventh inning and thought he was finished -- seven frames was his season-high in his 14 starts during the regular season. But Boone had other ideas. 

Usually, the manager goes down the dugout steps with a pitcher nearing the end of his outing to either have a conversation about the upcoming inning or to tell the pitcher his work is done. Instead, Boone just asked, “You good?” Schlittler was. Boone thought he’d go hitter-to-hitter with Schlittler in the eighth, but Schlittler breezed through on seven pitches, allowing himself a low-key fist pump as he came off the mound after retiring Trevor Story on a grounder. 

“I trust his ability to go fill up the (strike) zone,” Boone said. 

“To be able to go out there and put the team on his back, it’s extremely impressive,” Fried added. “I don’t think anyone’s expecting it, but to say that he wasn’t capable of it definitely would be selling him short. He’s got unbelievable stuff and he’s really put it together.” 

Schlittler admitted he probably hadn’t fully grasped what he’d just accomplished. He did seem to enjoy it, though. When he came into the post-game interview room -- toting towels because he was still drenched from the clubhouse celebration -- he brought the wrestling belt and the goggles he had used to protect his eyes as teammates were spraying each other and set them up on the table. He cracked open a Gatorade before addressing questions. 

“Sorry,” he said to the room as the can whooshed when he opened it. 

Then he started detailing his night. He had felt great all along, he said, because he had gotten great sleep the previous two nights and he quoted some recovery metrics to back up his snooze claim. In his bullpen warmup, his stuff crackled, which made him optimistic about his night. He controlled his breathing well, which is a particular focus because it helps him conserve energy. 

When he got to the dugout after the eighth, he knew he was finished and joined raucous teammates in the dugout. “I couldn’t really hear anything going on,” Schlittler said. “But they’re all pumped up and excited for me and that’s just a great feeling.” 

This season in the majors, Schlittler got to 100 pitches exactly once. He threw 107 Thursday night and 75 of those were strikes, backing up Boone on his ability to fill up the zone. 

“When you throw 100 and command the baseball and land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem for the opposition,” Boone said. “That’s what he’s capable of.” 

And if Schlittler can continue this kind of excellence in these playoffs, the Yankees, with their starters, can be a problem for the rest of the teams still playing.

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Giancarlo Stanton pokes fun at his 'bonehead' premature home run celebration in Yankees' win

Not everything went the Yankees' way in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the Wild Card series, and Giancarlo Stanton can tell you that first-hand.

Leading off the second inning and with the game scoreless, the Yankees slugger launched a curveball from Connelly Early deep to left center field. Stanton and the 48 thousand-plus in attendance thought the ball was destined for the bullpen and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Before the ball landed, Stanton turned to his dugout and started hyping his teammates up while walking to first base.

The ball was hit 114.5 mph off the bat and went 393 feet, but the launch angle wasn't high enough, as it hit off the middle of the wall and fell to the warning track. When Stanton turned from his teammates, he noticed the ball did not go out and he hustled to make it to second base. 

YES Network's Meredith Marakovits spoke to Stanton after the team's win and asked if there was any doubt the team would find a way to get the win. And the Yankees slugger had the perfect answer.

"The only doubt was if that was a homer or not whenever I hit it. Thank goodness for that bonehead play that the team was resilient enough and Cam [Schlittler] was resilient enough. And it didn't mess up the chemistry or the moment," he said. "So that's good. Kids at home, don't do that. Future opponents, please do that. Bonehead play. Just glad it worked in our favor and it won't happen again."

Although the Yankees were not able to drive him home, it was a good sign that Stanton reached base at all. He entered Game 3 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and looked lost at the plate. And although the double was his only hit of the game, Stanton looked much more comfortable.

The Yankees will need their slugger's power when they go up against the Blue Jays in the ALDS starting Saturday.

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Observations From Blues' 7-1 Preseason Win Vs. Senators

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues picked up their first win of the preseason with a decisive 7-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at Enterprise Center.

The Blues (1-3-1) came into the game one of two teams without a preseason win, and coach Jim Montgomery made mention of that earlier in the day following the morning skate, taking about that it was a point made.

They certainly got it, despite the Senators (2-3-0) only bringing a handful of experienced NHL players, including St. Louisan Brady Tkachuk.

“In a lot of ways, there was parts of our game where we played north, the way we stretched the ice, transitioned offensively,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t like our transition defensively as much. We gave too many odd-man rushes that thankfully our defensemen handled well and ‘Binner’ made a lot of big-time saves. We’re looking to continue to build towards 60 minutes of good hockey and I thought that that was 45 minutes of it.”

Five Blues had multi-point games, including defenseman Philip Broberg, who had two goals and an assist; Robert Thomas had a goal and two assists; Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist and Jimmy Snuggerud and Nick Bjugstad each had two assists.

“I think we’ve had a good training camp and I think we played pretty good today,” Broberg said. “I’m excited for the season to start.”

Here are tonight’s observations:

* Jordan Binnington doesn’t need any more work; he’s ready for Oct. 9 – This is the third straight start that Binnington has looked razor sharp.

He was a wall again, this time playing his first full game of the preseason after going two in the opener against the Dallas Stars (a 2-1 shootout loss) and a 4-2 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks, allowing just one combined goal in those games.

Binnington has played seven periods over three preseason games and will finish with a 0.86 goals-against average and .973 save percentage.

The Senators peppered Binnington with 37 shots and he stopped 36 of them, and making a number of those saves, even the high-danger ones look easy.

“It was fun tonight in that atmosphere, at home, we were scoring goals, playing hard,” Binnington said. “Nice to get a victory.

“I feel good right now. It is just preseason, a long way to go, but I’m just trying to focus on my process. That’s where my head’s at.”

* Logan Mailloux is ready for the NHL – Sometimes you have to get an extensive look at a young kid, particularly one that’s raw and one that was part of a hockey trade in which the Blues had to sacrifice one of their good, young players.

The Blues wanted to bring in someone they could build on their blue line that came with some good pedigree.

Logan Mailloux seems to fit the part, and each time inserted into the lineup, he’s passed the tests.

Mailloux had an assist and was a plus-2 in 22:50 of ice time with three shot attempts and three hits. He had one giveaway, but when put under duress against an aggressive Ottawa forecheck in this game, the 22-year-old managed to stay calm and make the right reads and right plays to transition pucks up ice. He used his stick well again in breaking up plays.

“I was really pleased with his ability with how he skates, how he makes plays, he’s a very confident offensive-defenseman, and I didn’t know how well he defended with his stick,” Montgomery said. “I did see tonight areas that we’re going to have to continue to work with him, but you expect that. As you start to watch your players more and more, you get used to them. You start to see obviously the positives. There’s so many positives with him.

“He’s a young defenseman. He’s going to play his first year full time in the league, and there’s going to be areas that we’re going to have to work with him. We’re going to see them as they develop. He was a dominant player in the American (Hockey) League and we know he’s going to be that in the NHL, but there’s going to be growing pains to get there, just like any player.”

When asked if he’s ready for the NHL, Montgomery said, “He’s ready. He’s ready to be an NHL player.”

* Broberg has ability to be strong offensive defenseman – Broberg’s two goals on Thursday came in a pair of varieties.

The first which put the Blues ahead 5-0 at 16:32 of the second period was off a Thomas pass, and Broberg showed the calmness and poise to outwait Senators goalie Leevi Merilainen to tuck home the forehand.

And then 27 seconds later at 16:59, Broberg recognizes a chance to jump in off the far side and take Buchnevich’s pass into the left circle and rip a dart top shelf:

Broberg, who had 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 68 games last season and was a plus-21 – all career-highs.

“I want to improve offensively for sure,” Broberg said. “I still want to be responsible defensively as well and be a two-way guy. I want to improve every day and just try and take steps.”

* Top line had chance to shine, and did – For the second time this preseason, the Blues had the opportunity to showcase the Buchnevich-Thomas-Snuggerud line and it combined for seven points (two goals, five assists) on the night.

“Their transition game was top notch and each has the ability to shoot, make pinpoint passes and plays at a top-notch rate.

“Really explosive tonight, dynamic,” Montgomery said. “Still a little too careless with the puck trying to force too much. Some of that’s dictated by the score, but we’re looking to get the good habits that are winning hockey. Unfortunately when the score gets to 4-, 5-, 6-0, your players tend to flaw. They take the foot off the gas pedal so to speak and that’s something we want to build into our game. Doesn’t matter, we just keep playing Blues hockey.”

Snuggerud is known as the shooter, but he picks up the loose change off a Justin Faulk miss and finds Thomas in front for the finish at 3-0 at 7:37 of the first:

“He’s a great player,” Thomas said of Snuggerud. “Obviously he’s got a great shot, but when he has the puck on his stick, he likes to make moves, he likes to pass, he sees the ice really well. There’s not just shooters anymore. He can do a lot of good things out there.”

* Blues utilize their opportunities to break out with stretch passes – Mathieu Joseph and Oskar Sundqvist got the Blues on the board Thursday, Joseph scoring on a breakaway at 3:53 of the first for a 1-0 lead, and Sundqvist making it 2-0 at 5:59, but those plays came off of things the Blues like and want to do: breaking up ice quickly with the wingers so the d-men can find them in transition.

“As soon as we know we’re going to get possession, whether we can do examples like that, which are like the (Jordan) Kyrou (in the second period) one was a fortunate breakaway just like the Joseph goal. But that being said, it’s more having a five-guys-go mentality of we’re sprinting north when we’re getting possession. Sometimes it’s within your own zone, but the other team knows that if they don’t get back, we’re going to have numbers and we’re going to have speed coming at you.”

-- The Blues close the preseason on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game in which they will take a lot of their Springfield players to play, and Colten Ellis, Binnington’s backup Thursday, is likely to get the start in that game.

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Yankees’ Cody Bellinger receiving treatment on foot, expects to be ready for ALDS Game 1

Yankees OF Cody Bellinger is undergoing treatment on his foot following Thursday's Game 3 win over the Red Sox. 

Bellinger was seen limping at times during the series-clinching victory in the Bronx. 

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB Network, though, he expects to be ready for Saturday's ALDS Game 1. 

While his status was never truly in doubt, it's certainly an encouraging sign for the Yanks that everything is okay. 

Bellinger had hits in all three games during the Wild Card series, and his bloop double helped get things going during the decisive four-run fourth inning rally on Thursday night. 

"That was such a fun series," he said postgame. "The atmosphere was incredible, it was just so fun. Some really good baseball games and I was just excited we were able to come out on top today. It feels really good." 

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MLB playoffs 2025: ALDS, NLDS matchups, schedule and start times

The division series in the American League and National League are set after MLB gave us some great drama in Cleveland, Chicago and New York during the wild-card round. 

Here are the matchups and game schedule for the next round: 

No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 2 Seattle Mariners
No. 4 New York Yankees vs. No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays

No. 3 L.A. Dodgers vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
No. 4 Chicago Cubs vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers

The Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs are moving on to the next round.
The Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs are moving on to the next round.

NLDS Game 1: Cubs at Brewers, 2:08 p.m. ET, TBS
ALDS Game 1: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1
NLDS Game 1: Dodgers at Phillies, 6:38 p.m. ET, TBS
ALDS Game 1: Tigers at Mariners, 8:38 p.m. ET, FS1  

ALDS Game 2: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m. ET, FS1
ALDS Game 2: Tigers at Mariners, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1

NLDS Game 2: Dodgers at Phillies, 6:08 p.m. ET, TBS
NLDS Game 2: Cubs at Brewers, 9:08 p.m. ET, TBS

ALDS Game 3: Mariners at Tigers, time TBD, FS1
ALDS Game 3: Blue Jays at Yankees, time TBD, FS1

ALDS Game 4*: Mariners at Tigers, time TBD, FS1
ALDS Game 4*: Blue Jays at Yankees, time TBD, FS1
NLDS Game 3: Brewers at Cubs, time TBD, TBS
NLDS Game 3: Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, TBS

NLDS Game 4*: Brewers at Cubs, time TBD, TBS
NLDS Game 4*: Phillies at Dodgers, time TBD, TBS

ALDS Game 5*: Yankees at Blue Jays, time TBD, FS1
ALDS Game 5*: Tigers at Mariners, time TBD, FS1

NLDS Game 5*: Dodgers at Phillies, time TBD, TBS
NLDS Game 5*: Cubs at Brewers, time TBD, TBS

Schedule for Championship Series & World Series

Game 1: Sunday, Oct 12
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 17*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 19*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 20*

Game 1: Monday, Oct. 13
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 14
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 17
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 18*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 20*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 21*

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1*

(*if necessary)

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Reporting on Yankees ALDS rotation

Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are lined up to pitch Games 2 and 3 of the American League Division Series, leaving open the question of who will face Toronto in Game 1 on Saturday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone and his staff have genuinely not decided between the two candidates, Luis Gil and Will Warren, though their initial slight lean is toward Gil. The staff will meet about this in the coming hours.

Gil had not impressed the team by sacrificing velocity for command this year. The Yankees have maintained that Gil is healthy but just trying to be too fine. 

The Yankees did think that Gil showed improvement in his approach in Sunday’s season finale against Baltimore. Both Gil and Warren faced Toronto once this season. Warren allowed eight runs in Toronto on July 2. Gil allowed one run in six innings at home against Toronto on Sept. 6.

It does not sound like those performances will factor much into the decisions. 

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Yankees' Ryan McMahon makes 'unreal' play, flipping into Red Sox dugout in Game 3 win

It was a magical night in the Bronx.

In a do-or-die Game 3 between the Yankees and Red Sox, rookie starter Cam Schlittler gave New York everything he had, but the flamethrowing right-hander also received some fantastic defense behind him. No play on Thursday night embodied that support than Ryan McMahon in the eighth inning.

Schlittler struck out Romy Gonzalez to begin the eighth inning, his 12th and final of the game, but the dangerous Jarren Duran came up. Duran swung at a 96 mph cutter at the top of the zone and he popped it up into foul territory. McMahon raced over toward the Red Sox dugout, but did not slow down as the ball was not hit high enough, but the Yankee third baseman grabbed it just before he slammed into the railing and flipped into the visitor's dugout.

Incredibly, McMahon held on for the second out of the inning.

 

"I knew I was getting close, but I felt like I couldn’t slow down," McMahon told SNY's Michelle Margaux after the game. "Just kept going, just trying to get outs for Cam."

"It went up, and then I felt like I saw, kind of my periphery, I feel like he's got a beat on it, but I know where he is headed, and he's on the dead run, so it just flashed back to Gio Urshela a couple years ago when he went flying into the dugout against Tampa late in the season," manager Aaron Boone recalled. "I came sprinting out of the dugout because I knew it could be dangerous over there. Great play by a great defender."

Facing off against the southpaw Connelly Early, McMahon wasn't in the starting lineup but came in late for Amed Rosario for defensive purposes. While the left-handed hitter hasn't provided much offense since they acquired him before the trade deadline, the Yankees needed him for his glove, and his teammates could not help but gush over the play he made that helped the Yankees make it back to the ALDS.

"Unreal. Glad he’s ok," Giancarlo Stanton said of the play. "Just shows how good he is, how hard he plays." 

"I thought he was dead," Austin Wells said.

"That was crazy. Scared the hell out of me, but it was sick," Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. "I've never done that before so I think it's super sick."

"That’s why we got him," Aaron Judge said of McMahon. "Go out there and get the best third baseman for a reason. Got some big clutch hits for us, but it’s plays like that in crunch time, that’s why you go out there and get a guy like that."

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Yankees’ Cam Schlittler continues strong rookie campaign with historic playoff debut

Aaron Boone asked Cam Schlittler before he left on Wednesday if he was ready for his Game 3 start. 

Schlittler’s response: “Oh yeah.”

And that he was. 

The young right-hander was absolutely spectacular, making history in just the first postseason outing of his big-league career, helping the Yankees advance to the ALDS with a victory over the rival Red Sox on Thursday night. 

“We had to be perfect, because he was perfect tonight,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. 

Schlittler was in complete control from the get-go -- he touched 100 mph six times in the top of the first, then struck out five batters and held Boston to just a Masataka Yoshida opposite-field single the first time through the order.

His lone sign of trouble came after the offense handed him a 4-0 lead in the fourth, as Boston pieced together a pair of fifth-inning singles, but he was able to get Jarren Duran to chase an inside fastball to escape without any damage.  

Schlittler worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, then pieced together a perfect top of the seventh, finishing off with a swinging strikeout of Wilyer Abreu on a 99 mph fastball on his 100th pitch of the night. 

And just when it looked like his night was done, the 24-year-old came storming back out of the Yankees’ dugout for the top of the eighth, which went down as a seven-pitch inning to bring his outstanding outing to an end. 

“It was an epic environment, really,” Schlittler said. “Once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m just going to make sure I take it all in -- it’s definitely a dream to play Boston in the playoffs and be able to end their season.”

The righty became the first pitcher in MLB history to put together eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks in a playoff game.

His 12 Ks are also the most ever by a Yankees rookie in the postseason. 

“He didn’t make it more than it was, but also realized the importance,” Boone said. “When you throw 100 with command and can land your secondary pitches, you can be a problem. That’s what he’s capable of -- I’m honestly not surprised.”

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Schlittler strikes out 12 in postseason debut as Yankees beat Red Sox 4-0 to win Wild Card Series

NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler struck out 12 as he shut down Boston with 100 mph heat, and the New York Yankees took advantage of a pair misplays in a four-run fourth inning to beat the Red Sox 4-0 on Thursday night for a 2-1 AL Wild Card Series win and a Division Series matchup against Toronto.

New York became the first team to lose the opener and advance from the expanded first round, which began in 2022. The Yankees start the best-of-five Division Series on Saturday at the AL East champion Blue Jays.

A 24-year-old right-hander who debuted July 9, Schlitter grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, but said he wanted to play for the Yankees. He had pitched against the Red Sox only once before — as a freshman at Northeastern in a 2020 spring training exhibition game.

He outpitched Connelly Early, a 23-year-old left-hander who debuted on Sept. 9 and became Boston’s youngest postseason starting pitcher since 21-year-old Babe Ruth in 1916.

Schlittler struck out two more than any other Yankees pitcher had in his postseason debut, allowing five singles in eight innings and walking none. He threw 11 pitches of 100 mph or higher — including six in the first inning, one more than all Yankees pitchers had combined before previously since pitch tracking started in 2008.

Schlittler threw 75 of 107 pitches for strikes, starting 22 of 29 batters with strikes and topping out at 100.8 mph. David Bednar worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth as the Red Sox failed to advance a runner past second.

Bucky Dent threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the 47th anniversary of his go-ahead, three-run homer for the Yankees at Fenway Park in an AL East tiebreaker game, and the Yankees went on to dominate their longtime rival the way they used to.

New York won its second straight after losing eight of nine postseason meetings with Boston dating to 2004 and edged ahead 14-13 in postseason games between the teams. The Red Sox cost themselves with a defense that committed a big league-high 116 errors during the regular season.

New York’s rally began when Bellinger hit a soft fly into the triangle among center fielder Ceddane Rafaela, right fielder Wilyer Abreu and second baseman Romy González. The ball fell just in front of Rafaela, 234 feet from the plate, as Bellinger hustled into second with a double.

Giancarlo Stanton walked on a full count and with one out Amed Rosario grounded a single into left, just past diving shortstop Trevor Story, to drive in Bellinger with the go-ahead run.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s single loaded the bases, and Anthony Volpe hit an 86 mph grounder just past Abreu, who had been shifted toward second, and into right for a RBI single and a 2-0 lead.

After a catcher’s interference call on Omar Narváez was overturned on a video review, Austin Wells hit a potential double-play grounder that first baseman Nathaniel Lowe tried to backhand on an in-between hop. The ball glanced off his glove and into shallow right field as two runs scored.

Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon made the defensive play of the game when he caught Jarren Duran’s eighth-inning foul pop and somersaulted into Boston’s dugout, then emerged smiling and apparently unhurt.

Up Next

RHP Luis Gil (4-1, 3.32 ERA) or RHP Will Warren (9-8, 4.44) likely starts the Division Series opener Saturday against Toronto, expected to go with RHP Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59) or RHP Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57).

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Penguins Announce Roster For Preseason Finale Against Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the roster for their final preseason game on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. 

As expected, this game will serve as the "dress rehearsal" for the A squad, but not everyone on the roster will play. Friday's roster includes 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. The morning skate at 10:30 a.m. ET will be pretty telling when it comes to who will be in the lineup. 

Here's the full roster: 

Forwards

Sidney Crosby

Evgeni Malkin

Rickard Rakell

Filip Hallander

Justin Brazeau

Blake Lizotte

Tommy Novak

Connor Dewar

Anthony Mantha

Ville Koivunen

Philip Tomasino

Noel Acciari

Ben Kindel

Avery Hayes

Defensemen

Ryan Shea

Matt Dumba

Ryan Graves

Parker Wotherspoon

Harrison Brunicke

Caleb Jones

Erik Karlsson

Kris Letang

Connor Clifton

Goaltenders

Tristan Jarry

Arturs Silovs

Sergei Murashov

All 26 of these players practiced with the main NHL group on Thursday at Noon ET. The practice lasted for 90 minutes and was intense and competitive, just like the other training camp practices. 

There will be a morning skate before Friday's game at 10:30 a.m. ET in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Puck drop from PPG Paints Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET. 

Fans in Pittsburgh can watch the game on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'

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

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Yankees playoff schedule for 2025 ALDS vs. Blue Jays

Here is the Yankees' postseason schedule as they pursue championship No. 28, against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

American League Division Series

*all times subject to change

Saturday, Oct. 4

Game 1: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 p.m., FOX

Sunday, Oct. 4

Game 2: Yankees at Blue Jays, 4:08 PM ET, FS1

Tuesday, Oct. 7

Game 3: Blue Jays at Yankees, TBD, FOX/FS1

Wednesday, Oct. 8

Game 4: Blue Jays at Yankees, TBD, FOX/FS1 *if necessary

Friday, Oct. 10

Game 5: Yankees at Blue Jays, TBD, FOX/FS1 *if necessary

American League Wild Card Series

Tuesday, Sept. 30

Game 1: Red Sox at Yankees

Red Sox defeat Yankees, 3-1

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Game 2: Red Sox at Yankees

Yankees defeat Red Sox, 4-3

Thursday, Oct. 2

Game 3: Red Sox at Yankees

Yankees defeat Red Sox, 4-0

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Flyers Fall To Islanders In Penultimate Preseason Game; Highlights Lessons & Bright Spot

The Philadelphia Flyers’ preseason “dress rehearsal” game at Xfinity Mobile Arena looked, at times, like a team ready for Opening Night. At others, it looked every bit like a group still wrestling with new systems and the occasional self-inflicted wound. 

In the end, the Islanders capitalized on late mistakes and handed Philadelphia a 4–3 loss—a result that matters less than the patterns behind it.

For Rick Tocchet and his staff, this was less about the score and more about the sharp contrasts on display: moments of speed and promise counterbalanced by costly breakdowns that NHL teams will never forgive.

When Preseason Mistakes Become Costly

The decisive sequence that led to the Islanders' game-winning goal encapsulated the problem. What should have been a manageable defensive read spiraled into a freebie for New York.

“There’s a couple of mistakes,” Tocchet explained postgame. “First of all, [Matvei Michkov] has to get out there and he got beat up the ice. He was ahead of the guys. I think [Adam Ginning]—he’s either got to go or he has to back off. He was caught in between. He’s just buying time, just stay in the middle of the ice, let the guys back there.”

This, for Tocchet, wasn’t about punishing individuals but stressing principles. The Flyers’ new system will take time to master, but these lapses—players caught in between, failing to sort assignments—are the kind of breakdowns that giftwrap goals.

“It’s a new system,” Tocchet said. “We’ve gotta go through these things. But if you communicate that stuff…yeah, that has to be better…There’s just freebies. You might get about three freebies a month; you can’t give them two or three in a game. It just can’t happen. You can’t give free goals in this league.”

Egor Zamula, too, earned a pointed critique after a night in which he failed to distinguish himself. “Yeah,” Tocchet admitted bluntly. “He’s got to pick it up. Definitely.”

That’s preseason in a nutshell: mistakes become teaching tools, but they’re also data points when roster spots hang in the balance.

Grebenkin’s Speed and Fearlessness

On the brighter side, Nikita Grebenkin continued to make himself impossible to ignore. The 21-year-old winger didn’t just look fast—he looked fearless, attacking gaps and creating chances through sheer tenacity.

“He’s a sticky guy,” Tocchet said postgame. “He comes up with loose pucks. You always need those corner guys that come up with pucks, and we can continue to teach them to play that way—grab pucks, a whole lot of pucks. In the first [period], he had that burst of speed and split the D—that’s good stuff. We want that from them.”

In a camp that has seen several young players fade in and out of relevance, Grebenkin has been consistently noticeable, consistently disruptive, and consistently effective. His game screams “NHL-ready,” even if the Flyers weren’t expecting it.

A Line Worth Building Around

For Owen Tippett, last season’s frustration wasn’t about production—it was about never finding a true home on a line. He was shuffled often, always the useful part but rarely the centerpiece, and it showed in his inconsistency. If tonight was any indication, that narrative may be shifting.

The line of Tippett, Trevor Zegras, and Michkov flashed serious potential. Their skillsets don’t just complement each other—they stretch defenses in ways that few Flyers trios have in recent years. Tippett’s straight-line explosiveness, Zegras’ flair and playmaking, and Michkov’s uncanny ability to create offense out of slivers of space give the unit a balance of speed, creativity, and finishing touch.

It’s early, and chemistry can’t be declared off of one night. But if this line clicks, it solves two problems at once: it gives Tippett the stability he’s been craving and provides Michkov with linemates who can keep up with his vision.

Ersson’s Final Tune-Up

Between the pipes, Sam Ersson played the full 60 minutes in his final tune-up before the regular season. The 25-year-old wasn’t flawless, but he was steady, tracking pucks through traffic and making a handful of highlight stops to keep the Flyers alive.

“There were some point shots, there were a couple of double screens in front, and he made some good saves, a couple of gloves there. I don’t know how he saw that,” Tocchet said. “I thought he was solid. He definitely wasn’t the reason why we lost the game.”

Ersson himself echoed the confidence. “[I feel] pretty good,” he said. “I think we can get better and better. There’s obviously always going to be small situations in a game, but overall…everything is in a good spot. I liked my game today.”

The Flyers’ goaltending picture remains a work in progress, but Ersson’s performance reassured both staff and fans that the crease is in capable hands.

Dvorak’s Understated Influence

Christian Dvorak isn’t the flashiest forward in orange and black, but nights like this underline his value. His backhand setup for Travis Sanheim’s opening goal was a thing of vision and touch, threading the needle in traffic.

Beyond the highlight, he was engaged, reliable, and quietly effective in both ends.

“I feel pretty good,” Dvorak said. “I think I’ve had a good start so far. I had some good chances that I’d like to bury. Just gotta keep working on that in practice and get better at it.”

For a team in flux, players like Dvorak are invaluable—not just for the points they produce, but for the stability they bring to a lineup that leans young.

Final Thoughts

The Flyers’ 4–3 loss to the Islanders was the kind of preseason game coaches circle in red ink. 

It revealed flaws that need cleaning up—poor reads, gaps in execution, lapses in focus. But it also revealed a few pieces of genuine promise: Grebenkin’s spark, Ersson’s calm, and a line combination that could unlock Tippett in ways we haven’t seen before.

Tocchet is right—mistakes are inevitable when implementing a new system. The key is whether they shrink in frequency as the real season begins. The Flyers don’t need perfection yet. What they need is direction, and for all the bumps, there were enough signs tonight to suggest they’re moving the right way.

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Cam Schlittler strikes out 12, sends Yankees to ALDS after 4-0 win over Red Sox in Game 3

Cam Schlittler blasted into Yankee postseason lore Thursday night with a spectacular start in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory over the Red Sox in the deciding game of their AL Wild Card series. 

Schlittler threw eight scintillating shutout innings, allowing only five hits and no walks, and set a record for strikeouts by a Yankee rookie in a playoff game (12) all while making throwing 100 miles per hour look easy. 

The series victory means the Yankees advance to a best-of-five AL Division Series against the Blue Jays, which begins Saturday in Toronto. The Red Sox had beaten the Yankees the last three times they had met in the playoffs -- 2004, 2018 and 2021. 

The Yankees also made a slice of Wild Card history: They are the first team under the new playoff format (since 2022) to lose the first game of a Wild Card series and go on to win. The team that had won the opening game had been 15-0 in series until the Yanks’ victory.

Here are the takeaways...

- Schlittler was never in real trouble all night -- the Red Sox had one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position and Schlittler struck out Jarren Duran in that at-bat to end the fifth inning. That was also the only frame in which the Red Sox had more than one runner on base against him. Hard to have a big inning that way. Schlittler threw his 100th pitch of the night to get out of the seventh inning but was cruising, so Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave him the eighth, too. Schlittler threw only seven pitches to rocket through the eighth inning. Boone used David Bednar, pitching for the third straight day, to close.

- Schlittler was already a great storyline entering the game. He is a native of Walpole, Mass. – Red Sox territory – grew up rooting for them and pitched in college at Northeastern, which is located in Boston. He was a seventh-round pick by the Yankees in the 2022 draft and says his pro career has essentially converted his whole family to Yankee fans. Schlittler was the fourth rookie pitcher in Yankee history to start a winner-take-all Postseason game, joining Spec Shea in Game 7 of the 1947 World Series, Mel Stottlemyre in Game 7 of the 1964 World Series and Iván Nova in Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS.

- Poor Red Sox fundamentals helped the Yankees in their four-run fourth inning, which was more than enough offense to command the game with the way Schlittler was dealing. Cody Bellinger led off with a bloop into center field that three fielders pursued, but none caught. Bellinger, to his credit, kept running and whirled into second with a lucky double. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a walk and, one out later, Amed Rosario hit an RBI single through the left side. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, Anthony Volpe swatted an RBI hit through the right side when Boston was playing him to pull. Then things got weird. Austin Wells followed and was initially going to be awarded first base on catcher’s interference, but a replay review revealed Carlos Narváez’s mitt never touched Wells’ bat. Wells remained at bat and, on a 3-2 pitch, hit a hard grounder toward first that could’ve been an inning-ending double play, but the ball glanced off Nathaniel Lowe’s glove and two runs scored. It’s worth noting here that the Red Sox made the most errors in the Major Leagues this season and an outfield blunder had cost them dearly in Game 2 when Duran bungled a catchable ball in left.

- Rosario, in the lineup against a lefty for the second time in the series, started at third base. He’s always been good against left-handers -- this year, he hit .302 with a .491 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers, a smidge better than his very-good career numbers.

- Red Sox starter Connelly Early, a 23-year-old lefty who started the season in Double-A, had only 19.1 innings of big-league experience entering Game 3, but had fashioned a 2.33 ERA over four starts while fanning 29 batters. He was quite sharp early on, though his outing crumbled in the fourth. He had struck out five and allowed only two hits through the first three frames, but ended up giving up four runs (three earned) and six hits in 3.2 innings. Lucas Giolito probably would’ve started Game 3 for Boston, but he’s got an elbow issue, which knocked him out of the postseason. 

- Early, who is 23 years, 182 days old, was the youngest pitcher to start a Postseason game for the Red Sox since – get ready for this – 21-year-old Babe Ruth in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series. In that tilt, Ruth threw a 14-inning complete game in a 2-1 Boston victory over the Brooklyn Robins. Yes, it was a much different era. Ruth also had an RBI in the game.

- Ryan McMahon, who entered the game for Rosario in the sixth inning for defense, made a spectacular catch of a foul pop by Duran in the eighth inning, flopping over the railing of the Red Sox dugout to snare the ball for the second out. He popped back up and went back to his spot at third base.

- Maybe the Yankees got some good karma going early by bringing Bucky Dent to the Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The timing was certainly right -- it was an elimination game against the Red Sox and Thursday was the 47th anniversary of Dent’s famous homer in the one-game playoff between the two teams to decide the AL East title in 1978. Dent’s home run was a key blast in the Yanks’ victory then. 

Game MVP: Cam Schlittler

Schlittler, obviously. It continued a great run of pitching for the Yankee youngster. He finished the regular season with a 2.23 ERA over his final nine starts and a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts overall. Not bad for someone who started the season at the Double-A level. 

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees will move on to the American League Division Series to face their division rival Blue Jays. 

Game 1 will take place Saturday at 4:08 p.m. in Toronto.