The Brewers put their ace on the mound to start Game 1 and still had to survive a replay review in the ninth inning going against them to hold on to a one-run win.
I still look for this to be a competitive series, especially with the Rays throwing their ace this evening.
TV: Fox-TV, Fox One (streaming). Announcers: Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci.
Drew Rasmussen, RHP vs. Logan Henderson, RHP
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell once likened speaking with a then-teenage Mikel Brown Jr. to talking hoops with James Harden, marveling at his protege’s maturity and basketball IQ.
Saturday night, Brown got his first chance to suit up for real against both Mitchell and Harden. The Nets rookie finally got to play against his mentor in a game that mattered — and got to face the future Hall of Famer Harden for good measure in the Nets game at Cleveland.
“Shoot, it’s great,” Brown, 20, said beforehand. “They’re obviously coming off a loss as well, just as we are, so they’re going to come in hungry. But to be able to play against Don was kind of crazy. The time went by. Three years ago I literally just met him in high school, and to be able to share the same court as him now and compete against him is great.”
The Nets overtly tanked the last two seasons to get back-to-back lottery picks that became first Egor Dëmin and now Brown.
While they had the joint-best odds of landing the top overall pick, they slid all the way to sixth. But the silver lining is that in a deep class they still ended up with Brown, whom Mitchell has said is hardly a consolation prize.
“Not many high school kids pay attention to the details. I’m having conversations with [Brown] like I’m talking to James Harden,” Mitchell said recently. “He’s going to do amazing things in Brooklyn. Nets fans should be really excited, because they got one.”
Years ago, when they were on a different timeline, the Nets eyed Mitchell. A local who was born in Elmsford — and played AAU basketball for both the Riverside Hawks and The City — he would’ve made an All-Star centerpiece in Brooklyn.
Now they can only hope that Brown can someday become that.
Brown was one-and-done at Louisville, where Mitchell was All-ACC in 2017. The latter took him under his wing, and is helping him right up until today.
“Yeah, really just use what he [taught] … I get to use against him now, so it’s great. I’m just ready to compete at a high level,” Brown said. “I’ve been talking to him saying I’m gonna see him soon. So, the time is now. So, it’s gonna be good to compete out there.
“He talked to me after my first game about some stuff. We talked about some things. But other than that, we both know what it is.”
Brown had 15 points with three assists, two steals and just one turnover in his debut, a season-opening loss to Charlotte. This despite a recent ankle injury that had him limited to under 20 minutes and could see him rested Sunday vs. the Pacers.
Following the debut performance, Mitchell checked in on his protege with some advice.
“Just the things that I’ve already kind of fixed on my own. Going back and watching the film, there’s definitely a lot of things that I could have fixed. And me and him are basically on the same page on what I need to do better. So, yeah, that’s great,” said Brown, who was prepared to be trash-talked by his mentor Saturday.
“A little bit. A little bit. You know, not too much, but I know he’s gonna say something tonight. So I’m ready to bump. … I might [trash-talk back] a little bit. I know he’s probably gonna do it, so I’m up for it.”
Brown rolled his ankle the week before camp and missed the first three preseason games before debuting in the finale. He also missed the second half of his lone Louisville campaign with a back injury. Both may factor into the minutes limit.
He was coy about whether the performance team has ruled him out for the tail end of this back-to-back at home Sunday vs. visiting Indiana.
“As of right now, I don’t know. I’m just kind of just going with the flow at this point,” Brown said. “I’m ready to hoop regardless. If they call my name, I’m ready to hoop.”
Opening Night was great until it wasn’t for the Nets. The best part about basketball? There’s always a next one.
Brooklyn opened its 60th season with a 110-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. The Hornets scored 48 points inside the paint, shot 17-of-22 at the rim, and added 20 second-chance points, exposing some of the concerns surrounding the Nets’ positional-size approach. Mikel Brown Jr. remains on a minutes restriction on Saturday and then he’ll sit on Sunday.
Opening Night was great until it wasn’t for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They blew a 29-point lead to the Philadelphia 76ers 0n national television. Don’t be surprised if they’re fired up in front of their home crowd.
“Finishing at the rim against this team is a tall task, and [Julius] Randle will have to find his way to the cup. Philadelphia punished the Cavs in transition to spur the comeback, and it would help the Nets immensely if they could get out and run early and often.
Of course, the big story at least for fans is when will we see Mikel Brown Jr., without minutes restrictions. MBJ looked good in his 19 minute debut vs. the Hornets but Jordi Fernandez offered no firm timeline on when the restrictions would be ended.” – Brian Fleurantin
Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.
Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez turned in an excellent outing for the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at American Family Field against the juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers and fireballer Jacob Misiorowski. It’s just that the Brewers got to him a little too much right off the bat and the rest of the elite Brewers relief corps was good enough to hold on for a 3-2 win in a Game 1 that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
On Saturday night, the Beers will roll out righty Logan Henderson in an attempt at seizing a commanding 2-0 lead while Tampa will counter with veteran righty Drew Rasmussen, who has been virtually unhittable so far in the postseason (21.0 IP, 1.76 ERA, 0.76 WHIP).
Gametime is slated for just after 8:00 PM ET once again in the confines formerly known as Miller Park, and FOX once again has their C- broadcast crew on-scene.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:
The Brewers managed to hang on for a thrilling Game 1 victory, but now they will ask Logan Henderson to match up with the Rays’ ace, Drew Rasmussen. The Brewers haven’t lost a home start with Henderson on the mound in a long while, but the Rays have got to be heavily incentivized to make sure they’re not heading back to St. Petersburg with a 2-0 deficit to overcome.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Brett Pesce scored the go-ahead goal and Jake Allen made 12 saves as the Devils beat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1, on Saturday for their third-straight win.
Anthony Mantha and Artemy Gritsyuk also scored for the Devils, who also beat Colorado and Anaheim on their current homestand. New Jersey has won five of six. Allen improved to 5-2-0 this season.
Scott Laughton scored for Los Angeles, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped. Anton Forsberg made 23 saves.
Pesce beat Forsberg at 8:08 of the third period after the defenseman found a clear lane through traffic in the Los Angeles zone. Luke Evangelista and Gritsyuk assisted on Pesce’s first goal this season.
Before the game, the Devils introduced newly-acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The 33-year-old Hellebuyck won 345 games in 11 seasons with Winnipeg and is a three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy.
New Jersey included goaltender Nico Daws, who won against Anaheim on Thursday, in the trade for Hellebuyck on Friday. Remi Poirier, who has yet to play an NHL game, dressed as Allen’s backup on Saturday.
Laughton scored at 15:57 of the second, driving the puck past Allen for his second goal.
Mantha tied the game about three minutes later with his third goal.
Gritsyuk scored his team-leading sixth goal into an empty net at 18:55.
The Kings had a power-play chance when New Jersey’s Timo Meier was called for tripping at 12:59 of the third but were unable to tie the game.
Los Angeles was coming off road wins over Washington and the New York Islanders to start its four-game trip after losing its first six games.
Kings: At the New York Rangers on Monday.
Devils: At Dallas on Tuesday.
The injury woes of the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to pile on only 11 games into the 2026-27 regular season.
And, this time, it's affecting their blue line.
With defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk already on injured reserve (IR), the Penguins added to the list Saturday, placing the left-shot Samuel Girard on IR with an upper-body injury. He was injured during the Penguins' 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 17 and has not appeared in a game since.
The placement of Girard on IR gives the Penguins three forwards and three defensemen officially on the IR shelf, with forward Egor Chinakhov also designated as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. In addition, forward Evgeni Malkin will miss Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators with an illness.
Defenseman Sam Girard has been placed on Injured Reserve.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 24, 2026
Forward Avery Hayes has been recalled from the @WBSPenguins (AHL). pic.twitter.com/tKFocB7Nxm
In a corresponding move to Girard, the Penguins recalled forward Avery Hayes from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), and he is expected to be in the lineup Saturday.
The 24-year-old forward has five goals and nine points in nine AHL games to start the season, and he registered five goals in 16 games at the NHL level last season. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound native of Westland, Mi. is in the final year of his two-year entry-level contract and has yet to play an NHL game in 2026-27.
Including Hayes, the Penguins - without Malkin and Chinakhov - have just 12 healthy forwards and one extra defenseman, as they recalled right-shot blueliner Chase Pietila from WBS Thursday.
Pittsburgh Penguins V. Nashville Predators Preview: Lineups, Where To WatchThe Penguins are 7-0-2 in their last nine games against the Predators.Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Five years ago, Logan Henderson was pitching at McLennan Community College in Texas. Now, he's starting Game 2 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field.
The Milwaukee Brewers' right-hander has earned the start. He went 11-3 this season with a 2.47 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings. Hitters managed just 0.84 walks and hits per inning against him.
Even better for Milwaukee fans, Henderson has never lost a start at American Family Field and the Brewers have never lost a game he has started there. He is 8-0 in 10 starts at home. The Brewers are 10-0 in his starts there in the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason.
Henderson, 24, has battled injuries through his short career. He had right elbow inflammation that shut him down in August of last season. A strained lower back cost him most of June this season.
The Brewers have been careful with him in October. He threw 72 pitches over five innings against San Diego in the National League Division Series and 64 pitches over four against the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. Milwaukee won both games.
Now he gets the Rays, who are down 1-0 in the best-of-seven-games series. Drew Rasmussen starts for Tampa Bay.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Logan Henderson? Brewers rookie sensation starts World Series Game 2
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Saturday evening marks the final time the Detroit Red Wings will face the Calgary Flames at the historic Scotiabank Saddledome, which is set to close following the 2026-27 NHL season.
The Flames have called the venue home since October 1983 but will soon move to the nearby Scotia Place, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open next fall.
The occasion is reminiscent of a decade ago, when the Red Wings were playing their final season at historic Joe Louis Arena, which had served as their home since 1979.
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The Saddledome has been the scene for several memorable moments in Red Wings history, including the October 1995 debut of the Russian Five. It marked the first time in NHL history that five Soviet/Russian-born players took the ice together as one unit.
The venue also holds significance for Mike Vernon, the 1997 Conn Smythe Trophy winner who began his NHL career with Calgary and helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup in 1989.
"He's Feeling Good": Lucas Raymond Heating Up For Red Wings Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond now has three goals in his last two games, including a two-goal performance on Thursday in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Canucks. In 2004, Martin Gelinas ended Detroit’s season with an overtime goal in the Western Conference Semifinals. Three years later, Johan Franzen scored the series-winning goal in double overtime to send the Red Wings to the next round.
In regular season play, the Red Wings have a record of 30-32-2-2.
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Observations after Sixers beat Bucks to move to 3-0, Embiid posts triple-double originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers stayed unbeaten Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, earning a 127-116 win over the Bucks and improving to 3-0 on the season.
Joel Embiid had his 10th career regular-season triple-double, tallying 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
On his 30th birthday, Jaylen Brown posted 27 points and five assists. Tyrese Maxey had 26 points. VJ Edgecombe scored 17 and grabbed 13 boards.
The Sixers’ absences on the first night of a back-to-back included LeBron James (low back/sciatica management). Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he did not know yet who would be available for his team’s matchup with the Pistons on Sunday.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ victory Saturday:
Dean Wade made his Sixers debut and started in James’ place. He’d missed the first two games of the regular season with a left ankle sprain.
The 3-and-D forward scored the night’s first points by a sinking a corner three-pointer on the opening possession.
Embiid also had a sharp start. He moved well, made good decisions and served as the main hub of his team’s offense in the early going.
The Sixers’ seven-time All-Star center has often enjoyed facing Myles Turner. He entered the night with an average of 29.4 points in 18 previous games against the Bucks big man.
Embiid did a little bit of everything in the first quarter, posting eight points, four assists and four rebounds over nine minutes. After snatching an offensive board, Embiid drained a fadeaway jumper to give the Sixers a 10-1 lead.
One of Embiid’s assists was quite stylish. He found Edgecombe open beyond the arc with a behind-the-back bounce pass. Edgecombe knocked down the shot and wound up going 3 for 4 from three-point range in the first quarter.
The Sixers added rookie Labaron Philon Jr. to their rotation. Jabari Walker stayed in the mix, though he didn’t enter until the 7:36 mark of the second quarter.
Philon played four minutes in his NBA debut and missed his lone shot attempt, a corner three. On defense, Philon allowed a couple of blow-bys off the dribble. He generally looked like he belonged on offense, albeit without any production in his brief run.
Maxey banked in a half-court heave at the first-quarter buzzer to put the Sixers up nine points. The Sixers couldn’t carry forward any momentum, however, and began the second quarter poorly.
Adem Bona had another rough stint amid a subpar start to the season. After Anfernee Simons missed a transition layup try, Ryan Rollins’ three lifted the Bucks into a 40-37 lead.
The dreadful stretch for the Sixers on both sides of the ball called to mind how they’d fallen into a 29-point deficit Thursday night vs. the Cavaliers before clawing out a comeback win.
The Sixers mustered just seven points in first six minutes of the second quarter and had many stagnant possessions that concluded with contested jumpers. The team’s transition defense was dismal for much of the second period. Milwaukee had the game’s first 19 fast-break points.
The Sixers regained the lead late in the second quarter. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two three-balls in the second and nabbed three first-half steals. Embiid assisted a go-ahead, and-one Walker layup.
Brown hit a three with 11.8 seconds left in the second quarter. Unsurprisingly, his variety of shotmaking skills were useful without James in the lineup.
Even when James or Embiid sit, the Sixers should have a simple advantage in terms of volume of stars over most opponents this year. None of Brown, Embiid or Maxey had the sort of off night that would have improved the Bucks’ odds of a road win. They’d all passed the 20-point mark by the end of the third quarter.
Maxey notched another final-possession bucket, this time with a more conventional make. He canned a jumper from the right elbow with 1.7 seconds left in the third to extend the Sixers’ lead to 97-87.
The Bucks made a late push in the fourth quarter. Kel’el Ware’s put-back, and-one layup cut the Milwaukee’s deficit to 117-114.
The Sixers ultimately handled business. Embiid reached his triple-double by assisting a second-chance Brown jumper and and Caldwell-Pope soon drilled a dagger corner three. Embiid even threw down a last-minute dunk for good measure.
For the second consecutive season, the Sixers have a 3-0 start. They got to four wins last year before dropping their first game.
Who: Phoenix Suns (0-1) @ Golden State Warriors (0-2)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, AZ
Watch: Suns+, 3TV/AZFS
Listen: AZ Sports 98.7
The Phoenix Suns had two full days to sit with their historic season-opening loss. Two days to flush it out.
It was a historically bad season-opening loss in Portland; we all know it. Devin Booker called it a “wake-up call”. We don’t want a players-only meeting. We don’t want to hear any more pep talks. We want a response on Saturday night against Golden State, in front of the home crowd, that tells us Game 1 was a fluke.
The Suns will face a shorthanded Warriors squad that is coming off a collapse last night against the Grizzlies in their home opener. They’re basically without… everyone?
Here’s my quick hit on the Suns-Warriors injury report ahead of tonight’s game!
Oso Ighodaro is OUT
That stings for this specific matchup. Oso is the guy who can switch onto Golden State’s guards, run the floor, and keep the ball moving out of the short roll.
Losing him thins out a frontcourt that just got beat by 14 on the glass. The good news is the Warriors are a much smaller and less athletic team than Portland. Khaman will need to be ready, as the Warriors will certainly try to drag him away from the rim and hunt him on the perimeter.
Steph-less
Curry tweaked his ankle before the Lakers game, was listed as probable, and played. Golden State just hosted Memphis Friday in its home opener, which makes Phoenix the second night of a back-to-back. It should come as no surprise that this early in the season, especially after a scare in an open practice that he will sit this one out.
The Warriors will rely on a combination of Gary Payton II, Brandon Williams, LJ Cryer, De’Anthony Melton, and Will Richard to pick up the guard play.
When Steph sits, Draymond tends to hunt for trouble. Put him and Brooks on the same floor and a scuffle feels inevitable. Phoenix needs Brooks to win that exchange on the scoreboard and keep his head.
Already depleted
While the Suns are down Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro, Golden State has deep issues of their own. Jimmy Butler is out until after the new year, and Kristaps Porzingis may not ever play another game of basketball. Plus, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody are out.
The Suns must control the game defensively, beccause it could be difiicutl for the Warriors to get buckets with this group.
1) Fix the shot diet. Phoenix took just four corner shots the entire night in Portland, two of them in the 4th, and went 6-of-33 from deep. The rest was contested mid-range junk, the shots Portland funneled them into. Credit the Blazers for executing their plan. Golden State will try to copy that film. The Suns need early rim touches and kick-outs to the corners in the first six minutes, before the Warriors get comfortable and the Suns get frustrated again.
2) The ball has to move. Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks combined for zero assists. One game, I get it, and I’m not torching the roster build yet. But the connective passing that made this group fun last year was nowhere. Against a Warriors defense that loads up on Booker, the second pass is the whole game.
3)Watch the defensive assignments. Expect rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (who already made headlines calling out Luka’s whining and then guarded him well) on Booker, with De’Anthony Melton or Gary Payton II sliding to Jalen Green.
This is a scrappy roster with or without Steph, and they will compete. It’s a group that is trying to prove themselves and has nothing to lose at this point, which swings all the pressure back in Phoenix’s direction.
The Suns take advantage of the Warriors’ lack of depth and feed off the home crowd to get a double-digit win while holding Golden State just below 100 points. Anything less than a win and we need to have a serious discussion about this team.
Let us know your prediction below. See you in the Game Thread!
The Golden State Warriors will play their first back-to-back of the season Saturday night as they head to Arizona to take on the Phoenix Suns. The game will be played at 7:00 PM PT in Phoenix and can be watched on NBA TV and NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State suffered a heartbreaking 111-108 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. The Warriors appeared to be in control late in the fourth quarter, holding a 12-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. However, the Grizzlies stormed back with 12 unanswered points to erase the deficit and tie the game. Cam Boozer then delivered a clutch isolation bucket as the shot clock wound down to give Memphis the lead.
Just when Golden State looked to respond on the ensuing possession, Draymond Green was whistled for a moving screen at half-court, giving the ball back to Memphis without the Warriors even attempting a shot. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was irate with the call and subsequently assessed a technical foul before Ty Jerome converted a breakaway layup to put the game out of reach.
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski made an encouraging return to the court Friday night after missing Golden State’s season opener with a back injury. The fourth-year guard looked explosive against Memphis, finishing with 18 points, three assists, two rebounds, three steals and a block. However, despite the performance, Podziemski is reportedly set to sit out Saturday night’s matchup alongside Steph Curry, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
With Golden State’s starting backcourt unavailable, the Warriors will need someone to shoulder more of the offensive workload against Phoenix. One player who could benefit from the opportunity is backup guard Brandon Williams, whose ability to create off the dribble and finish at the basket gives Golden State some much needed offense from their backcourt. After playing in just nine minutes in yesterday’s game, Saturday should present an opportunity for him to take on a much bigger role.
Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!
Warriors: Brandon Williams, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green
Suns: Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, Khaman Maluach
Who: Golden State Warriors (0 – 2) vs. Phoenix Suns (0 – 1)
When: Saturday, October 24th, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Where: PHX Arena — Phoenix, Arizona
TV and Streaming: NBA TV and NBC Sports Bay Area
What we learned as Warriors fall to 0-3 after short-handed loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The sting of the Warriors’ late collapse to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night cut deeper knowing how short-handed they could be the next night in Phoenix against the Suns in their first of 15 back-to-backs this season.
Steph Curry didn’t suit up Saturday night. Neither did Draymond Green, Al Horford and Brandin Podziemski, among the other usuals for the Warriors. Their backs were against the wall, and the Warriors didn’t lack in fight. They did lack in experienced talent, though.
Devin Booker torched the Warriors for 43 points as they fell to the Suns 131-122 at Mortgage Matchup Center. He was the Suns’ only player to score 20 points in a game where the Warriors had three of them, and it didn’t matter.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led the way with 26 points for his first 20-point game of his young NBA career. Lendeborg also had nine rebounds and five assists. De’Anthony Melton (25 points) and Brandon Williams (20 points) also reached the mark.
Golden State’s defense in the first three games of the season has been a stroll in the park for its opponents. The Suns shot 58.1 percent from the field and tallied 60 points in the paint.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ third straight loss to open the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Warriors already are basically leaning on Lendeborg to be their No. 2 scorer. In their first game of the season without Curry, he became the Warriors’ top scoring option. Really, the entire offense needed to run through him when taking the absences of Green and Podziemski into account.
And Lendeborg was first to get the Warriors on the scoreboard with a three just to the right of the arc. His next shot was another made three, connecting just to the left of the arc. Lendeborg’s first three made shots were 3-pointers after draining one from the right corner.
But his most impressive sequence might have been Lendeborg’s fourth made shot, sealing Dillon Brooks for a mismatch down and finishing through contact for a three-point play. Lendeborg went into halftime as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 13 points, plus four rebounds and two assists.
Lendeborg proved the Warriors can play through him as a main option. The rookie made six 3-pointers and should have had many more than five assists if his teammates made shots off his dribble-drive passes. This was a Warriors loss, but a win in the development of Lendeborg.
Having Graham Ike and Charles Bassey as the Warriors’ centers set a tone. The Warriors were all over the glass and keeping possessions alive. Ike, who started the game at center, and Bassey, who made his season debut after missing the first two games to knee tendonitis, combined for nine points and eight rebounds in the first quarter.
As a team, the Warriors had 10 second-chance points, nine bench points and eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter to hold a three-point lead. But they also committed eight turnovers for 11 points. That number rose to 12 turnovers for 15 points with the Suns now leading by three.
While the Warriors did have 17 second-chance points in the first half, they continued to be too sloppy for a team that has such little margin for error. When it looked like the Suns were about to separate themselves with a 9-1 run during the third quarter, it was Bassey who carried the Warriors in answering with a 12-0 run to take the lead.
Ike recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Bassey added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. They accounted for 17 of the Warriors’ 44 rebounds and seven of their 19 offensive rebounds. The problem is, the Warriors allowed as many points off turnovers (26) as second-chance points scored (26).
All signs pointed to the Warriors finding a steal late in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft when they took Will Richard out of Florida. In just his seventh career game last year, Richard started and scored 30 points on a night where the Warriors didn’t have their regulars. He wasn’t close to the same player a little more than a year later in Phoenix.
Richard had the same amount of turnovers and fouls as shot attempts at halftime: One. He missed his one shot attempt, a three from the left corner. It often felt like the Warriors were playing 4-on-5 offensively having Richard on the floor.
Then in the third quarter, Richard hit two threes that felt like they were worth triple that. The first was wide-open from the right wing where Richard looked around the court and then finally launched from deep. The second was in rhythm from the right corner, where Richard caught a bounce pass and in the same motion splashed a three, which is the exact shot the Warriors have to rely on him for.
Richard made a smooth reverse layup cutting under the hoop early in the fourth quarter, showing more shades of what the Warriors expected. The player he was in the second half, scoring 11 points, was much more reminiscent of who the Warriors need going forward.
After snapping a four-game skid on Thursday in a commanding 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to build on that when they take on the Nashville Predators Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins played a full 60 minutes Thursday, getting contributions from up and down their new-look lineup. They were without the services of forwards Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel - who were both placed on injured reserve Thursday - and it appears they will be without another forward Saturday.
Forward Evgeni Malkin, who missed Friday's team practice with an illness and who registered a goal and two points in Thursday's win, was ruled out by Penguins' head coach Dan Muse after the morning skate, which Malkin participated in. Forward Egor Chinakhov, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, is expected to miss his second consecutive game.
In addition, defenseman Sam Girard was officially placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, and the Penguins recalled forward Avery Hayes from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) to fill Malkin's hole in the lineup.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs - who posted a 25-save shutout Thursday - will get his second consecutive nod in goal Saturday.
There were no line rushes during the Penguins' optional morning skate, and it is difficult to tell where Hayes will fit into a lineup that was already shorthanded to a pretty large degree. He has had some legitimate chemistry with Rutger McGroarty in WBS, and both had nine points in six AHL games, so it won't come as a surprise if they begin the game on the same line.
Takeaways: Penguins Deliver Near-Perfect 60-Minute Effort In 4-0 Win Over Panthers To Snap Four-Game Losing StreakAfter a disastrous, winless four-game Western road trip, the Penguins put together their best effort of the season Thursday against Florida.Here are the projected lines from THN - Pittsburgh for Saturday's game:
Forwards
Tommy Novak-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell
Andrei Kuzmenko-Hendrix Lapierre-Ville Koivunen
Avery Hayes-Blake Lizotte-Rutger McGroarty
Elmer Soderblom-Connor Dewar-Nick Robertson
Defense
Spencer Stastney-Erik Karlsson
Declan Carlile-Kaedan Korczak
Ilya Solovyov-Kris Letang
The Predators are coming into this one 3-3-3 to start the season, and the Penguins are 7-0-2 in their last nine games against Nashville. They currently sit seventh in the Central Division standings and have a minus-7 goal differential.
36-year-old center Steven Stamkos has started the season hot with four goals and 10 points in nine games, and projected starting goaltender Juuse Saros is 3-2-2 with a .906 save percentage in seven appearances.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X."
Former Penguins' Defenseman Placed On WaiversLost in the headlines for the Winnipeg Jets Friday was the placement of an ex-Penguin on the waiver wire.Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
The Florida Panthers had some new-look forward lines when they took the ice on Saturday in Chicago.
Fresh off a pair of lopsided defeats in Ottawa and Pittsburgh, the Panthers will be looking to get back on track when they face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon at United Center.
Florida head coach Paul Maurice was not pleased with his players following the back-to-back losses and said he would be looking for a way to turn things back around ahead of Saturday’s skate.
“I think it looked the way I thought it did from the bench,” Maurice said. “We’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up in our game and we have an opportunity to do that tomorrow.”
When the team took the ice, it was apparent that Maurice had done some tinkering with the forward groupings.
The top line and the fourth line remained the same, but Maurice made a not-so-subtle move to his middle six.
Exciting young forward Sandis Vilmanis was bumped up to the second line, where he skated alongside Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe.
Vilmanis was a healthy scratch on Thursday.
“It’s just a little different look,” Maurice said. “When he was with Lundell and Luostarinen, I liked it early on but it’s starting to fall off a bit for me. We gave him a little bit of a reset, so he should have some good legs and good urgency in this game.”
Dependable forward Lars Eller, who Maurice has complimented several times during the early stages of the season, was on the left side of the Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen line.
In terms of defensive pairings, Radko Gudas was back with Dmitry Kulikov after being a healthy scratch during Thursday’s loss to the Penguins.
That was the only change on the blue line, as the top two pairings remained intact.
Between the pipes, Florida will turn back to Akira Schmid after giving rookie Cooper Black his first taste of NHL action on Thursday.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s showdown in Chitown:
Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Sandis Vilmanis
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Lars Eller
Boko Imama – Cole Schwindt – Garnet Hathaway
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
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Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wingSandisVilmanis(95) chases the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)