Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s move to the wing will remain for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup opener as fellow star Wallaby Len Ikitau passed a fitness test to face the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Trump reveals Roger Clemens will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Roger Clemens has a new award to add to his collection.
The two-time Yankees World Series champ was informed on Wednesday that he would be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, when introducing President Donald Trump at a rally in San Antonio, Texas.
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Try it free“We’re giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said.
Clemens, an 11-time All-Star and seven-time Cy Young Award winner, was caught off guard by the revelation.
“Well, I’m stunned, number one,” he told the crowd. “And again, 24 years, y’all. This supersedes anything that, obviously, I’ve done in my playing career. And to get it from this man, this president, there wouldn’t be another president I’d want to get [it] from.”
The Texas native played 24 MLB seasons, the first 13 with the Red Sox before spending two with the Blue Jays. He then came to The Bronx for five seasons, went to Houston for two and returned to the Yankees for one last go around in 2007 at the age of 44.
“The Rocket” racked up a bevy of awards along the way, including the 1986 American League MVP as well as twice winning the pitching Triple Crown (1997, ’98).
Trump called Clemens, who ranks ninth all-time with 354 career wins, “maybe the greatest pitcher of all time.”
His statistical achievements weren’t enough to get him into the Baseball Hall of Fame, as his candidacy was tainted by alleged steroid use — he was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report in 2007, though he never tested positive for the banned drug.
Still, Clemens, who never achieved more than 61.6 percent of the vote needed for the 75 percent threshold needed for entry into Cooperstown, remains eligible through the Today’s Game Committee.
If he does make it, he’ll join a unique club of fellow Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients that includes the likes of Babe Ruth, Vin Scully, Yogi Berra, Ernie Banks, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Mariano Rivera and Joe DiMaggio.
Trump has given the award to numerous athletes during his presidential terms, including Ruth and Rivera, as well as Tiger Woods, Roger Staubach, Jerry West and Connor Hellebuyck, after the goalie’s gold medal-winning Olympic effort in February.
Braves fail to find magic touch as Postseason run ends in scuffling fashion for bats
Before this season started (and even before the Postseason started) the big question concerning this 2026 Atlanta Braves team was whether or not they would have enough pitching (particularly in the rotation) in order to find a way to be successful.
94 wins, an NL East title, a Wild Card Series win and a Divisional Series exit later, we now have the answer: Yes, they had enough pitching. Even when the rotation was strained to its very limits like they were during the Postseason, there were no terrible blow-ups during this run. Chris Sale gave it all he had, Tyler Mahle performed admirably and the bullpen was about as good as you could ask them to be without being just straight-up perfect.
Instead, the autopsy for the 2026 Braves will reveal that at the end of the day, a good ol’ fashioned lack of hitting is what eventually doomed the Braves. Now granted, it’s pretty tough to go through the crazy boss rush of starting pitchers that Atlanta had to deal with across both the Wild Card and the Divisional Series and expect them to just turn it on like the ‘27 Yankees but it’s also rough to see this team go out like they did at the plate.
Key pieces of the core of Atlanta’s lineup had an absolute nightmare in this series. Austin Riley went 0-for-13 with six strikeouts. Drake Baldwin went 1-for-14 with five strikeouts. Matt Olson went 2-for-16 with six strikeouts. Ronald Acuña Jr. went 2-for-15 with four strikeouts. Sure, the Dodgers have an absolute conveyor belt of strong pitching but plain-and-simply, that won’t cut it in the Postseason.
“The Dodgers have something to do with that. They’re going for their third straight world championship for a reason. Their arms just keep coming at you,” stated Walt Weiss when he was asked about the lack of hitting during this series in particular. “…You have a lot of unsung heroes a lot of times in the postseason, and sometimes guys struggle. It’s obviously magnified because you’re playing under a microscope. But I think that we struggled with runners in scoring position. So did the Dodgers. The games were really tight. I thought we gave them all they could handle. But it’s a good team over there.”
Usually any type of struggles of hitting with runners in scoring position is overblown and you could’ve argued that too, as Weiss did mention that the Dodgers had a tough time hitting with RISP, themselves. With that being said, 0-for-23 with RISP is not going to cut it. Two of the RBI that Atlanta had in this series came from the Dodgers basically donating it via pitches that went awry while the Braves had a runner on third. The clutch hitting (particularly in the latter innings) just wasn’t there for Atlanta in this series and it ended up playing a major role in what sent them into the cold and especially uncertain offseason coming up.
With that being said, it’s hard to call this season anything other than a solid success. Again, they won 94 games (in weird fashion but still) and won the division. Any time a blue flag goes up on the light tower outside of the seats in right-center, it’s a solid season and one you take to the bank. The pain and disappointment is certainly palpable but some perspective from the disappointment reveals that this isn’t a season that the Braves should just flush away — definitely not like the train wreck that was the 2025 season.
“Of course [we’re] disappointed,” said Weiss when he was asked about the tough ending to the season. “You always are when you’re not the last team standing. There’s only one team that goes home happy at the end of the year.”
“But I’ve talked about how proud I am of this group all year. And that doesn’t change,” continued Weiss. “It’s a privilege to manage this group. And the way they compete and the way they pull for one another, the things that we overcame this year, I mean, really impressive. And it’s because of the guys in that room. It was a privilege to manage those guys.”
I asked Weiss about what he could take away from his first season back at the helm of a big league ballclub and he was reflective on how things went. “It was great. It was a lot of fun for me. Everything that we went through, and we basically went wire to wire to win the division. And I always say that’s the toughest one to win because it takes six months,” explained Weiss.
“Now it’s the ones in the postseason that are more special when you win those. But winning a division is tough to do, and we basically went wire-to-wire. A lot to feel good about. You don’t ever feel good about losing. Like I said, there’s only one team, when the season’s all said and done, that’s happy. There’s only one out of 30.”
Indeed, that type of perspective is crucial when it comes to baseball and it’s a small comfort to take with you as another long season comes to a close. With the offseason locking as uncertain as ever, it’s very important to take stock of the good just as much as it is to address the bad. There are going to be a lot of questions about the core of this team (particularly in the lineup) but at the same time, it’s been exciting to see a revelatory season from Michael Harris II and it was certainly encouraging to see him continue that into the Postseason.
The end of the season always stinks (especially with what awaits the baseball world this Winter) but the Braves can at least take it on to the house knowing that this ended in October with a divisional title instead of September with a completely lost season. The wait for another World Series title continues for another season and now it’s on Alex Anthopoulos and Atlanta’s front office to figure out a way to fix what ended up ailing this team in October. We’ll see what happens, y’all.
Penguins/Capitals Recap: Glaring mistakes prove costly for Pittsburgh in 5-3 loss
Pregame
Bryan Rust is able to make his season debut and the Penguins flip Hendrix Lapierre and Nick Robertson between lines for some new looks. Arturs Silovs in net for this one.
The Capitals celebrate their home opener with this lineup.
First period
Fireworks aplenty early on. On the very first shift, Trevor van Riemsdyk gets in trouble with a bouncing puck and turns it over to Dylan Strome. Strome springs Anthony Beauvillier on a breakaway. 1-0 Washington just 23 seconds into the game on the first shot.
The Penguins get in on the action and score on their first shot at the 1:19 mark. Ben Kindel gets in the zone and feeds Rust, it doesn’t take the veteran long to make his classic power move to the net. Puck goes off Logan Thompson and trickles in to tie the game at 1-1.
Pittsburgh gets into penalty trouble, Ville Koivunen goes to the box first on a tripping call. Nick Robertson soon joins him for clearing the puck over the glass to give the Caps 44 seconds of a 5v3 advantage. van Riemsdyk steps up with some nice shot blocks and the Pens escape the danger.
Not for long, though. Kris Letang collects a puck in his zone and reverses it back behind the net. Turns out to be a bad decision since only Pierre-Luc Dubois is back there. Dubois feeds the puck out front and it’s a 2-1 game.
The Penguins get the next power play, doesn’t go very well. The Caps get two rushes up the ice, the Pens don’t really get much out of it for themselves.
Period comes to an end, shots are 14-4 WSH, though it’s a bit more respectable for 9-4 at even strength. Shot attempts are even uglier at 34-11. Pittsburgh getting mostly outworked and bit by defensive breakdowns in the early going.
Second period
Silovs decides he wants to get in on the costly turnover gambit and his stray behind the net goes straight to the Caps. Declan Carlile doesn’t help the cause by spectating and blocking the goalie’s path back to the crease. Good grief. Tom Wilson returns the favor from the last goal and sets up Dubois to make it a 3-1 game.
The Pens got a strong shift of possession and chances out of their first line, wiped away by a brutal cross-ice pass by Carlile that was easily picked off and turned into a 2-on-0 rush. Wilson set up Alex Tuch and there’s not much a goalie can do about that. 4-1 Washington.
Pittsburgh’s second line comes through to stem the tide of the developing blowout. Egor Chinakhov made a nice pass to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin hits the post, Thompson and the Caps’ defense are all out of sorts. Tommy Novak pounces on the rebound and puts it in the net. 4-2.
The fourth line gets in the act next. Kaeden Korczak puts a shot towards the net that Robertson make a beautiful tip on. Robertson had to eat a cross-check in the back for his troubles, which worked out nicely. 4-3 game all of a sudden.
Robertson draws a penalty to really open the door, a goal doesn’t come before intermission stops the play.
As usual, no PIT-WSH game is ever truly completely safe for either team. In the ‘two things can be true category’, the Penguins are playing damaging hockey in a self-inflicted way, and yet they find themselves only down by one shot on the road in a game that they have not been very sharp in.
Third period
The Pens can’t score on the carryover power play, then van Riemsdyk goes to the box for a blatant hooking call to prevent a scoring chance. Pittsburgh almost kills it off but Ryan Leonard fires a wrist shot by Silovs at the end of penalty time. Washington’s lead is 5-3.
Blake Lizotte is the next to head to the penalty box, it’s killed and Lizotte steps back onto the ice sprung on a breakaway that Thompson stops.
The game takes an ugly turn, Dubois puts Carlile into the boards head first, opening up Carlile with some blood. The Pens get a power play and come up empty on it.
Silovs is lifted for the extra skater with plenty of time since the team needs to find two goals. They’re kept mostly to the perimeter and the clock runs out.
Some thoughts
- Kindel has replaced Chinakhov on the top power play. Might be for the best, Chinakhov was looking a little lost in space as a left handed shot setting up mostly on the left side.
- Rough first period for Letang, 10+ years ago he might have had a chance to cut off Beauvillier on the first goal, tough ask either way for an opponent hitting the seam in full stride when the defenseman positions so wide in the first place. The play on the second goal was even worse, basically deserving an assist on that one.
- Easy to beat up on Letang though, each of the first four Washington goals was started or aided by a major miscue of puck management by the Penguins from players all over the lineup. Carlile’s activity on the third and fourth goals against were just as egregious. They’re their own worst enemy right now and most teams are going to accept the gift and make you pay. That’s pretty much the long and short of it right now. These Penguin games are just a race to see whether or not they can out-score the issues they directly create for themselves.
- Rust was the only Penguin forward to register a shot in the first period. At least he scored. By midway in the second period the Pens got an offensive zone faceoff and had Rust back on the top line with Crosby and Rakell. Can’t say that was surprising or unwarranted.
- As Bob Grove pointed out, Crosby went 6-1 in the faceoff circle in the first period, everyone else on the team was 3-11. Pittsburgh entered the night 27th in the young season in faceoffs (45.5%). Without Crosby (55.7% entering the night), they’d be even further down the list.
- Robertson was all over the place. Now a fourth liner, he might be killing more penalties but he’ll need to avoid putting the puck over the glass. Then he scores a goal and draws a penalty late in the second period. Good stuff from a player who got demoted in lines to make an impact.
- Another positive so far: Malkin’s passing in this one. He’s mostly a playmaker and chance creator for others at this point of his career and is starting to stand out with that generation.
- Mostly though, just negative right now. The mistakes are too numerous and too glaring to expect a positive result at the end of the night. The Pens had a shot with a couple of breakaways and power plays late yet they couldn’t make it happen.
This one is out of the way, the team moves on with a meeting in Columbus on Friday night.
Dodgers’ Andy Pages snaps insane drought that should strike fear across MLB
As the Dodgers are set to advance to the NLCS for the third year in a row from a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, Andy Pages did something that the Dodgers haven’t done in a long time.
Bring home runners in scoring position.
Pages’ two-RBI go-ahead single in the seventh inning was the first time in the series they had a hit with runners on base.
Coming into Wednesday, the Dodgers were 0-14 with runners in scoring position, as they’ve relied heavily on the long ball.
Through the first two games of the series, Pages was hitless and was enduring an 0-7 cold streak. In Game 3, he had two hits, then had another two-hit performance in Game 4, putting his series average up to .286.
The Dodgers’ first run in Wednesday night’s victory came after Shohei Ohtani scored on an error by Mauricio Dubon, when the ball bounced off his glove.
After Pages gave them the lead, the Dodgers added an insurance run when Max Muncy hit a solo home run over the right field fence.
Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up only one hit, while striking out five batters.
The Braves threatened in the sixth inning, when Ozzie Albies hit a leadoff double off of Alex Vesia. Manager Dave Roberts brought in Edgardo Henriquez to retire the next three batters he faced and pitched two more outs in the seventh.
Edwin Diaz came out to close the ninth and needed only eight pitches to pick up his second save of the series, as he had one strikeout and ended the game by getting Austin Riley to fly out towards right.
NL Division Series Game Discussion: Brewers vs Padres Wednesday Night
It’s game 4 of the NL Division Series as the Padres will try to force a game 5. Walker Buehler will get the start for the Padres while the Brewers will depend on LHP Robert Gasser. First pitch at Petco Park is scheduled for 9pm central time and the game broadcast is available via Fox/FS1.
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Alexis Lafreniere showing Rangers there’s more to his game as Mike Sullivan’s trust grows
The first goal in Alexis Lafrenière’s eventual hat trick Tuesday showcased what the Rangers have known, the offensive flashes they’ve always tried to make sustainable with the No. 1 pick in 2020.
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tRY IT NOWBut the final two, which occurred 32 seconds apart in the third period of their 5-2 win, captured another step for Lafrenière. His defensive game has earned the trust of head coach Mike Sullivan in 5-on-6 situations — when opponents have their goaltender pulled while trailing late — recently, and during the past two wins, Lafrenière has rewarded that belief.
“It means a lot,” Lafrenière said postgame of Sullivan’s trust in those situations. “You always want to be out there late in games, either when you’re down one, up one, whatever it is.”
That serves as another layer of the phrase Sullivan used Monday, when he said that Lafrenière — after a strong finish last year to a 24-goal, 57-point campaign — still has “untapped potential.” There’s more that the Rangers coaching staff will “try to pull out of him,” Sullivan said.
The offensive potential has always been evident with Lafrenière. That was the case again Tuesday, when Mika Zibanejad slid a pass to him from his knees early in the second period and Lafrenière ripped a shot past Semyon Varlamov, off the crossbar and in. Those moments have been fleeting for most of his Blueshirts career, but Sullivan stuck by his top line of Lafrenière, Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault early in the season in hopes of capturing what made them the Rangers’ most dynamic group to end 2024-25. Their production Tuesday, which helped extend their winning streak to four games, was another sign that Sullivan’s strategy has started to pay off.
But then there’s the 5-on-6. The late-game situations. The chance that Sullivan described as an earned responsibility. He flipped the pair of pucks into the Islanders net after the Rangers cleared their zone, and with just over 40 seconds remaining Sunday, Lafrenière blocked a shot by Utah’s Dylan Guenther before drawing a penalty. Through five games, he sits in a tie for third in the NHL with four penalties drawn.
“We think that he’s a guy that’s very capable there, so we’re challenging him there to bring a defensive conscience in those situations — and he gets rewarded with some empty-net opportunities,” Sullivan said postgame Tuesday. “We’re not just handing that stuff to [Lafrenière]. We think he’s earned that, and that’s why we’ve given him that opportunity. … His complete game on both sides of the puck continues to grow and develop.”
Rangers legend Mark Messier dished out plenty of praise for 18-year-old defenseman Alberts Smits — the No. 5 overall pick in June’s draft who proceeded to make the opening night lineup — during the second intermission Tuesday.
“He’s played four games in the National Hockey League,” Messier, now an NHL analyst, said on ESPN, “and he’s looked like he’s playing 400 games in the National Hockey League. His nuances and the subtleties of his game are unparalleled for anybody I’ve seen play this position. … He’s not gonna be on the highlight offensive reels there, but this is the kind of guy you win Stanley Cups with because he does all the subtleties — he’s a shutdown defenseman that’s only 18 years old.”
Chicago White Sox haven't stressed all season. Why start now? | Opinion
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox were never going to roll through the postseason unscathed.
Oh, it was tempting to imagine it, what with the sweep of the Houston Astros in the wild-card round and opening the ALDS by taking two games off the Cleveland Guardians at their ballpark. The hitters were providing timely offense, the pitchers were stifling opponents, and no stage is proving too big for a team as chill as it is young.
It all seemed to be setting up perfectly for the White Sox to come back to Rate Field and clinch their first postseason series at home since 1906.
Baseball is rarely that tidy, however. After a 9-3 loss to the Guardians in Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday, Oct. 7 — a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicated, to be honest — the White Sox have to find a way to channel that enthusiastic oblivion that’s served them so well in this historic season.
Game 4 is Thursday, Oct. 8.
“It’s baseball. You’re not going to win every game. That’s the reality of it,” second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “But you know, tomorrow is a new day.”
And a loss like this is likely going to be easier to put behind them than a white knuckler that came down to the last few at-bats.
Almost everything went wrong for White Sox
It’s not as if they played well and still lost. Little, if anything, went right for the White Sox. They were outhit for the first time this postseason. Their 19 strikeouts — yes, 19 — was an MLB record for a nine-inning postseason game. They were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight.
The nine runs the White Sox gave up were three times what they allowed in the first two games of the series. They walked 10. Jo Adell and Jose Ramirez both hit triples, the first time Cleveland has had multiple triples in a postseason game.
Even that much-hyped mystery guest throwing out the first pitch was a bust. Pope Leo XIV? Former President Barack Obama? Michael Jordan? Caleb Williams? Try Belmont Cameli from Amazon Prime’s “Off Campus.”
Talk about a fail …
Third inning does Chicago in
The White Sox got on the board first with Kyle Teel’s RBI double in the first inning. But the Guardians took control of the game with a four-run third inning. Steven Kwan tied it up with an RBI single. Three batters later, Adell’s triple made it 4-1.
The White Sox would chip away at Cleveland’s lead, getting an RBI double from Tristan Peters in the fourth and scoring another after Hunter Gaddis plunked Colson Montgomery and Sam Antonacci in consecutive at-bats. But their momentum was never sustainable.
“We’ve just got to be able to execute a little bit better, get outs,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And, again, we’ve talked about this the whole series, that these guys are going to make you pay for walks. First couple games they didn't. But today, they did.”
White Sox have been resilient all year
While the White Sox clubhouse was silent after the game, this is not a team that’s going to wallow and get in its own head. They don’t know to get stage fright or overthink. They’ve spent the entire season merrily defying expectations — the first team in Major League Baseball to make the playoffs after losing 100 or more games in consecutive seasons — and having a blast doing it.
They were counted out before the season even began. And after they lost 13 of their first 19 games. And after they lost four in a row at the beginning of August. And after they lost eight of 11 in early September. And after … well, you get the idea. Every time, the White Sox have been able to put their woes behind them.
They don’t see why it should be any different now.
“Just everybody in the clubhouse,” lefty Hagen Smith said. “Everybody believes in each other and plays super hard and plays until the last out. So I’m super confident for tomorrow.”
The White Sox still only have to win one game while the Guardians have to win two. Even if they lose Game 4, the White Sox would keep playing. If Cleveland loses Game 4, its season is over.
A loss, even one as bad as this, doesn't change anything for the White Sox. They can't make the mistake of thinking it does.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago White Sox haven't stressed all season. Why start now? | Opinion
Australia stick to familiar formula in South Africa as they seek to bury demons of 2018 | Geoff Lemon
The Test series shapes as one of unforced errors and modest scores with both sides unconvincing with the bat and relying on their bowling attack
Lost among the looking back to Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in 2018, there lies a similarity to the team about to take on that challenge in 2026. The previous side relied on a primo bowling quartet of Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, along with David Warner’s power as opener and the middle-order ballast of Steve Smith. The rest of the batting was makeshift: Cameron Bancroft the recently added opener, Usman Khawaja with at that stage a parlous record away from home, and the Marsh brothers an entirely unknowable quantity at five and six.
This time around, the same four bowlers have burnished their careers by a further 998 Test wickets, the proven batting still consists of one aggressive left-handed opener plus Smith, and Australia otherwise remain makeshift.
Continue reading...Pages delivers go-ahead single in 7th as Dodgers beat Braves 4-1 to clinch NL Division Series
ATLANTA — Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series.
The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes walked pinch-hitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Edman ran for De Paula.
Max Muncy’s solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason homers with the Dodgers, extending his franchise record.
Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed only one hit but walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, left-hander Alex Vesia ended the inning on Matt Olson’s groundout to second base.
The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, and none scored.
Glasnow and four relievers combined to give up just three hits. Tanner Scott pitched a perfect eighth before Edwin Díaz got three quick outs for the save.
Mahle, a native of Newport Beach, California, who grew up a Dodgers fan, allowed two runs — one earned — in 6 1/3 innings.
Michael Harris II hit Glasnow’s first pitch for a single before stealing second and eventually scoring from third on a wild pitch that bounced off catcher Will Smith’s chest protector.
The Dodgers pulled even in the second with the help of two Atlanta errors. Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s errant throw into center field. Muncy’s pop fly into shallow left field was dropped by shortstop Mauricio Dubón for another error, allowing Ohtani to score.
Hernández crashed into the wall while attempting to catch Ozzie Albies’ double off Vesia leading off the sixth. Hernández pointed to his head and neck when talking to an athletic trainer but remained in the game.
Edgardo Henriquez stranded Albies at second. Henriquez allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Injury report
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas was held out after leaving Tuesday night’s 3-1 win during an at-bat in the eighth inning with lower back soreness. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Rojas would not be available off the bench.
Ronald Acuña Jr. started in right field for Atlanta one day after being moved to designated hitter in a late lineup change due to right knee soreness.
Up next
The Dodgers will face Milwaukee or San Diego in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
Avalanche Rally Twice, But Fall to Jets on Late Connor Goal
The Colorado Avalanche did just about everything but finish on Tuesday night.
Colorado outshot Winnipeg 34-19, generated sustained pressure throughout the game and erased two separate deficits, but Kyle Connor’s second goal of the night with one minute remaining lifted the Jets to a 3-2 victory at Canada Life Centre.
Jaden Schwartz and Fedor Svechkov each recorded a goal and an assist for Colorado, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 16 of 19 shots. Stuart Skinner was the difference for Winnipeg, turning aside 32 of 34 shots in an outstanding performance.
The loss drops Colorado to 1-5 in its last six road games against the Jets at Canada Life Centre.
First Period
Colorado pressed on the gas early—and when we say gas, we mean literally. Cale Makar tattooed a slap shot from the point at 101.9 mph, but Skinner came up with a big save to keep the game scoreless.
More than six minutes into the period, Colorado started creating quality chances. Brock Nelson, a finalist for the Selke Trophy last season as the NHL’s best two-way forward, stripped the puck from Winnipeg forward Cole Perfetti, dangled around a defender and fed Nazem Kadri for a one-timer from the right circle. Skinner, however, made the save in the breadbasket.
Near the halfway point of the period, the Avalanche earned their first power play of the night after Dylan Samberg was called for hooking Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado failed to convert, but spent much of the man advantage in the offensive zone as Skinner continued to impress between the pipes.
With about eight minutes remaining, Colorado continued to press. After Nathan MacKinnon won an offensive-zone faceoff, Kadri wasted no time firing a quick shot on net, but Skinner came up with another sharp blocker save to keep the game scoreless.
Colorado went on its first penalty kill with just under three minutes remaining after Fedor Svechkov was called for delay of game after shooting the puck out of play. Svechkov was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Jack Drury to the Nashville Predators.
The Avalanche killed the penalty, and the first period ended in a 0-0 tie.
Second Period
Jaden Schwartz broke the tie 2:51 into the period when he pounced on a puck the Jets mishandled in front of their net. He stepped into the loose puck and fired it past Skinner to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
Colorado goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 8, 2026
Scored by Jaden Schwartz with 17:09 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Fedor Svechkov and Brent Burns.
WPG: 0 | COL: 1#COLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/4ScWtZpOKl
The advantage didn’t last long, as Kyle Connor scored off a deflection to tie the game at one. It was his fourth goal of the season and the 14th of his career against the Avalanche.
FOUR GOALS in FOUR GAMES for KYLE CONNOR 🍗🍗🍗🍗 pic.twitter.com/uWx8EPwsXf
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 8, 2026
With just under six minutes remaining in the period, Devon Toews stepped into a one-timer, but Skinner came up with the pad save. At that point, Colorado had outshot Winnipeg 27-12.
The Jets regained the lead with 1:44 remaining when Cole Perfetti redirected a shot with his left skate, sending the puck through Blackwood’s five-hole to make it 2-1. It was Perfetti’s third goal of the season, extending his goal streak to three games, and the fourth of his career against Colorado.
Third straight game with a GOAL PERFETTI 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DVMvLBwxdk
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 8, 2026
Despite trailing after 40 minutes, the Avalanche held a commanding 27-17 edge in shots.
Jets star Josh Morrissey also suffered an upper-body injury, possibly to his wrist, late in the period and did not return.
Third Period
Colorado found itself shorthanded during another critical stretch when Brock Nelson was assessed a cross-checking penalty at 8:19 after sending Jets defenseman Jack St. Ivany into the end boards.
The Avalanche killed off the penalty and eventually found their equalizer with 7:25 remaining.
Svechkov jumped on a loose puck in front of the net following a shot from Brett Kulak and poked it past Skinner for his first goal as an Avalanche and the 13th of his NHL career. Schwartz picked up an assist on the play.
Schwartz returns the favor to Svechkov!
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 8, 2026
TWO first time Avalanche goals today 🚨 pic.twitter.com/K3MDH99lRL
Unfortunately for Colorado, the tie didn’t last.
KYLE CONNOR SCORED THE GAME WINNER WITH A MINUTE LEFT ON THE CLOCK! ✈️ pic.twitter.com/3F6c43u0Fb
— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2026
With one minute remaining, Connor struck again on an odd-man rush. Mark Scheifele fed him a perfect pass in the low slot, and Connor fired it past Blackwood’s left pad to put Winnipeg back in front 3-2.
The Avalanche pushed for another equalizer but couldn’t find one, falling by a 3-2 final despite holding a 34-19 advantage in shots.
Back at it tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Ly3WMth3ml
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 8, 2026
Colorado will look to bounce back Thursday against the Calgary Flames at the legendary Saddledome. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. local time, with Scott Wedgewood slated to make his first start of the season.
Of course Marlins Man was talking to Dua Lipa at the Yankees playoff game
Pop icon Dua Lipa and her husband actor Callum Turner were in attendance at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the AL Division Series on Wednesday, Oct. 7, sitting a few rows behind home plate in the Bronx.
Cameras caught the couple seated during a tense (on-field) moment in the first inning with two strikes and two outs. Their neighbors recommended they stand up to watch the pitch as another fan was standing in front of them.
Yankees starter Max Fried struck out the Tampa Bay Rays hitter for the third out, and the pair high-fived nearby fans to celebrate.
Latest in Lakers legal saga: Jeanie Buss' siblings file opposition
The five siblings of longtime Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss filed an opposition Wednesday, Oct. 7 to her attempt to block selling their shares of the team, according to ESPN.
The opposition was filed on behalf of the siblings seeking to sell their shares of the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, who agreed to buy the team from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion.
ESPN's Shams Charania published a statement on X from the siblings, which read, “Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust’s shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless.
"While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the Trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally. Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule."
Jeanie Buss needs her siblings to retain at least 15% of the team for her to continue to serve as governor and controlling owner.
Kushner and Iger agreed to the purchase in mid-August.
USA TODAY Sports could not immediately obtain the court filing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest in Lakers legal saga: Jeanie Buss' siblings file opposition
Andy Pages' clutch hit, bullpen's shutdown effort carry Dodgers back to NLCS
The Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 win in Game 4 of the division series on Wednesday at Truist Park.
The Dodgers got a tiebreaking, two-run single from Andy Pages in the seventh, Max Muncy’s third homer in four games and a shutdown effort by the bullpen.
It’s the ninth time in the last 14 seasons that the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS, and they will be seeking their sixth World Series in 10 seasons starting Sunday against either the Milwaukee Brewers or San Diego Padres.
Dodger right-hander Tyler Glasnow limited the Braves to one hit and one run in 4-2/3 innings. But walks prevented him from pitching deeper into the game.
His five walks were tied for the second-most he’s given up in a postseason game. The only time he topped that was in Game 1 of the 2020 World Series, when he pitched for Tampa Bay and issued six walks to the Dodgers.
Read more:Plaschke: He finally did it! Dodgers' Andy Pages ends two-year postseason slump at the perfect time
The lone run he gave up was made possible by Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris II’s speed. He got on top of Glasnow’s first pitch, a fastball up and out of the strike zone, to shoot a single through the right side.
Harris then stole second and failed to capitalize on catcher Will Smith’s off-target throw, which got past second baseman Kiké Hernández and bounced into the outfield. But no matter. Harris advanced to third on Matt Olson’s groundout.
Then, in an 0-and-2 count to Ozzie Albies, Glasnow spiked a curveball in front of the plate. Smith managed to block the ball, despite the high bounce, but it rolled back toward the mound, giving Harris time to dash home.
Glasnow didn’t have another runner get past first until the fifth when, when he issued his second walk of the inning with two outs. That spelled the end of his start.
The Dodgers’ offense followed up their two-homer performance against Braves ace Chris Sale the night before with an anticlimactic effort against Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle.
They hadn’t faced Mahle since April, when he was with the San Francisco Giants and racking up a 5.13 ERA. But he’d been lights out since the Braves acquired him, authoring a 1.99 ERA. In his postseason debut, he limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one run in seven innings.
The Dodgers faced that new and improved version of Mahle on Wednesday.
“He’s on a nice run here,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “We’re certainly not going to take him lightly. We’ve got our work cut out.”
The one run the Dodgers scored against Mahle was something of a fluke.
In the second inning, Shohei Ohtani, who moved up to the cleanup spot after hitting fifth the day before, drew a five-pitch walk without taking a swing. He then stole second base, drawing an errant throw that allowed him to advance to third. So, he was in position to score the tying run when Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, who robbed Freddie Freeman of a home run as the left fielder the day before, dropped a popup in shallow left.
The Dodgers recorded only three hits against Mahle in 6 ⅓ innings. So, the game would come down to the bullpens.
Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández had a scary moment in the sixth inning. He crashed into the wall in an all-out effort to nab Albies’ double off left-hander Alex Vesia. Hernández was slow to get up and put his hand on his head as he talked to an athletic trainer but stayed the game.
Then in the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with a single from Teoscar Hernández, a walk from pinch-hitting rookie Josue De Paula, and a five-pitch walk from Kyle Tucker.
Read more:Dodgers knock off Braves in Game 4, advance to NLCS
The Braves called in right-hander Robert Suarez to face Pages.
Pages worked a full count and then sent a fastball through the middle of the infield to drive in two runs and give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.
It was his fourth hit in two games, representing a sharp turnaround after going 0 for 7 in the first two games of the series.
In the ninth, Max Muncy added an insurance run with his third home run of the series.
On the other side, four Dodgers relievers — Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz — held the Braves scoreless the rest of the way.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Braves end 2026 campaign at home with NLDS exit
A strong bullpen and stellar defense have been calling cards for the Atlanta Braves all year. But slip ups on both fronts, combined with the consistently-inconsistent offense, doomed the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS. By a final score of 4-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Braves at home and will advance to the NLCS.
As the only Braves player with an offensive pulse this entire postseason, Michael Harris II was already doing more than his fair share. But he was determined to put this team on his back once more. After Tyler Mahle set down the Dodgers in a 1-2-3 top of the first, Harris single-handedly created a run. He laced the first pitch he saw for a single, stole second base, moved over to third base on a Matt Olson groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to get the Braves on the board 1-0. Mahle and Michael set the tone for a promising start.
Unfortunately, a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani to start the second immediately became consequential. An attempted strike’em out, throw ‘em out was botched on the back half, allowing Ohtani to get to third and giving Sean Murphy a throwing error. Mauricio Dubón earned an error of his own when he was unable to catch a pop up, allowing LA to tie it 1-1 and allowing Max Muncy to get to first. A double play erased both runners, but that was a blow to the burgeoning Atlanta momentum.
The Tyler-off then began in earnest. They traded off scoreless innings until their departures, and a batter never got further than first base until Glasnow walked two batters in the bottom of the fifth. Mahle only allowed singles to Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández the rest of his outing.
Glasnow issued five free passes, and the Braves couldn’t cash in any of them for runs. The biggest opportunity was the aforementioned fifth, where Austin Riley led off with a walk before a Murphy lineout and Harris strikeout looking. Ronald Acuña Jr. worked a four-pitch walk, which prompted Dave Roberts to take Glasnow out of the game at 73 pitches. He summoned the lefty Alex Vesia to face Olson. Tension built… and immediately dissipated when Olson hit the first pitch he saw hard (107.8 miles per hour), but into the ground to end the frame.
Ozzie Albies hit a double off Vesia to start the home half of the sixth that would’ve been a home run in 29/30 ballparks. Yes, that’s correct, the only place it would not have been a homer is home sweet home, Truist Park. Baldwin lined out before Walt Weiss deployed Lane Thomas in Mike Yastrzemski’s spot. To counter, the Dodgers put in reliever Edgardo Henriquez, who got Thomas to ground out and Dubón to line out to strand Ozzie at second.
Mahle came back out for the top of the seventh and retired Ohtani. But a single by Teoscar Hernández would end his evening. Didier Fuentes entered with a runner on first and got Muncy to ground out. Struggling to find the zone, he issued walks to rookie Josue De Paula (pinch-hitting in place of Kiké Hernández) and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Robert Suarez entered in a tough spot and on a 3-2 count, allowed a two-run single to nine-hole hitter Andy Pages. He got Mookie Betts to ground out on two pitches after, but the deadlock was broken and damage was done to make it 3-1 Los Angeles.
Harris, again, doing everything he can, hit a two-out double off Henriquez in the bottom of the seventh. But another first-pitch groundout, this one off the bat of Acuña Jr., quickly sent us to the eighth. Frustrated Braves Country fans at the park erupted in rare boos.
The Pages single was ballgame, but we played out the rest anyway. Max Muncy had a ninth-inning homer off Raisel Iglesias to get us to the final score. Rowdy Tellez got an AB in the bottom of the ninth and struck out. Dubón added to the tally of first-pitch outs. And finally, Austin Riley’s fly out was gloved by Kyle Tucker to seal this for the Dodgers. They will now celebrate that they have more baseball to play in our visiting clubhouse while we face an uncertain 2027. At least there will be plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong.
It’s been a pleasure and an honor, Braves Country. Back to being NL East champions, but of course we wanted more. We hope to see you in the spring.