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D-White aptly sums up Mazzulla's mindset entering uncertain Celtics season

D-White aptly sums up Mazzulla's mindset entering uncertain Celtics season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Expectations have changed for the Boston Celtics — and that’s an understatement.

A year ago, they were fresh off winning their 18th NBA title and had the inside track on raising Banner 19 after bringing back their entire championship core. Twelve months later, they’re preparing for a season without five key members of that title squad.

With Jayson Tatum out for most or all of the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon and Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and (likely) Al Horford all gone, the Celtics are viewed as a fringe playoff team at best as they enter what many believe will be a “reset” season.

But if you know anything about Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, he’s not going to accept mediocrity.

🔊 Celtics Talk: Derrick White tackles trade rumors, a new-look Celtics roster and excitement to prove doubters wrong | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“Yeah, he’s probably going to love it,” Celtics guard Derrick White said of how Mazzulla will approach a season with lowered expectations during an exclusive interview with Celtics insider Chris Forsberg on the Celtics Talk Podcast.

“That’s just the type of guy he is. He’s going to be excited about this opportunity, people doubting us, people not believing in us. Knowing him, he’s going to come into training camp so excited and ready to go.”

While Mazzulla’s love of adversity is well-documented, don’t be surprised if the Celtics adopt the mindset of their head coach. Tatum’s absence will thrust players like Jaylen Brown, White and Payton Pritchard into larger roles, and they fully intend to embrace that opportunity while playing with a chip on their collective shoulders.

“That’s kind of how my whole NBA and basketball journey has been,” White reflected. “That’s a fun position to be in. But I mean, we didn’t win the championship last year, so we’ve got a lot to prove, and we’ve got to get better.

“(When) you play for the Boston Celtics, that’s what it is, and we all understand that. So, it’s going to be a fun position to prove people wrong, but we also just have to be ready to go.”

The Celtics have reached the NBA Finals in two of the last four seasons and the Eastern Conference Finals in six of the last nine seasons, so it’s been a while since they’ve been true underdogs. But if any group can embrace that role, it’s the core of Brown, White and Pritchard, who have all played with something to prove throughout their NBA careers.

And there’s no better coach to lead them than the darkness-embracing Mazzulla.

White also shared his perspective on being involved in trade rumors, talking with Jayson Tatum amid his recovery and more. Check out the full episode here or on YouTube.

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Giants catcher Bailey makes history with game-ending, inside-the-park home run

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey’s entrance into the Major League Baseball record books on Tuesday night began with a tight swing that sent a fastball from Phillies reliever Jordan Romano into Triples Alley.

It ended with Bailey chugging his way around third base then getting mobbed at home plate by his teammates after becoming the third catcher in major league history to hit a game-ending, inside-the-park home run.

The three-run shot had an exit velocity of 103.4 mph and bounced off the brick wall at the Giants waterfront ballpark. It ricocheted back toward center field as Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh gave chase.

Bailey said his initial thought was to get a triple before he saw third base coach Matt Williams waving him in.

“Off the ball I just knew I got it well,” Bailey said. “I saw it was towards Triples Alley and I was like, ‘Oh I gotta go. I at least gotta get to third.’ Once I saw the bounce, I was like ‘All right, just don’t fall over.’ ”

It’s the ninth time this season that the Giants have won in their final at-bat, tops in the majors.

It was also the first time in nearly nine years that a player has hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run in the majors. Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin was the last to do so on Aug. 19, 2016.

The three-run home run lifted the Giants to a 4-3 victory that had the Oracle Park crowd roaring as Bailey crossed the plate.

“He has gotten some big hits this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “In big situations he’s come through. Not as much as he would like. Hopefully that’s something that catapults him. Haven’t seen him drive a ball like that in a while.”

Bailey couldn’t recall if he had previously hit an inside-the-park home run at any level. And as nice as this one was, Bailey said that he would have preferred to hit a regular home run.

“Tired,” Bailey said when asked how he felt. “I wished it would have gone over the fence.”

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The Spin | Dear cycling: a letter and a warning from cricket’s golden free-to-air summer in 2005

The last Tour de France on ITV is a stark reminder of the final terrestrial Test summer

Dear cycling, hello from 2005. It’s dusty back here, piles of unloved pagers, a cityscape of VHS towers and chest freezers packed with Turkey Twizzlers.

It’s been a strange sort of summer – switchbacking in mood. On 6 July, London won the rights to hold the 2012 Olympics, a last-minute heist from under the Parisian nose; the next day terrorists murdered 52 people on the London transport network. The country was in a state of high alert, but the Australian cricket team, who had landed in early June, stayed to play in the Ashes. I’ll always be grateful for that decision – it turned out to be not only our last summer, but also our greatest.

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Christian Horner sacked by Red Bull after 20 years as principal at F1 team

  • Laurent Mekies appointed as Horner’s replacement

  • Red Bull have had turbulent time on and off track

Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull’s team principal with immediate effect. Horner, who has been in charge of Red Bull since the team was formed in 2005, will be replaced by the principal of sister team Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies.

Horner’s surprise removal as principal and chief executive of Red Bull Racing was confirmed in a statement from Red Bull’s parent company on Wednesday morning and comes just over 17 months since Horner was embroiled in a scandal involving accusations of inappropriate behaviour by an employee, though he was later cleared by an investigation.

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Kings' Maxime Raynaud details friendship with Nique Clifford before NBA Draft

Kings' Maxime Raynaud details friendship with Nique Clifford before NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford will begin their NBA journeys as teammates – and old friends.

You see, although the two rookies didn’t share the court leading up to being selected by the Kings in the 2025 NBA Draft, they both established a bond leading up to one of the most important days of their respective careers.

During an interview with NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan on “Kings Central,” Raynaud, Sacramento’s No. 42 overall selection, detailed how his relationship with his new teammate formed leading up to the draft.

“I think we were both kind of in awe of the process, sharing advice on the workouts,” Raynaud told Ragan. “We also got to know each other even more and joke around.

“Funny enough, I think we got along pretty well right away. There was no little awkward time when you meet someone new.

“He was in the hot tub, and I was in the cold tub. We actually talked for so long that once I came out, I couldn’t move anymore. It just happened naturally.”

The 7-foot center was a star at Stanford, earning First-Team All-ACC honors as a senior after averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals. 

A round earlier, on the other hand, Sacramento traded up into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft for the No. 24 overall pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, acquiring the rights to Colorado State’s Clifford in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick. 

Despite not knowing where they would end up, both rookies quickly established a bond in between pre-draft workouts. 

The rest, as we know, is history.

“Once I got drafted by Sacramento, I was like, ‘Oh, he got drafted by Sac, too,’” Raynaud concluded. “That was a full-circle moment. I was super excited for him. 

“He’s also someone that we played against when he was at Colorado in the Pac 12. And seeing him perform well at Colorado State this year was amazing. I’m super happy it ended this way.” 

Raynaud and Clifford, as teammates and friends, now will look to make a positive impression in Sacramento.

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Chicago Sky star Angel Reese named NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition cover athlete

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese named NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition cover athlete originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Angel Reese isn’t just a WNBA All-Star — she’s a NBA 2K cover star.

The Chicago Sky forward was named the cover athlete for the NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition video game coming out in September.

Reese joins NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and future Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony as cover stars for this year’s NBA 2K slate. Gilgeous-Alexander is the cover athlete for the Standard Edition of the game, while Anthony is the face of the Superstar Edition. Reese, Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony stand together on the Leave No Doubt Edition.

2K
Standard, WNBA, Superstar and Leave No Doubt Editions of the NBA 2K26 video game. (2K Games)

As part of the announcement, Reese also announced her first signature shoe with Reebok, the Reese 1.

“Being on the cover of NBA 2K26 and debuting my first-ever signature shoe with Reebok on that cover, the Angel Reese 1, is more than a milestone — it’s a statement,” Reese said in a press release. “It’s about representation and showing young girls they can be confident, bold, and take up space unapologetically.

Reese, now a two-time WNBA All-Star in just her second season, joins a list of illustrious WNBA players to be featured on an NBA 2K cover.

NBA 2K20 was the first edition of the game to include the full list of WNBA teams. Two-time WNBA MVP and three-time champion Candace Parker was the first woman to grace an NBA 2K cover with the NBA 2K22 WNBA 25th Anniversary Edition. Diana Taurasi (NBA 2K23), Sue Bird (NBA 2K23), Sabrina Ionescu (NBA 2K24) and A’ja Wilson (NBA 2K25) have since starred on the WNBA Edition covers.

“To be cemented in NBA 2K history is a special honor that reflects not only my journey, but also all the veteran WNBA players who have paved the way before me and the growing impact of the league as a whole,” Reese said. “I’m proud to be part of a game that continues to elevate women’s basketball and can’t wait for fans to see how NBA 2K26 brings our game to life like never before.”

2K Games announced that NBA 2K26 will be released on Sept. 5. The Standard Edition will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The other editions will be exclusive to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The WNBA Edition will be exclusively available at GameStop in the U.S.

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Giants' Patrick Bailey soaks in historic inside-the-park walk-off home run

Giants' Patrick Bailey soaks in historic inside-the-park walk-off home run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Even after making history by doing something that hadn’t been done in the major leagues in nearly a century, Patrick Bailey would have been perfectly fine had it not gone down the way it did.

The Giants’ 6-foot, 225-pound catcher was taxed and breathing heavy as he rounded the bases at Oracle Park in the ninth inning Friday night, admittedly tired after capping an amazing walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies with a dramatic and altogether mesmerizing inside-the-park home run that won it.

“I wish it would have gone over the fence,” Bailey told reporters inside the Giants clubhouse following the fifth walk-off hit of his career.

Bailey was probably only half-joking when he said that.

The end result – the Giants rallying to win at Oracle Park, extending their streak to four straight and six of seven – was exactly what the team needed to build more confidence heading into this weekend’s critical showdown with the National League West-leading Dodgers coming to town.

Doing it the way Bailey did, though, was wild.

Remember, Oracle Park had already been stage for one of the wackiest plays of the 2025 season in late April when Heliot Ramos – along with some help from some horrendous defense by the Texas Rangers – turned an infield single into a Little League home run.

It was the closest thing to the Keystone Cops and was just as funny.

Bailey’s wasn’t as wild, but it was far from ordinary.

Phillies reliever Jordan Romano tried to sneak a 94 mph fastball past Bailey on the first pitch of the at-bat, but Bailey came out swinging and lined the ball high off the brick facade in right-center. The ball – hit with an exit velo of 103.4 mph — ricocheted back toward the field past Philadelphia center field Brandon Marsh, who was sprinting to make a play. Marsh had to reverse direction and didn’t grab the ball until it had rolled along the warning track into left-center.

All the time, Bailey was watching and running. 

At the very least, he thought to himself, he had to get a triple. When he saw third base coach Matt Williams waving him home, Bailey had one thought in mind: Don’t fall.

“I picked him up, but I kind of had a feeling I was going,” Bailey said. “I saw him waving and again I was like, ‘Just don’t fall over.’ “

To fully understand the magnitude of Bailey’s accomplishment, consider that he had hit only four triples in 289 games in the majors before doing the unthinkable Friday night.

Sprinkle in the fact that Bailey has been in a season-long funk at the plate. He had a .188 batting average entering Tuesday that was the second-lowest in the National League among batters who had at least 175 plate appearances.

Four days earlier, when the Giants played the Athletics in Sacramento, Bailey struck out four times in four at-bats, earning the dubious Golden Sombrero.

He grounded into a double play during his first at-bat Wednesday, singled in the fifth then struck out swinging to end the seventh.

Then magic – and history – happened.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off inside-the-park home run. The other two times it occurred were in 1926 and 1907.

It is also the first time in nearly nine years that a player has hit an inside-the-park home run in the majors. Cleveland’s Tyler Naquin was the last to do it on Aug. 19, 2016.

The last Giants player to do it was Angel Pagan on May 25, 2013, against the Colorado Rockies.

Melvin compared Bailey’s home run to the inside-the-park home run hit by Ichiro Suzuki in the 2007 All-Star game at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.

“He has gotten some big hits this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “In big situations, he’s come through. Not as much as he would like. Hopefully, that’s something that catapults him. Haven’t seen him drive a ball like that in a while.”

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Derrick White reacts to Celtics trade rumors, ‘tough' offseason moves

Derrick White reacts to Celtics trade rumors, ‘tough' offseason moves originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Derrick White has been key to the Boston Celtics’ success since joining the team in 2022, and he’s expected to take on an even more significant role this upcoming season.

White and Jaylen Brown will likely lead a new-look Celtics squad that parted ways with multiple members of its 2024 championship roster. Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency) will play for new teams in 2025-26, and free agent Al Horford will likely follow suit or retire. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum could miss the entire season after rupturing his Achilles in the playoffs.

Even White and Brown haven’t been safe from trade rumors this summer with the Celtics shedding salary to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston reportedly was open to trade offers for any player on its roster except Tatum, though both White and Brown would command a massive haul.

Nonetheless, they remain on the roster as the Celtics enter unfamiliar territory as underdogs in the Eastern Conference. Although White is sad to see his fellow NBA champions leave, he’s optimistic about what’s next for Boston.

He spoke about the transition during an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics insider Chris Forsberg.

🔊 Celtics Talk: Derrick White tackles trade rumors, a new-look Celtics roster and excitement to prove doubters wrong | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“It’s always tough to see guys leave, especially people that you won a championship with and had so many great battles with,” White said. “Obviously, seeing KP and Jrue get traded, it was tough to see. And then Luke (Kornet) signs somewhere else.

“Having a different team and having those guys leave is kind of difficult, but it’s part of the business and I’m confident the guys that we have coming in and the guys that we still have returning. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun, and it’s gonna be a different challenge, but I think that’s just the great thing about basketball.”

White also shared his reaction to being mentioned as a potential trade chip.

“I think every summer is pretty crazy, especially nowadays,” he said. “But I didn’t feel too worried about anything. My agent and Brad had been talking and all the other rumors and stuff, I wasn’t really too worried about.

“I mean, I feel like it’s cool to be wanted by other teams, but I wanted to stay in Boston, and I was glad they wanted to keep me.”

White also shared his perspective on the Celtics’ retooled roster, playing with a chip on his shoulder, talking with Jayson Tatum amid his recovery and more. Check out the full episode here or on YouTube.

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Panthers preparing for another summer with Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup will soon be making its way back south of the border.

When it returns, there will be some slight differences.

For the third summer in a row, the winners of the Stanley Cup will be able to enjoy their hard-earned personal time with the historic trophy while seeing their names engraved into the silver.

It’s a tradition that started back in 2023.

That year, before the Vegas Golden Knights had their time with the Stanley Cup, it was brought up to Montreal where the special engraving is done.

Last July it was the same for the Florida Panthers.

One very cool visual reminder of what that could mean to all the Panthers – everyone whose name is on the cup – played out on the ice a few weeks ago, after Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers.

After they had been awarded the Cup and taken their time skating around the Amerant Bank Arena ice with it, a few players huddled around the cup.

They began pointing to their names, which for most of the team had been added last year, or in the case of Brad Marchand, 14 years prior.

But for the first-time winners, nothing will prepare them for the feeling of seeing their name on the Cup.

Florida’s leadership, consisting of Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and other veterans, wanted to make sure the players who had never won the cup were the ones who got to lift it on the ice first.

It went from Barkov to Nate Schmidt to Seth Jones to Tomas Nosek to Vitek Vanecek, to A.J. Greer to Jesper Boqvist to Mackie Samoskevich to Uvis Balinskis to Jaycob Megna to Evan Cormier.

The exceptional and heartwarming moments should start coming in fast and furious once the Stanley Cup starts making its way around the world with all of Florida’s players, coaches and executives.

What are some of your favorite moments from last summer, when the Panthers each received a day with the Stanley Cup to do whatever they wanted?

Leave them in the comments section below!

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Photo caption: Jun 22, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, UNITED STATES; Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with the Stanley Cup during the Stanley Cup championship parade and rally. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

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Top of Mets lineup fuels 'special' comeback against Orioles: 'That was a hell of a win there'

On a hot, humid night in Baltimore, the stage was set for a letdown game for the Mets.

Going against a 40-49 Orioles team, Baltimore's young starter Brandon Young held down New York's offense for five innings before the lineup woke up to take a 2-1 lead. But then the Orioles got to Clay Holmes, scoring four runs in the sixth and tacking on another run against the bullpen in the seventh.

Down 6-2 with just six outs to go, it looked as if the Mets were bound to start their road trip, and the last few games before the All-Star break, with a loss. But the Mets' top four hitters would not accept it and put together a rally that ultimately helped New York take the series opener, 7-6, in extra innings.

Brandon Nimmo led off the eighth with a single, then Francisco Lindor launched his 18th homer of the season to cut the Orioles' lead to 6-4. Juan Soto singled to set up Pete Alonso, who mirrored Lindor with a two-run shot of his own to tie the game at 6-6, all before Baltimore could record an out. It was a brand new ballgame.

"Offensively, on a night where the first four-five innings we were pretty quiet, I thought we made some good adjustments and the bats got better," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "Hell of a win there."

Those in the locker room after the win pointed to Nimmo's at-bat to lead off the eighth as a catalyst. Nimmo battled, forcing a seven-pitch at-bat while fouling off three straight pitches before singling up the middle. Seeing so many pitches from the on-deck circle allowed Lindor to get a better idea of what to expect when it was his turn.

"He gave me an opportunity to see every pitch. I knew what the pitcher was doing," Lindor said of Nimmo's at-bat. "I told him, ‘you set that up.’ That’s a very professional at-bat, he did a fantastic job all day. Giving us information on what the ball is doing. Hats off to him."

Mendoza said that the approach from Nimmo is something he's seen for the past month or so because his outfielder has been "locked in." It's a big reason why when the Mets were struggling to score, the Mets skipper switched up the lineup to allow Nimmo to lead off against right-handers to allow Lindor and the others behind him to scout pitchers in real time.

Since then, including Tuesday's win, the Mets are 4-1. And while the lineup swap has helped, the team continues to believe in each other through the ups and downs of a long season and that has helped them build confidence and made them resilient.

"We believe in the lineup we have," Soto said after the game. "There’s no panic, we just roll in with what we have. And we compete out there. It’s not going to be easy wins, we gotta get it. We have to go out there and win it."

Soto capped off the Mets' biggest comeback of the season with his game-winning single in the 10th inning to lead off, but it was a team effort. Aside from the Mets' big four, the bullpen in relief of Holmes kept the Orioles from building too big of a lead, Luis Torrens' defense continues to eliminate runners on the basepaths and even a bunt from Travis Jankowski gave the Mets a chance to do major damage.

"When you get an opportunity, when you’re down to pick each other up," Lindor said. "The offense did a good job today, but the pitching staff did a fantastic job....the guys contributed. Even Jankowski, even though we didn't score, coming in and bunting, it gives a boost in the dugout to continue to play for each other."

In total, the Mets had seven runs on 11 hits. The top four in the lineup accounted for six runs and eight of those hits. And while the team, as a whole, contributed enough to win, it was Nimmo, Lindor, Soto and Alonso who made Tuesday night's game truly special.

"We’ve seen it throughout the year. They got the ability to hit the ball out of the park at any time against anybody," Mendoza said. "It’s not easy to get through those four, five, six [hitters] when everybody’s clicking, it’s not an easy lineup to navigate. But it was special to see today."

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Mid-season AFL competition is a thought bubble, but major fixture reform is still needed

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The Age’s exclusive this week on a proposed mid-season competition was quickly torpedoed in the race for readership by the guilty verdict in the mushroom murder trial.

The AFL usually saves its strategic leaks and thought bubbles for the middle of summer. Several years ago, they dropped their fixture at 6am as the Socceroos prepared to take on Argentina. There’s nothing like a code war at the crack of dawn while Lionel Messi is slicing through your defence.

This is an extract from Guardian Australia’s free weekly AFL email, From the Pocket. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions

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Darius Bazley, Dalton Knecht help Lakers rally for California Classic win over Spurs

Lakers celebrate with Darius Bazley after he hit the game-winning dunk against the Spurs Tuesday night.
Lakers celebrate with Darius Bazley after he made the game-winning dunk against the Spurs on Tuesday night during the California Classic at Chase Center in San Francisco. (Noah Graham / NBAE via Getty Images)

The Lakers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, closing the three-game California Classic with a win over the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night at Chase Center.

Lakers forward Darius Bazley led all players in scoring with 27 points on seven-for-nine shooting, hitting the game-sealing dunk. Bazley also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Dalton Knecht was also pivotal in the Lakers' comeback win, scoring 25 points and collecting eight rebounds on 50% shooting, including four three-pointers.

Read more:Bronny James, Dalton Knecht ready for second summer with Lakers

The Lakers got off to a slow start, shooting less than 40% in the first half, but they found their rhythm when it mattered.

Bronny James, still working on getting his conditioning back to game level, played just over five minutes and scored two points.

The Lakers will travel to Las Vegas and will play the Dallas Mavericks, led by No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, on Thursday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Evgeni Malkin Should Have Better Linemates This Year

Pittsburgh Penguins legendary forward Evgeni Malkin is going into his age-39 season in 2025-26 after seeing his production dip a little bit this past season. 

He played in 68 games, finishing with 16 goals and 50 points. It was the first time he had missed games since the 2021-22 season when he compiled 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games. Outside of playing 117:38 with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the top line, he spent the most amount of even-strength minutes with Michael Bunting and Cody Glass on his line. He played 83:58 with those two players before they got dealt around the trade deadline. 

Bunting had 14 goals and 29 points in 58 games for the Penguins before he was traded to the Nashville Predators as part of the Tommy Novak trade. Glass had four goals and 15 points for the Penguins before they dealt him to the New Jersey Devils. Malkin was getting and setting up chances in a lot of the Penguins' games, but some of the pucks weren't finding the back of the net. He was putting up a 60-point pace and would have easily cleared that threshold if more of those chances had gone in and if he hadn't missed 14 games. 

Malkin will have more help for the 2025-26 season, as Ville Koivunen demonstrated his capabilities during his brief NHL stint at the end of the 2024-25 season. He finished with seven points, all assists, in eight games. His vision and playmaking ability were on full display, especially when he and Malkin played together down the stretch.

They only played six games on the same line, but the early returns were solid. When they were on the ice together, they had 54.9% of the shot attempts, 52.5% of the expected goals, 55% of the scoring chances, and 60% of the high-danger chances. It would be in the best interest of new head coach Dan Muse to give them more time together once next season starts in October.  

The Penguins barely got to see any of Tommy Novak last season after they acquired him from the Predators. He only played in two games before being lost for the season after sustaining an injury against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 9. Despite being a center, Muse could move him to the wing to help Malkin out a bit since he has a good scoring touch and can carry the puck in transition. He is a career 15.2% shooter and had the best season of his career in 2023-24, finishing with 18 goals and 45 points in 71 games. He also sees the ice well and can thread the needle with some of his passes. 

Noval and Koivunen are just two of the options that the Penguins have at their disposal for Malkin. Assuming they keep Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust going into the season, one of them could be on Malkin's right wing. Rakell and Rust were both fantastic for the Penguins last season, scoring 30+ goals and compiling 60+ points. They both set career highs in goals and points and are both prevalent in trade rumors right now. Other teams would love to pry them off the team, but Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has set a high price on both. He will only trade one or both of them if he gets an offer that he can't turn down. 

Anthony Mantha could also get some time with Malkin after the Penguins signed him to a one-year deal on July 2. Mantha is recovering from a torn ACL after playing only 13 games for the Calgary Flames last season, but he has a history of being a solid scorer. Before tearing his ACL, he finished the 23-24 season with 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games.

 He is a three-time 20-goal scorer and could be a good flip candidate at the deadline, similar to Anthony Beauvillier last season. The Penguins signed Beauvillier when free agency opened in 2024 and gave him a lot of minutes in the top six before he was traded to the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick. He scored 13 goals in 63 games for the Penguins before re-signing with the Capitals for two years on July 3. 

Malkin is entering the final year of his current contract, but nobody knows if this will be his final NHL season. He may want to assess his progress halfway through the season or even closer to the end of the season before making that call. If Malkin gets some more help, he could be persuaded to return for another year, as Sidney Crosby, his longtime teammate and best friend, is signed through the 2026-27 season. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick and Dobber's Frozen Tools). 

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

Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Mets pull off biggest comeback of season, scoring four in eighth inning, for 7-6 win over Orioles in 10 innings

The Mets bats were held scoreless for five innings and found themselves down four runs in the eighth inning to the Baltimore Orioles, but turned it around for a 7-6 win in 10 innings.

Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso both came through in the clutch with two-run home runs in the top of the eighth against Bryan Baker to tie the game at 6-6.

Edwin Diaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to force extra innings and the Mets kept the hot hitting going. Juan Soto singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw to drive in Lindor in the tenth inning to take the lead. New York loaded the bases, but couldn't get another run across the plate.

Huascar Brazobán closed the door with a 1-2-3 10th inning to complete the team's biggest comeback win of the season.

Here are the takeaways...

-- After a roughly 45-minute weather delay, Clay Holmes tossed an unconventional 1-2-3 first inning with a strikeout double-play to end it, getting Gunnar Henderson swinging and Luis Torrens caught Jordan Westburg (single) stealing second base. He tossed a quick second inning, but walked Cedric Mullins with one away in the third and he came around to score from second on Jackson Holliday's two-out base knock up the middle to give the O's a 1-0 lead.

Coming into the day, opponents were 7-for-63 (.111 batting average) against Holmes with runners in scoring position, the broadcast noted. Holmes struck out Westburg for the third out of the inning. He got two more groundouts for a 1-2-3 fourth inning, bringing his total to six groundouts on the night.

-- Meanwhile, Orioles starter Brandon Young (making just his fifth career start) retired the first eight Mets batters he faced before Brett Baty singled in the top of the third inning. Young then got Brandon Nimmo to fly out to shallow right field to end the top half of the inning.

-- Soto ripped a one-out single to right field in the top of the fourth inning but Alonso grounded into the 4-6-3 double play to end any potential scoring chance. The New York bats continued to struggle against Young, who tossed an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) to get through the fifth for the first time in his big league career. It's the 119th immaculate inning in MLB history and just the fifth ever against the Mets.

That somehow helped NY turn it around as Ronny Mauricio hit a leadoff homer off Young to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning. Baty and Nimmo then hit back-to-back doubles to take a 2-1 lead, eventually ending Young's day.

-- Torrens nearly pulled off another strikeout double-play in the fifth inning, but Mullins swam by Baty's tag to avoid the out. Holmes then got his seventh groundout of the game to keep it a 1-0 game. The right-hander stayed in to pitch the sixth and hit Holliday on the leg with an 0-2 slider for a leadoff baserunner. He then let up two straight singles to load the bases and Ryan O'Hearn put Baltimore ahead, 4-2, on a double down the right-field line. Holmes gave up his fourth straight hit as Ramón Laureano singled to make it 5-2 and end his night on the mound.

Holmes' final line: five runs on seven hits over 87 pitches (58 strikes) and five-plus innings of work. He struck out five, forced eight groundouts, and walked one.

-- Richard Lovelady got two outs in relief of Holmes, but exited with runners on the corners. Alex Carrillo made his MLB debut and threw one 99-mph pitch for a strike as Torrens pumped fake the throw to second and caught Laureano retreating back to third base to end the inning. Carrillo let up a solo home run to Holliday with one out in the seventh inning on a fastball down the middle, giving the Orioles a 6-2 lead. The right-hander got his first career strikeout against Westburg and then a groundout to first base for the third out.

-- Defensively, Mauricio helped the game stay tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth by getting the force at third base and making a bullet throw to Alonso, who kept his foot on the base (call confirmed after Orioles challenged) for the inning-ending double play. Reed Garrett allowed one hit and one walk over one inning of work.

Game MVP: Ronny Mauricio

Despite the heroics from Lindor, Alonso, and Soto, it was Mauricio who sparked the offense with a solo homer and made a clutch double play in the eighth inning.

Soto a close second with three hits, including his 10th-inning, clutch single to give the Mets a lead.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets continue their three-game series with the Orioles at Camden Yards on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN.

David Peterson (6-4, 3.18 ERA) is scheduled to start for New York, while Tomoyuki Sugano (6-5, 4.44 ERA) will take the mound for Baltimore.

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London Knights Sam O'Reilly Involved In NHL Trade Between Edmonton & Tampa Bay

The OHL currently has a trade freeze in place so their players don’t have to worry about getting dealt to a new team while they enjoy their summer and off-season training. 

Now, the NHL isn’t operating in the same capacity as the OHL and one of the London Knights’ top players found out late Tuesday night that he has a new NHL team. 

Sam O’Reilly, 19, has been traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the 2025 Hobey Baker Winner, Isaac Howard. It’s a one-for-one trade. Howard immediately signed his entry-level contract with his new NHL franchise, and the expectation is that he will slot into Edmonton’s top-nine forward corps next season. 

Howard had told Lightning management that he wasn’t going to sign with them. He was drafted in the first round, 31st overall, in the 2022 NHL draft by them. Tampa ships off the highly skilled, offensive-minded winger in return for a defensive center specialist. 

The Michigan State Spartan forward is more NHL-ready, but O'Reilly's playstyle, consistency, and reliability have scouts saying he has more potential to be an everyday NHLer for a longer span than Howard. 

O’Reilly is coming off his second year with the Knights in the OHL, winning back-to-back OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup victory. He set career highs in goals (28) and points (71), and was a +80 in 79 combined regular season and playoff games. He was the last pick of the first round (32nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. 

The Toronto, Ontario native was one of the OHL’s best defensive forwards last season. However, with Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey making their way to the professional ranks, O’Reilly will need to be more of a leader offensively next season in London.  

Also, good news for Knights fans, he has already signed his entry-level contract, making him ineligible to play in the NCAA.