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The Red Wings play their second preseason game Thursday when taking on a division rival in the Buffalo Sabres.

The Detroit Red Wings restart their preseason on Thursday with a divisional showdown against the Buffalo Sabres. Before last preseason, these two haven’t faced off in exhibition action since the 2021-22 season. With little history between them, the Red Wings have a 1-1-1 record over their last three exhibition matchups versus Buffalo.

Fans could see some big names take to the ice for the first time this season like in Detroit’s preseason opener on Tuesday when they faced off against the Chicago. The Blackhawks played some of their highest end talent like star center Connor Bedard and 2024 second overall pick Artyom Levshunov.

Detroit is coming off a gutsy win in their preseason opener as they downed the Blackhawks 3-2 thanks to an impressive performance from former seventh round pick Emmitt Finnie, who scored and dished for an assist in a multi-point performance. Other notable names in the win were his linemates in other top prospects for Detroit with Nate Danielson, who also scored, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who recorded a pair of assists.

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With Detroit playing mostly their prospects in the opener, except for J.T. Compher, Jonatan Berggren and Travis Hamonic, we can expect a more veteran lineup deployed for Thursday’s matchup as Red Wings bench boss Todd McLellan would like to make sure all their routine starters have enough time to get their legs underneath them before the start of the season. Nothing has been said just yet about who’s playing in Thursday’s game but we can expect some notable players that fans won’t want to miss.

“It’s Time”: Dylan Larkin Lays Out Clear Goal For Red Wings
The city of Detroit hasn’t hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena, who at that time were overseen by general manager Steve Yzerman.

Last Sunday, the Red Wings played in their signature split squad game called the Red and White Game in Grand Rapids and led to some impressive performances.  Finnie was again a standout after scoring while playing on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Detroit winger Elmer Söderblom also made his case for the top-line left wing spot, turning heads after scoring twice and impressing during training camp scrimmages while playing on the top unit. The battle for the top-line left wing spot remains one of the key storylines to watch, with no clear frontrunner emerging.

Another position battle heading into the season could be with naming a No. 1 starting goaltender despite the team trading for a former all-star netminder in John Gibson. The former Ducks goaltender appeared in 29 games (28 starts) and posted a lesser record than Talbot at 11‑11‑2 while playing for a weaker team in the Ducks but posted a better goals against average (GAA) at 2.77 and a better save percentage at .912 compared to Talbot’s GAA at 2.93 and his .901 save percentage. Both haven’t seen the ice yet in the preseason as former first round pick Sebastian Cossa took the crease for the opener and will make the decision in net for the Sabres matchup an interesting one.

Click Here if you want to check out more expanded storylines on the Red Wings training camp roster.

Red Wings Prospect Signs Four-Year Deal To Stay With Russian Club
Red Wings recent 5th round pick Nikita Tyurin signs four-year extension with Russian club

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EDMONTON — A year ago, the Edmonton Oilers were returning to work after bitter disappointment, having clawed back from an 3-0 Stanley Cup Final deficit the previous spring, only to lose Game 7.

Today, the latest defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers is still very much a reality. But as strange as it might sound, having gone through a second summer of discontent, getting back on the horse gets a little bit easier this time around.

“Two years ago, it was heartbreaking. And you’re a little bit broken, a little bit beaten down emotionally,†Connor McDavid told Sportsnet earlier this month. “Last year was less emotional, less of a roller coaster. It was less draining, I would say.

“Everybody feels a little bit fresher, if that makes sense. It was easier to dust yourself off and get back to work.â€

And so the journey begins once again. Back at base camp, fresh off a summer of rest and training, another run up Everest with a vow to plant their flag at the peak this time.

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Two of the this seasonâ€s new faces arrived at the trade deadline last season, as a healthy Trent Frederic, on a new eight-year deal, becomes a part of Oilers†core, while defenceman Jake Walman enters the final year of his deal, and by all accounts would like to re-sign in Edmonton.

Matt Savoie will make a run at holding down a right wing spot, and has shown ahead of Ike Howard in rookie camp. Czech David Tomasek — who led the Swedish league in scoring — attempts to take his career to North America at age 29, while veteran Curtis Lazar is here to man a spot on the fourth line.

Andrew Mangiapane, signed as a UFA, inherits the right-wing sing spot next to Leon Draisaitl, the only 50-goal, 100-point man in the NHL last season.

But itâ€s not the new guys who drive the bus in Edmonton, as we all know. So letâ€s dig on a training camp that they hope will lead to a better summer next year.

Salary cap space: $225,834

Head coach: Kris Knoblauch

Assistant coaches: Paul McFarland, Mark Stuart, Peter Aubry

Key additions: Andrew Mangiapane, Ike Howard, David Tomasek, Curtis Lazar

WHAT WEâ€LL LEARN DURING PRE-SEASON

• Can Tomasek help an NHL team at age 29?

Tomasek led the Swedish Hockey League in goals (25) two seasons ago, and assists (33) and points (57) in 2024-25. He arrives in North America at age 29, having proven he has European hockey mastered, yet it’s a complete unknown when it comes to how his game will translate to the National Hockey League.

Tomasek has decent size (six-foot-one), an above-average one-timer, and the experience of a World Junior and two World Championships to help him assimilate. He shoots right, and slots in as a third-line winger who will battle Savoie for prime ice time in Edmontonâ€s top nine.

But, what is David Tomasek, really?

Is he Jiri Dopita, a Czech star whose game did not translate to the NHL in the early 2000s? Or is he some lesser version of Igor Larionov, who came over at age 28 and was an NHL superstar?

• Will Howard and Savoie both make the team?

Savoie and Howard are the two young, inexpensive wingers every good team needs to balance its books. But they have to be able to keep their heads above water in the NHL for their entry-level salaries to matter.

In two games between the Oilers rookies and the Calgary Flames rookies, Savoie stood out, while Howard did not. The fact that Savoie has a year of AHL hockey with Bakersfield under his belt — not to mention four games with the Oilers last season — gives him a clear advantage.

Howard has a training camp to show that there is top-nine left-wing spot with his name on it. In Edmonton, not Bakersfield.

• Is Zach Hyman fit?

Hyman exited the Western Conference Final last spring with a dislocated wrist and serious ligament damage, an injury he rehabbed all summer. Weâ€ll learn shortly if the Oilers expect him to be ready for Game 1 of the season, but right now the suspicion is that he will not be.

That will leave a training camp/early season spot next to McDavid open for the likes of Tomasek, Savoie and (theoretically) Howard to exploit for some early gains.

• What about Alec Regula?

GM Stan Bowman had Regula in Chicago, where the six-foot-four, right-shot defenceman played his 22 NHL games between 2021-23. Since then, heâ€s been largely injured, missing the entire 2024-25 campaign.

Bowman signed Regula to a two-year deal with an AAV of $775,000 because his Oilers are light on the right side. Can Regula find his way past one of Troy Stecher or Ty Emberson to stick in the Oilers†top-seven D-corps? Heâ€s a long shot.

• What can a new goalie coach mean?

Dustin Schwartz is out, Peter Aubry is in as goalie coach. So what does that mean for the Oilers†No. 1, Stuart Skinner?

Two years ago, Skinner was a top-10 NHL goalie, ranking T-3 among NHL starters in wins (36), 14th in save percentage (.905) and eighth in goals-against average (2.62). Last season, those stats fell to 26 wins, .896 and a 2.81 GAA.

At 26, Skinner enters the prime of his career, and in the final year of his contract, one really gets the feeling that this is a crucial campaign. Either he establishes himself as a top-10 goalie — one that the Oilers can win Cups with — or heâ€s not, and he becomes part of a trade.

Can Aubry help Skinnerâ€s east-west game? Can further maturity help Skinner find consistency? Weâ€re not sure that training camp will bear all of that out, but it is where the process is going to begin.

Skinner has the best season of his NHL career.

With two Stanley Cup trips under his belt and 26 playoff victories over the past three springs, itâ€s time for Skinner to prove his many detractors wrong. I believe he will this season, which could be an expensive exercise for the Oilers come contract time.

Nugent-Hopkins—McDavid—Hyman    Â

Podkolzin—Draisaitl—Mangiapane

Henrique—Frederic—Kapanen

Tomasek—Janmark—Lazar

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Jason Collins, the 13-year NBA veteran player who became a league ambassador after his playing days — famously the first…

Alcaraz, together with Sinner, has become a dominant force of men’s tennis after the dominant era of Djokovic, Roger Federer…

India avoid any alarm on the final day of the fourth Test with England to secure a deserved draw at Old Trafford, keeping the best-of-five series alive in the process.

India have battled their way to a draw with England in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

KL Rahul and Shubman Gill valiantly laid the foundations during the final two sessions on day two to provide the tourists with what had initially felt like an unlikely chance to keep the best-of-five series alive.

However, despite both top-order batsman losing their wickets before lunch, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja replicated their effort of remaining unbeaten throughout the afternoon session to effectively ensure that the game would end in a draw.

There were farcical scenes at the end as Ben Stokes attempted to bring the game to an early conclusion with no result possible, but India chose to stay out to enable Washington and Jadeja to complete deserved centuries.

Several of England’s players showed frustration and petulance from India’s stance, yet the batting duo deserved their moment after nullifying the bowling attack for nearly two sessions.

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It’s a maiden Test match hundred for Washington Sundar ?

And that’s it, the players shake hands and the match is drawn, we head to The Oval with England 2-1 up in the series ? pic.twitter.com/kCkEhXKAsb

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 27, 2025

Stokes surprises with ball

Stokes had been a doubt to bowl during the final day, his ailing body feeling the effects of a five-for and a century earlier in the contest, but he trapped Rahul (90) in front of his stumps with the score of 188-3.

Gill lasted a further 79 minutes at the crease, a pivotal period in the context of the game, as he made his fourth century of the series, the India captain eventually departing just before lunch for 103 off 278 deliveries.

The very next ball, Jofra Archer almost set up a hat-trick opportunity, Joe Root dropping a difficult chance to send Jadeja straight back to the pavilion.

That ultimately proved to be costly as Washington (101*) and Jadeja (107*) put on (203) for the fifth wicket to give India the momentum ahead of the fifth and deciding Test, which starts on Thursday.

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