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Browsing: Hopes
Key threat to Warriors’ season hopes on display again late in loss to Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Itâ€s rare that an NBA team missing three starters can compete on the road with a team nearly invincible at home when it spends much of the game shooting as if blindfolded, ponderously dribbling into traffic and throwing up air balls.
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Yet the undermanned and profoundly defective Warriors were giving the Miami Heat all the smoke they could handle Wednesday, taking a 74-72 lead into the fourth quarter.
Then came a disastrous turnover spree that beckoned a richly deserved 110-96 loss.
Perhaps the most instructive element for the Warriors was that Jimmy Butler III, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford – veterans too often prone to distressing turnovers – all watched the fourth-quarter meltdown from the bench. They got an up-close look at a potential upset win spiral into a double-digit loss.
The Warriors gave the Heat 34 points off 23 turnovers, with 16 of those points coming off nine giveaways in the fourth quarter.
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“Iâ€m very, very confident that we will get that turned around,†coach Steve Kerr told reporters at Kaseya Center. “We got it turned around last year after we got Jimmy, cut our turnovers way back. Thatâ€s going to be the focus when we get home.â€
The Warriors (9-8), who return to Chase Center on Friday and open a five-game homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers, closed their six-game road trip with a 3-3 record that under the circumstances leaves them somewhat satisfied but less than content.
No matter who is on the floor for the Warriors, though, turnovers continue to undo much of their best work. The math blatantly tells them that is the biggest of their problems. Theyâ€re undefeated (8-0) when they win or tie the turnover war, 1-8 when the lose it.
“We have to do a better job of this as coaches of giving the guys better spacing and cutting and teaching it better so that the decisions become easier,†Kerr said. “And then theyâ€ve got to do a better job of just making simple decisions.â€
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Golden State had to be much smarter to overcome an offense in which only two players – Quinten Post (8 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 7 from deep) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (2 of 2) – shot better than 35 percent from the field. Buddy Hield was 7 of 20, 4 of 15 from distance. Brandin Podziemski was 6 of 19, 2 of 7 beyond the arc. Moses Moody was 3 of 12 from deep, while Gui Santos was 1 of 7, 1 of 6 from deep.
And, somehow, the Warriors still were in position to steal a victory. They played ferocious defense. They rebounded. They displayed enough grit and perseverance to offset their atrocious shooting, 36.2 percent from the field, including 26.5 percent beyond the arc.
But that formula trends sharply toward losing when giving your opponent 34 points off 23 turnovers. The Warriors were outscored by, hmm, 16 (38-22) in the fourth quarter.
Key threat to Warriors†season hopes on display again late in loss to Heat“Turnovers got [the Heat] going,†conceded Pat Spencer, who came off the bench to contribute 11 points, a career-high 13 assists and only two turnovers.
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After all these years, and what seems like relentless dialogue about Golden Stateâ€s tendency to play fast and loose with the basketball, fast and loose continues to drag them down more than anything else.
The Warriors dropped to 29th in the NBA in turnovers committed, averaging 17.1 per game. They bless their opponents with more gifts than the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz or the Charlotte Hornets.
At what point will the Warriors – from Curry, Butler and Green to the men on the far end of the bench – address this problem with the sincerity required to curb what plagues them?
The Warriors†early season travel schedule has been the toughest in the NBA, 17 games over 29 days, with a league-high five back-to-back sets. Itâ€s about to get easier, with eight of their next 12 games at Chase Center.
Maybe theyâ€ll find a rhythm once they return home. But with the issue being as vexing as it typically is, seeing improvement is the only real fix.
Greg WyshynskiNov 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The NHL playoff bubble is pretty much the size of that one Glinda flies around in during “Wicked.”
Heading into Tuesday night, no team in the East was more than four points out of the wild-card spot. In the West, all but three teams were within three points of a playoff spot. If the NHL is striving for parity, this has been an ideal start.
The NHL Bubble Watch is our monthly check-in on the Stanley Cup playoff races using playoff probabilities and points projections from Stathletes for all 32 teams. We also reveal which teams shouldn’t worry about any of this because they’re lottery-bound already.
This month, we’re also looking at points of concern early this season for teams inside and outside the bubble.
But first, a look at the current playoff bracket:
Current playoff bracket
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Tampa Bay Lightning
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins
A1 Detroit Red Wings vs. WC1 New York Islanders
A2 Boston Bruins vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Seattle Kraken
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Anaheim Ducks vs. WC1 Chicago Blackhawks
P2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
ATLANTIC DIVISION
The locks
Record: 10-7-2, 22 points
Playoff chances: 95.1%
The Stathletes model still loves the Lightning despite an inconsistent start. A lot of that can be chalked up to a torrent of injuries to players such as forwards Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul, and defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Less understandable has been star center Brayden Point’s inability to hit the score sheet with his typical consistency during his first 18 games of the season.
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All of these factors have contributed to the Lightning’s power play sputtering to 29th in the NHL this season, which is a huge reason their offense ranked 17th after 18 games. Since 2022, Tampa Bay’s power play (26.6%) was second only to Connor McDavid and the Oilers (27.8%) in conversion rate.
There’s a reason the Lightning were a popular pick to win the Atlantic, and Stathletes still has them projected for 103 points this season. They can be an elite team when healthy and playing to their full potential.
Cause for concern: After the Vancouver Canucks rallied with six straight goals to beat the Lightning in Tampa last weekend, coach Jon Cooper lamented that his team clearly rested on its early lead, comparing the matchup to “the tortoise and the hare.” There have been a few too many instances where the Lightning haven’t kept their foot on the gas.
Yes, it’s early. Yes, a healthy veteran lineup should correct that. But you want to see the killer instinct of a team like Colorado when it comes to what many believe could be the beast of the East this season. And the Lightning haven’t necessarily found that yet.
Work to do
Record: 9-6-4, 22 points
Playoff chances: 60.4%
The Senators got three games out of Brady Tkachuk before their captain was sidelined with a thumb injury, having last played on Oct. 13. Ottawa has gone 8-4-4 in his absence, which is admirable considering how much Tkachuk is the team’s engine. Balance has been the name of the game.
Ottawa is still giving up more goals on average than it’s scoring, but it is finding ways to win games. Tim Stutzle (10 goals in 19 games) has been great, as have Drake Batherson (18 points in 16 games) and Shane Pinto, who earned a new contract with a strong offensive start. The Senators have eight different players in double digits in points through 19 games and have gotten goals from 17 different players.
Analytically, they’re outscoring their expected goals at 5-on-5. The trouble is, they’re worse defensively than their expected goals against per 60 minutes, which ranks second in the league. That’s because …
Cause for concern: … their goaltending has been a horror show. Through 19 games, both Linus Ullmark (minus-8 goals saved above expected) and Leevi Merilainen (minus-2.6) are underwater analytically, and their traditional stats aren’t any better, as both netminders had save percentages under .875.
Ullmark has played slightly better recently, but things with rookie Merilainen were so bumpy that he was demoted to the AHL for a bit to locate his game.
Record: 10-8-1, 21 points
Playoff chances: 47.7%
The Panthers had one prime directive to start the season: Tread water until the reinforcements arrive.
Florida knows it’ll get Matthew Tkachuk back in either December or January after he underwent surgery on his groin. Maybe forwards Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will return later in the season. Perhaps the Panthers’ prayers are answered and star captain Aleksander Barkov comes back to the lineup after a freak preseason injury that required surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee.
Whatever happens, Florida’s hopes for a dynastic Stanley Cup three-peat — the first one since the New York Islanders won four straight Cups in the 1980s — rest on the Panthers not digging an early-season hole in the standings. They’ve successfully avoided that through 19 games, earning a .553 points percentage.
The Panthers’ MVP this season has easily been the Rat King himself, Brad Marchand. The 37-year-old had 23 points in his first 18 games, including a team-leading 13 goals. His partnership with center Anton Lundell saw them go from an essential checking line during last season’s Cup run to the team’s top scoring line in Tkachuk’s absence.
Cause for concern: There’s a reason no one has captured three Stanley Cups in three straight seasons since the days of Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin. There are a lot of miles on some of these Panthers’ tires, especially when you consider they also made a run to the Stanley Cup Final before their back-to-back Cups. There’s already been a wave of injuries this season.
If Florida makes the postseason cut, it’s foolish to believe it couldn’t pull off the three-peat, because this team seems to have been designed in a lab to win in the playoffs. But it’ll be four years of this grind, and that’s a lot of grinding.
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Brad Marchand tallies goal vs. Canucks
Brad Marchand tallies goal vs. Canucks
Record: 10-6-3, 23 points
Playoff chances: 47.3%
After a surprising return to the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, the Canadiens picked up where they left off with a potent offense (sixth in scoring through 18 games) overcoming a somewhat porous defense (25th). Their top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky is among the best in the NHL, with Suzuki (21 points in 18 games) and Caufield (13 goals) both making early declarative statements to make their respective Olympic teams.
The next wave of Canadiens has made an impact, too. Defenseman Lane Hutson built on his Calder Trophy win with 14 points in 18 games. Winger Ivan Demidov, this season’s Calder favorite, has started strong.
Perhaps most importantly, rookie goalie Jakub Dobes has been outstanding as veteran netminder Sam Montembeault has struggled mightily out of the gate.
Cause for concern: Injuries, injuries and more injuries. Center Kirby Dach will miss the next four to six weeks with a fractured foot. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle could miss up to 10 weeks after undergoing an adductor muscle surgery. Forward Alex Newhook will miss the next four months because of a broken ankle.
The trio joined an injury list that already included scoring winger Patrik Laine, who will miss at least three months after core muscle surgery.
Record: 12-7-1, 25 points
Playoff chances: 34.9%
For years, the debate around Dylan Larkin has been whether he was a true No. 1 center. After an eye-opening performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, Larkin has answered that question with a brilliant first 19 games of the season, with 11 goals and 12 assists as the Red Wings’ early-season MVP.
The Red Wings’ offense should be better than their production. They’re ninth in expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 but rank 26th in goals scored. Getting Patrick Kane back from injury has helped, but Detroit needs to find a little more help beyond its consistent offensive options such as Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond.
Cause for concern: Wait, wasn’t John Gibson supposed to be the answer in goal when GM Steve Yzerman acquired him from Anaheim? Gibson has been outplayed by incumbent Cam Talbot this season, sporting a .875 save percentage in 11 starts and playing to slightly below replacement levels.
Long shots at best
Record: 9-9-2, 20 points
Playoff chances: 24.9%
Life without Mitch Marner has proved difficult for this Maple Leafs team, which had a .474 points percentage entering Tuesday night’s games, tied for last in the conference. Marner is not irreplaceable, but there was zero chance this season’s Maple Leafs were going to sufficiently replace his regular-season contributions on both ends of the ice.
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They can still score, as their goals per game through 19 games was higher than last season’s average. William Nylander has been brilliant again, with 26 points in 16 games. John Tavares has 11 goals in 19 games. But a team that finished eighth in the NHL in goals against per game last season under Craig Berube ranks 31st this season. Injuries to forward Scott Laughton, defenseman Chris Tanev and goalie Joseph Woll have contributed to that. Also not helping matters is goalie Anthony Stolarz being unable to find a groove, playing well below replacement level with an .884 save percentage.
The critics are out for the Leafs already in Toronto, with some questioning if this roster is playoff-worthy. The heat on Berube was turned up so high that GM Brad Treliving had to give a vote of confidence. (Uh-oh.) This is what happens when the Blue Jays’ playoff run ends.
Cause for concern: Easily the biggest cause for concern is Auston Matthews. The star center had nine goals and five assists in 17 games before leaving the lineup with a lower-body injury. The Leafs experienced life with a diminished Matthews last season, when he scored 33 goals in 67 games after scoring 69 goals in 81 games in 2023-24. If Toronto is going to rally for a playoff berth, it needs its MVP in the lineup and playing like one.
Record: 7-8-4, 18 points
Playoff chances: 11.2%
The Sabres are seeking their first playoff berth since 2011, and it was starting to look like that streak would remain very much intact. But a couple of wins over the Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers have Buffalo trending in the right direction again.
Tage Thompson has been on a scoring heater. Rasmus Dahlin returned to the team after tending to a personal matter. Some of the young players in the supporting cast have started to contribute more.
Offensively, the Sabres are just outside the top 10 in expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, but they have some work to do in puck possession, ranking around 25th in percentage of shot attempts.
Cause for concern: The Sabres are tap-dancing on a land mine when it comes to their goaltending, behind a defense that still yields too much at even strength. Can Alex Lyon be counted on throughout this season? Is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen part of the solution or potential trade bait? And what to make of rookie Colten Ellis, whose starts have either been Calder-worthy or cringe? (And whither Devon Levi?)
Record: 12-9-0, 24 points
Playoff chances: 3.2%
Again, it must be stressed that this is what the Stathletes model currently projects as the Bruins’ playoff chances, despite this team being in second place in its division after Tuesday’s games.
New coach Marco Sturm played five seasons with the Bruins, three of them in the defensive system of Claude Julien. He was inspired by Julien’s layers of defensive zone coverage, adopting that system for himself. But Sturm tweaked that philosophy to include man-on-man defense to better pressure puck carriers. So far, the results are … well, it’s a work in progress. The Bruins are 26th in the NHL in expected goals against, and they’re 27th in shot attempts against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
Luckily, a full training camp did goaltender Jeremy Swayman some good. Through 12 games, he had over nine goals saved above average and eight wins. Offensively, the Bruins have been one of the surprises of the league, with 3.35 goals per game through 20 games. Although 18 different players have a goal this season, it’s been the Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak show. Geekie proved wrong his doubters who thought that last season was a fluke, scoring 12 goals in 21 games. Pasta continues to be one of hockey’s elite scorers with 11 goals. Combined, they have 44 points on the season.
Cause for concern: Can two players carry an entire offense? Geekie and Pastrnak are the only players to score more than six goals through 21 games this season. It’s never a good sign when a team’s offense can be better defined as a “duo.”
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
The locks
Record: 13-5-1, 27 points
Playoff chances: 99.6%
The Hurricanes don’t have an offensive superstar like Mikko Rantanen, but they might have the best offensive depth that they’ve had under head coach Rod Brind’amour. Carolina was averaging 3.62 goals per game through 19 games, led by Seth Jarvis (10 goals) and Sebastian Aho (18 points) but buoyed by Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers, all players who arrived in Raleigh in the past calendar year. Second-year man Jackson Blake has also taken a significant leap in production.
Meanwhile, they’re still playing Brind’Amour-quality defense despite star blueliner Jaccob Slavin having been limited to just two games because of injuries, and K’Andre Miller missing a half-dozen games as well.
Cause for concern: Will that offensive depth eventually be enough to break through the Eastern Conference into the Stanley Cup Final, or will we continue to have those “what if” conversations about another Brind’Amour team that couldn’t produce a key goal at a key time in the postseason?
Record: 9-8-2, 20 points
Playoff chances: 90.4%
The Stathletes model likes the Capitals quite a bit.
If this is Alex Ovechkin’s final season — and despite a disturbing amount of jersey swaps with other NHL stars, that hasn’t been decided yet — coach Spencer Carbery’s team seems determined to make it another playoff year for its captain.
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The Capitals continue to chug along with a combination of dependable veterans, energizing young players and solid team defense in front of outstanding goaltending. Ovechkin scored goal No. 900 and is starting to heat up. Their leading scorer has been Tom Wilson (nine goals, nine assists), who is down bad to earn a Canadian Olympic team spot.
But their MVP has been goalie Logan Thompson, who might not have the same stunning won-loss record as last season but has better overall numbers in this campaign.
Cause for concern: Despite having Ovechkin blasting pucks from his office, the Capitals’ power play has been a point of concern for Carbery for the past two seasons. It ranked 30th in the league through 19 games this season, and it’s missing the injured Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was tied for fifth on the team in power-play points last season.
Work to do
Record: 10-9-2, 22 points
Playoff chances: 87.8%
The Stathletes model loves the Rangers’ playoff chances despite an unbalanced start to their season. And by “unbalanced” we’re of course referring to the fact that they were 1-7-1 at home and 9-1-1 on the road in their first 20 games, which is a heck of a thing.
It took a minute for the scoring stats of some of the Rangers’ top players to catch up to their analytics. Players such as Alexis Lafreniere, Artemi Panarin and Will Cuylle are starting to hit their marks, with Cuylle beginning to look more like the Chris Kreider replacement he was billed to become. Perhaps he can help jump-start J.T. Miller, whose seven even-strength points in his first 20 games is one of the season’s most curious numbers.
The good news as always for the Rangers: The goaltending of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick can paper over a lot of deficiencies on this team.
Cause for concern: It remains the Rangers’ depth, which really gets exposed when the big dogs aren’t barking. They are a team with solid top-six forwards, a fantastic top defensive paring of Adam Fox (quieting critics) and Vladislav Gavrikov (worth the investment) and then not enough behind them — at least not yet — to make this group a real contender for the Cup, even if its regular-season prospects are solid.
Record: 11-7-2, 24 points
Playoff chances: 56.6%
With Matthew Schaefer, all things are possible. The 18-year-old first pick was like a shot of adrenaline to the heart of this franchise, both in his charismatic personality and his stellar play by any standard, let alone a rookie’s. Schaefer had 15 points in 19 games to start his NHL career, second on the Islanders. His skating and offense have earned him early comparisons to Cale Makar. He has been that good.
Schaefer has grabbed the headlines, but the Islanders have had a handful of strong starts to put them in the playoff conversation, including Bo Horvat (12 goals in 19 games), Mathew Barzal (15 points in 18 games) and especially Emil Heineman (nine goals), who arrived from Montreal in the Noah Dobson trade.
Cause for concern: Ilya Sorokin has 8.8 goals saved above expected in 13 games because the Islanders’ 5-on-5 defense in front of him has been leaky — 29th in the NHL in expected goals against per 60 minutes, and generating only 48.5% of the shot attempts. They must turn those underlying numbers around to contend in the East.
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0:56
Matthew Schaefer makes NHL history with OT winner for Islanders
Matthew Schaefer becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season.
Record: 10-8-2, 22 points
Playoff chances: 50.1%
There are so many things about the Blue Jackets that one loves to see so far this season.
Winger Kirill Marchenko’s star keeps rising with 22 points in 19 games. Ditto forwards Dmitri Voronkov (16 points) and Adam Fantilli (13 points). Defenseman Zach Werenski, Norris Trophy runner-up last season, is off to another strong start. Young goalie Jet Greaves could be the solution in net they’ve been waiting for.
Cause for concern: But what do these parts add up to? The Jackets still have trouble defending, with their surprisingly stout goaltending overcoming some wonky D-zone metrics. Their special teams, in particular their penalty kill (26th), are in the bottom third of the league.
Again, there are a lot of things to like about Columbus and it’s an easy team to root for. But does coach Dean Evason have a playoff team on his hands or one that’ll just hang around the bubble?
Record: 10-5-4, 24 points
Playoff chances: 41.8%
The Penguins’ 10-5-4 start has them in a playoff spot 19 games into the season, which has significantly reduced the speculation about the futures of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They want to play in the playoffs. If the Penguins are good enough to offer them a legitimate chance of doing so, they’re likely not leaving Pittsburgh this season.
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Of course, they’re also the primary reason the Penguins are pushing for the postseason. Malkin, in a contract year, had 23 points through 19 games. Crosby led the team, and nearly the league, with 12 goals. Through a variety of linemates and lineups, the Penguins’ two franchise icons are willing this team to relevance.
Cause for concern: Is this real? Crosby had openly talked about how the Penguins didn’t rebuild on the fly the way the Capitals did around Ovechkin. So far, Pittsburgh’s young supporting cast has provided enough around the veteran core to make things work under new coach Dan Muse.
But the Penguins are getting better defensive results than their metrics would predict, thanks to the second-best team save percentage in the NHL (.915). To which we ask again: Is this real?
Record: 9-6-3, 21 points
Playoff chances: 27.2%
In some ways, the Flyers are a very similar team to the one that predated new coach Rick Tocchet’s arrival. They don’t earn the majority of shot attempts. They are fairly good defensively at 5-on-5, although with a propensity to get stuck in their own zone a bit too much. Luckily, goalie Dan Vladar (.909 save percentage in 11 games) has been one of the offseason’s best pickups, giving the Flyers saves they weren’t getting last season.
Where Tocchet has made an impact is in giving this retooling team some structure, which helps in suppressing shots but at the sacrifice of some offense. It’s a tough team to play against, but perhaps not a dangerous enough one.
Cause for concern: The Flyers’ best offensive player this season is a flashy trick-shot artist with a dynamic offensive game. That this player is Trevor Zegras — scoring more than a point per game — and not Matvei Michkov is a bit of a surprise. But it’s been bumpy ride for Michkov in his second season, with inconsistent play and fluctuating ice time that included being benched by Tocchet. That tough love is designed to make him a better player. But in the short term, the Flyers need the kind of production Michkov had last season.
Record: 13-5-1, 27 points
Playoff chances: 21.8%
I was sort of baffled by the playoff probability here, as the Devils are tied atop the Metro Division, but had playoff odds in the neighborhood of the St. Louis Blues and Red Wings.
The way the Stathletes’ model works, the probability is based on the current lineup for the full season. Which means a Devils team without Jack Hughes, who needed surgery on his hand after a “freak accident” at a recent team dinner. In reality, if Hughes is out for eight weeks, that means he’d miss around 50% of their remaining games. The probability then would be more in the neighborhood of 45% rather than this dire prediction.
The Devils are going to miss Hughes greatly, considering what an incredible start he had. Regrettably but understandably, they have learned to play without him, as they did last season when Hughes missed the last month and a half while the Devils scratched and clawed to make the playoff cut. That’s especially true of winger Jesper Bratt, who had 16 points in the 13 games after Hughes was injured last season.
Cause for concern: One way to get through the Jack-less part of the schedule would be for the Devils to rely on their goaltending. But Jacob Markstrom remains a goaltender who can’t be trusted. He has an .870 save percentage in eight starts, with a minus-2.1 goals saved above expected. He has been outplayed by crease-mate Jake Allen. Markstrom has a higher ceiling and could carry this team if he gets hot. But the Devils will settle for him to be consistent enough to make this tandem something better than 11th in team save percentage.
CENTRAL DIVISION
The locks
Record: 13-1-5, 31 points
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Just 19 games into the season, there is a 0.01% chance the Avalanche don’t make the playoffs. They’ll probably take those odds.
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The Avs have one regulation loss in their first 19 games. ONE! The Bruins beat them 3-2 on Oct. 25 thanks to 31 saves from Jeremy Swayman. Otherwise, it’s been all victories and post-regulation losses for the Central Division leaders.
Entering Tuesday night, Colorado led the league in goals scored (4.11 per game, the only NHL team scoring four or more on average) and goals-against average (2.37 per game). Nathan MacKinnon led the league in goals (14) and points (33) and plus-minus (plus-19). Cale Makar led all defensemen in points (25). Sixteen different Avs had scored at least a goal this season.
Meanwhile, journeyman goalie Scott Wedgewood was a revelation through 15 games, going 11-1-2 while Mackenzie Blackwood worked his way back from injury.
Colorado is the NHL’s best team about a quarter way through the season, and there’s still room for improvement.
Cause for concern: Let’s assume that the team’s power play (16.7%) eventually finds its groove and focus on two players who haven’t sprinted out of the gate for Colorado. Brock Nelson, who signed a new deal with the Avalanche after they acquired him from the Islanders at the trade deadline last season, has nine points in 19 games. Captain Gabriel Landeskog remains of the NHL’s greatest feel-good stories, but he has just six points in 21 games while skating 13:41 on average.
Record: 12-5-3, 27 points
Playoff chances: 87.4%
When it comes to the Stars, it’s been interesting to see what hasn’t gotten the full attention of the NHL. Like the fact that Mikko Rantanen, whose status as a superstar player was debated during his dual trades last season, had 26 points in 19 games, good for sixth in the NHL in points-per-game average (1.37). Or that Jason Robertson, mentioned more in trade rumors than anywhere else last season, has 23 points for the Stars. Or that Wyatt Johnston, last seen not scoring in the playoffs, leads the team with 11 goals.
Under new head coach Glen Gulutzan, the Stars are in the top 10 in both offense and defense, with both Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith playing well in goal. They’ve overcome some injuries and rougher starts for players to become entrenched in second place in the Central.
Cause for concern: The Stars’ defensive depth wasn’t all that deep to begin with before losing standout Thomas Harley, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. With Nils Lundkvist also on long-term injured reserve, that lack of depth is being tested early for Dallas. When Harley does return, the Stars hope it’s with a better run of play than his first 18 games, in which he scored one goal and skated to a minus-7.
Work to do
Record: 9-7-4, 22 points
Playoff chances: 82.7%
Whether Kirill Kaprizov is worth $17 million against the salary cap annually remains a debate worth having, especially when one considers the contracts signed in the aftermath of that megadeal. What can’t be disputed is his offensive acumen and how vital it is to the Wild. Kaprizov led the team with 23 points, including 11 goals, in their first 20 games of the season.
Matt Boldy (21 points, including 10 goals) and his linemate Marcus Johansson (17 points) were the Wild’s other leading scorers. Rookie defenseman Zeev Buium (10 points) has helped juice their power play to fourth in the NHL.
One of the more intriguing developments for the Wild is the start for Jesper Wallstedt, the team’s perpetual “goalie of the future.” Perhaps the future is now: He won four of his first six starts with a stellar .924 save percentage and two shutouts. The Wild are the fifth-best team in 5-on-5 goals against per 60 minutes.
Cause for concern: Alas, they were 32nd in the NHL in goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 through 20 games (1.79). There’s a significant drop-off after those top three scorers. The Wild have dealt with some injuries up front, including one to center Marco Rossi that has him week-to-week. That obviously has played a role in this, but overall it’s been a sputtering offensive start for Minnesota.
Record: 10-7-3, 22 points
Playoff chances: 78.5%
The Mammoth were picked by many to make the playoffs in their second season in Salt Lake City, and they’ve been in the playoff mix through 19 games. They’re getting offensive contributions from veterans such as Nick Schmaltz (22 points) and Clayton Keller (18 points) and their outstanding younger stars such as Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther (both with 15 points). Forward JJ Peterka, acquired from Buffalo last offseason, has hit his marks as well (13 points).
Cause for concern: The Mammoth should be better defensively at 5-on-5 than they’ve been, based on the analytics. But Vitek Vanecek (.875) and Karel Vejmelka (.883) haven’t played up to expectations, with both in the negative in wins above replacement, per Evolving Hockey.
Record: 12-7-0, 24 points
Playoff chances: 74.9%
Once again, the Jets’ holy trinity of Mark Scheifele (24 points), Kyle Connor (10 goals) and Josh Morrissey (19 points) is the driving offensive force for Winnipeg. Along with Gabriel Vilardi (14 points) and Nino Niederreiter (11 points), they’re the only Jets to have double-digit points through 18 games.
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Meanwhile, Connor Hellebuyck (.913 save percentage, 2.51 goals-against average) is pushing for a Vezina Trophy hat trick as the Jets’ last line of defense. His underlying numbers indicate he’s doing some heavy lifting: 12.5 goals saved above expected in 14 games.
Cause for concern: The reason Hellebuyck has had to be so good? The Jets have inexplicably been one of the worst 5-on-5 teams, ranking 30th in the NHL in expected goals for and against this season. That includes generating just 45% of the shot attempts at 5-on-5. Looking back at last season, this is all a bit stunning. Was Nikolaj Ehlers the secret sauce after all?
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Gabriel Vilardi wins it for the Jets in a shootout
Gabriel Vilardi wins it for the Jets in a shootout
Long shots at best
Record: 6-9-5, 17 points
Playoff chances: 24.8%
Stathletes still gives the Blues a 1-in-4 chance of making the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is probably news to the St. Louis fans who are in a full-on panic about a team with a .421 points percentage after 19 games.
There isn’t much that’s working for the Blues right now. They were 25th in the NHL in goals per game and 32nd in goals against, with the league’s worst goaltending so far (.861 save percentage). No one on the roster averaged a point per game. No one had cracked double digits in goals. Things are … not good.
Cause for concern: The Blues are 13th in expected goals against this season, down from third in the NHL at 5-on-5 last season, but still the kind of thing you’d expect from a Jim Montgomery team. The problem, again, is Jordan Binnington (minus-8.4 goals saved above expected) and Joel Hofer (minus-3.7) have been the league’s worst goaltending tandem through a quarter of the season, subverting any positive momentum the Blues can generate defensively.
Lottery-bound
Record: 6-10-4, 16 points
Playoff chances: 3.0%
GM Barry Trotz recently said the Predators are in a “transitional phase.” That’s a polite way of saying that the team he built might have some uncomfortable conversations and difficult decisions ahead of it after Nashville’s second straight bad start.
The Predators had a .400 points percentage after 20 games this season. From losing defenseman Roman Josi to injury to another inexplicably putrid start for Steven Stamkos (four goals in 20 games), few things have trended in the right direction under head coach Andrew Brunette.
Cause for concern: At the start of the season, it looked like the old Juuse Saros was back as the 30-year-old goalie was seeking to rebound from his worst NHL season statistically. But after 16 games, Saros had a .892 save percentage and was on the wrong side of both goals saved above expected and wins above replacement. The safety net had frayed, again.
Record: 10-5-4, 24 points
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Whether or not the Blackhawks make the playoffs matters not. This season needed to show some proof of concept. After 18 games, they’ve watched Connor Bedard dominate to the tune of 26 points in 18 games, including 10 goals. (That’ll get Team Canada’s attention.)
They’ve also seen Frank Nazar (12 points in 16 games) show that he can be Bedard’s offensive complement. They’ve seen Spencer Knight, acquired from Florida in the Seth Jones trade, play like a potential franchise goaltender with a .924 save percentage in 13 games under new head coach Jeff Blashill.
Cause for concern: Sam Rinzel is 20 years old with less than 30 games of NHL experience, so “concern” is a relative term here. But the 6-4 rookie defenseman was expected to be a significant contributor offensively this season, including as a potential power-play quarterback. After 17 games, he had one goal and two assists, having been already pulled from the line for a mental reset. He’s a terrifically talented player. He’ll be fine. But this was a rough start.
PACIFIC DIVISION
The locks
Record: 9-4-6, 24 points
Playoff chances: 99.8%
The Stathletes model clearly believes that the Golden Knights are much better than their very average start to the season — or at least that when the smoke clears in the Pacific Division, they’ll be in a playoff spot.
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There have certainly been times this season when the Golden Knights have looked formidable against good teams. The performances from stars Jack Eichel (24 points in 18 games) and Mitch Marner (20 points) have been as advertised, and Vegas has also gotten great starts from Pavel Dorofeyev (11 goals), Tomas Hertl (15 points) and Shea Theodore, who has played well as the new No. 1 defenseman after Alex Pietrangelo bowed out due to injury this season.
But given their recent stumbles and some lineup absences, there’s a sense that the best is yet to come for the Golden Knights.
Cause for concern: Injuries to key players is nothing new for Vegas, but that doesn’t make it any easier to play through these absences.
Mark Stone last played on Oct. 18 before leaving the lineup with a wrist injury. His absence impacts every facet of the Knights’ game. Ditto William Karlsson, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Starting goalie Adin Hill hasn’t played since Oct. 20. Ask the Knights and they’ll tell you this is nothing new, and that teams play through injuries every season. But until they get these key performers back, it’s hard not to see Vegas as being stuck in neutral.
Record: 10-6-4, 24 points
Playoff chances: 83.4%
Anze Kopitar’s decision to hang up the skates after this season lends some urgency — and perhaps a little melancholy — to the 2025-26 Kings campaign. GM Ken Holland certainly managed the roster with a win-now attitude, adding old Edmonton allies in winger Corey Perry (seven goals) and defenseman Cody Ceci.
But overall, this is much the same group that’s been unable to overcome the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Adrian Kempe (19 points in 20 games), Quinton Byfield (17 points) and Kevin Fiala (15 points) lead an offense for a team that basically gives up as much as it scores at 5-on-5, but one that ranks in the top six defensively at even strength.
Cause for concern: With 16 players age 29 or over on the roster, the ability for the Kings to stay healthy is paramount. They’re going to be without defenseman Drew Doughty for a couple of weeks due to a lower-body injury. Perry and Kopitar have both missed time this season. Their team defense and the goaltending of Darcy Kuemper should hopefully help them through injury absences, as they’re the reason L.A. has a .600 points percentage to start the season.
Work to do
Record: 9-8-4, 22 points
Playoff chances: 75.9%
The Oilers and early-season panic over middling results … find a more perfect couple. Edmonton had a .524 points percentage through its first 21 games, leaving some to wonder if the Oilers would make the playoffs, let alone advance to a third straight Stanley Cup Final. Connor McDavid (30 points) and Leon Draisaitl (24 points) are dragging this group through that early-season malaise, with an assist by Jack Roslovic (seven goals), who has been a great addition to the roster.
It’s the same story as always for Edmonton, as Kris Knoblauch coaches through injuries and middling performances and mediocre goaltending to keep the Oilers close enough that Connor and Leon can carry them into the postseason. But how far can they go beyond that?
Cause for concern: Roslovic has been the exception to the rule for the Oilers, as many of their player additions in the past year haven’t made much of an impact. (Looking at you, Trent “one goal in 21 games” Frederic.) Young solutions on cheap contracts such as Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard weren’t ready to be the answer quite yet.
Overall, this roster seems diminished from previous editions, and not just because it lost the worm-like whimsy of Corey Perry. That’s not a great thing to have happen when the clock is ticking on McDavid’s time in Edmonton.
Record: 12-6-1, 25 points
Playoff chances: 68.1%
The arrival of coach Joel Quenneville and winger Chris Kreider helped supercharge the Ducks’ offense. They averaged 3.63 goals per game through 19 games, hanging a touchdown on a few opponents along the way.
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Kreider had 10 goals in 15 games, with five of them coming on the power play. But the offensive parade in Disneyland was led by burgeoning young stars Leo Carlsson (26 points, including 11 goals) and Cutter Gauthier (22 points, including 12 goals) as well as Ducks mainstay Troy Terry (21 points). Anaheim is never out of a game thanks to that offense.
Cause for concern: Unfortunately, the game has another facet called “defense,” and Quenneville has some work to do there in order for the Ducks to be a real contender.
Entering Tuesday night, Anaheim was the second-worst team in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, and 25th in shot attempts surrendered. Lukas Dostal’s Vezina Trophy-worthy goaltending has papered over much of this defensive deficiency, but that’s not a sustainable model for a playoff team in the West. The Ducks are young. They’ll improve. But they’re not there defensively yet.
Long shots at best
Record: 9-5-5, 23 points
Playoff chances: 9.9%
Lane Lambert’s arrival behind the Kraken bench has given the team better structure and more confidence early this season. The Kraken have cut down on the high-danger chances for opponents and have been near the top 10 in expected goals against. That has helped their goalies to seventh in the NHL in save percentage. When even Philipp Grubauer’s stats look good, you know the defense is doing its job.
Seattle is getting enough offensive contributions from veteran scorers such as Jaden Schwartz (14 points) and Jordan Eberle (13 points) to sit second in the Pacific after 18 games, winning three games in overtime and picking up five charity points.
Cause for concern: As much as Lambert’s defensive structure has benefitted the Kraken, their offense hasn’t been nearly as effective. Seattle ranked last in expected goals for and 30th in goals per 60 minutes during this hot start.
Getting Jared McCann back from injury should help, as he was limited to just five games after topping 60 points in each of the past three seasons. But the Kraken need more offensive crackle to make the playoff cut.
Lottery-bound
Record: 9-8-3, 21 points
Playoff chances: 5.7%
The Sharks were a surprising .500 team through the first 19 games of the season thanks to Macklin Celebrini playing like a Hart Trophy finalist. His 27 points in that span were 10 points better than teammate Will Smith to lead the Sharks, including 10 goals.
It’s a season so dominant that he might have played his way onto the Canadian Olympic team, and rightfully so.
Cause for concern: There should be some concern about the chiropractic health of Celebrini and the Sharks’ goaltenders, because they’ve carried the team on their backs so far this season. Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic have San Jose just outside of the top 10 in team save percentage, with Askarov in particular playing better than expected.
The Sharks probably don’t have the depth to avoid the lottery again, but they’re fun and full of potential.
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Macklin Celebrini’s hat trick wins it for Sharks in OT
Macklin Celebrini scores on the power play for San Jose Sharks
Record: 5-13-3, 13 points
Playoff chances: 5.0%
There might not be another team with a larger gulf between its metrics (54.5% expected goals at 5-on-5) and its actual numbers (46.3% goals for percentage, 25th in the NHL). Much of that is due to a sputtering offense that’s last in the NHL in goals per game (2.10), thanks in no small part to the league’s most powerless power play (11.9%).
The good news is that goaltender Dustin Wolf has overcome a frustrating start to play much better over the past few weeks. His overall numbers haven’t reflected it yet, as Wolf is still at minus-2.6 goals saved above expected, but the Flames’ last line of defense is starting to act as such again.
Cause for concern: Is the season lost already? The Flames (.325) had the worst points percentage in the NHL through 20 games. The conversation about the Flames trading players like Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri is starting to go from “if?” to “when?” That’s not the noise the Flames want to hear midway through November.
Record: 9-10-2, 20 points
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Quinn Hughes is a rather important player for the Canucks. Despite missing a handful of games, he led the team in scoring with 20 points in 16 appearances, including 10 points in three games recently. He’s averaging well over 26 minutes per game in ice time, including nearly five minutes per game on the power play. He has been incredible, again.
If only he had a little more help. Injuries (especially to center Filip Chytil) and ineffectiveness have created a team that’s 30th in expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 and underwater on shot attempts (44.7%). There have been some real offensive highlights — Kiefer Sherwood’s goal explosion, Elias Pettersson getting near a point-per-game pace again — and there have been some lowlights, such as Evander Kane’s start (three goals in 21 games).
Cause for concern: The Canucks’ penalty kill ranked last in the NHL heading into Tuesday night, at a putrid 67% rate. They’ve given up a power-play goal in 15 games, and multiple ones in eight games. Getting Teddy Blueger back from injury will help, but the team is feeling the offseason departures of Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua. Of course, having a healthy Thatcher Demko in goal would help, too.
Mark Wood’s chances of playing in the first Ashes Test look to be increasing after the England paceman bowled a “rapid” spell in the nets in Perth on Tuesday.
Wood has not played a Test since August 2024 and felt tightness in his left hamstring during England’s only Ashes warm-up match.
After being cleared of any concerns over a hamstring injury by a scan, the 35-year-old took part in England’s first training session at Perth Stadium.
With heavy strapping on his left knee – he had surgery earlier this year – Wood first bowled off a few paces then built up to what appeared to be full speed off his full run.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who faced Wood in the nets, said: “He was absolutely rapid today. I can tell you that first hand.
“He’s definitely one to avoid on the netting list. He was near enough full tilt, so it’s good signs for us.”
England may confirm their XI for Friday’s first Test against Australia on Wednesday.
Wood could be part of a five-man England pace attack on what is expected to be a lively surface. On Wednesday, the West Australian newspaper carried a picture of the Perth pitch on its front page, calling it a “green monster”.
Ten names seem set for the tourists: the regular top seven, including fit-again captain Ben Stokes, plus seamers Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson.
If England omit Wood, his place could go to fellow seamer Josh Tongue or spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks.
Tongue said he could see no reason why Wood will not be fit for the first Test.
“If his body’s all good and the management think he’s good to go, I don’t see why not,” said Tongue.
The Metshave a number of high-profile free agents they are looking to bring back, and Juan Soto is hoping New York brings back Pete Alonso and Starling Marte.
Speaking at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas on Thursday, Soto was asked about Alonso’s free agency. The slugger is testing the open market for the second time in as many years. He eventually re-signed with the Mets this past February but opted out after putting together a bounce-back 2025, where he became the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs.
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The Alonso-Soto, 1-2 punch worked out for both players — they combined to hit 81 home runs — and Soto wants to run it back.
“I hope nothing but the best and Iâ€m excited to see where heâ€s going to end up,” Soto told the media, including The Post’s Mike Puma. “Heâ€s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come. We can have fun together.â€
Marte may not get the headlines of Alonso or even Edwin Diaz, but the veteran outfielder is a free agent after four seasons in Flushing. Although his Mets tenure was marred by injuries, he was an All-Star in his first season with New York (2022) and was a solid player for them in 2025 as a bench hitter.
In 98 games, Marte slashed .270/.335/.410 with an OPS of .745 to go along with nine home runs and 34 RBI.
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However, Soto cites Marte’s leadership and presence in the locker room as big reasons the Mets should try and bring him back.
“You need a guy that helped you the most through those tough times and tried to bring the team back to where itâ€s supposed to be,†Soto said of Marte.
Whether or not the Mets have an appetite to sign the 37-year-old is unclear, but having an endorsement from your highest-paid player certainly doesn’t hurt.
Wood is England’s quickest bowler and is expected to be crucial to their hopes of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015.
He and captain Ben Stokes are the only members of England’s bowling group to have played a Test down under.
While Wood has repeatedly overcome his fragile body to return from injuries with impressive effect throughout his career, this comeback has not been straightforward.
He had hoped to be fit for the fifth Test against India in early August before a setback and was left out of all of England’s white-ball matches, against South Africa in September and the tour of New Zealand which ended last week, to prioritise the Ashes.
Plans for Wood to play in the County Championship for Durham in September were also shelved.
Instead, Wood has built up his fitness in the nets at Durham, around England matches at training and in the tent at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough, which England have used to replicate Australian conditions.
Wood said he hopes to continue his work in training and then play in England’s only warm-up fixture before the first Test – a match against England Lions in Perth, which begins next Wednesday.
“I have trained for two or three days and pulled up really well,” said Wood.
“Going into the practice game, that will be another good test again but so far so good.”
On his comeback, Wood added: “[It was] really boring for six months and it was never a straight trajectory.
“There were some bits I was not doing as well and I had to build it up again. It is finally nice to be outside in some nice weather ramping it up.”
England’s squad has been welcomed to Australia with hostile headlines from the local media with the West Australian Newspaper calling Stokes “Cocky Captain Complainer”.
Wood said he has not paid any attention to the coverage.
“That’s all part of it,” Wood said.
“I haven’t taken much notice of newspapers, but the reception we have had in general from Australians has been great.
“In the hotel and out and about in Perth everyone has been very friendly and is excited for the series.”
The Glasgow event will bookend Wightman’s Commonwealth journey, given his first Games were in the city in 2014.
He was still a student at the time and injury hampered his hopes of progression from the heats. This time, a couple of his pals from childhood are among those who will likely pose the greatest threat to his ambitions.
Along with Gourley, two-time Olympic medallist Josh Kerr is also set to toe the Scotstoun start line for the final on 1 August – albeit his selection will not come for a while yet after injury left him outside the top 10 in Tokyo.
“The three of us made the world final, Australia always has good athletes in the mile, and there will be a great Kenyan team, so it could be one of the events of the championships,” Wightman said of an event that has not been staged since 1966.
“But myself, Neil and Josh can all potentially get ourselves on a podium, which would be pretty special.
“I think there will be a home advantage for us because we’ve raced in Scotstoun so many times since we were kids. And, with a home crowd, it will be a special occasion, so that hopefully will propel us to be able to perform beyond what we even expect.”
And should Wightman complete the 1609m first, might he repeat his celebrations from Gold Coast, when he donned a ‘See You, Jimmy’ bunnet?
“It’s funny, because on my phone screen that’s actually the picture at the moment,” he said. “I’d do it again, because it fits when you’ve got a Saltire around you.
“For me, it’s part of being able to celebrate being Scottish. We moved here when I was 10 and I learned to run here, so it’s a chance to be proud of representing Scotland and hopefully hear Flower of Scotland a few times next summer.”
Oct 23, 2025, 07:52 PM ET
MILWAUKEE — The resounding nature of Milwaukee’s NL Championship Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers hasn’t shaken the Brewers’ belief that they can compete for World Series berths while playing in the majors’ smallest market.
Milwaukee posted MLB’s best regular-season record at 97-65, setting a franchise record for victories. They beat the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series before getting swept by the defending World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS.
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The Dodgers are spending a record $509.5 million in payroll and luxury tax this year. Their projected luxury-tax bill of nearly $168 million exceeded Milwaukee’s entire payroll of $124.8 million.
“It’s not our job to think about what the economics of the sport are,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Thursday. “That’s above all of us. In our situation, what are we going to do about it? That’s really where I come at it from.
“We’re going to have the resources that we need. We have support from our ownership to put a quality product on the field. There are a lot of small-market teams that can’t say that, and we can. And then there also are a lot of teams that spent a lot of money that didn’t get in. I don’t think it’s just about the money.”
The Brewers, who had MLB’s best record during the regular season, say they can continue to contend for World Series berths while playing in the smallest market. Getty Images
The Brewers announced Thursday that Arnold had received a promotion that included the title of president of baseball operations. Arnold, who has been overseeing Milwaukee’s baseball operations since October 2022, declined to say whether the promotion included a contract extension.
The Brewers have won three straight NL Central titles since Arnold took over, but the franchise remains in search of its first World Series championship. It made its lone World Series appearance in 1982.
After going 6-0 against the Dodgers in the regular season, Milwaukee mustered just one run in each of the four NLCS losses.
“I felt that we did not put our best foot forward in that series, and I think it would have made some difference, but the Dodgers were on it,” manager Pat Murphy said. “And you know when a team is on it.”
Murphy noted the Brewers were emotionally drained after their five-game series with the rival Cubs. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were in peak form.
“I don’t think the Dodgers are going to play that way every series,” Murphy said. “It isn’t like they’re that dominant every series, as we’ve proved during the season. So I don’t look at it as like, ‘How do we get to that point?’ I don’t think there’s ever been a team at that point, you know what I mean, that could ever aspire to be better than that.”
Murphy cited the dominance of Dodgers starting pitchers Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. He also pointed out the Brewers didn’t get much rest before the NLCS because their NLDS went the full five games.
“I don’t look at our performance against the Dodgers as, like, that brutal,” Murphy said. “We didn’t put our best foot forward. But there’s all sorts of things to learn from it about how do we get them playing consistent? One is, you don’t play five games in the Division Series, so you have a couple days. So there’s all sorts of things that play into it.”
Milwaukee has some health questions going into the offseason. Third baseman Caleb Durbin will undergo arthroscopic elbow surgery next week but is expected to be ready for spring training. Catcher William Contreras will see a hand specialist for the fractured left middle finger that bothered him for much of the season.
The Brewers also have some roster decisions to make. Two-time All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta has an $8 million club option for 2026 and then could become eligible for free agency.
At 45 years old, Shinsuke Nakamura still has hope that he’ll be a WWE World Champion one day.
Nakamura told Tokyo Sports in a new interview that becoming World Champion remains a WWE goal that he is focused on. He wants to accomplish the feat not just for himself but to pave the way for other Japanese and Asian men to do so in the future.
“I believe in it, so I keep going. That’s the World Heavyweight Championship. I just want to win that,” Nakamura said. “For Japanese wrestlers on this American stage, especially the men, that’s the barrier we haven’t broken through yet
“I don’t know if it’s proof or anything, but I sometimes wonder what would happen if I couldn’t do it. I hope I can leave some kind of path, or hope, for the next generation of Japanese and Asian people.”
Now a babyface again, Nakamura returned to WWE programming earlier this month after having been absent for a few months. He’s part of the SmackDown roster and also recently competed on WWE’s house show tour of Japan.
Though peers like John Cena, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and AJ Styles will be retiring from the ring soon, Nakamura told Tokyo Sports that retirement is not an immediate concern for him. Still, he knows that nothing lasts forever and his career is a lot closer to the end than the beginning.
“Fortunately, I’ve had almost no injuries, so it’s not like I have to retire immediately,” he said. “But nothing lasts forever. If someone said I have 10 more years, I’d have my doubts. If they said five, maybe. You never know what tomorrow brings, so I just have to do what I can now.â€
Nakamura was a multi-time World Champion for NJPW and did hold the NXT Championship a couple of times after arriving in WWE. On the main roster, he’s been a midcard and tag team champion but has not held either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight title.
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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated’s wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.
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Tottenham had been linked with a move to reunite brothers Archie and Harry Gray prior to the latter’s most recent birthday.
The younger of the two siblings turned 17 at the beginning of October, at which point he was eligible to sign a first professional contract.
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Tottenham Hotspur miss out on 17-year-old Leeds United star
Teenage star Harry Gray has committed his future to Leeds United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Then, earlier this summer Spurs signed teenage forward and England youth international Oliver Boast from the Elland Road club, who will be due training compensation as opposed to a transfer fee, for the youngster’s move.
Boast is understood to have left Leeds having deemed his pathway to senior football blocked by Gray’s presence and first-team boss Daniel Farke’s preference for the teenager.
Harry Gray on pre-season duty with Leeds United this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
Among Leeds fans, it was hoped the same scenario would not play out with regard to Harry Gray’s future, the much-heralded jewel of the club’s Thorp Arch academy.
Gray became the latest in a five-strong line of family members to represent the Leeds first-team after debuting in a 6-0 win over Stoke City at the end of last season.
The 17-year-old has now put pen to paper on a ‘long-term’ contract, according to Leeds, ending any speculation over his immediate future.
“Everyone at Leeds United would like to congratulate Harry on signing a first professional contract and we look forward to seeing his development over the coming seasons”, a club statement read.
The 17-year-old made his Tottenham debut in the League Cup earlier this season and is highly-rated by coaches at the club.
In the end, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of team-mates as she prepared to bowl the final over, held hers. Bangladesh did not.
There will be plenty of questions about Bangladesh’s batting performance. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the target was much lower.
However, Bangladesh lacked intent from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves too much to do.
But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the field, that 203-run target would have been considerably smaller.
It took them three attempts to break the 72-run second-wicket stand, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to take a tough chance behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya. It was powerfully struck back at the bowler, but she got two hands to it.
Perera was dropped again on 55 and 63, the latter chance going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with partners falling around her.
Later in the innings, there was also a missed stumping and a missed run-out, although the latter was a little unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an injury to Joty.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a one-off. They’ve dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 at this tournament and boast the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the eight teams.
They are a side who are generally heading in the right direction – they are playing in just their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring problem which needs attention.