Browsing: Improve

Oct 16, 2025, 11:16 PM ET

NEW YORK — Evan Bouchard had arguably one of the worst games of his NHL career in the Edmonton Oilers’ loss at the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Mistakes he made led directly to two goals against, and he had several more giveaways and blunders that led to quality scoring chances.

“I’m going to have to improve on that,” Bouchard said. “You learn from it – obviously a lot of learning. Yeah, part of the game is forget good and bad, so move on, be ready next game.”

Bouchard is the fourth-highest paid defenseman in the NHL and tied for 14th among all players at a salary cap hit of $10.5 million, and he’s well worth that price when he’s creating more offense for his team than opponents. His 72 points over past three playoffs are 40 more than the next-closest player at the position.

“I know people can be hard on him for the mistakes, but you’ve also got to look at the upside of what he brings,” defense partner Mattias Ekholm said. “I’m sure he knows that he could’ve made some other decisions tonight, but I know that there’s other games and you saw the other night when he’s just pulling through their forward and just makes everybody look silly and things that I wouldn’t even think of. I’d be careful criticizing him because that’s who he is.”

Bouchard had the puck on his stick in the neutral zone late in the first period under little pressure and inexplicably had it stolen away by Mat Barzal, who broke in on Stuart Skinner to score his first goal since January.

“Just a bad play on my end,” Bouchard said.

Late in the second with Edmonton on the power play, Bouchard was in no-man’s land when Bo Horvat got behind him and scored short-handed.

“I thought I’d be able to keep it in if (Islanders penalty-killer Jean-Gabriel Pageau) chipped it up the wall,” Bouchard said. “Obviously, he didn’t do that.”

On the ESPN+ broadcast of the game, color analyst Ray Ferraro, a longtime forward in the league with over 1,300 games of experience, from between the benches called it “about as bad a two periods I’ve seen an NHL player play.”

After the game, a 4-2 loss that was New York’s first victory of the season, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch deadpanned, “I’ve seen Evan play better.”

“We cannot just accept that,” Knoblauch said. “Mistakes happen, but you have to address what types of mistakes are happening. Evan’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the league, certainly one of the best defensemen in the NHL. Tonight was not his night, but I’ve always seen him respond and play much better after games like this.”

It also did not come at a great time, with Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois – a member of Hockey Canada’s management staff – watching in person. Bouchard figures to be an extreme long shot to make the Olympic team, especially because of his tendency to turn the puck over.

Ekholm, who is usually the safety valve to make up for errors Bouchard commits, said one of the soon-to-be 26-year-old’s super powers is his ability to forget quickly. His coach has noticed that over consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final and plenty of other times.

“I usually see him bounce back immediately after a bad shift, maybe a turnover, and it doesn’t faze him, and he makes the next play the next time,” Knoblauch said. “But we’re going to move on from it. We can’t dwell on it too much. We’ve got to learn from things that happened. Evan’s one of our best players, and we’ve got to have him playing as one of our best.”

Bouchard said teammates consistently tell him during games like this to “keep making plays.” Ekholm is confident those plays will come Saturday at the New Jersey Devils.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll see a different Bouchard,” Ekholm said. “I’m sure he’ll be back with force and vengeance.”

Source link

Say you don’t have the technology.

None of that sweet 3D tech. None of those cool pressure sensors.

Just old-fashioned, mid-80s player you.

But say little ole, mid-80s shooter you wants to improve.

What’s a techless, hopeful, mid-80s shooter to do?

As part of an answer, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher had a story. Occasionally, Tony Ruggiero will watch players hit range balls. And, for the most part, the swings are consistent.

But a couple other items are off.

“You’ll see golfers hitting balls,” Ruggiero said, “and every shot, their feet are angled a little different, ball’s in a little different place, and the swing really doesn’t change very much.

“But they’re very haphazard in how they approach it.”

And that’s part of how he would advise the hypothetical subject who started this story. It’s a fun subject. Speaking on a recent episode of “The Smylie Show” — which you can watch in full here — Ruggiero had been asked by host Smylie Kaufman what he’d say to that player.

The coach said there were a few things, all of them being part of what happens before the shot.

– “I think the first thing you ought to do,” Ruggiero said on the podcast, “is if you could learn to get balanced at address and set up correctly.”

– “Then just monitor the things you can control.”

– “And wherever the ball is when you hit it good — whatever that place is — like figure that out and practice that. …

“I would tell, say, somebody that shoots mid- to low 80s, you’ve probably already got some pretty good stuff in there. If you figured out how to get to that point, especially the folks that get where they shoot low 80s and every now and then throw in a 78 or 9. I would say figure out what you do and what you’re doing when you hit it good.”

Ruggiero did say one piece of tech would help.

But you probably have one.

“Like we all have these phones now,” Ruggiero said on the podcast, “so you can film yourself when you’re hitting it good. And figure out what do you look like at address. Get balanced at address, get the ball in the same spot, fix your aim, those types of things.

“I think just taking care of the details that happen before you swing are the biggest things for golfers that are in that range you’re talking about.”

Editor’s note: To watch the complete Smylie Show episode with Ruggiero, please clickhere.

EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer isn’t satisfied with his NHL debut performance.

Despite recording an assist and being on the ice for all of the Islanders’ three goals in 17:15 TOI, here’s what he wants to do better at when he plays in his second NHL game on Saturday night against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Islanders No. 1 Pick Matthew Schaefer Becomes Youngest Defenseman To Record Point In NHL Debut
PITTSBURGH, PA — During the New York Islanders†season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman.

“I want to end plays quicker in the D zone,” Schaefer said. “I think that’s a big one. Maybe get more shots through, you know, use my feet more on the blue line.

“I think that’s a big thing that will come over time with confidence. But you know, things like that, getting shots through, pucks to the net. I mean things like that. I think those are all things that I can work on.”

If we are being picky, Schaefer did struggle to get shots through in his first game, with just one on six attempts. Five of his shots were blocked.

The reason Schaefer was a No. 1 pick is because of how determined he is to improve each and every time his skates hit the ice.

So, don’t be shocked if he gets more shots through and skates even better on Saturday night.

Puck drop is at 7 PM ET on MSGSN.

Source link

It’d be great of we could hit every green in regulation, but unfortunately that’s simply not possible. Heck, even the best players in the world don’t hit everygreen. In 2025, the average GIR percentage on the PGA Tour was just under 66 percent, meaning even the best of the best found themselves scrambling about a third of the time.

When you think about it like that, it’s obvious why short game is so important. Golf is not a game of perfect, so learning how to recover from your mistakes is crucial.

Missing a green in regulation is one of the most common mistakes a golfer can make, but it can easily be rectified if you’ve got a solid short game. If you can get up-and-down at a decent clip, missing greens won’t hurt your scorecard quite so much.

In the video below, GOLF Teacher to Watch Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, explains an easy way to improve your short game by fixing mistakes in your takeaway.

Fix this takeaway mistake

When I had a quick lesson with McLachlin at last winter’s GOLF Top 100 Teacher Summit, one concept he explained continues to stick with me. With short-game shots, there are two distinct families of techniques. One is the pitching and chipping motion, which is similar to a putting stroke, and the other is the flop and bunker motion, which involves more wrist action.

For many shots we face around the greens, the pitching and chipping motion is all you need to get the ball close. And to properly execute the shots, all you need to do is focus on rocking your shoulder back and forth, much like a putting stroke.

This can be difficult for many recreational players to get the hang of. Having quiet wrists is not something they are used to when hitting shots around the greens.

That’s why the video above from McLachlin can be so helpful. In order to achieve those “quiet wrists,” all you need to do is focus on your takeaway.

“I want to feel low on this takeaway and wide,” he says. “I don’t want to feel vertical and narrow.”

By taking the club back low and wide, you’re forcing yourself to keep your wrists quiet and shallowing your angle of attack. And in doing so, you are guarding against digging the leading edge into the ground and chunking the shot.

“However I take this thing away, that’s pretty much how I’m going to deliver it into the ball,” McLachlin says.

By mastering this low and wide takeaway, you’ll quickly improve your short game, get up-and-down more and shoot lower scores.

Image credit:
Michal Toglia (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

While MLB’s best prepare themselves for the start of postseason play this week, two of the game’s worst teams find themselves at organizational crossroads.

The Nationals are hiring Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations, completing a front office makeover that illustrates how the team’s now five-year MLB rebuild has not gone as planned.

The Rockies, meanwhile, just finished one of the worst seasons in MLB history. Whatever they decide to this offseason, they will need to change course to turn around an organization that has slipped far behind the rest of the National League.

To illustrate how each team managed to fall so far behind—and see where they may find some low-hanging fruit for speedy improvement—we can look at one very basic stat.

Consider that both the Rockies’ and Nationals’ full-season MiLB hitters walked in 9.5 percent of all plate appearances this year, a number tied for the worst walk rate across all 30 organizations. And it’s not particularly close, either, as no other team was under 10.0 percent. The Braves are 29th at 10.1 percent, the Pirates are at 10.4 percent and the Royals and Red Sox are at 10.5 percent.

It wasn’t that long ago that few teams ever topped a 10 percent walk rate. In 2018, the Mariners were the only organization that cleared that mark. But pitch recognition and zone training is one of the many ways hitting development programs have steadily improved over the past few years. As a result, walk rates have climbed.

In 2021, the average organization walked 10.2 percent of the time in the full-season minors. That number has stayed above 10 percent ever since and reached 11.0 percent this year. Clearly, organizations have worked diligently to coach the proper blend of plate discipline and aggressiveness. Pitches are tracked in cage work to help hitters understand when they are swinging at strikes and when they are chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

The Dodgers have long been considered at the forefront of player development. Los Angeles hitters ranked first in the full-season minors this season with a 12.8 percent walk rate that is the best of the past decade. The Dodgers were second in 2024, top 10 in 2023 and first in 2022. The Brewers, another organization that has clearly made walk rate an emphasis, finished second in 2025 at 12.2 percent to tie the 2023 Mariners and 2023 Twins for second-best over the past decade.

But while this change in approach has swept over offenses around baseball, it has yet to catch on with Rockies and Nationals hitters. Though the league average walk rate has been above 10 percent every year this decade, the Rockies have only topped that mark once (in 2023). The Nationals did walk 10.8 percent of the time in 2023 and 10.1 percent in 2024, but they regressed this year back to 9.5 percent.

So, why does it matter? It’s only one minor league stat, after all, and both the Rockies and Nationals have plenty of problems. The issue is that the approach has manifested at the major league level, as well.

In 2025, the Rockies finished with the lowest walk rate in the majors (6.7 percent), while the Nationals were third-worst (7.4 percent). Not coincidentally, the Rockies had the worst on-base percentage in the minors this year (.293) and finished second-worst in MLB in runs scored despite playing home games at Coors Field.

Joining the Rockies in the bottom third of walk percentage at the major league level in each of the past four seasons are the Marlins. Even so, in Miami we find an example of how a change in approach can lead to positive changes.

From 2021-2024, the Marlins ranked bottom five in MLB walk rate every season, including a last-place 6.7 percent rate last year. The same was true in the minors. From 2018-2024, the Marlins’ full-season MiLB walk rate never climbed above 10 percent. In 2024, the Marlins were second-worst at 9.6 percent, ahead of only—you guessed it—the Rockies.

But under new GM Peter Bendix, the Marlins have made significant strides. Miami’s major league walk rate improved from an MLB-worst 6.7 percent to 7.9 percent this year, finishing 24th overall. With a better approach at the plate, the Marlins went from scoring 3.93 runs per game in 2024 (27th best) to 4.43 in 2025 (16th best).

In the minor leagues, the Marlins went from 29th in walk rate in 2024 (9.6 percent) to 10th at 11.3 percent. Their runs per game jumped from 4.23 in 2024 to 4.40 in 2025.

The Cardinals are also reworking their player development under Chaim Bloom. While St. Louis’ walk rate at the MiLB level has generally been better than the Rockies or Nationals, it was still fourth-worst in the minors in 2024 at 9.9 percent. This year, the Cardinals improved to 13th at 11.2 percent.

This isn’t to suggest that if an organization’s hitters simply start walking more all their problems will be solved. But in the Nationals and Rockies—whose 15.1 and 13.8 percent K-BB rates for hitters this season ranked worst and fifth-worst, respectively—we see two struggling organizations whose hitters could benefit the most from learning which pitches to take.

Below, you’ll find sortable full-season minor league data all 30 organizations in a wide variety of hitting and pitching statistics.

2025 MiLB Team Batting Statistics

OrgAVGOBPSLGISOSB/GSB%BABIPR/GBB%K%K%-BB%Whiff
RATEAngels.237.331.374.1371.3076.6%.3084.1410.7%25.5%14.8%30.0%Astros.226.327.362.1351.6178.2%.2964.4411.5%26.3%14.9%29.5%Athletics.252.347.380.1291.0080.9%.3114.5911.2%21.6%10.4%25.6%Blue Jays.235.334.372.1371.0477.8%.2974.4811.5%23.9%12.4%27.4%Braves.223.312.322.0981.3776.4%.2854.8110.1%23.4%13.3%27.2%Brewers.234.337.360.1261.6379.2%.2964.1412.2%23.2%11.1%27.7%Cardinals.249.344.376.1271.4374.7%.3044.6711.2%21.1%9.9%25.9%Cubs.240.339.363.1231.3878.5%.3053.7211.5%23.5%12.0%27.8%D-backs.260.350.401.1411.0874.1%.3224.7610.9%22.0%11.1%26.1%Dodgers.253.356.397.1441.5779.0%.3164.6112.8%23.0%10.2%26.9%Giants.250.343.388.1381.5080.3%.3114.6111.0%22.5%11.5%26.6%Guardians.236.332.371.1351.5777.7%.2994.9011.3%23.6%12.3%27.0%Mariners.252.344.395.1430.8880.7%.3154.5410.8%23.0%12.2%27.8%Marlins.232.328.357.1241.3779.1%.2914.5911.3%22.8%11.6%26.9%Mets.243.337.376.1341.4879.5%.3005.2911.1%22.3%11.2%26.7%Nationals.235.316.353.1191.4481.3%.3024.529.5%24.5%15.1%30.0%Orioles.227.324.350.1231.4676.6%.2954.6911.3%25.1%13.8%28.5%Padres.247.341.372.1251.2976.9%.3094.7211.2%22.3%11.1%27.0%Phillies.239.335.368.1292.0379.2%.2964.4011.2%22.4%11.2%26.5%Pirates.240.331.378.1381.1676.7%.3025.1310.4%24.0%13.7%28.9%Rangers.241.333.367.1261.5576.9%.2994.8310.8%22.4%11.6%26.0%Rays.234.330.357.1231.4079.0%.2954.7611.4%23.5%12.1%28.3%Red Sox.236.324.366.1301.1274.8%.3004.8410.5%24.4%13.9%29.3%Reds.243.336.374.1310.9976.3%.3095.2210.7%23.7%13.0%28.6%Rockies.251.333.390.1381.6978.1%.3154.609.5%23.3%13.8%27.9%Royals.241.330.371.1301.3177.6%.3054.7910.5%23.5%12.9%28.7%Tigers.252.350.401.1491.0879.1%.3135.2811.7%22.6%10.9%27.6%Twins.242.342.389.1471.0681.9%.2965.0911.5%22.5%11.0%26.7%White Sox.242.334.367.1241.6778.0%.3075.5110.6%23.5%12.9%27.6%Yankees.243.337.386.1431.3779.6%.3075.0011.2%23.8%12.6%28.4%

2025 MiLB Team Pitching Statistics

OrgRAAERAAVGOBPSLGBB%K%K-BB%HR9WHIFF
RATEBABIPWHIPStrike%Angels5.635.02.262.358.40411.7%22.9%11.2%0.9127.2%.3291.5461.3%Astros5.104.51.240.345.37312.3%23.0%10.7%0.8827.5%.3001.4460.6%Athletics5.184.53.254.338.39610.1%22.6%12.5%0.8826.6%.3161.4262.2%Blue Jays4.854.22.242.330.37810.5%24.1%13.6%0.8728.2%.3061.3762.8%Braves4.423.87.229.319.35310.3%23.9%13.6%0.7528.4%.2891.2962.4%Brewers4.533.95.240.329.35810.5%23.0%12.5%0.6827.5%.3031.3562.2%Cardinals4.914.40.240.339.37211.9%23.8%11.9%0.8028.7%.3041.4261.3%Cubs4.634.05.236.337.35311.6%23.1%11.5%0.6427.5%.3011.3861.3%D-backs5.835.18.259.359.41512.1%21.5%9.4%1.0026.8%.3161.5460.6%Dodgers5.264.68.238.352.36213.4%24.2%10.9%0.7529.5%.3091.4960.1%Giants4.794.26.244.336.38110.9%23.3%12.4%0.8527.2%.3071.3961.9%Guardians4.534.02.236.331.36411.2%23.4%12.2%0.7627.9%.2981.3661.7%Mariners5.214.63.259.340.3999.6%20.6%11.1%0.8924.4%.3111.4262.9%Marlins4.553.88.228.332.33611.7%24.4%12.7%0.6529.0%.2961.3561.6%Mets4.293.65.219.314.33910.8%26.6%15.8%0.7630.3%.2901.2762.7%Nationals5.064.44.243.339.38211.5%21.6%10.1%0.8826.0%.2961.4161.3%Orioles4.964.23.233.332.34711.7%24.7%13.0%0.6929.3%.3031.3861.5%Padres5.484.86.254.351.39111.5%22.7%11.1%0.7726.6%.3211.4861.4%Phillies5.204.62.247.340.39411.1%22.8%11.7%0.9527.6%.3061.4362.0%Pirates4.433.98.232.323.36210.4%22.8%12.4%0.7726.5%.2891.3162.6%Rangers4.734.17.237.332.36410.9%24.9%14.0%0.8029.0%.3071.3662.1%Rays4.293.80.234.311.3629.0%23.8%14.7%0.8928.1%.2911.2564.0%Red Sox4.814.19.236.333.35711.1%24.9%13.7%0.7829.3%.3051.3762.1%Reds5.184.59.245.341.39011.4%21.8%10.4%0.9326.2%.2991.4361.4%Rockies5.454.83.261.350.41510.9%22.4%11.5%0.9926.7%.3221.4861.5%Royals5.044.42.247.337.38210.6%22.8%12.3%0.8227.1%.3091.4061.8%Tigers4.163.65.229.309.3559.4%23.2%13.7%0.7626.9%.2851.2563.4%Twins5.204.56.251.335.38410.0%22.8%12.8%0.8627.1%.3121.4062.6%White Sox4.814.29.239.337.36811.5%23.2%11.7%0.8028.5%.3011.3961.5%Yankees4.353.79.222.319.34011.2%24.5%13.4%0.6928.5%.2851.3062.0%

Source link

The Providence Bruins are going to have a boatload of talent going into next season, specifically offensively. For the 2025-24 campaign, their top-six forward group, and maybe even deeper, will be littered with NHL-fringe players.

Last season, Providence finished eighth in the overall AHL standings, registering 90 points and a 41-23-8 record. With that, they advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, but were eliminated by the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division semifinal, losing in five games.

The Bruins†offense was already one of their strong suits last season. They finished fifth overall in goals scored with 240, averaging 3.33 goals per game. They also had the best power-play percentage in the Eastern Conference – third-best in the entire league – registering 21.4 percent.

Providence lost two of its top five scorers from last season in Vinni Lettieri and Tyler Pitlick. However, center Georgii Merkulov, their leading scorer from last season with 54 points, remains. On top of that, center Patrick Brown and Riley Tufte are also sticking around as they signed one-year contracts in the off-season.

Coach Ryan Mougenel wonâ€t have to worry about making up for lost scoring because theyâ€ll be receiving a few players who will only bolster their attack.

Five AHL Coaches Nearing Promotions To The NHL
Oftentimes, when an NHL coach is fired or removed from their role in any fashion, itâ€s natural to immediately look for candidates who are next in line to take that job. The obvious picks are outside hires who have NHL experience and who are one or two years removed from an NHL coaching position.

Along with the previously listed players, Providence will still have Matthew Poitras, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell and others on the roster. But still coming in are center Alex Steeves and right winger Matej Blumel.

Steeves is coming off the best season of his four-year pro-hockey career. He scored 36 goals and 62 points in 59 games for the Toronto Marlies last season. He finished second in the league in goals and eighth in points. He also made a few NHL appearances for the Toronto Maple Leafs in each of those four years.

The one player who had more goals than Steeves last season was also picked up by the Bruins organization in Blumel. The Czech right winger scored a league-leading 39 goals, but also ended up second in the AHL in points with 72 to his name. He was just one point behind San Jose Barracuda center Andrew Poturalski, who is now a member of Omsk of the KHL.

Thereâ€s no denying that a handful of those players who make up Providenceâ€s scoring depth will get looks with the NHLâ€s Boston Bruins. But, in the big picture, this team should be reaching new heights this coming season.

Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.

Source link

Quinten Post wants to take his game to the next level in his second NBA season.

The young Warriors center spoke exclusively with The Mercury News’ Joseph Dycus about his “busy” offseason and what he is looking to improve on after his standout rookie campaign.

After recovering from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Warriors’ NBA Summer League slate, Post told The Mercury News that he has been working out five days a week at Chase Center and is focused on improving his strength and agility to become a better defender in Year 2.

“A big part for next year is guarding without fouling,†Post told Dycus. “I fouled too much, especially in situations where it wasnâ€t necessary, where I could just use my size to wall up and make guys take hard shots.â€

Post quickly earned a role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations as a sharpshooting big, shooting a team-high 40.8 percent from deep in 42 games (14 starts), but he has made a concerted effort this offseason to improve as an all-around playmaker while not losing sight of what makes him such a unique weapon.

“On the (screen and) roll, being able to pass in those short-roll situations, and also finish versus smaller defenders is something I have worked on,†Post said.

“[Shooting] is the thing that brought me here, and I want to keep expanding on that and become a more versatile shooter.”

The Warriors reportedly are expected to sign veteran center Al Horford once their ongoing contract negotiations with restricted free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga are cleared up, and if they do, Post likely will compete with third-year big Trayce Jackson-Davis for the backup center role.

Regardless of what role he plays, Post is ready to contribute in any way he can.

“Whateverâ€s happening with the team, or outside the team, that shouldnâ€t change my motivation for this year,†Post added.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Source link

Do you struggle to take what you practiced on the range onto the course? If so, you’re not alone.Recreational golfers…

United States sprinter Noah Lyles easily won his heat in the men’s 100m race on Sunday at Tokyo’s World Championships,…

  By: Ed Weaver  /  August 29, 2025 The Wellsboro Varsity Volleyball team improved to 2-0 after sweeping Sayre on Thursday in…