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Robert Lewandowski said Barcelona will be fresher when the big games come around this season after coming off the bench to spur his side on to a 3-1 win against Real Oviedo in LaLiga on Thursday.

Oviedo led 1-0 at the break but Barça flexed their muscles in the second half, bringing on Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong to highlight the depth coach Hansi Flick has at his disposal.

Lewandowski, 37, scored Barça’s second goal as they kept within two points of leaders Real Madrid. It was the Poland striker’s LaLiga-leading third goal off the bench this season and he says he’s happy to play fewer minutes if it keeps him in better shape throughout the campaign.

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“We have so many games and the season is very long,” he told ESPN. “At the end of preseason I got injured, I was out for three weeks, but later I still felt that I couldn’t do everything 100%.

“Now I feel good physically. You have to be patient sometimes. Of course, for strikers it’s always better to play, but we have to be patient and think there are more games coming, more important games coming.

“We know that last season there were parts where we didn’t play well. I don’t want to say we were tired, but not so fresh. So we have to know being more fresh for the future means we have more opportunities to be a better team.”

Robert Lewandowski put Barcelona ahead in their win over Real Oviedo. Bruno Penas/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Oviedo took a surprise first-half lead at the Carlos Tartiere when Alberto Reina lobbed into an empty net from 40 yards after a mistake from Barça goalkeeper Joan García.

Eric García drew Barça level from close range in the 56th minute and Lewandowski, coming off the bench for the fourth time this season, completed the turnaround with a stunning header from a De Jong cross in the 70th minute.

“I didn’t yet see the goal because when you’re on the pitch, you’re focused on your job,” Lewandowski added.

“I saw the corner or left side of post, I don’t want to say empty, but if I put the ball there I thought it’s possible. The cross is amazing and I know the space is there.

“It was a very important goal. I knew if I came on I had to do something, try and score the goal.”

Flick, who celebrated his 50th win in 67 games as Barcelona coach, praised the quality of Lewandowski’s contribution.

“It was important, this is what we know from Robert,” the Barça coach said in a news conference. “He’s one of the best in the world in the box. We’re happy we have him.

“I always say to the team, we start with 11 and finish with maybe five different players. The most important thing is everyone gives 100% for the team.

“When Robert comes on, you can feel he wants to change the result. Not only about the goal, but the dynamic it gave us in the match. It was great to see this.”

Flick also downplayed García’s error giving the ball away before the Oviedo goal — “it happens, it’s the style and how we want him to play” — and praised defender Ronald Araújo, who added Barça’s third goal late on, for his start to the season.

“Ronald is an important player for us and I am happy he scored a goal,” he said. “For him, maybe it’s a good step, for the belief in himself. This is for him the most important thing.

“I think he showed also this season that he is doing much better than last season. It’s normal. At the moment, everyone has the confidence and gives us a lot of options.”

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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — These
days when entering the St. Louis Blues locker room, veer to the right
and thereâ€s defenseman Tyler Tucker, low-keyed as usual.

But
thereâ€s a difference these days: thereâ€s smiles and laughter to
go along with it, and for good reason.

For
the first time in his NHL career, the 25-year-old can finally feel a
bit comfortable with his surroundings; he can feel comfortable what
heâ€s doing and most importantly, he can finally feel at home.

The
NHL has always been the destination, but itâ€s been quite the
journey for the Blues†seventh-round pick
in the 2018 NHL Draft.

This
is Tuckerâ€s eighth training camp, and in the previous seven, itâ€s
always been about proving himself. Thereâ€s never been a guarantee
he would land a job in the NHL.

But
thatâ€s all changed in the past year or so, so much so that instead
of chasing after someone elseâ€s job, now otherâ€s are chasing
Tuckerâ€s position, and thatâ€s OK with him. Because since he
arrived at his first Blues training camp in 2018, itâ€s been quite
the ride.

“Itâ€s
been a long journey but well worth it,†Tucker said.

The
6-foot-1, 204-pound left-handed shot is healthy again after the most
unfortunate of injuries, a right knee injury late in the third period
of Game 4 of the Western Conference first round against the Winnipeg
Jets and part of the Blues†top six and most likely in the opening
night lineup.

Through
ups and downs, learning on the fly and good and bad play, recalls and
options back to the American Hockey League to exceptional play,
especially last season under Jim Montgomery and when inserted into
the playoffs, Tucker has arrived on the scene as one of the boys.

“I
feel like Iâ€ve obviously taken a lot of steps and then had a little
setback,†Tucker said. “Just kind of keep on proving throughout
the camp and into the preseason and what not. Just trying to get
better every day is big for me, and playing with confidence.â€

Confidence.
Itâ€s a word players often speak of, but itâ€s so vital to oneâ€s
success. Tuckerâ€s confidence has obviously soared within the past
year and he felt the momentum on his side finally. And instead of
shying away from it, heâ€s looked back on seven-plus years of blood,
sweat and tears and learned to embrace the pot of gold.

“He
definitely has worked for everything heâ€s got, and heâ€s done it
the hard way,†Blues
captain Brayden Schenn said of Tucker.
“The hard way is fighting guys, blocking shots and playing a hard
game, obviously which he needs to play. And then a little bit of up
and down and up and down. You can tell he feels more comfortable and
I think youâ€re going to get a really good ‘Tucks†this year.
Heâ€s one helluva teammate and normally me saying it, the majority
of the guys in this locker room would say youâ€d take Tyler Tucker
as a teammate every single day of the week.

“He
actually has one of the best sticks of getting guys, and getting in
guys†faces and just being reliable with his body and his stick and
breaking up plays and heâ€s very good at it.â€

Tuckerâ€s
momentum built with a strong showing with Springfield of the AHL last
season when he put up 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 19 games
and a plus-6. When he got recalled on Dec. 19, 2024 and Montgomery
was hired a week later on Dec. 25, there was no turning back. He
played 38 games in the regular season and put up seven points (three
goals, four assists) averaging 14:35 minutes per game but a steady,
reliable skater on the Blues†third pairing.

“I
got to play a lot of games with a very experienced D-partner in
(Ryan) Suter, and that was a big help,†Tucker
said.
“I feel like you learn a lot of little things. Not the flashy
things or anything, but just simple, little things that you take and
they go a long way, I feel like, throughout a series or throughout
multiple games. So I think thatâ€s the biggest thing. Other than
that, confidence is one of the biggest things for me.â€

Tucker
didnâ€t open the series against the Jets but entered it in Game 2
and had he not been injured, likely would have stayed in the entirety
of that series. His style of play helped change the complexion for
the Blues that ultimately turned it into a seven-game series after
losing Games 1-2 on the road.

“He
played to his strengths. He knows who he is,†Montgomery
said.
“He was physical, but also, heâ€s a hockey player. Heâ€s around
the puck. His instincts take him to where the puckâ€s going to be.
So heâ€s either ending plays defensively or offensively, heâ€s
keeping pucks alive for us.â€

But
when Tuckerâ€s right knee buckled toe-picking a check in the D-zone
corner against Brandon Tanev, his playoff and season ended in a snap.

“Obviously
tough,†Tucker
said.
“I felt like I was playing real good hockey towards the end. Tough
to go down, obviously kind of in a meaningless game towards the end
of the period. Just sucks, but happy to be back, happy with all the
rehab and what not, hard work, stuff I did in the summer paid off and
just happy to be back on the ice.â€

Tucker
is healthy, and barring any change in tactics, he will open the
season on the third D-pairing with newly-acquired Logan Mailloux.

“Iâ€ve
played against him in the minors,†Tucker
said.
“Obviously see what he did in junior. Very, very talented player.
Big guy with a lot of skill. Those are very hard to come by.
Obviously just try and get him the puck and heâ€ll do good things
with it. Weâ€ve spent a lot of time here in the last month or so. I
feel like I know him pretty well. He came in and weâ€ve been friends
right away. Itâ€s been nice. Heâ€s super easy to get along with.
Iâ€m sure everyone can tell you itâ€s been a real easy transition
for him.

“I
feel good,
really good. Obviously a long summer, a lot of rehab, a lot of boring
stuff. I feel ready to go. Obviously first game in a while in
Columbus there (last
Sunday),
but it felt good. Everything with the knee is going well.

“It
definitely took some time. Probably two-, two-and-a-half months
before I kind of started back to regular training and what not.
Obviously I was in the gym, but doing more so rehab and knee-specific
exercises and trying to rebuild my muscles and what not rather than
just lifting with the other guys, team aspect of the gym in the
summer. It went well. Obviously very thankful for the team to help me
get back.â€

The
Blues know who Tucker is, big, strong, physical and willing to drop
gloves. But what about his offense? Did he show something last season
that can help putting pucks into the net on a more frequent basis? This shot against Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets that turned out to be the game-winner in Game 4 speaks volumes:

“I
think itâ€s very underrated because the things he did offensively
last year, I donâ€t know if he had three or four goals,
but he had opportunities to have a lot more and he gets pucks through
and we had a lot of almost-tips,†Montgomery
said.
“Heâ€s looking for sticks and stuff. Very underrated offensively.â€

“Whenever
Iâ€ve gotten the opportunities to be an offensive guy, I like doing
that,†Tucker
said.
“Itâ€s kind of how I played in juniors, but Iâ€m just worried
about taking care of my own end first and then if those opportunities
present themselves, Iâ€ll take them.â€

Now
the big question: how does Tucker build off that strong momentum
gained last year? If he can find that success again, his ceiling is
waiting.

“I
think just continue where I left off,†he
said.
“Towards the end of the summer, I felt like I was a little behind.
So just trying to ramp things up, keep getting better every day,
trusting myself and playing with confidence is a big key for me. I
thought especially down the stretch last year, that was a huge thing
in my game is I felt confident with the puck, playing and doing
things … not to say I normally donâ€t feel comfortable with but
not as comfortable. I think just building and keep going in the right
direction, trusting myself, trusting my instincts, just simple
things. Obviously when you get hurt, you feel like youâ€re a long
ways out. But I feel like Iâ€m right around the corner.â€

The
Blues hope so.

Pius Suter “Did The Homework,” Feels He Found Right Fit With St. Louis Blues
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. — When
the initial floodgates to free agency opened on July 1 and NHL teams
had their checkbooks out, sometimes there would always be someone
that would fall through the cracks, perhaps not making a hasty
decision and wanting to take some time to contemplate oneâ€s next
destination.

Blues First-Round Pick Snuggerud Injured In Practice, Lucic Also Hurt; Each Day To Day
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. — The
St. Louis Blues were hit with a bit of their first injury bug during
training camp.

Blues Coach Praises Jordan Kyrou For Maturity And Defensive Habits
St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou is entering his sixth full season as an NHL player, and the book is out on his skill, but the talented forward has matured and improved on other aspects of his game, according to coach Jim Montgomery.

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Sep 24, 2025, 11:08 AM ET

Nancy Leonard, the wife of former Indiana Pacers coach and general manager Bobby “Slick” Leonard who was considered the matriarch of the team, has died at the age of 93.

Leonard’s family confirmed her death in a statement Tuesday.

“With sorrow, the children of Bob and Nancy Leonard announce the peaceful passing of our mother last night,” the family said. “Her health steadily declined in recent months, but her will to get the most out of life never wavered as evidenced by her insistence on attending Pacers games this past season at 93 years young. She will always be the Pacers #1 fan.”

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Nancy Leonard served as the Pacers’ assistant general manager from 1976 to 1980 while working alongside her husband, who was coaching the team and took the general manager title when Indiana moved from the ABA to NBA in 1976. Nancy Leonard largely handled the administrative duties for the franchise while Bobby was coaching the team.

The Leonards also played a key role in saving the Pacers by organizing a 1977 telethon to sell season tickets that kept the team from financial ruin. Nancy was credited with the idea of the team holding a telethon.

“We are heartbroken to hear of Nancy Leonard’s passing. Quite simply, we would not be here without her,” the Simon family and Pacers Sports & Entertainment said in a statement. “From the earliest days of the franchise, Nancy poured her heart and soul into the team, not just as the wife of Slick Leonard, but as a female trailblazer who rallied the community when we needed it the most.”

Nancy Leonard continued to stay around the team in the ensuing years, including attending games during the Pacers’ run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

“The First Lady of Indiana basketball,” Tyrese Haliburton posted on X. “Before every game, I knew I could count on a wink and a smile behind the bench. There is no Pacers basketball without Nancy Leonard. Can’t wait to see the day her name is in the rafters where it belongs. RIP to a legend and a beautiful soul.”

Bobby Leonard, who also was a longtime broadcaster of Pacers games after his coaching career and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, died in April 2021.

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Dave Bautista will be able to channel his WWE past for his upcoming role in the Highlander movie reboot.

Former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista recently sat down with Steve Weintraub of Collider. When asked what it was about the script of the upcoming Highlander reboot that made him want to be part of it, Bautista revealed this is a role heâ€s actually been chasing for a long time.

“Man, this goes back a long time because Iâ€ve actually been chasing this role,†Dave Bautista said. “I think I probably tweeted about this role, about being the Kurgan, more than 10 years ago. Iâ€ve been chasing this role like Iâ€ve been chasing the Marcus Fenix role, just because I was a huge fan of the original Highlander.

“I always loved Clancy Brownâ€s performance as the Kurgan. I always wanted to be the Kurgan, I donâ€t know why. There was something magical about that role. Heâ€s the villain I love to hate. Same with wrestling, I like being the bad guy, and that was the kind of role that Iâ€ve been searching for as far as being the bad guy.

“So, when this came about, this started tracking, and Chad had it, like, this is years now, years back when it was still with Lionsgate, because itâ€s been a little bit of a bumpy road for this project as well. But I started tracking it then, and then when I heard that they moved over to Amazon MGM, right when it was kind of in a flux, and I was working with J.J. at the time, and I even asked him, ‘Hey, man, can you put in a good word with Chad?†And he did.

“He started calling, putting in a good word for me. Chad came to The Killerâ€s Game premiere, and he made sure that I had a moment to meet with Chad and tell him again how much I was interested in the role, and I did. I just came straight out. I donâ€t play coy. If thereâ€s something I want, I aggressively pursue it, and Iâ€m very vocal about it. Iâ€m not too shy to tell you that I really want something.

“So he was there, and I just went up to him and said, ‘Hey, itâ€s good to see you again,†because we met years back. I said, ‘Man, Iâ€m not going to mess around.†I was like, ‘I want this role. Tell me what Iâ€ve got to do to get this role.†I think he was just like, ‘Slow your horses. Slow your roll.†[Laughs] He wasnâ€t there yet, but he said heâ€d let me know, he was thinking about it, still thinking about the casting and everything.

“This is about a month and a half ago, now. I thought the role was gone, I thought it had been cast. I thought they moved on without me, and it wasnâ€t going to happen. Out of nowhere, I got a call, and it was a call like, ‘Hey, what do you think? You still want the role?†I was like, ‘Fuck yeah, I want the role!†He was like, ‘Iâ€m sending you the script. Iâ€ll call you tomorrow. Weâ€re going to talk about it.â€

“He sent me the script, I read it, and the next day we talked about it. I was so blown away by the script because, without saying too much, this is such a great reboot. Weâ€re still paying tribute and giving a nod to the original. But making it new and fresh and exciting, and also just universe-building. Itâ€s just so much bigger than the original. The action is on par with John Wick. Iâ€m afraid Iâ€m going to say too much.

“I donâ€t want to give anything away, but I think people are going to be blown away by this because itâ€s bigger than you imagine, and itâ€s new enough that you wonâ€t be seeing the same thing. If you saw the original, youâ€re still not going to know what the story is. Itâ€s just different, but still the same. I donâ€t know if that makes sense.

“Itâ€s in that universe, but itâ€s just something new and itâ€s different, and it gives us places to go, and itâ€s just bigger. I donâ€t want to say better than the original, because the original is just so special to me. Itâ€s special to a lot of people. But itâ€s just itâ€s bigger and itâ€s different and itâ€s special, and it feels like a newer version of the Highlander. Itâ€s just an updated, high-speed version of Highlander.â€

READ MORE: Surprising Name Emerges As One Of John Cenaâ€s Potential Final Opponents — Report

What do you make of Dave Bautistaâ€s comments? Are you looking forward to the Highlander reboot? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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Sep 23, 2025, 05:57 PM ET

NEW YORK — Michael Porter Jr. has a familiar face helping ease his transition from Denver to Brooklyn.

The 6-foot-10 forward felt overwhelmed by the demands that come with playing in New York during the Nuggets’ yearly visits to face the city’s two NBA clubs.

But his reunion with Nets coach Jordi Fernandez — a former Nuggets assistant coach — has eased the 27-year-old Midwestern sharpshooter’s acclimation to the Big Apple.

“That has been big for me,” Porter said Tuesday. “Just coming to a new city and feeling a little bit of being overwhelmed, just to have a guy as a head coach that I am working with every day, somebody like Jordi.”

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The Nets acquired Porter and a 2032 first-round pick for forward Cam Johnson in July and already are planning on making him a focal point of a team that will feature five rookies taken in the first round of the NBA draft.

Porter was third behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in scoring in Denver last season, averaging 18.2 points on 50.4% shooting from the field and 39.5% from 3-point range.

“He’s an elite shooter … great rebounder and great cutter,” said Fernandez, who was a member of the Denver coaching staff in Porter’s first four seasons in the league. “The good thing is I have a previous relationship with him, and that makes it a little easier for me. But I am going to ask him to do things he’s never done before, and for those reasons I think he’s up for the challenge.”

The Brooklyn newcomer recalled stepping up his offensive game while playing pickup in the summer whenever Jokic and Murray were not on the floor and saw how he could flourish in a primary role with the Nets.

And he is willing to share the spotlight with Cam Thomas, who led Brooklyn with 24 points per game while being limited to 25 games last season due to a left hamstring injury.

As a restricted free agent, the 6-4 guard and his agent were unable to land the long-term deal they were seeking and settled for a one-year qualifying offer for $6 million.

“He is one guy that has been severely underappreciated in his ability to put a team on his back and score the ball,” Porter said. “I experienced it in Denver when we played the Nets. Cam, he’s a tough cover.”

Nets general manager Sean Marks was impressed with Thomas’ offseason work ethic as the team looks to rebound after finishing 26-56 and missing the postseason for the second consecutive year.

“He’s approached this in a very mature manner,” Marks said of the negotiations with Thomas. “That’s part of the business, maybe the ugly part of the business when you can’t find a common ground. But at the same time he’s developed, and the hours he’s put in the gym, not in here but on his own, speak volumes. So, he’s a Net. He knows that.”

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One of the biggest names to watch for the New Jersey Devils ahead of the 2025-26 season is Seamus Casey.

The 21-year-old defenseman, a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been working toward securing a permanent spot with the team.

Last season, Casey split time between the NHL and the AHL. In 14 games with the Devils, he recorded four goals, four assists, and eight points. With the Utica Comets, he tallied three goals and 18 points with a plus-1 rating over 30 games.

At five-foot-ten, Casey isnâ€t the biggest blueliner, but his strong two-way play has stood out. He impressed at the Prospects Challenge this fall and continues to build on the momentum he created last year. In the 2024 preseason, Casey made his NHL debut in Prague, where he scored his first career goal in just his second game.

Offense has always been a key part of his game. Speaking with the Comets before training camp, Casey said:

“I love to play offense too and help out whenever I can. I love to play with the puck on my stick and in the offensive zone with my teammates. Things went well on the offensive side last year and Iâ€m looking to keep that up, but you have to be a complete player around all sides of the puck.â€

Casey opened camp strong but is currently dealing with a minor injury. Head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update Monday:

“He tweaked something in that practice Saturday. Heâ€s doing a lot better. I just felt giving him a couple more days would be the smart thing to do. I would expect to see him Friday if he continues on the path that he is here now.â€

Despite the setback, Caseyâ€s mindset hasnâ€t changed. Heâ€s determined to prove he belongs in the lineup:

“Not being one of the biggest defensemen out there, thereâ€s always room to focus on being more physical. I never want there to be any doubts there. Itâ€s just about being as consistent as I can be in all areas, which comes back to the help of the coaching staff and some of the older guys. Those daily habits on the ice might seem trivial, but you have to be able to do the little things right.â€

Casey wonâ€t dress for tonightâ€s game, but Keefe expects him back Friday. When he returns, heâ€ll have another chance to show the organization why he deserves a full-time spot on the Devils†roster.

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