Browsing: Takeaways

On Monday night at Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the San Jose Sharks for the first time this exhibition season and in their fifth of seven overall preseason games.

The Ducks iced a squad nearly full of NHL-caliber players that will likely closely resemble their opening night roster.

The Sharks, on the other hand, sent a team mostly consisting of AHL players, not one of which was over 30 years old. It was a tale of two rosters, and the Ducks were expected to control play from puck drop.

Ville Husso got the start for the Ducks and stopped 22 of 24 shots, not allowing many second-chance opportunities and working to find pucks through traffic.

Opposite Husso, Jakub Skarek got the start for the Sharks and stopped 13 of 16 shots before he was pulled in a scheduled goalie switch halfway through the second period. Gabriel Carriere entered the game in relief and saved all 14 shots he saw off Ducks sticks.

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Once again, it is preseason, but for this game especially, any statement surrounding it should be taken with a grain of salt.

That said, here are my takeaways from this game:

Chris Kreider-The Ducks have been starved for a true netfront difference-maker, especially on the power play, and thatâ€s where Kreider earns his money. He instinctively knows how goalies move when tracking pucks throughout the offensive zone and reacts accordingly to always remain in their field of vision.

His battling ability was on display in this game, as he consistently won pucks back that were shot and deflected below the goal line to extend zone time substantially, an underrated but impactful quality.

Cycle-Since the start of camp, coaches have implemented a cycle system in the offensive zone built on constant player and puck movement from all five skaters on the ice. Rather than continuous efforts to move pucks from low to high, followed by a shot, and an attempt to win an ensuing board battle, forwards run give-and-gos up the wall to defensemen, who jump to the middle or switch with their d-partner to create one-timer looks.

There are elongated sequences where forwards remain high at the blueline, weaving while defenseman remain low after shifting in efforts to draw defenders well out of position.

“Just kept it simple,†Nikita Nesterenko said after the game. “Got the puck in, trying to create energy for the other lines, tie their D up. I think every like was rolling. Leoâ€s line played incredible. Itâ€s fun to watch those guys.â€

Leo Carlsson-This was a game that Carlsson was expected to dominate while implementing some of the aspects of his game that needed refining in the past. He didnâ€t disappoint. He displayed vision, patience, and anticipation skills with the puck on his stick heâ€d only shown flashes of to this point in his career. This game may have solidified Kreider a spot on his left wing for the foreseeable future with the way they consistently found each other in dangerous areas of the ice.

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke was one of the few players for the Ducks in this game who could stand to gain a lot. This was the most dynamic heâ€d been all preseason and displayed true game-breaking potential with the kind of quick strike offense that teams crave. Whether itâ€s a pure strength factor or if he needs to tweak his approach, the next step in his progression will be to enter battles more efficiently and come away from them with the puck with greater frequency.

“I thought he didn’t play a lot, but every time he was out there, he was a threat & he was dangerous,†Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “He was fun to watch, and on every given night, it could be a different situation. He gives you a lot of versatility as a wild card player.â€

The Ducks will head to San Jose to take on the Sharks again on Wednesday night for their sixth of seven preseason games.

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Minus their top five forwards and best defenceman, the Vancouver Canucks could not beat Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid Sunday night. The rest of the Edmonton Oilers, the Canucks handled just fine.

Draisaitl and McDavid combined for seven points and their line generated all the Oilers goals in a 4-3 pre-season win against the Canucks in Alberta. But other than the Canucks†inability to stop two of the three best players in the world, Vancouverâ€s performance was actually pretty good — especially with their lack of firepower up front.

The Canucks got third-period goals from three key prospects, Aatu Raty, Braeden Cootes and Jonathan Lekkerimaki and pressed for a tying goal until the end after falling behind 3-0 with 23 minutes to go.

They outshot the Oilers 22-10 over the final two periods. But Draisaitl and McDavid were unstoppable.

Against the run of play, the best one-two punch in the National Hockey League needed only three seconds on the power-play to generate a goal for Draisaitl that made it 3-0 at 16:57 of the second period. And after Raty and Cootes, on another ricochet, scored 43 seconds apart early in the third, McDavid dissected Canuck defenceman Filip Hronek on a two-on-one for a Draisaitl tap-in at 9:27.

With his best day since training camp opened on Sept. 18, Lekkerimaki finished lethally from Filip Chytilâ€s cross-ice pass to make it 4-3 with 3:08 remaining and the Canucks skating six against five.

But Vancouver couldnâ€t get another puck past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner. In his second pre-season start, Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko was beaten four times on 24 shots, but also made the save-of-the-game with a diving, paddle stop on Josh Samanskiâ€s rebound attempt early in the third.

The Canucks left top forwards Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Evander Kane and Conor Garland at home, along with superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes.

Garland is nursing an injury, but most of the top Canucks are expected to play Wednesdayâ€s game in Calgary.

Now 2-2 through four exhibition contests, Vancouverâ€s pre-season ends Friday at home against the Oilers.

Still operating essentially with two squads, the Canucks are expected to greatly reduce their pre-season roster on Monday. The organization feels a lack of lineup continuity a year ago, when the team had to staff five pre-season games in one week, contributed to the Canucks†uneven start. Getting most of their NHL lineup together for the final two pre-season games is a priority.

“Well, the players are making it difficult for us, which is great,†general manager Patrik Allvin said in an intermission interview with Sportsnetâ€s Dan Murphy in Edmonton. “Weâ€ve got good depth, so there is conversations every day here. We’ll shortly here trim down a little bit more, but there’s going to be some tough (decisions) for Adam (Foote) and his staff and for the hockey-ops.â€

Among the prospects trying to push up from the American Hockey League championship team, Raty and Linus Karlsson seemed to open camp with a head start due to their waiver-eligibility and the Canucks†need for centres (Raty) and net-front scoring (Karlsson). Neither has been outstanding, but neither have they seemed to play themselves off the team.

Lekkerimaki, the 21-year-old first-rounder who had 19 goals in 36 games for the AHL Canucks last season in his first year in North America, had a fairly quiet September until Sunday. He and Chytil were the most dangerous Canucks and Lekkerimaki, with his Draisaitl-like finish on a cross-ice pass, demonstrated why he is such a tantalizing offensive prospect. The Swede had three shots on target and six attempts. Only winger Kiefer Sherwood (four and seven) had more for Vancouver.

Lekkerimaki has obvious flaws. He isnâ€t yet as fast nor as strong as he needs to be for the NHL. But perfect hockey players are as rare as perfect humans, and the Canucks will live with Lekkerimakiâ€s deficiencies if he can be as dangerous in the offensive zone as he was Sunday.

As for the first 18-year-old in 35 years trying to make the Canucks out of camp, Cootes seems to just keep “earning another day†as Foote and Allvin have put it. His bank-shot goal off Edmonton defenceman Mattias Ekholm was Cootes†second goal and third point in three pre-season games.

Itâ€s also worth noting the teenager logged more ice time Sunday than Raty (16:58 to 15:51), again held his own in the faceoff circle (6-5) and was one of the forwards heavily leaned on in the final four minutes (2:32 of ice time) when the Canucks were pressing.

Cootes also showed his toughness by not missing a shift after an elbow from Ekholm in the second period and a blow to the face when knocked over by Atro Leppanen late in the third.

Itâ€s easy to see why the Seattle Thunderbird centre was the youngest captain in the Western Hockey League last season, and also wore the ‘C†for Canadaâ€s gold-medal-winning Under-18 team.

The Canucks†big three blue-line prospects, Victor Mancini, Elias Pettersson (Junior) and Tom Willander, have all shown well in camp and the pre-season. Pettersson was the only one who played in Edmonton, and looked solid again with three hits and 18:24 of ice time.

That all three defencemen are waiver-exempt is a huge advantage for the organization, and Allvin said Sunday there could be a “rotation†of them cycling between the NHL and AHL this season if no one player cements a roster spot with the Canucks.

Certainly, it does not appear that 26-year-old depth defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, signed as a free agent this summer after 194 NHL games in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, has done anything to play himself out of Vancouver and allow room for more than one prospect on defence.

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Garland missed a second straight pre-season game due to an undisclosed injury. The play-driving winger has been practising, but his absence is starting to feel similar to J.T. Millerâ€s mystery injury from a year ago when the former Canuck played only the final pre-season tuneup and clearly was not fully healthy when the season began.

Although Demkoâ€s save percentage Sunday wasnâ€t what heâ€d like, he couldnâ€t be faulted on any of the goals. And playing the whole game was a good sign for the starting goalie who needs reps after three separate injuries, including a torn popliteus muscle in his knee, restricted him to just 23 games last season.

The Abbotsford Canucks†No. 1 line of Karlsson alongside Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains was reunited against the Oilers. Their chemistry and familiarity with one another were evident in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, they were exposed a couple of times by the McDavid-Draisaitl-Trent Frederic line. The Canuck prospects didnâ€t face anyone like that in the AHL.

Foote to reporters in Edmonton: “We had a couple of probably young mistakes early with the wrong line on the ice. But I love the effort. I mean, we didn’t quit. Beautiful six-on-five (and) we outscored them 3-1 in the third. So, I really like this group. They didn’t quit, and they applied a lot of what we’ve been working on.â€

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Milwaukee Admirals right wing Ozzy Wiesblatt (89) slams Chicago Wolves defenseman Dominik Badinka (4) into the boards in a game Friday, April 18, 2025, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Continuing with the trend of mixing NHL veterans with young prospects through the pre-season, Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Saturday in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

While it’s typical to be inconsistent during the pre-season, the Predators appeared disjointed at times and looked like they could break through on other occasions, but fell to the Lightning 4-1 at the newly-named Benchmark International Arena.

Darren Raddysh scored at 5:34 of the first, Mitchell Chaffee tallied one in the second, Brandon Hagel got one late in the third and Gage Goncalves sealed the victory for the Lightning.

Ozzy Wiesblatt scored the only Nashville goal in an otherwise uninspiring night for the Predators, who fall to 2-1-1 in pre-season.

The two teams also met last Tuesday in Nashville, with Tampa Bay coming from behind to win in a shootout. The Predators attempted to pull a similar comeback Saturday, but came up well short.

Here are three takeaways from the matchup against Tampa Bay.

The Predators Started Sluggish

One of the biggest reasons the Predators had such a disappointing 2024-25 was their penchant for slow starts.

The first three games of this pre-season saw the opposite, with the Preds jumping out in front first. That was not the case Saturday, however, as Tampa Bay struck twice, once in the first period and once in the second, for a 2-0 lead. The Preds trimmed the margin to one, but that was as close as they came all night.

Juuse Saros, who had allowed only one goal in his first 60 minutes of pre-season action, yielded two scores on six shots through one-plus periods. He did make several key saves to keep Tampa from widening the gap before giving way to Matt Murray after 40 minutes Murray gave up the final two goals in the third.

The Predators couldn’t get out of the defensive zone and had numerous erratic passes in the first 20 minutes. They picked up the pace in the middle frame, outshooting the Bolts 14-6 in the period and 29-17 for the game. But only one of those shots went in the net.

Ozzy Wiesblatt Gets An Emotional Goal

Some players were seeing their first action of the pre-season including Tanner Molendyk and Zach Lâ€Heureux, who were both coming off injuries.

Ozzy Wiesblatt, who took a brief leave of absence following the death of his brother Orca earlier this month, also suited up for his first action of the pre-season, and he made his presence felt in an emotional way.

Wiesblatt, who played in the Gold Star Showcase Thursday and scored a goal in the five-a-side shootout, got his first goal in actual pre-season action to trim the Bolts†lead to 2-1.

The 23-year-old forward deflected a shot from Fedor Svechkov to get the Preds on the board at the 11:48 mark of the second. Michael Bunting picked up a secondary assist.

It may not have officially counted in the career stat sheet, but it certainly counted in the hearts of all who have been pulling for the Wiesblatt family.

Ozzyâ€s brother, Oasiz, is also back in camp. He, too, notched a goal in the shootout in Thursdayâ€s showcase. On Saturday, it was Ozzyâ€s night. He even got in a scrap in the third period, going off for cross-checking

Wilsby Went To Work

One name both Brunette and general manager Barry Trotz has raved about throughout the first week of camp is Adam Wilsby. The 25-year-old left-shot defenseman is one of the candidates to make the roster with Hague out.

Wilsby was paired with Roman Josi throughout the night. With the Predators trailing 1-0 in the first, both made bids to tie the game, only to be stymied by Bolts goalie Brandon Halverson.

As expected, there were some hiccups. A high-sticking call in the first period and a somewhat questionable tripping call in the second landed Wilsby in the sin bin. Wilsby and Josi were both on the ice on Tampaâ€s second goal. Josi overextended and Wilsby didnâ€t get over in time, and the Lightning took a 2-0 lead.

Wilsby showed his athleticism throughout the game and continues to keep his name in front of Brunette and Trotz for making the roster out of camp. Having the experience and leadership of Josi as his partner can only help the younger playerâ€s development and comfort level.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Americans made the wrong kind of history Saturday at the Ryder Cup.

Their opponents just became the first road team to win the first three sessions.

What was a three-point European advantage swelled to five by midday Saturday after Jon Rahm remained perfect in foursomes, Rory McIlroy continued to dole out punishment, and Viktor Hovland holed a clutch 8-footer on the 17th hole to help secure another full point for the Europeans.

Europe leads, 8 ½ to 3 ½, with the situation becoming increasingly dire for the U.S. It’s the largest lead for a road team since 1987. Here are some takeaways from the Saturday morning session:

Recap of Saturday morning’s foursomes matches at the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where the Europeans did something no visiting team has done since 1961 – and no European team has done ever.

• At the end of another historic season, Scottie Scheffler heard something unusual Saturday: Boos. Needing to mount a rally to flip the anchor match and split the foursomes session overall, Scheffler and partner Russell Henley failed to birdie each of the last five holes in what was a 1-up defeat. Scheffler’s ending was particularly uninspiring: In perfect position on 18, Scheffler dumped a wedge into the native grass short and right of the green. The world No. 1 dropped to 0-3 for the week – the first time that’s happened in Ryder Cup history.
• Europe’s foursomes firewall held up again Saturday. The duos of McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood and Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton improved to a combined 8-0 in the alternate-shot format over the past two Ryder Cups. Those four players, together, have trailed in a match after a total of just seven holes. Rahm is now 6-0 in the alternate-shot format.
• U.S. captain Keegan Bradley didn’t have a statistical justification for sending Collin Morikawa and Harris English back out in foursomes after a 5-and-3 thrashing on Friday morning, saying, basically: They were disappointed by their play and wanted another chance. Though they fought gamely, combining for five birdies, the Americans ran into the same problem they encountered a day early – McIlroy and Fleetwood, both in full flight. The European duo dropped seven birdies in foursomes, with McIlroy ending the match with a stuffed wedge to 3 feet after telling an unruly fan to “shut the f— up.†Both English and Morikawa will sit in the afternoon session after going 0-2 together.

Rory McIlroy backed away from the ball, turned around and told a group of heckling fans to “Shut the (expletive) up!†Then, he stepped up to his shot and did the work himself.

• The pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay is now 1-3 in their last four Ryder Cup foursomes matches together.
• Looking for a spark, Bradley will once again pair Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau together for afternoon fourballs. That duo went 1-0-1 together at Whistling Straits in 2021. DeChambeau got on the board alongside Cam Young in the morning, earning a 4-and-2 victory, but was the second-worst player statistically in the session for the U.S.
• Young was statistically the best player on the course, on either side, on Saturday morning. One of the few bright spots for the Americans, Young is the only American to earn two points so far. The Ryder Cup rookie will run it back with Justin Thomas in the leadoff spot for fourballs.
• Ben Griffin (0-1) and Rasmus Hojgaard (0-1) are the only players who will sit both sessions on Saturday. Six players will play all five sessions: McIlroy, Fleetwood and Rahm on the European side, with Scheffler, DeChambeau and Cantlay going the distance for the U.S.

EDMONTON — Suddenly, there are only three pre-season games remaining. If you are Noah Philp, or David Tomasek, or even Josh Samanski — and youâ€re planning on showing the Oilers brass something — time is running out.

On a day where 14 hopefuls were Bakersfield bound, those three all made their mark in a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Philp had a nice snipe and played a solid defensive game, Tomasek showed some offensive flair and created a goal off a nifty steal, and Samanski buried a puck right under the bar for a goal and added an assist.

There is a world in which we can see Tomasek and Philp on Edmontonâ€s roster when the season starts. Samanski, however, will be taking his talents to Bakersfield, where heâ€ll do his best to learn the North American game while auditioning for a spot on Germanyâ€s Olympic roster come February.

Could Samanski find himself in Italy on Leon Draisaitlâ€s national team?

“For sure,†he said after the game. “If you donâ€t think that way, youâ€re in the wrong sport.

“I think I presented myself pretty well at the world championships. I just want to make the coach have a hard decision not to pick me.â€

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GM Stan Bowman may have a nice find in Samanski, the six-foot-two, 195-pound, free-agent signing. Heâ€s big, skates well, and comes off as an intelligent young man — a huge part of figuring out what oneâ€s role should be in order to succeed as an NHL player.

But the 23-year-old Samanski is a project. At 27, Philpâ€s time to crack an NHL lineup has arrived.

“Iâ€d love to,†Philp said. “Thatâ€s why Iâ€m here. Thatâ€s the goal.

“They always tell you — and itâ€s true — that itâ€s up to you.â€

Philp has a couple of goals this camp, and is working diligently with new assistant coach Paul McFarland on his faceoffs. The Oilers need a righty to take faceoffs — particularly on the penalty kill — and Philp just might be that guy.

“Last year I struggled offensively,†he said of 2024 training camp. “For me itâ€s usually a defensive focus. But now Iâ€m feeling pretty confident, trying to work on the offensive side as well.â€

Calvin Pickard went the distance, stopping 21 shots for the shutout.

Darnell Nurse and the Oilers’ blue-line are getting some long awaited respect around the National Hockey League, with Jake Walman starting this season on the second pairing.

Itâ€s not often that the pre-season pundits are grading Edmontonâ€s D corps out as one of the better bluelines in the NHL, but they are this season, after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

“Weâ€re a group that played together in the playoffs last year, so you get a lot of familiarity with each other in tough situations,†said Nurse, the longest-serving Edmonton defenceman, who wired a shot off the post and in for the first goal of the game Friday. “It makes the game easier when youâ€re able to play with guys youâ€ve played with over the past few seasons.â€

Theyâ€re back again, fresh off another disappointment in the Final. The last team to start a season after two straight Final losses was the 1978-79 Boston Bruins, who lost both previous years to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs made it back to win the Cup in â€79, but the Bruins did not make the trip.

“To a man, we are a very motivated group,†Nurse promised. “Thereâ€s the disappointment of losing the first time (in the Cup Final). The second time is disappointing as well, and you donâ€t get over it.

“With that being said, there is a motivation in our group, and you could tell from even before camp.â€

The theme here in Edmonton isnâ€t about getting back to the Cup, however. Not yet at least.

Right now theyâ€re focused on finding their game earlier than they have the past two autumns — grabbing hold of the Pacific Division early, instead of chasing it all season long as they have the past two seasons.

“An area where weâ€ve preached but havenâ€t been good enough at, is the start of our season. For us, it started on Day 1 of camp, and weâ€ve got to continue it into the regular season,†said Nurse.

He was asked about the Olympic team, a perk that Nurseâ€s name is seldom associated with.

“Is it a dream of mine to play for Canada? Of course it is,†he said. “Itâ€s everyoneâ€s dream in our room to represent their country, and play in those big moments. But that doesnâ€t come from fantasizing over it every day. It comes from work, and taking it one day at a time.â€

The first cuts of camp came on Friday, with 14 players directed towards AHL Bakersfield:

Placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield

Released and will report to Bakersfield

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The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night in their second of four preseason matchups between the Southern California rivals.

The Kings took the exhibition opener on Sunday in Ontario, CA, by a score of 3-1, but lineups in this game featured far more projected NHL roster players.

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Both the Ducks and Kings iced a full top-six forward group and potential top-four defensemen.

Lukas Dostal got his first action of the preseason, as he started this one and stopped 17 of 18 shots before he was pulled halfway through the second period, as was reportedly planned.

Dostal was replaced by Calle Clang, who stopped 10 of the 12 shots he faced in the second half of the game.

In the Kings†net stood Darcey Kuemper, who earned the shutout by saving all 14 shots he faced in this one.

“Whether it was a power play, whether it was five on five, the puck wasnâ€t our friend tonight,†Joel Quenneville said after the game. “Thatâ€s got to be a strength going forward. Thereâ€s some things that weâ€re trying to work on. Just like the penalty kill and establishing certain things, it all starts with having the puck, and starting with the puck, and that didnâ€t occur too much.â€

Here are my notes on this game (once again, itâ€s preseason, so everything is to be taken with a grain of salt):

Defensive Zone Coverage-While the Ducks didnâ€t get the early kills they are striving for in their new systems, they didnâ€t allow much penetration to the middle of the zone or second chance opportunities. When they were hemmed, and they were hemmed often, it remained nondisastrous.

Lukas Dostal-Dostal was in mid-season form early in this game. As stated, the truly dangerous chances were limited, but he was able to track pucks through traffic, as is becoming his trademark, and his rebound control was spectacular, deflecting those distance shots to the corners of the ice.

“Sometimes you have games where the puck sticks to your chest better than other games, but thatâ€s been something that Iâ€ve worked on this summer,†Dostal said after the game. “The last two seasons in the NHL showed me the guys are crashing the net quite a lot, so itâ€s something that I worked on this offseason to eliminate the rebounds and something I really focused on.â€

Jacob Trouba-Trouba had a tough start in his first action of the exhibition season. He was directly involved in all three Los Angeles goals against; his gaps were too sizable, his closing speed wasnâ€t there, and he uncharacteristically struggled to properly box out Fiala on LAâ€s third goal.

The Ducks have a few days off, after which, they will next head to Bakersfield to take on the Kings again on Saturday for their fourth of seven preseason games.

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EDMONTON — While the fans at Rogers Centre stressed and fumed over a Toronto Blue Jays club that is leaking oil at the most important time of the season, across the country at Rogers Place in Edmonton, weâ€re not even sure the Oilers players were overly concerned with the outcome of perhaps the most meaningless game of their entire season.

OK — thatâ€s probably not fair.

But as Edmontonâ€s big guns came out to play for the first time, what ensued was a “how to†video for why the National Hockey League will be going down to four pre-season games starting next September.

Over-passing, over-skating, and inevitably, overcharging those brave fans who couldnâ€t resist a September night at an NHL rink, the Oilers were pedestrian at best in a low-event, 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

“A little sloppy,†said the Oilers’ only goal scorer, Andrew Mangiapane. “Good, though, to get the rust off.â€

The Oilers were simply missing something on Wednesday.

Edmonton debuted its new top line of Connor McDavid between Leon Draisaitl and Trent Frederic. Three players whose last game was Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final looked decidedly in pre-season form, with more dangles and hope passes than youâ€ll see in a week of playoff hockey.

After 60 minutes, the McDavid line had combined for four shots on goal, zero points and a minus-9 overall.

“Well, if you look at the stat line, it doesn’t look very good. But they spent a lot of time in the offensive zone,†offered head coach Kris Knoblauch. “(Frederic) was doing what he was supposed to be doing. He was around the net, made some plays on the half wall. It’s early.â€

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Stuart Skinner made his pre-season debut, and was only average as well. Which is fine — it was the opening pre-season game for so many, and history tells us it often turns out this way.

“I didnâ€t feel amazing out there,†he said. “I certainly feel like I could have stopped the second and third goals.â€

They are a necessary evil, these pre-season games. No matter how stultifying, or how devoid of an NHL calibre of hockey gets played.

One day after announcing a new three-year deal for Vasily Podkolzin, the news on Wednesday was decidedly less welcome. The Oilers announced that Podkolzinâ€s father had passed away suddenly back in Russia, and the Oilers winger would take a leave to return home for the funeral.

After the morning skate, before the news was made public, Draisaitl spoke in glowing terms of the young Muscovite, who has found a home next to the German star.

“I see a lot of upside in him,†Draisaitl said. “He has a smart, bright hockey mind. He really understands the game. With his work ethic, itâ€s just a matter of time until it all clicks. Year by year, youâ€re going to see more on the offensive side of things.â€

“Yesterday was maybe his best day of his life, signing that contract,†said Knoblauch. “Then today, what happened unexpectedly. Pods is a very popular guy in our room — guys have a lot of respect for him. We feel terribly for his family.â€

For now, Draisaitl will skate with McDavid and Frederic, a unit that Knoblauch hopes will still be intact when the season begins on Oct. 8. Frederic seemed to keep up with his linemates on Wednesday, despite the high ankle sprain he took into the summer.

“With that specific injury, youâ€ve got to give him time — into the season as well,†Draisaitl said. “Thatâ€s an injury that lingers around for a while. Itâ€s always nagging at you.

“The history with Freddie, he scored 18 goals two years in a row (2022-24 in Boston) in a third-line role, so thatâ€s impressive,†Draisaitl continued. “He certainly has skill. Heâ€s tough as nails, and heâ€s certainly a guy who is willing to learn a certain way to play to be successful (with McDavid and Draisaitl). If we can help him become more productive, more successful, of course weâ€re going to do that.â€

Inevitably, Draisaitl was asked about starting the campaign on a line with McDavid. He sighed.

“Guys, weâ€ve done this for 10-11 years,†he said to the media. “Itâ€s going to switch; itâ€s going to go back and forth. I do think itâ€s probably easier to coach the bench when weâ€re together. But weâ€ve done this for so long — we know exactly how to flip flop when weâ€re together or apart. Obviously, itâ€s a pleasure to be on the same line as him.â€

On being the NHLâ€s top-paid player this season, Draisaitl shrugged: “I put more pressure on myself than the contract ever could. Than any dollar ever could. I donâ€t try to think about the number much.â€

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Penalties proved costly in a game where the Nashville Predators led the majority of the way.

A late goal by the Lightning in the third period and a conversion in the third round of the shootout gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 win over the Predators on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

“I didn’t like our third period,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously, starting the game with a penalty didn’t help anything. I thought we got going and had a great second [period]. In the third we were kind of waiting around a little bit.”

The Predators were scoreless in the shootout as Steven Stamkos, Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault all missed on their attempts. Boris Katchouk scored the game-winning goal for the Lightning.

Here are three takeaways from the Predators preseason shootout loss to the Lightning.

Fans got a taste of what could be ahead of the Predators’ 2025 5th overall pick, Brady Martin, as he scored twice in the second period, both from the same area of the ice.

“It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” Martin said. “It’s pretty cool to score in front of a crowd like that and to hear them go wild is pretty cool.”

On the first goal, Martin scored from the right side of the slot off a pass from Matthew Wood, who was on the right side of the goal line close to the net.

His second goal came on the power play on the opposite side. Michael Bunting gave Martin a pass from just above the left side goal line and Martin one-timed it high into the net. The Predators’ top prospect was due for a goal as he led the Predators in ice time after the first period.

Martin finished the night with those two points. He’s been playing in a prominent spot in the lineup in these first two preseason games, centering the second line with Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault.

This bodes well for Martin as he’s looking to crack the Predators roster instead of heading back to Sault St. Marie for another season of juniors.

“Playing with the veterans, they’re leading me along the way,” Martin said. “I think just playing with them is helping me a lot. Learning all different tips and tricks is going to hopefully help me in the future.”

The Lightning committed 20 minutes in penalties in their first preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. That carried over into Tuesday’s matchup as they logged 12 penalty minutes.

At the same time, the Predators committed 18 minutes in penalties, one of which was assessed before the game had officially started. Six seconds into the game, Fedor Svechkov was given a delaying game – Face-off violation for a hand pass. After he committed the penalty, the clock was reset to 20 minutes.

“He [Svechkov] played with his hand right off the face-off and that’s a penalty,” Brunette said. “They [the officials] brought it back to center ice and reset the clock, because it wasn’t a legal puck-drop. I didn’t know the rule either.”

Another notable penalty came in the second period when Jonathan Marchessault was given a two-minute minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Tampa’s Grant Spada, who engaged with Marchessault on the penalty, was given a double-minor, putting the Predators on the power play.

Marchessault was in the box again for roughing in the third period.

What this all means is the Predators penalty killing and power play units got a lot of work.

Nashville was on the power play five times for a 9:12 total minutes, and converted on 1-of-5 opportunities. It was on the penalty kill six times and had a 100% execution.

The Predators took half of their six penalties in the third period, and while they were able to kill off each one, they were rarely on the attack and ultimately scored the game-tying goal.

On paper, the Predators’ special teams had a strong night, but they had constantly hampered themselves due to penalties.

On Tuesday, the Predators only top scorer from last season that did not play was Ryan O’Reilly.

Meaning that Nashville had all of its firepower, including Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and more. The top of its depth chart played Tuesday night.

The Lightning did not bring at least nine of their top scorers from last season, which included Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Darren Raddysh was the only player who traveled and scored at least 30 points in a single game last season.

Even it’s goaltending tandem, Brandon Halverson played one game last season.

On paper, this should’ve been a game that the Predators ran away with, similar to their pair of victories over the Panthers on Sunday. However, Nashville played into the penalties, and it ultimately cost them in the end.

“The lucky thing is that game did not count, so we learn from it, go in tomorrow, practice hard and move on from it,” forward Michael Bunting said. “It’s just an unfortunate ending.”

While it is the preseason and the results don’t count, it is somewhat concerning that the Predators, at near full strength, struggled against the Lightning’s prospects, AHL players, and a few regulars.

It’s not going to get any easier for the Predators as they will travel to Tampa Bay on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday, face those top squads and may be depleted in those games as their top players may not travel.

One preseason loss is not the end of the world, as the Predators have three more games left before they open their 82-game slate against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 in Nashville.

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The Anaheim Ducks hosted their first preseason game of the exhibition season on Monday, when they faced off against the Utah Mammoth.

The Ducks dropped a tight checking affair the night before against the Los Angeles Kings in a game mostly made up of inexperienced players, AHL players, and prospects.

This time out, they iced a nearly all-NHL top nine forward group, an NHL top four defensive unit, and projected backup Petr Mrazek. This was Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlundâ€s first appearances in full Ducks uniforms.

Mrazek stopped 14 of just 15 shots surrendered, mostly from distance and rarely on a second opportunity.

Utahâ€s lineup featured the likes of Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, and Mikhail Sergachev.

Karel Vejmelka got the nod for the Mammoth in this game and saved 10 of 13 shots before being pulled after the second period. Jaxson Stauber came in for the third period and stopped 7 of 10 shots.

Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report – 09/22/25

Preseason Live Blog: Utah Mammoth vs Anaheim Ducks

Here are my takeaways from this one (take everything with a grain of salt, as itâ€s still very early in preseason):

Systems-Every system feels like a throwback to a bygone era, but with a minor tweak. Thatâ€s meant to be a compliment, as this team required a change in that department, and they suit the roster well.

The penalty kill was a rotating box and diamond that wasnâ€t as disruptive as hoped for, but it took away dangerous seams. They ran a 1-2-2 neutral zone forecheck, allowing smart and skilled players to utilize their instincts to break up opposing efforts.

Most encouraging was the offensive zone. Puck possession is paramount, as is seeking out the most dangerous looks possible. The team has the skill to hang on to pucks and extend possessions while making deft reads off-puck.

Beckett Sennecke-His goal was spectacular and translatable. His on-puck game is polished, and heâ€s improved his protection ability. However, if this team is to make a true run for the playoffs, it may be in their best interest to keep him through training camp and send him back to junior before the season. His off-puck defensive habits are special, but on-puck leaves a lot to be desired. He could stand to improve his angling and engagement before heâ€s to be fully trusted at the NHL level. Unless of course, the Ducks feel he can contribute to their end goal and these last few efforts aren’t indicative of the immediate impact he can make.

Drew Helleson-Helleson fits next to LaCombe and within this system perfectly. Heâ€s an energy-conserving, cerebral defender who can now better utilize his length and anticipation to win pucks and ignite play the other way. Heâ€s an under-the-radar breakout candidate who may not be as under-the-radar after tonightâ€s performance.

The Ducks will be back at it on Wednesday, when theyâ€ll host the Los Angeles Kings at Honda Center for their third preseason game.

Preseason: Takeaways from the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 Loss to the Los Angeles Kings

Anaheim Ducks Training Camp: Zellweger, Mintyukov to Benefit Most from New Coaching Staff, Systems

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In arguably one of the most consequential regular-season series in franchise history, the Seattle Mariners marched into Daikin Park over the weekend and took all three games against their annual archnemesis, the Houston Astros.

It began Friday with a 4-0 shutout featuring excellent pitching and four solo home runs from four different batters, continued Saturday with a 6-4 victory punctuated by an epic, game-ending double-play courtesy of right fielder Victor Robles and concluded Sunday with an emphatic 7-3 victory highlighted by a seven-run second inning that set the tone for the sweep-to-be.

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Altogether, it was a comprehensive showing from a Seattle team that looked superior to Houston in nearly every facet of the game and opened a clear path to the Mariners†first division title since 2001 with six games left to play. The Astros, meanwhile, are suddenly at risk of missing the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Here are the biggest takeaways from a momentous three days in H-Town.

Cal Raleigh is chasing more than just home run records

Guess who homered again — and again? Thatâ€s right, Seattleâ€s switch-hitting, superstar backstop added another two long balls to his jaw-dropping total over the weekend. On Saturday, batting right-handed, Raleigh smashed an opposite-field blast into the Astros†bullpen for his 57th of the season, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.â€s franchise record for home runs in a single season. On Sunday, Raleigh turned around and swatted home run No. 58 while batting lefty, sending a screaming line drive down the right-field line to put an exclamation point on Seattleâ€s seven-run second inning.

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With six games remaining — including three against a Rockies team that has allowed an MLB-leading 239 dingers — Raleigh has a legitimate chance to become just the seventh player ever to reach 60 home runs in a single season, and he has an outside shot to chase down Aaron Judgeâ€s American League record of 62. But no matter how many home runs Raleigh finishes with, this has been a historic showing by multiple measures.

But enough about the homers. While Raleighâ€s sensational power production is worthy of our attention, allow me to direct you to another bit of history that has nothing to do with his bat: Raleigh has started 114 games behind the plate for Seattle this season and caught 1,046 innings — and has not allowed a single passed ball. If he remains unblemished for the final week, he will break the major-league record for innings caught in a season without allowing a passed ball, a mark set by Johnny Bench in 1975.

Raleighâ€s advanced defensive metrics might not shine quite as brightly as they did a year ago, when he caught more innings than any other catcher in baseball and won the Platinum Glove as the best overall defender in the American League. But this niche fun fact is another example of how his defensive skills manifest behind the plate — all while he is one of the most feared hitters in baseball.

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Hunter Brown has done his part

Before harping on what went sideways for Houston, itâ€s worth giving some love to an Astro who has unquestionably stepped up lately. The 27-year-old right-hander delivered his sixth consecutive quality start Friday, allowing just two runs (both solo homers) across six innings, though a no-show from Houstonâ€s offense rendered his strong effort moot. Brownâ€s 21 quality starts are tied with Garrett Crochet, Cristopher Sanchez, Logan Webb and Bryan Woo for the most in baseball, and with his nine punchouts Friday, he became the seventh pitcher to reach the 200-strikeout threshold this season.

Brown looks to be neck-and-neck with Max Fried for third behind Crochet and Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young race; heâ€ll have another outing this week in Sacramento to bolster his case. But wherever he finishes in the voting — and whether his start this week in Sacramento is his last of 2025 or another outing awaits in a crucial Game 162 and/or in the postseason — this year has been a tremendously exciting step forward for Brown. His individual breakout should not be overshadowed by the collective struggles around him.

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Bryan Wooâ€s early exit — and whatâ€s next

Woo showed well once again Friday, with five scoreless innings and just two baserunners allowed, continuing his magnificent campaign and lowering his season ERA to a sparkling 2.94. But Wooâ€s early exit after exhibiting discomfort while warming up for the sixth inning sent a shockwave of panic through the Mariners†fan base. Fears of the absolute worst were somewhat quelled postgame, when Woo and the Mariners explained that he departed due to “pec discomfort†and not some season-ending injury. An MRI Saturday confirmed some “inflammation†but not necessarily the kind of ailment that will put Woo on the shelf.

It remains to be seen whether Woo will make another regular-season start this week (his turn in the rotation would come Thursday vs. Colorado) or Seattle will play it safe and have him rest for the postseason. Regardless, this is clearly a crucial situation for the Mariners to monitor with October fast approaching.

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[Get more Mariners news: Seattle team feed]

Framber Valdez is scuffling at the worst possible time

For the first four months of the season, Valdez was a formidable co-ace alongside Brown atop Houstonâ€s rotation, a steady presence seemingly still in his prime as one of the leagueâ€s most reliable left-handers. Valdezâ€s 3.6 fWAR through the end of July was tied with Webb for fifth among starting pitchers, and he appeared on track to turn in another stellar campaign in the final year of his contract, priming him for a significant payday in free agency.

On less positive notes, in July, Valdez publicly criticized his teamâ€s defensive positioning after a narrow loss to the Nationals. Then there was the messy sequence in his first September start involving a cross-up with catcher Cesar Salazar that, at the very least, was brutally bad optics for Valdez. Most pertinently for the purposes of Houstonâ€s quest to return to October — and Valdezâ€s hopes of cashing in this winter — his performance his flatly tanked: After allowing another five runs against Seattle on Saturday, Valdez harbors a 6.71 ERA across nine starts since the start of August, the second-worst mark among 61 qualified starting pitchers over that span. Houston has lost eight of those nine outings, contributing to its loosening grip on a playoff spot.

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Valdezâ€s ascension from unheralded prospect into legitimate frontline arm has been one of the most important individual developments in this era of Astros baseball. Even with his recent struggles, a pitcher with his track record will be valued on the open market, and the expectation is that Valdez is unlikely to stay in Houston. As such, if he scuffles again in his final regular-season start and the Astros fail to qualify for the postseason, this would be an immensely disappointing end to what has been a hugely successful Houston tenure. Letâ€s see if thereâ€s time left for him to flip the script and finish on a high note.

Gabe Speier deserves your attention

Saturdayâ€s game concluded in dramatic fashion, with right fielder Victor Robles sprinting to make a diving catch and rob Carlos Correa before tossing the ball into second base and doubling off a confused Jake Meyers, who had taken off for home, assuming the ball had dropped. It was a spectacular play that will likely be replayed for years among Mariners faithful as perhaps the catch that sealed a long-awaited AL West title. But one inning prior, the Astros had a similar rally cooking before it was also squashed emphatically, this time thanks to Speier.

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After Jeremy Peñaâ€s grand slam in the seventh suddenly made a 6-0 Mariners blowout a narrow 6-4 lead, the Astros notched two hits in the eighth to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Yainer Diaz. Eduard Bazardo — another unheralded Mariners reliever — struck out Diaz for the second out. With lefty slugger Jesús Sánchez scheduled to hit next, Seattle manager Dan Wilson summoned the southpaw Speier from the bullpen. Houston countered with the righty-swinging Christian Walker as a pinch-hitter to recapture the platoon advantage, but Walker proved no match for what Speier had to offer. He unleashed three consecutive heaters — his four-seamer rates as one of the gameâ€s best — to garner a called strike one, a foul ball for strike two and a huge whiff from Walker for strike three to end the threat and the inning.

This was a signature moment for Speier, who has quietly been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball in 2025. He appeared sparingly for the Royals from 2019 to ‘22 before being claimed off waivers by Seattle. Speier was then stellar in his first year with the Mariners in 2023, but he took a step back last season, bouncing between Triple-A and the big leagues. Unquestionably, this season has been his best yet: Speierâ€s 2.23 FIP ranks fourth-lowest among qualified relievers, and his 1.8 fWAR ranks third among lefty bullpen arms, behind only Aroldis Chapman and Adrian Morejon. Seattleâ€s rotation and star closer Andres Muñoz get most of the headlines, but Speier is a crucial cog in the Mariners†run-prevention apparatus as they enter October.

Christian Walker is running out of time to make a difference

On the other end of that memorable showdown Saturday was Walker, whose first season as an Astro after signing a three-year, $60 million deal this past offseason is winding down in a less-than-ideal manner. Walker was downright bad the first half of the season (.660 OPS), eliciting ominous memories of the disastrous and eerily similar contract the Astros gave to Jose Abreu a few years back. Then Walker rebounded with an .831 OPS in 49 games across July and August, suggesting he could be a meaningful offensive contributor as the playoff race heated up.

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Unfortunately, he has faded once again right when Houston has needed run production the most. After hitting .316 on a nine-game road trip to Texas, Toronto and Atlanta, Walker went 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts to start the final homestand against the Rangers and Mariners before a single in Sundayâ€s game snapped the ugly skid.

To be clear, Walker is hardly the only Houston hitter who needs to step up over this final week, especially with Yordan Alvarezâ€s absence continuing to linger and Peña still missing games due to injury as well. Jose Altuve has also been quite unproductive lately. Correa has been hitting but not slugging. Sanchez has barely made an impact since arriving at the deadline. Isaac Paredes is already back from his hamstring injury, but heâ€s not 100 percent. While all of these circumstances have contributed to Houstonâ€s fall in the standings, itâ€s the underperformance from an every-day presence such as Walker — who has started 147 of Houstonâ€s 156 games — that stands out.

The road ahead

Seattle can smell October. Its magic number to clinch the AL West is down to three, meaning any combination of three Mariners wins or Astros losses over the final week will seal the division crown. The Mariners conclude their regular-season schedule with a six-game homestand featuring two ends of the competitive spectrum: three against the MLB-worst Rockies and three against the defending champion Dodgers. Granted, itâ€s possible the Dodgers will have wrapped up their latest NL West title and their postseason positioning by the time they arrive in Seattle this weekend, lessening how daunting that matchup could be.

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As for Houston, while another AL West title might be out of reach, a path to the postseason still exists. This week, Houston will first head to Sacramento for three against the Aâ€s before finishing in Anaheim against the last-place Angels. Although the Astros will need to go on the road to earn a berth, their remaining schedule appears more favorable on paper than those of the teams they are effectively chasing in Detroit (3 at Cleveland, 3 at Boston), Cleveland (3 vs. Detroit, 3 vs. Texas) and Boston (3 at Toronto, 3 vs. Detroit). At the very least, the Astros are sure to face notably weaker pitching against the Aâ€s and Angels compared to what they just endured with the Mariners, so perhaps the bats will heat back up.

But either way, this final push will require a full-team effort, and the Astros will also need some misfortune for the clubs ahead of them if they are to reach October for a ninth consecutive season. Weâ€ve counted this franchise out plenty of times before, so itâ€d be foolish to bury them just yet, but there is ample work to be done. An enormous week for this franchise awaits.

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