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The Minnesota Wild are staring down elimination. Entering Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Wild are one loss from their season ending.
Facing a must-win game, the Wild need a huge performance from veteran winger Mats Zuccarello. Through the first five games, Minnesota's top forwards have led the way. Kirill Kaprizov has five goals and nine points in the series, and Matt Boldy has five goals and seven points.
After that, the offense runs a bit dry. The next leading goal scorer in the series is rugged winger Marcus Foligno, who has three goals. He's not there to provide that offensive spark, however. Which is where Zuccarello comes in.
Through five games in the series, he has one goal and two assists. Averaging over 18 minutes of ice time, he's logging consistent second-line minutes, but their production as a unit has stagnated. According to MoneyPuck's game data, the line consisting of Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman, and Marcus Johansson hold an expected goals percentage of 33.3% over 14 minutes of even-strength ice time. The best combination involving Zuccy has been the trio of him, Foligno, and Hartman. Playing just under 15 minutes of even-strength ice time together, they managed an expected goals percentage of 47.4%.
It may seem counterintuitive, but a key to getting Zuccarello going at 5-on-5 is to get him going on the power play first. During the regular season, he scored 19 goals and added 35 assists. Three of those goals and 13 assists, 16 total points, came during the man advantage. So far against the Golden Knights, he's been held pointless on the power play. If the Wild can convert with Zuccarello moving the puck, it can give him the kickstart he needs to start playmaking at 5-on-5.
The Golden Knights are in control, and the Wild are backed into a corner. To continue this series, the Wild need a hell of a game from Zuccarello and company.
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Sportsnet’s turn to link Evgeni Malkin to the Canadiens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a better-than-expected start to the season. In fact, at the time of writing, the Pittsburgh Penguins have the best record in the NHL. And while it’s a small sample size, it’s still pretty remarkable. Who had that on their bingo card? That said, I don’t really know if many people believe the Penguins will be able to keep up the pace to stay in the playoff hunt all season. The result? There are trade rumors surrounding Penguins players. The name of Evgeni Malkin, a player who is at the end of his contract and whose time in the NHL is coming to an end, continues to circulate. The Panthers’ name comes up a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Florida. But other teams could also be in the running. And on this subject, Michael Amato (Sportsnet) has drawn up a portrait of certain teams that could be interested. Among them are three Canadian clubs: the Canadiens, the Maple Leafs and the Jets. This isn’t the first time Malkin’s name has come up. We know that Sidney Crosby is also being discussed. It’s the same for a player like Nazem Kadri. It’s the same for a lot of guys, really. So, the question is: with the Habs off to such an excellent start, at what point should the addition of an older center be part of the Habs’ thinking? After all, the Canadiens turned the corner on rebuilding in 2025 rather quickly. And more than ever, the goal is to start winning soon. Let’s wait and see if the start of the season isn’t just a flash in the pan. But… But if the Habs hold their own, we’ll have to have a real debate on the question… especially bearing in mind that the Habs are the youngest club in the NHL and that a veteran presence would help. overtime – Have a good listen. – Juraj Slafkovsky or Logan Cooley? [BPM Sports] – Indeed.
Cowboys WR George Pickens has telling response to question about contract
George Pickens is having an outstanding first season with the Dallas Cowboys, and the career-best pace has come at a time when he is preparing for potential free agency. Is it possible the star wide receiver could sign an extension before he gets to that point? Pickens says that is up to his boss. Pickens, who was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, is in the final season of his rookie contract. He was asked on Thursday if he would consider signing a new deal with the Cowboys before he becomes a free agent after the season. He had a noteworthy response. "That’s kinda up to what (Jerry Jones) wants to do. All I can do is perform at my best," Pickens said. George Pickens has earned No. 1 wideout money Pickens has 685 receiving yards through the first eight weeks of the season, which ranks third in the NFL. His six touchdown catches are already the most of his four-year career. CeeDee Lamb missed several games this season with an ankle injury, and Pickens showed during that time that he is more than capable of being the featured wideout in a quality offense. That should go a long way toward setting his market, whether he re-signs with the Cowboys or becomes a free agent. With Lamb making an average of $34M per year, the Cowboys probably cannot afford to keep Pickens. For now, the 24-year-old is at least giving off the impression that he is open to the possibility. He also suggested recently that money is not the most important thing to him with his next contract, which could keep Dallas in the running.
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage is already making the rest of MLB look foolish for passing on him
The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans witnessed something special on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get much better than a convincing 6-1 Game 5 win to take a 3-2 lead over the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Heading back home with the chance to win a championship at the Rogers Centre was what truly mattered for the Blue Jays; however, the way it all played out in such a pivotal game at Dodger Stadium will go down in history. Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was untouchable, throwing seven dominant innings where he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out 12. Those 12 punchouts set the rookie record for the most ever in a World Series game. Seven of them came against the heart of the order in Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. His one-of-a-kind splitter had them fooled from start to finish. Yesavage’s ridiculous rise from starting the year in Class-A Dunedin to carving up the best lineups in baseball in the postseason is unheard of. It makes you wonder how he fell all the way to the Blue Jays at pick No. 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft to begin with. Trey Yesavage has 18 teams regretting their decision While it’s still extremely early to be looking back on his draft class, what Yesavage has done these last few months can’t be replicated. A 22-year-old jumping onto a moving train with just three career MLB starts under his belt goes on to start five playoff games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts. Those are the kinds of numbers you expect to see from Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not a rookie with almost no big league experience. Nineteen different organizations let Yesavage slide down the draft board last July. At this point, the Athletics are the only ones who should feel alright about their decision, given that first baseman Nick Kurtz already looks like one of the best hitters in baseball. The 18 others look silly. While some of these prospects will certainly turn out to be good players, it’s safe to say that none of them will make this type of impact on the world’s biggest stage. If the Blue Jays can pull this off and win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yesavage will never have to buy another meal in Toronto again. Quite frankly, he’s been so good that he may not have to even if they don’t find a way to finish the job. No matter how this all ends, Yesavage has not only turned himself into a Toronto sports legend, but a Canadian sports legend. The city and country can't wait to see what else he has in store because if this postseason was any indication, then they are in for many more historic performances in the years to come.
Mariners Can Afford To Cut Ties With 5-Year Veteran
The Seattle Mariners, unfortunately, are on the outside looking in right now with the World Series still in full swing. The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are still duking it out for the trophy, as of writing, and the Mariners are among the 28 other teams in Major League Baseball having to start to think about the 2026 season. Seattle was so close to making it to its first World Series in franchise history. As close as you can get without making it, being Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Now, the Mariners have to try to flush all of that away and find a way to get even better in 2026. Those decisions will come. There will be free agent additions, maybe some trades, and other things of that nature. But, with the offseason here, teams have to also take care of some tasks right away, including the Nov. 21st deadline for player to decide whether to give contracts to arbitration-eligible players. It will be some of the first big decisions of the offseason. MLB.com Mariners insider Daniel Kramer did a primer for the offseason and one player they suggested could be non-tendered is veteran reliever Tayler Saucedo. "Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when does the club have to make that decision? Teams have until Nov. 21 to decide whether to tender a contract to each of their arbitration-eligible players," Kramer said. "Those not tendered a contract will become free agents. It would make sense to move on from Tayler Saucedo "Among those criteria, reliever Tayler Saucedo is the clearest candidate, given that this is his second year of eligibility, that he’d earn at least the $937,500 figure from last year and that he spent most of 2025 with Triple-A Tacoma, where the lefty also missed two months with a left lat strain." In an offseason that will have plenty of decisions, this is a suggestion that makes a lot of sense. Saucedo made only 10 appearances for the Mariners in 2025 and had a 7.43 ERA to show for it. He was steady for Seattle the two previous seasons in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, he had a 3.59 ERA in 52 outings. He followed up with a 3.49 ERA in 53 appearances in 2024. Seattle had one of the better bullpens in baseball in 2025. The Mariners finished the regular season with the ninth-ranked bullpen ERA at 3.72 and that was with Saucedo only pitching in 10 games. If the Mariners are looking for some potential ways to save some cash, this would be a good way, but not to save a lot. More MLB: Josh Naylor Raises Eyebrows With Comment On Cal Raleigh's Instagram
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