Sports
Seeking homestand sweep, high-powered Golden Knights to face Flames
Oct 26, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) celebrates with Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images The Vegas Golden Knights will try to complete a four-game homestand sweep on Monday night when they host the Calgary Flames in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights own the best home-ice record in the NHL (6-0-0), outscoring their opponents 34-16 in the process. Vegas has scored six or more goals in four of the six wins, including the past three in a row, a franchise record.
The Golden Knights opened the homestand with a 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. They followed that with a 6-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Friday and then cruised to a 7-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Mark Stone had a goal and two assists against the Sharks to move into the league lead in both points (17) and assists (13) while William Karlsson, who missed the first eight games of the season with an undisclosed injury, had a goal and an assist in his season debut.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo added two assists, his third consecutive multi-assist game. Pietrangelo has 11 assists this season, including eight over the past three games, and ranks second among defensemen in assists behind Colorado’s Cale Makar (12).
Karlsson, who had 30 goals and 30 assists last season, showed no signs of rust in his debut, needing only 17 seconds during his first shift of the season to set up Tanner Pearson for the first goal of the game. Vegas jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead, firing 22 shots on goal in the process.
Karlsson added a highlight-reel short-handed goal in the second period to make it 4-1, outracing San Jose goalie Vitek Vanecek for a loose puck at the top of the right circle. Karlsson chipped the puck away from Vanecek, then retrieved it in the right corner before skating back and calmly firing a shot into an open net.
“I like to watch him play,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said of Karlsson. “That’s the simplest compliment. I love watching him play the game. He plays it the right way. He plays with pace, he can score. You look at the short-handed goal he scores. It’s 3-1, they get back in the game, and he takes the wind out of their sails. Just a hustle play.”
Calgary, which opened the season with four straight wins, has lost three of its past four (1-2-1), including back-to-back home games against the Carolina Hurricanes (4-2) on Thursday and the unbeaten Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Saturday.
Cole Perfetti scored the game-winner for the Jets on a power play with 3:44 remaining after Nazem Kadri was called for a slashing penalty on Neal Pionk. Mason Appleton added an empty-netter to seal the win for Winnipeg.
Kadri, who had tied the score 3-3 with his fourth goal of the season, made no secret of his displeasure with the penalty called on him that set up the game-winner.
“What are you going to do?” he said. “It’s a great game, we had a great game on our hands, (and) it’s very unfortunate that’s what it came down to. Feel like you have to have some feel for the game, especially when they’re coming off a five-on-three (power-play). To have that one called is upsetting.”
“It is what it is,” Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. “You move on and make sure we’re fighting for the win in our next game.”
The Flames are 2-0-1 on the road this season, including a 6-5 overtime win at Vancouver and a 4-1 victory at Edmonton.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
Sep 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder a(7) brings the ball up the pitch against Charlotte FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Their leading goal scorer wants out of town and their goalkeeper is public enemy No. 1 after a costly gaffe during the World Cup played a key role in the United States losing to Belgium in the round of 16.
But New York City FC is still relying on Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Matt Freese for big contributions Saturday night when the Chicago Fire invade Yankee Stadium.
Fernandez Mercau scored his 11th goal on a penalty kick Wednesday night during a 2-1 win at Columbus that got NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to .500. It came one day after reports that the club rejected an $18 million offer for his services, leading to his demand that the team transfer him.
“You see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of Fernandez Mercau. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Freese, whose whiffed clearing attempt led to a third goal for Belgium in a 4-1 win on July 6, was booed on every touch Wednesday. Despite the jeers, he made three saves in the team’s first fixture after the World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) sits third in the East table despite a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Inter Miami. The result snapped the Fire’s three-match winning streak.
Chicago opted not to stand pat during the summer transfer window, adding Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Lewandowski, the captain of Poland’s national team, started at Miami and played 63 minutes.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski’s signing led to the departure of star striker Hugo Cuypers. The Fire sold him to LIGA MX’s Monterrey for a reported $7.5 million after he scored 40 goals in 75 league matches over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 matches this season, tying Dallas’ Petar Musa for the league lead.
NYCFC is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal acquire Brayan Ceballos from Revs for up to $850K GAM
Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) congratulates defender Brayan Ceballos (3) after he scored his second goal during the first half against the FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The New England Revolution traded defender Brayan Ceballos to CF Montreal on Friday in exchange for up to $850,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
The payments were divided into $500,000 in 2026 GAM, $250,000 in 2027 GAM and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM. The Revs also retained a percentage of Ceballos’ sell-on rights should he be transferred again.
“Brayan is a reliable and versatile defender who can play effectively in a variety of systems, making him an important addition to our roster,” Luca Saputo, Montreal’s managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology, said in a statement. “His strengths will complement those already present in our defensive unit. We are confident that he will contribute to our collective objectives as well as the team’s development.”
Ceballos, 25, came to the Revolution from Brazil’s Fortaleza EC in January 2025. He had three goals in 38 career games (37 starts) for the Revs, with two of those goals coming in one game this season, March 15 against Cincinnati.
“We are grateful to Brayan for all his contributions during his time in New England. We wish him all the best in Montreal,” Revolution general manager Chris Tierney said in a statement. “As we look to continue improving the first team, generating this significant amount of allocation money will allow us to continue investing in the roster in the future.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Abu Dhabi Best Bets: Top Picks for Ankalaev vs. Guskov Fight Night
Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; UFC CEO Dana White talks to the press after the fight between Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images We’re one day away from the UFC returning to its Fight Island home on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for another weekend Fight Night. It’s the first of what is expected to be two occasions this year where the Octagon lands in Abu Dhabi, with the annual late October numbered card in Abu Dhabi expected.
The main event will see former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev taking on Bogdan Guskov.
This will be Ankalaev’s first fight since dropping the title to Alex Pereira last year at UFC 320. Before that, Ankalaev went on a 14-fight unbeaten streak, culminating with his UFC 313 title win over Pereira.
Guskov takes this fight on short notice, only being announced for this bout on July 13 after an injury to Khalil Rountree Jr. Guskov dropped his UFC debut but then won four straight. He most recently fought at UFC 323, battling former champion Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw.
The co-main event will see former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg battle Ramazan Temirov. After losing three straight, Erceg enters this bout with back-to-back wins, defeating Ode’ Osbourne last year and Tim Elliott this past May in Perth. Temirov, meanwhile, has won 11 straight, including his first two UFC bouts, finishing CJ Vergara and earning a decision over Charles Johnson.
The rest of the main card will see Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman, Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov, Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune, and Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev.
ISLAM DULATOV VS WELLINGTON TURMAN
Unbeaten since dropping his pro debut, Islam Dulatov is a name the UFC has had its eye on. He’s 11-1, had a strong first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series, and quickly finished Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut last year. At 6’3” and with a 75-inch reach, Dulatov is a fairly big man for the welterweight division. Add in his high-volume striking and pressure, and his ability to finish by either KO/TKO or submission, and you can see the danger he presents.
Wellington Turman is an experienced veteran of the Octagon, and he’ll look to trouble Dulatov with his jiu-jitsu work. This will be Turman’s first fight since December 2023, however, and he enters this fight on a three-fight losing skid. Signs point to this being another Dulatov showcase.
BET: Dulatov to win via KO/TKO in Round 1 (FanDuel: -110)
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VALTER WALKER VS THOMAS PETERSEN
How Valter Walker is not on the main card of this event is downright criminal. He might be fighting an unranked fighter and the heavyweight division might be lackluster, but he’s probably this writer’s favorite thing about the division right now. The man gets submissions like crazy, and he’s developing into one of the most talented heavyweights in a UFC division that desperately needs talent.
Petersen has talent, but he’s been up and down since entering the UFC – and I prefer the competition Walker has faced. Point blank, a loss for Walker here would be devastating for not just Walker, but the division as a whole. The challenge for making a play here is that Petersen has a wrestling base and has never been submitted…and yet, the way Walker’s momentum has been, that might not matter.
BET: Walker via submission (DraftKings: +165)
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DUSTIN JACOBY VS MUHAMMAD SAID
Dustin Jacoby might not reach the upper echelon of the UFC light heavyweight rankings, but he’s tough competition for anyone who is put in front of him. The power in his strikes, which stem from his kickboxing days, translated well into the Octagon. Not only are his losses not bad, but he’s riding a three-fight KO/TKO streak entering this bout.
Said is going to have a hometown factor in this one, and he’s a strong striker and finisher in his own right. The question about him is the level of competition. Jacoby is the most experienced guy he’s going to have fought – in his first six fights, he fought fighters who had no more than four fights. He’s faced experienced fighters in his last three, but they didn’t have the greatest of records.
Some have felt this will be a difficult fight to predict, but I’ll trust in both fighters’ finishing abilities.
BET: Fight to end via KO/TKO/DQ (Caesars: -125)
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NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
