Slacking off in the second half: a very bad habit that’s making a comeback

The Montreal Canadiens can count themselves lucky to have picked up a point last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins in that 6-5 overtime loss.
The Habs' talent allowed the team to get back into the game by erasing a four-goal deficit, but it will take more than just talent to win games this season.
The Habs players completely fell asleep in the second period, playing lackluster, uninspired hockey—and that's not due to a lack of talent, but to a lack of discipline.
Shift after shift, Mar

In MLB, there are several categories of players.
There are players who don't have enough experience to have control over their salaries. There are players eligible for free agency.
And in between? Players eligible for arbitration.
Of course, players aren't required to go before an arbitrator. But if they can't reach an agreement with their team, they have the option to do so to help their case.
What does this look like for the Blue Jays? Thanks to MLBTR's projections, we have a better idea of th

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens didn’t play their best game, especially in the second period.
At least, as we've come to expect from them over the past year, they staged a comeback in the third period. However, they ultimately had to admit defeat in overtime.
A few players didn't play very well. Jakub Dobes didn't play his best, Xhekaj made a costly mistake, and Matheson took a penalty in the first period that eventually led to the Penguins' first goal.I originally wrote that Matheson, X

In Detroit, there have been plenty of trade rumors since Dylan Larkin requested a trade.
Yesterday, we learned that young defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is still a restricted free agent, would like to leave the Red Wings.
You know, when things aren't going well…
Anyway, after Larkin and Edvinsson, there could be free agent Alex DeBrincat next, as Max Bultman of The Athletic explains.
DeBrincat's family is from the Detroit area, so naturally, he wouldn't want to leave. However, the chaos

In addition to being selected to the All-Star Game four times, Luis Arraez has three batting titles to his credit. This season, the 29-year-old finished with a .310 batting average, one point behind Gabriel Moreno of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League batting title.
Yet last winter, Arraez had a really hard time landing a decent contract. It seems, however, that this won't be the case during the upcoming offseason.
In fact, according to what an American League team executive told F

The Montreal Canadiens lost the game last night, but they also lost Alexandre Carrier, who retreated to the locker room in the second period after being shoved hard into the boards by Egor Chinakhov.
The Quebec-born defenseman did not return to the game afterward, missing nearly half of the contest.Alexandre Carrier, injured in the neck, heads to the locker room… https://t.co/X8JNk28YIO
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 4, 2026He looked like he was in a lot of pain, and let's just s

If the Los Angeles Dodgers have one weakness, it's certainly in the bullpen—and more specifically at the closer position.
In fact, the California team's top reliever entered the ninth inning of yesterday's (Saturday's) game against the Atlanta Braves with a four-run lead and came out of it with a lead of just two runs.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, they had built up a cushion thanks to a few home runs. But this still raises a number of questions about what lies ahead.
Still, Scott's role se

On Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the season opener, it was the Montreal Canadiens' depth—specifically the third and fourth lines—that got the job done and helped the Habs secure the win.
Last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was the exact opposite: the top players were the best, and they were the ones who sparked the impressive comeback, securing at least one point for the Habs.
The first line was absolutely on fire, but unfortunately, the same cannot be

The New England Patriots may have an important decision to make regarding Morgan Moses before the NFL trade deadline.
The veteran offensive lineman has been identified as the most logical trade candidate for the team, largely due to the presence of young Caleb Lomu.
According to an analysis reported by Heavy, Bleacher Report has identified Morgan Moses as the Patriots' “most logical trade chip” among the 32 NFL teams. This assessment is based primarily on the development of Lomu, who

After patiently waiting for their opponent in the first round of the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of the extra rest to hand the San Diego Padres a 3-2 loss in their Division Series opener.
The outcome of the game could have been very different had it not been for a controversial call by the umpires, who ruled that a hit by Ty France in the ninth inning was an out even though the ball was heading well over the fence before hitting the roof of American Family Field and falling di

Last night marked the first Saturday night of the 2026–2027 National Hockey League season, with 26 teams in action across 13 games.
There were several highlights aside from the Montreal Canadiens' incredible—though ultimately incomplete—comeback.
Here's a recap of the night.
1. Kirill Marchenko Scores His First Goal with the Leafs
We've been waiting for it, and here it is: Kirill Marchenko opened his scoring account with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, finding the back of t

The Montreal Carabins may have secured an important victory on Saturday, but it could take its toll.
The Montreal team defeated the Sherbrooke Vert et Or 23-17 at CEPSUM in a game where they lost two key offensive players.
The game had started well for the Montreal Carabins, who had to work hard to overcome a Sherbrooke team still searching for its first win of the season. The visitors even took a 14-10 lead in the second half, putting considerable pressure on the defending champions.
However, t

Tyson Philpot has just written his name into the history books of the Canadian Football League.
The Montreal Alouettes wide receiver took advantage of the 37-10 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to set two new Canadian single-season records. (3DownNation⁠
)
The first record is particularly impressive. With a spectacular 46-yard catch late in the second quarter, Tyson Philpot surpassed the previous record of 1,662 yards by a Canadian player in a single season. That record had been held

In the third game of the day today (Saturday), it was the New York Yankees' and the Tampa Bay Rays' turn to face off in the Division Series.
Gerrit Cole took the mound for the Yankees, while Drew Rasmussen did the same for the Rays. To say the least, both pitchers did their job, as only one run was scored in the entire game.
In fact, Jonathan Aranda's solo home run sealed the outcome of the game for the Rays, who take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Jonathan Aranda … WAY OUT OF HERE @RaysBaseba

After a win in the season opener, the CH was back in action.
This time, they were in Pittsburgh.
Here are the lineups:Tonight's projected lineup
Tonight's projected lineup#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/213YQ0fcOi
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) October 3, 2026Butterfly decal, rearview mirror, dogging the scene
You smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth…
Penguins LinesRobertson-Crosby-Rakell
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Lapierre-KINDEL-Kuzmenko
Dewar-LIZOTTE-Hallander
Carlile-Karlsson
G

Simon Edvinsson still doesn’t have a contract lined up for next season.
He is currently in Sweden and eagerly awaiting the signing of his next contract. There hasn't been a general manager for quite some time, which explains the delay in this matter.
But tonight, we've just learned that he wants to leave.BREAKING: Simon Edvinsson prefers to be traded out of Detroit, per @FriedgeHNIC. pic.twitter.com/lyyrAENEIn
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) October 4, 2026What's going on in Detroit?

Last night, Michael Hage put on a great debut performance in his first game of the season: two goals and one assist.
Today: one goal and three assists. He has seven points in two games this weekend.
It's true that Bowling Green isn't the toughest opponent, but seven points are seven points…Michael Hage with a backhander and we're tiedpic.twitter.com/fQobHgdDvA
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) October 3, 2026Bowling Green gave Michigan a tough time in the second game, following a 7-2

The Toronto Blue Jays have had Mark Shapiro as their president for more than 10 years. And the ownership group doesn't seem to have any complaints.
After all, the baseball executive has an excellent reputation in MLB.
But it goes beyond that. After all, the Rogers family reportedly considered handing him the reins of several franchises—overseeing the Blue Jays, the Raptors, and the Maple Leafs.
But right now, that doesn't seem to be the most likely scenario.
In fact, Jonah Sigel (Toronto S

Cole Caufield was Mr. Saturday Night throughout the 2025–2026 season, scoring 21 goals.
He's looking to defend his title heading into the 2026–2027 season. He scored his first goal of the season in the opening moments of tonight's game against the Penguins.
Chris Kreider recorded his first point with the Habs on the play.FIRST SATURDAY NIGHT, FIRST GOAL FOR COLE! pic.twitter.com/yZLJUpf3dp
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 3, 2026The quest for a second consecutive 50-goal seaso

Today marked the start of the Division Series in Major League Baseball, and following the matchup between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, it was the Atlanta Braves' and Los Angeles Dodgers' turn to face off.
For the occasion, Tarik Skubal took the mound for the California team, while Dylan Dodd did the same for the Georgia squad.
The scoreless tie held until the fourth inning, when Teoscar Hernandez sent Victor Mederos' pitch deep into left field to give his team a two-run lea

Last night, Jacob Fowler spoke to the media after his first game of the season. And the goaltender took the opportunity to admit that he wasn't happy to learn he'd be starting the year in Laval.
Considering that the kid has proven he can hold his own in the NHL and that he's a competitor, those comments make sense. You shouldn't read too much into it, you know.
And after watching Fowler play last night, we saw the youngster back in net for the Rocket this afternoon. It sent a clear message that

On Thursday night, the Panthers saw Aleksander Barkov get injured. The team's captain, who missed the entire 2025–26 season due to a knee injury, injured his knee again after taking a strange fall.
It's not the same knee… but it's still very concerning.
And today, we learned that Barkov is heading to the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list. That means he'll miss at least 10 games, but the Panthers' medical staff will reevaluate the Finnish player on Monday. It's likely that his kn

Laval University's Rouge et Or continues to dominate college football in Quebec.
Glen Constantin's team secured its fifth win in as many games on Saturday, this time by a score of 48-15 against the Concordia Stingers.
After already shutting out Concordia 14-0 in early September, the Rouge et Or once again dictated the pace of the game. This time, the Stingers were able to get on the scoreboard, but they were never truly able to compete with the visitors.
Concordia had opened the scoring about fi

The Montreal Alouettes will be back in action Saturday night when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Percival Molson Stadium.
The game, scheduled for 7 p.m., represents an important opportunity for the Alouettes to continue their excellent season in front of their fans.
The Alouettes currently boast an impressive record of 11 wins and three losses. They remain undefeated at home this season, with a perfect 7-0 record. After enjoying a bye last week, the Montreal team will look to pick up whe

Dylan Larkin's case is truly fascinating.
The more time passes, the more we realize that the Red Wings' inaction on this issue is (unsurprisingly) causing problems. With each passing month, the situation seems to become more and more problematic.
Yesterday, on the sidelines of the Red Wings' home opener, the fans' reaction spoke volumes.Dylan Larkin was introduced at the Red Wings' home opener and received a whole lot of boos pic.twitter.com/fOsgr1FzMZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 2, 2

Patrik Laine is still without a contract for the 2026-27 season. The former Canadiens player, who hasn't played since October 16, 2025, is therefore still looking for a job for the season.
His many shortcomings on the ice don't help… but the fact that he's such a good scorer will always keep his name in the conversation.
And after a few quiet days, there's new development on the front from Finland.
Antti Mäkinen, who covers hockey in Laine's home country, stated that two teams have b

It is fair to think that every part of Terry Fox ’s short life has been discussed and chronicled.Since his 1980, 143-day-long Marathon of Hope has been taught in schools, commemorated in statues and, each year, runs in his name are held around the world. But after encountering Fox’s image while travelling and seeing one of his statues from a stoplight in Ottawa, Toronto filmmaker Sean Menard realized that he did not really know Terry Fox, the man.“I didn’t know how old h

Last night, Jacob Fowler made his debut in the 2026–27 season. After finishing last season with the Canadiens, however, he began the new season with the Laval Rocket.
Kent Hughes didn't want a three-way situation with the big club, and Samuel Montembeault has clearly done enough to earn the No. 2 spot.
But what's interesting is that Fowler opened up to the media about all of this… and you can tell the kid still hasn't come to terms with being sent back to Laval.
Fowler said he wasn'

Tonight, the Canadiens will face the Penguins in Pittsburgh. This will be the final road game for Martin St-Louis's team, who will head home in preparation for their game next Tuesday.
But before thinking about the Hurricanes, we have to focus on the Penguins tonight.
The main question heading into tonight's game was whether Oliver Kapanen would return to the lineup. The injured Finnish forward has been back at practice over the past few days.
But clearly, he's not ready yet (or Martin St-Louis

The Montreal Canadiens will play their second game of the season tonight when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will open their season at home.
Martin St-Louis's squad will once again face a team celebrating its season opener, after defeating the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday.
It was a great win for the Habs, which, surprisingly, wasn't driven at all by the team's top six.
One might have expected a much better performance from the Canadiens' big names, but in the end, it was the bottom