NHL – National Hockey League – Regular Season Start
Last Night

Colorado  Avalanche 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2

Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 2 – Avs raise banner, beat  Blackhawks 5-2 to start title defense 

  Artturi  Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin each scored two power-play goals, Mikko Rantanen  had four assists and the fast-skating Colorado Avalanche began their Stanley  Cup title defense with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly after  raising their newest banner to the rafters, the Avalanche went to work. Andrew  Cogliano scored Colorado’s first goal of the season, the only goal in the game  that wasn’t on the power play. Nathan MacKinnon, fresh off a new lucrative  contract, contributed two assists, while new goaltender Alexandar Georgiev  stopped 15 shots. Jonathan Toews and Max Domi had goals as Luke Richardson made  his coaching debut for the Blackhawks.

Tonight

  Chicago  Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights, 10:00 p.m. 

NFL – National Football League – Week 6
Tonight

  Washington  Commanders at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m.

NFL  – Fields, Bears try to build on progress when Commanders visit

  Chicago  quarterback Justin Fields finally showed signs of progress by delivering his  best performance this season, and the Bears staged a big comeback, only to come  up short in the closing minutes. They hope those promising steps continue when  they host the struggling Washington Commanders in a Thursday night matchup.  Fields set career highs in completion rate and passer rating in a 29-22 loss at  Minnesota on Sunday. The former Ohio State star was 15 of 21 for a season-best  208 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders come in with four straight losses  since holding on to beat Jacksonville in their season opener. Tennessee beat  them 21-17 last week.

NFL  – Raiders’ Davante Adams charged for shoving photographer

  Las  Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams has been charged with misdemeanor assault  for shoving a photographer to the ground as he left the field following a loss  at Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri, police said Adams pushed Ryan Zebley to  the ground while running off the field following the Raiders’ 30-29 loss to the  Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night. Police called it an “intentional,  overt act” that caused whiplash, a headache and a possible minor concussion.  Adams apologized in his postgame comments to the media and later on Twitter.

MLB  – Major League Baseball Playoffs – Divisional Series – Best of Five
Yesterday

  Atlanta  Braves 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0                                    (Series tied 1-1)

  San  Diego Padres 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 3                                (Series tied 1-1)

Braves 3, Phillies 0 – Wright outduels Wheeler, Braves  blank Phils 3-0 to even NLDS 

  Kyle  Wright threw six brilliant innings to outduel Zack Wheeler, and the Atlanta  Braves evened their NLDS at one game apiece with a 3-0 victory over the  Philadelphia Phillies. After rain delayed the first pitch by nearly three  hours, Wright surrendered just two hits. He claimed the win when the Braves got  to Wheeler for three runs in their half of the sixth. This was a game the  reigning World Series champions had to have after losing the best-of-five  series opener, 7-6. They had the right guy on the mound. Wright led the majors  with 21 wins during the regular season.

Padres 5, Dodgers 3 – Padres pull out 5-3 victory over  Dodgers, tie NLDS 1-all 

  Manny  Machado homered early and added an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and Jurickson  Profar singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the San Diego  Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 to even their NL Division Series at a  game apiece. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Trea Turner went deep for the  Dodgers, but LA couldn’t come up with its usual clutch hitting despite numerous  chances. The best-of-five series shifts to San Diego for Game 3 on Friday.

Today

  Seattle  (Castillo 8-6) at Houston (Valdez 17-6), 3:37 p.m.                            (HOU Leads 1-0) 

  Cleveland  (Bieber 13-8) at New York (Cortes 12-4) 7:37 p.m.                         (LAD Leads 1-0) 

NBA – National Basketball Association – Preseason
Last Night

  Indiana  Pacers 109, New York Knicks 100

Tonight

  Memphis  Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m.

NBA  – Pistons C Marvin Bagley III out 3-4 weeks with knee injury

  Detroit  Pistons center Marvin Bagley III is expected to be out of the lineup for three  to four weeks with an injured right knee. Bagley was hurt Tuesday night in a  preseason game against Oklahoma and an MRI showed a sprained knee ligament and  bone bruise. The 6-foot-11 Bagley signed a three-year, $37 million contract as  a restricted free agent in July with the Pistons. Detroit acquired him from  Sacramento in a four-team trade last season. Bagley bounced back from a  disappointing, injury-filled stint with the Kings to average 14.6 points in 18  games with the Pistons last season.

NCAAFB  – Badgers, Spartans try to salvage seasons that have gone awry

  Call  it the Big Ten’s midseason “Disappointment Bowl.” Michigan State was 15th and Wisconsin  18th in the preseason AP Top 25. Neither team has a winning record as they  prepare to face off Saturday at East Lansing. Wisconsin already has made a  coaching change. Wisconsin had gone 0-3 against Power Five opponents before  winning 42-7 at Northwestern last week. Michigan State is in even worse shape.  The Spartans have followed lopsided victories over Western Michigan and Akron  by losing four straight games by an average margin of 20.3 points.

NCAAFB  – Notre Dame tight ends provide spark in 3-game winning streak

  Notre  Dame has started putting up points and one big reason is its deep pool of tight  ends. Preseason All-American Michael Mayer has played a key role. He leads the  Fighting Irish in every major receiving category with 33 catches, 351 yards and  five touchdown receptions. Notre Dame’s younger, less experienced tight ends  have been equally productive. Freshman Eli Raridon and Holden Staes and former  walk-on Davis Sherwood have given quarterback Drew Pyne consistent options. The  Fighting Irish have won three straight games after an 0-2 start.

NCAAMBKB  – Big Ten – Next wave of Big Ten stars primed to shine after many exits

  Only  eight of the top 25 scorers in the Big Ten from last season returned to their  teams. The conference had three of the top 10 picks in the NBA draft last  summer. The natural question for Iowa is who the next standout will be after  the departure of Keegan Murray to the NBA. Kris Murray is getting plenty of  attention because he’s his identical twin brother. Iowa takes a developmental  approach and leans more on existing players in the program to fill those voids.  Michigan State follows that philosophy, too. Spartans coach Tom Izzo did not  pursue any transfers.  

NCAAMBKB  – ACC – ACC Commisioner Phillips: Time to expand NCAA’s Big Dance

  ACC  Commissioner Jim Phillips thinks its time to expand the NCAA Tournament. He’s  not sure about how many teams or how to make it work within the framework of  March Madness. But he’s hopeful that more programs can get in the Big Dance sooner  rather than later. Phillips is a proponent of expanding all NCAA championships  so more athletes can take part. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey would like to see  three more First Fours so all four regionals would have a four-team pod.

MCCAA  – Junior College Athletics
Last Night
Women’s Soccer

  Lake  Michigan College at Muskegon Community College, PPD.      at  Orchard View HS

Men’s Soccer

  Muskegon  Community College 10, Lake Michigan College 1           at Muskegon Catholic Central HS 

Tonight
Women’s Volleyball

  Lake  Michigan College at Lansing Community College, 6:30 p.m.

  Southwestern  Michigan College at Marian Ancilla, 6:30 p.m.

MHSAA  – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys  Soccer – Districts – 1st Round

Division  2 at St. Joseph (first round at local sites)

  Edwardsburg  2, Lakeshore 1

  Sturgis  3, Niles 1

Division  2 at Wayland (first round at local sites)

  Wayland  4, Otsego 3

Division  2 at Middleville T-K (first round at local sites)

  Thornapple  Kellogg 8, Harper Creek 0

  Marshall  7, Charlotte 1

Division  1 at Loy Norrix (first round at local sites)

  Portage  Northern 6, Battle Creek Central 0

  Battle  Creek Lakeview 3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0

  Kalamazoo  Central 2, Mattawan 1 – Shootout

Division  3 at South Haven (first round at local sites)

  Fennville  1, Hopkins 0

  Delton-Kellogg  9, Parchment 1

Division  3 at Paw Paw (first round at local sites)

  Three  Rivers 3, Berrien Springs 0

  Watervliet  3, Constantine 0

  Buchanan  6, Dowagiac 5

Division  4 at Hartford (first round at local sites)

  Holland  Black River 4, Coloma 0

  Bloomingdale  5, Lawton 3

Division  4 at Kalamazoo Christian (first round at local sites)

  Battle  Creek Academy 8, Bellevue 0 

  Schoolcraft  6, Kalamazoo Heritage 4

Volleyball

  Michigan  Lutheran 3, Our Lady of the Lake 1

  Kalamazoo  Central 3, St. Joseph 0

  Lakeshore  3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0

  Battle  Creek Lakeview 3, Mattawan 2

  Portage  Northern 3, Battle Creek Central 0

Today
Boys  Soccer – Districts – 1st Round
Division  4 at Our Lady of the Lake (first round at local sites)

  Mich.  Lutheran at Howardsville Chr., 5:00 p.m.

  Cassopolis  at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m.

  Bridgman  at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m.

  Brandywine  at Covert, 5:00 p.m.

Division  4 at Hartford (first round at local sites)

  Saugatuck  at Bangor, 5:30 p.m.

Division  4 at Kalamazoo Christian (first round at local sites)

  Kal.  Hackett at Kal. Christian, 5:00 p.m.

  Comstock  at BC Calhoun Christian, 5:00 p.m.

Division  2 at Hamilton (first round at local sites)

  Plainwell  at Holland, 6:00 p.m.

  Zeeland West at Hamilton, 6:00 p.m.

Division  2 at Middleville T-K (first round at local sites)

  Hastings  at Parma Western, 7:00 p.m.

Girls  Swimming and Diving

  St.  Joseph at Plainwell, 6:00 p.m.

Volleyball

  Berrien  Springs at Benton Harbor, 6:00 p.m.

  Buchanan  at Dowagiac, 6:00 p.m.

  Howardsville  Christian at White Pigeon, 6:30 p.m.

  Niles  at Otsego, 6:00 p.m.

  Marcellus  at Lawrence, 6:00 p.m.

  Vicksburg  at Paw Paw, 6:00 p.m.

  Plainwell  at Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m.

  Middleville  Thornapple Kellogg at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m.

  Saugatuck  at Holland Black River, 5:30 p.m.

  Kalamazoo  Christian at Lawton, 6:30 p.m.

  Homer  at Schoolcraft, 6:30 p.m.

  Bridgman,  South Haven, Martin at Gobles, 5:00 p.m.

  Bangor,  Bloomingdale at Comstock, 5:00 p.m.

  Allegan,  Fennville, Galesburg-Augusta at Delton-Kellogg, 5:00 p.m.

Cross  Country

  Dowagiac  Rock N Run, 5:00 p.m. at Dowagiac Middle School

  St.  Joseph, Lakeshore, Our Lady of the Lake, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Cassopolis,  Decatur, Dowagiac, Eau Claire, Edwardsburg, Niles, Paw Paw, White Pigeon

NHL – National Hockey League – Regular Season Start 
 Last Night 
Colorado Avalanche 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 2 – Avs raise banner, beat Blackhawks 5-2 to start title defense 
 Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin each scored two power-play goals, Mikko Rantanen had four assists and the fast-skating Colorado Avalanche began their Stanley Cup title defense with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly after raising their newest banner to the rafters, the Avalanche went to work. Andrew Cogliano scored Colorado&rsquo;s first goal of the season, the only goal in the game that wasn&rsquo;t on the power play. Nathan MacKinnon, fresh off a new lucrative contract, contributed two assists, while new goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 15 shots. Jonathan Toews and Max Domi had goals as Luke Richardson made his coaching debut for the Blackhawks.
Tonight 
 Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights, 10:00 p.m. 
NFL – National Football League – Week 6 
 Tonight 
 Washington Commanders at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m.
NFL – Fields, Bears try to build on progress when Commanders visit 
 Chicago quarterback Justin Fields finally showed signs of progress by delivering his best performance this season, and the Bears staged a big comeback, only to come up short in the closing minutes. They hope those promising steps continue when they host the struggling Washington Commanders in a Thursday night matchup. Fields set career highs in completion rate and passer rating in a 29-22 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. The former Ohio State star was 15 of 21 for a season-best 208 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders come in with four straight losses since holding on to beat Jacksonville in their season opener. Tennessee beat them 21-17 last week.
NFL – Raiders&#8217; Davante Adams charged for shoving photographer 
 Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams has been charged with misdemeanor assault for shoving a photographer to the ground as he left the field following a loss at Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri, police said Adams pushed Ryan Zebley to the ground while running off the field following the Raiders&rsquo; 30-29 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night. Police called it an &ldquo;intentional, overt act&rdquo; that caused whiplash, a headache and a possible minor concussion. Adams apologized in his postgame comments to the media and later on Twitter.
MLB – Major League Baseball Playoffs – Divisional Series – Best of Five 
 Yesterday 
 Atlanta Braves 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0                                    (Series tied 1-1) 
 San Diego Padres 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 3                                (Series tied 1-1)
Braves 3, Phillies 0 – Wright outduels Wheeler, Braves blank Phils 3-0 to even NLDS 
 Kyle Wright threw six brilliant innings to outduel Zack Wheeler, and the Atlanta Braves evened their NLDS at one game apiece with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. After rain delayed the first pitch by nearly three hours, Wright surrendered just two hits. He claimed the win when the Braves got to Wheeler for three runs in their half of the sixth. This was a game the reigning World Series champions had to have after losing the best-of-five series opener, 7-6. They had the right guy on the mound. Wright led the majors with 21 wins during the regular season.
Padres 5, Dodgers 3 – Padres pull out 5-3 victory over Dodgers, tie NLDS 1-all 
 Manny Machado homered early and added an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and Jurickson Profar singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 to even their NL Division Series at a game apiece. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Trea Turner went deep for the Dodgers, but LA couldn&#8217;t come up with its usual clutch hitting despite numerous chances. The best-of-five series shifts to San Diego for Game 3 on Friday.
Today 
 Seattle (Castillo 8-6) at Houston (Valdez 17-6), 3:37 p.m.                            (HOU Leads 1-0) 
 Cleveland (Bieber 13-8) at New York (Cortes 12-4) 7:37 p.m.                         (LAD Leads 1-0) 
NBA – National Basketball Association &#8211; Preseason 
 Last Night 
 Indiana Pacers 109, New York Knicks 100
Tonight 
 Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m.
NBA – Pistons C Marvin Bagley III out 3-4 weeks with knee injury 
 Detroit Pistons center Marvin Bagley III is expected to be out of the lineup for three to four weeks with an injured right knee. Bagley was hurt Tuesday night in a preseason game against Oklahoma and an MRI showed a sprained knee ligament and bone bruise. The 6-foot-11 Bagley signed a three-year, $37 million contract as a restricted free agent in July with the Pistons. Detroit acquired him from Sacramento in a four-team trade last season. Bagley bounced back from a disappointing, injury-filled stint with the Kings to average 14.6 points in 18 games with the Pistons last season.
NCAAFB – Badgers, Spartans try to salvage seasons that have gone awry 
 Call it the Big Ten&rsquo;s midseason &ldquo;Disappointment Bowl.&rdquo; Michigan State was 15th and Wisconsin 18th in the preseason AP Top 25. Neither team has a winning record as they prepare to face off Saturday at East Lansing. Wisconsin already has made a coaching change. Wisconsin had gone 0-3 against Power Five opponents before winning 42-7 at Northwestern last week. Michigan State is in even worse shape. The Spartans have followed lopsided victories over Western Michigan and Akron by losing four straight games by an average margin of 20.3 points.
NCAAFB – Notre Dame tight ends provide spark in 3-game winning streak 
 Notre Dame has started putting up points and one big reason is its deep pool of tight ends. Preseason All-American Michael Mayer has played a key role. He leads the Fighting Irish in every major receiving category with 33 catches, 351 yards and five touchdown receptions. Notre Dame&#8217;s younger, less experienced tight ends have been equally productive. Freshman Eli Raridon and Holden Staes and former walk-on Davis Sherwood have given quarterback Drew Pyne consistent options. The Fighting Irish have won three straight games after an 0-2 start.
NCAAMBKB – Big Ten – Next wave of Big Ten stars primed to shine after many exits 
 Only eight of the top 25 scorers in the Big Ten from last season returned to their teams. The conference had three of the top 10 picks in the NBA draft last summer. The natural question for Iowa is who the next standout will be after the departure of Keegan Murray to the NBA. Kris Murray is getting plenty of attention because he&#8217;s his identical twin brother. Iowa takes a developmental approach and leans more on existing players in the program to fill those voids. Michigan State follows that philosophy, too. Spartans coach Tom Izzo did not pursue any transfers.  
NCAAMBKB – ACC – ACC Commisioner Phillips: Time to expand NCAA&#8217;s Big Dance 
 ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips thinks its time to expand the NCAA Tournament. He&#8217;s not sure about how many teams or how to make it work within the framework of March Madness. But he&#8217;s hopeful that more programs can get in the Big Dance sooner rather than later. Phillips is a proponent of expanding all NCAA championships so more athletes can take part. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey would like to see three more First Fours so all four regionals would have a four-team pod.
MCCAA – Junior College Athletics 
 Last Night 
 Women&rsquo;s Soccer 
 Lake Michigan College at Muskegon Community College, PPD.      at Orchard View HS
Men&rsquo;s Soccer 
 Muskegon Community College 10, Lake Michigan College 1           at Muskegon Catholic Central HS 
Tonight 
 Women&rsquo;s Volleyball 
 Lake Michigan College at Lansing Community College, 6:30 p.m. 
 Southwestern Michigan College at Marian Ancilla, 6:30 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports 
 Last Night 
 Boys Soccer – Districts – 1st Round
Division 2 at St. Joseph (first round at local sites) 
 Edwardsburg 2, Lakeshore 1 
 Sturgis 3, Niles 1
Division 2 at Wayland (first round at local sites) 
 Wayland 4, Otsego 3
Division 2 at Middleville T-K (first round at local sites) 
 Thornapple Kellogg 8, Harper Creek 0 
 Marshall 7, Charlotte 1
Division 1 at Loy Norrix (first round at local sites) 
 Portage Northern 6, Battle Creek Central 0 
 Battle Creek Lakeview 3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0 
 Kalamazoo Central 2, Mattawan 1 &#8211; Shootout
Division 3 at South Haven (first round at local sites) 
 Fennville 1, Hopkins 0 
 Delton-Kellogg 9, Parchment 1
Division 3 at Paw Paw (first round at local sites) 
 Three Rivers 3, Berrien Springs 0 
 Watervliet 3, Constantine 0 
 Buchanan 6, Dowagiac 5
Division 4 at Hartford (first round at local sites) 
 Holland Black River 4, Coloma 0 
 Bloomingdale 5, Lawton 3
Division 4 at Kalamazoo Christian (first round at local sites) 
 Battle Creek Academy 8, Bellevue 0 
 Schoolcraft 6, Kalamazoo Heritage 4
Volleyball 
 Michigan Lutheran 3, Our Lady of the Lake 1 
 Kalamazoo Central 3, St. Joseph 0 
 Lakeshore 3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0 
 Battle Creek Lakeview 3, Mattawan 2 
 Portage Northern 3, Battle Creek Central 0
Today 
 Boys Soccer – Districts – 1st Round 
 Division 4 at Our Lady of the Lake (first round at local sites) 
 Mich. Lutheran at Howardsville Chr., 5:00 p.m. 
 Cassopolis at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m. 
 Bridgman at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m. 
 Brandywine at Covert, 5:00 p.m.
Division 4 at Hartford (first round at local sites) 
 Saugatuck at Bangor, 5:30 p.m.
Division 4 at Kalamazoo Christian (first round at local sites) 
 Kal. Hackett at Kal. Christian, 5:00 p.m. 
 Comstock at BC Calhoun Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Division 2 at Hamilton (first round at local sites) 
 Plainwell at Holland, 6:00 p.m. 
 Zeeland West at Hamilton, 6:00 p.m.
Division 2 at Middleville T-K (first round at local sites) 
 Hastings at Parma Western, 7:00 p.m.
Girls Swimming and Diving 
 St. Joseph at Plainwell, 6:00 p.m.
Volleyball 
 Berrien Springs at Benton Harbor, 6:00 p.m. 
 Buchanan at Dowagiac, 6:00 p.m. 
 Howardsville Christian at White Pigeon, 6:30 p.m. 
 Niles at Otsego, 6:00 p.m. 
 Marcellus at Lawrence, 6:00 p.m. 
 Vicksburg at Paw Paw, 6:00 p.m. 
 Plainwell at Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m. 
 Middleville Thornapple Kellogg at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m. 
 Saugatuck at Holland Black River, 5:30 p.m. 
 Kalamazoo Christian at Lawton, 6:30 p.m. 
 Homer at Schoolcraft, 6:30 p.m. 
 Bridgman, South Haven, Martin at Gobles, 5:00 p.m. 
 Bangor, Bloomingdale at Comstock, 5:00 p.m. 
 Allegan, Fennville, Galesburg-Augusta at Delton-Kellogg, 5:00 p.m.
Cross Country 
 Dowagiac Rock N Run, 5:00 p.m. at Dowagiac Middle School 
 St. Joseph, Lakeshore, Our Lady of the Lake, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Cassopolis, Decatur, Dowagiac, Eau Claire, Edwardsburg, Niles, Paw Paw, White Pigeon

Southwest Michigan's Sports Leader

WSJM Sports

NHL – National Hockey League – Regular Season Start Last Night Colorado Avalanche 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2 Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 2 – Avs raise banner, beat Blackhawks 5-2 to start title defense Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin