Good morning. With the Dodgers done, Saturday belongs to everyone else. UCLA is 5-0 under Bob Chesney and hosts Wisconsin at 4:30 on NBC. The Kings host Boston at 6, the Golden Knights host Pittsburgh at 7, and the Galaxy and San Diego FC meet at 7:30. UNLV, San Diego State and Hawaii are all playing too. Friday night was a loss for both teams that played. Boston went 3-for-3 on the power play and beat the Ducks 4-2, and Denver beat the Lakers 121-106 in the preseason finale. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏒 0-for-5, 3-for-3. The Ducks’ power play went quiet and Boston’s didn’t miss in a 4-2 Bruins win — Zach Cavanagh at Honda Center.
🏀 “Growing pains.” Reaves scored 19, but Denver beat the Lakers 121-106 to end the preseason — Carlos Yakimowich at Crypto.com Arena.
🏈 Three All-Americans. Wayne Knight, Ta’Shawn James and Sammy Omosigho make a midseason first team — Jack Haslett at UCLA.
🏈 24 teams. The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to double in size starting in 2027 — Brady Charette.
🏈 0-5 at 4-0. The Chargers visit unbeaten Kansas City on Sunday — Fernando Ramirez at The Bolt.
🏀 Lakers in the desert. Alex Cerda will coach the G League Lakers in their first Coachella Valley season — Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez at Acrisure Arena.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY
🏒 NHL: Bruins 4, Ducks 2
🏀 NBA (preseason): Nuggets 121, Lakers 106
🏈 UCLA, UNBEATEN
The last time UCLA played, it won 17-15 at No. 13 Oregon, its first win over the Ducks since 2017 and first at Autzen Stadium since 2004. That made UCLA 5-0, its first such start since 2022, and Bob Chesney is the first coach in program history to start his tenure 5-0. After a bye week, Wisconsin comes to the Rose Bowl at 4:30 on NBC.
The question is at quarterback. Nico Iamaleava was hurt in the second quarter in Eugene, Jack Haslett reports, and Ty Dieffenbach played the second half. Early reports said Iamaleava would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Chesney disputed that (”there is no serious concern at this moment”), and he is handling the position week to week between Dieffenbach and sophomore Madden Iamaleava.
The rest of the team is why UCLA is unbeaten. Three Bruins made a midseason first-team All-America list. Running back Wayne Knight leads the FBS at 13.2 points per game and has a rushing touchdown in all five games. Defensive back Ta’Shawn James leads the Big Ten with four interceptions. Linebacker Sammy Omosigho leads the FBS with four forced fumbles.
The stakes might get bigger. The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand from 12 to 24 teams starting in 2027, with the top eight seeds getting byes and the first two rounds at home sites. The 2027 national championship game is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Haslett: UCLA holds on against Oregon to deliver historic win for Bob Chesney (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Nico Iamaleava may miss the rest of the season: Where does that leave UCLA’s quarterback room? (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Three Bruins named to Midseason First-Team All-America list (The Sporting Tribune)
› Brady Charette: College Football Playoff nears deal to expand to 24-team format (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏒 THE POWER PLAY FLIPPED
The Ducks led 2-0 after one period. Tim Washe scored in the final minute of the first and Beckett Sennecke scored 20 seconds later. Then, Zach Cavanagh writes, the special teams flipped. Anaheim came in with the league’s second-best power play and went 0-for-5. Boston went 3-for-3 against the fourth-best penalty kill: Frederic Brunet scored his first NHL goal, David Pastrnak tied it and Elias Lindholm put Boston ahead. Matthew Poitras added one with under four minutes left. Lukáš Dostál made 18 saves.
The Ducks are 4-3-0 and lost both games of the homestand after leading into the second period. Cutter Gauthier came back and moved to center, and Mikael Granlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Anaheim starts a four-game East Coast trip Monday at the Rangers.
The Lakers finished 2-3 in the preseason. Carlos Yakimowich writes that Austin Reaves scored 19 and Luka Dončić had 15 in 18 first-half minutes, but the Lakers turned it over six times in the first quarter and lost 121-106 to Denver. “There’s gonna be some growing pains,” Reaves said. “Just a lack of reps together so far.” Ziaire Williams scored 14 in 10 minutes and Sandro Mamukelashvili had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. JJ Redick called Mamukelashvili “a really good connector.” The Lakers open the regular season against Golden State on Oct. 21.
GO DEEPER
› Zach Cavanagh: Bruins power past Ducks in special teams reversal, 4-2 (The Sporting Tribune)
› Carlos Yakimowich: Three observations from Lakers’ preseason finale against Nuggets (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Bruins defeat Ducks, 4-2, in Anaheim (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Nuggets defeat Lakers, 121-106, at Crypto.com Arena (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location.
The board is dark this morning. The Ducks lost at home, so no $2 McGriddles, and the Lakers’ Jack in the Box tacos don’t return until the regular season. The Norms hotcakes from the Galaxy’s win expired Friday night.
Today’s triggers to watch: a Galaxy home goal against San Diego FC turns Norms back on (free hotcakes through NORMS Rewards for 48 hours), a Kings goal in the final minute of the second period gets a free McFlurry at McDonald’s, and an LAFC win at NYCFC brings back the DoorDash $10-off code. On Sunday, a Rams interception gets a free Famous Star at Carl’s Jr.
🏟️ NINE GAMES, ONE SATURDAY
UNLV at Air Force at 12:30 on CBSSN.
Wave at Courage at 4 in the NWSL, and Angel City at Summit FC at 5:45 on ION.
Wisconsin at UCLA at 4:30 on NBC, at the Rose Bowl.
Bruins at Kings at 6 on ABTV. The Kings have lost five straight and haven’t won yet. Boston is playing the second night of a back-to-back after its win in Anaheim.
Penguins at Golden Knights at 7 on ESPN+. Vegas is 7-2 and leads the Pacific after Mark Stone’s hat trick against Calgary on Thursday.
San Diego FC at Galaxy at 7:30 on Apple TV. The Galaxy beat Portland 2-0 on Wednesday and are six games unbeaten at home. SDFC is winless in seven.
Fresno State at San Diego State and New Mexico at Hawaii, both at 7:30, on the CW and FS1.
Sunday: Cardinals at Rams, Chargers at Chiefs (1:25, CBS) and Raiders vs. Bills.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
The Chargers are 0-5. Fernando Ramirez writes that Jim Harbaugh’s offense has to improve, with Derwin James Jr. and Joe Alt out and multiple rookies possibly starting on the line in front of Justin Herbert. Kansas City is 4-0, rested off a bye, and Kenneth Walker has run for 537 yards. The Chiefs are 8.5-point favorites, and Ramirez picks Kansas City 23-17.
Lakers in the Coachella Valley. Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez profiles Alex Cerda, the new coach of the G League Lakers, who are moving from El Segundo to Acrisure Arena. Their season opens Nov. 6 against the Salt Lake City Stars. “The city may change, but the job description doesn’t,” Cerda said.
From Westwood to WWE? Fernando Ramirez writes that former UCLA offensive linemen Yutake Mahe and Noah Pulealii are among the athletes at WWE’s tryout at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
GO DEEPER
› Fernando Ramirez: Chargers vs. Chiefs I preview, prediction and how to watch (The Sporting Tribune)
› Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez: Alex Cerda leads the Lakers’ move to the Coachella Valley (The Sporting Tribune)
› Fernando Ramirez: Former UCLA football players look to make jump to WWE at Hawaii tryout (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Dodgers’ historic three-peat dream is over, ending the team’s golden era (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
🏈 College football: UNLV at Air Force — Falcon Stadium — 12:30 p.m. — CBSSN
⚽ NWSL: Wave at Courage — WakeMed Soccer Park — 4:00 p.m. — ION
🏈 College football: Wisconsin at UCLA — Rose Bowl — 4:30 p.m. — NBC
⚽ NWSL: Angel City FC at Summit FC — Centennial Stadium — 5:45 p.m. — ION
🏒 NHL: Bruins at Kings — Crypto.com Arena — 6:00 p.m. — ABTV
🏒 NHL: Penguins at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — 7:00 p.m. — ESPN+
🏈 College football: Fresno State at San Diego State — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — CW
⚽ MLS: San Diego FC at Galaxy — Dignity Health Sports Park — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV
🏈 College football: New Mexico at Hawaii — Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — 7:30 p.m. — FS1
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
🏈 Wisconsin at UCLA — Rose Bowl — $26
🏒 Bruins at Kings — Crypto.com Arena — $58
🏒 Penguins at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — $88
⚽ San Diego FC at Galaxy — Dignity Health Sports Park — $29
🏈 Fresno State at San Diego State — Snapdragon Stadium — $20
🏈 New Mexico at Hawaii — Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — $19
🌴 TST TRIVIA
UCLA’s win at Oregon was its first at Autzen Stadium in how many years?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: 22 years. UCLA’s previous win at Autzen Stadium came in 2004.
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