Old Town News Scottsdale

Blog

  • Suns look to bounce back in Chicago after preseason-opening loss

    By Asif Malik Old Town Scottsdale

    CHICAGO — The Phoenix Suns continue their preseason road trip tonight against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, with tip-off at 5 p.m. MST on AZFamily.

    The Suns dropped their preseason opener 109-107 at Detroit on Monday, letting a 19-point first-half lead slip away as the Pistons outscored them 59-39 after halftime. Coach Jordan Ott rested his starters — Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, Oso Ighodaro and Dillon Brooks — for much of the second half, giving the deep bench an extended audition.

    “Everything is an audition,” Booker said. “It’s going to be a point and time that one or two of you guys, we’re going to need you guys to get a win.”

    The young guys made their case. Jordan Goodwin brought energy off the bench with seven points, six rebounds and three steals in 11 minutes, while rookie Khaman Maluach altered shots around the rim and blocked one in 17 minutes. The one thing to clean up: turnovers, especially among the reserves.

    Tonight is Chicago’s first preseason game, and all eyes will be on Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 draft. Expect the Bulls to push the pace.

    “The defense will be different,” Ott said. “It’ll look different. They’re offense, I’m sure they will play super fast. That’s what I imagine.”

    The Suns return home Saturday for their preseason home opener against the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. MST.

  • Four teams can clinch LCS berths on packed Wednesday playoff slate

    By Asif Malik Old Town Scottsdale

    All four Division Series are in action Wednesday, and as many as four teams could clinch spots in the League Championship Series by night’s end.

    ALDS Game 3: Guardians at White Sox, 1 p.m. MST, TBS (White Sox lead 2-0) — Chicago took the first two games in Cleveland, 3-0 and 4-3, and can sweep the series at home. The Guardians face elimination for the second straight day.

    NLDS Game 4: Dodgers at Braves, 3 p.m. MST, FS1 (Dodgers lead 2-1) — Los Angeles regained control with a 3-1 win in Game 3 in Atlanta after the teams split the first two games. A Dodgers win sends them to the NLCS; a Braves win forces a decisive Game 5 Friday in Los Angeles.

    ALDS Game 3: Rays at Yankees, 5 p.m. MST, TBS (Rays lead 2-0) — Tampa Bay blanked New York 1-0 in Game 1 and pulled away 5-2 in Game 2. The Yankees’ season is on the line at home in the Bronx.

    NLDS Game 4: Brewers at Padres, 7 p.m. MST, FS1 (Brewers lead 2-1) — Milwaukee took the first two games before San Diego stayed alive in Game 3. The Brewers can close it out; a Padres win sends the series back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Friday.

    The NLCS begins Sunday, Oct. 11, and the ALCS starts Monday, Oct. 12.

  • Schefter: Cardinals trading Marvin Harrison Jr. by deadline ‘would not be a surprise’

    By Asif Malik Old Town Scottsdale

    PHOENIX — ESPN’s Adam Schefter says it “would not be a surprise” if the Arizona Cardinals trade wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. before the NFL’s Nov. 10 trade deadline.

    Schefter named Harrison one of five players to watch on “Sunday NFL Countdown,” saying other teams are doing their due diligence on the former No. 4 overall pick.

    “The Cardinals are not all that enthralled with trading him, but other teams are doing their due diligence into Harrison,” Schefter said. “It would not be a surprise if he were traded by Nov. 10.”

    It’s been a disappointing third season for Harrison. He caught four of nine targets for 73 yards through the first three games, then scored his first touchdown of the season on Arizona’s opening drive against the New York Giants on Sunday — a 12-yard strike from Jacoby Brissett — but didn’t catch another pass the rest of the game.

    The Cardinals’ passing game has largely revolved around tight end Trey McBride and receiver Michael Wilson.

    Harrison is in the third year of a four-year, $35 million rookie contract with a fifth-year club option for 2028.

    Schefter also named pass rusher Josh Sweat as a player to watch as he seeks a new contract.

    The 1-3 Cardinals host the Detroit Lions on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. MST.

  • Superhero brings the party across Arizona

    By Asif Malik Old Town Scottsdale

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the Phoenix Suns or the Arizona Cardinals need a band, they call Superhero.

    The Scottsdale-based group has built its name as Arizona’s go-to dance and rock party band, delivering hits from the ’70s through today’s chart-toppers with a high-energy stage show built on audience interaction.

    Superhero’s client list reads like a who’s who of Arizona institutions: Live Nation, the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Cardinals and Cox Communications, along with regular headline slots at Valley casinos. The band has rocked massive crowds at the Super Bowl FanFest, NASCAR events, community festivals and private parties across the state — and will travel up to 500 miles for a gig.

    What sets them apart, the band says, is personality — getting up close with the crowd and keeping the dance floor packed all night.

    From corporate events to casino stages to birthday parties in Cave Creek, Superhero has become one of the most-booked live acts in the Valley

  • Why Pour Decisions should be your next Old Town stop 

    By Asif Malik

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pour Decisions Patio & Kitchen has carved out a niche in Old Town Scottsdale as a daytime patio bar that turns into a live-music venue after dark.

    The two-story spot at 4209 N. Craftsman Court, near the 5th Avenue shops, features a rooftop, an outdoor patio, three bars, and what it bills as Scottsdale’s biggest jumbo screen, surrounded by plenty of TVs for game days.

    The chef-driven menu leans bar-and-grill with a twist: tacos, chicken wings, and the Poor Smash Burger, alongside craft cocktails like the Smokito. The bar also serves brunch and runs a weekday happy hour.

    Days bring sports on the big screen and sunshine on the patio. Nights bring live bands and DJs. It’s open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. More info at pourdecisionsscottsdale.com or (480) 452-6123.

    Weekly entertainment

    • Wednesdays: Dueling pianos with the Bangers Piano Show crew, 7–9 p.m. Free, no cover.
    • Fridays: Flashback Fridays with DJ Hazardous spinning 1990s hits, 5–8 p.m.
    • Sundays: Trivia with Game Nights USA, 5 p.m. Prizes for the top three team

  • Diamondbacks won’t bring back pitching coach Brian Kaplan for 2027

    By Asif Malik Old Town Scottsdale

     

    PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks will not bring back pitching coach Brian Kaplan for next season, the only known change to manager Torey Lovullo’s coaching staff for 2027, according to the Arizona Republic.

    Kaplan spent the past two seasons in the role after replacing Brent Strom following the 2024 season. The Diamondbacks ranked in the middle of the pack in staff ERA this season, though starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt enjoyed career-best years and young relievers Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia emerged.

    Kaplan joined Arizona after a three-year run with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he served as assistant pitching coach and director of pitching. He was previously a co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance.

    The next hire will be the fifth pitching coach to serve under Lovullo, who will begin his 11th season as Diamondbacks manager in 2027.

  • Dillingham hands play-calling back to Arroyo

    TEMPE, Arizona  Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is handling play-calling duties back to offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, making the change after Saturday’s 55 -19 loss to Baylor.

     Dillingham had taken over the play-calling duties earlier this season. The Sun Devils (2-2, 1-1 Big 12)  have lost two straight heading into Saturday night home game against Hawaii at 7:30 about Standard Time

  • Cardinals sign Jedrick Wills to bolster battered O-line

    TEMPE, Arizona —The  Arizona Cardinals signed former first round tackle Jedrick Wills off the Buffalo Bills practice squad on Tuesday, adding depth to an  offensive line hit hard by injuries.

     Willis, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 draft, started at left tackle for the Cleveland Browns from 2020 to 2022.  Knee injuries limited him to 13 games across 2023 to 2024 and he sat out 2025 rehabbing before landing on buffalo practice squad.

     The move comes with the Arizona (1-3)  down  starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr,  who is out for the season with a torn biceps.  Rookie Jayden Williams is expected to start at left tackle.   

    The Cardinals host the Lions on Sunday at 1:25 Mountain Standard Time at State Farm Stadium.  

  • Matthew Tkachuk lifts Panthers past Kings, Brad Marchand injured

    AP

    LOS ANGELES (AP) Matthew Tkachuk scored in the third period to give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night despite losing Brad Marchand to a left leg injury.

    Marchand was hurt after taking a stick to the face from Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke with 52.6 seconds remaining. The high-stick caused Marchand to twist around and collide with the right post before his left leg bent back in an awkward way.

    Sam Bennett found a trailing Tkachuk in the left circle with 8:40 remaining to settle things in regulation after their first three games of the season all went to overtime. Bennett had an assist for the third straight game, and Tkachuk has two goals and an assist in the same span.

    Seth Jones also scored and Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves for Florida.

    Alex Laferriere scored, Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves, and the Kings dropped their home opener to remain winless through three games.

    Despite being on the back foot for most of the first period, the Kings took a lead into the first intermission when Laferriere put in Erik Haula’s cross-slot pass with a minute remaining.

    The Panthers responded by killing an extended power play, including 1:21 at five-on-three, before Jones tied it up at 3:49 of the second period seconds after getting back to even strength.

    Panthers: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

    Kings: At the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

    —

    See AP’s full NHL coverage here

    Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

    Expert Picks
    Betting Picks for Every Game
    • Picks from Vegas experts and insiders
    • Optimal rankings, props, DFS strategy
    • Spread, OU, ML picks from 10k simulations
    Unlock Picks
    Thomas Casale
    Thomas CasaleCasale on Campus
    #2
    +279.5 (80%)
    Last 5 NHL
    Florida-120
    Money Line
    Picked Oct 5 @ 7:18 pm, 1 unit on FanDuel
    WIN
    I’m giving this play out on the Early Edge Tuesday and want to put it in before the line goes up. Florida lost the first two games of the road trip to San Jose and Anaheim, both by one goal in overtime. They should get back on track against a Kings squad that has allowed 13 goals in their first two games. I have L.A. missing the playoffs this season and think Florida’s physical style will be too much for them here. Back the Panthers up to -135.

    Thomas’s Pick

    Jeff Hochman
    Jeff HochmanWest Coast Wiseguy
    +63 (50%)
    Last 14 NHL ML
    Florida-120
    Money Line
    Picked Oct 5 @ 6:04 pm, 1 unit on BetRivers
    WIN
    With Brady Tkachuk joining his brother Matthew, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart in Florida’s top six, the Panthers now have a forechecking presence to help offset Aleksander Barkov’s absence. The Kings are struggling to adjust to Peter Laviolette’s system—they’ve allowed 13 goals in their first two games and are still missing Kevin Fiala (528 points in 707 games). The Panthers have started the season with three consecutive overtime games, but at least they don’t have to travel far after just playing Anaheim. This matchup favors Florida, as the Kings aren’t nearly as fast as the Ducks. My power ratings have the Panthers well ahead of L.A., and I expect them to spoil the Kings’ home opener before heading back home themselves.

    Jeff’s Pick

    1 2 3 T

    2-0-2

    		 0 1 1 2

    0-2-1

    		 1 0 0 1
    • Crypto.com ArenaLos Angeles, CA
    STARS OF THE GAME
    SKATERS G A +/- SOG
    U. Balinskis D 0 0 0 1
    S. Bennett C 0 1 1 1
    L. Eller C 0 1 1 0
    G. Forsling D 0 0 2 2
    R. Gudas D 0 0 0 1
    G. Hathaway RW 0 0 1 0
    B. Imama LW 0 0 0 1
    S. Jones D 1 0 0 2
    D. Kulikov D 0 0 1 1
    A. Lundell C 0 0 0 3
    E. Luostarinen C 0 0 0 2
    B. Marchand LW 0 0 -1 2
    N. Mikkola D 0 0 -1 1
    S. Reinhart C 0 0 -1 3
    B. Tkachuk LW 0 0 -1 2
    M. Tkachuk LW 1 0 1 2
    C. Verhaeghe C 0 0 2 2
    S. Vilmanis LW 0 0 0 1
    SKATERS G A +/- SOG
    M. Anderson D 0 0 0 0
    J. Armia RW 0 0 0 0
    Q. Byfield C 0 0 -1 0
    C. Ceci D 0 0 1 0
    B. Clarke D 0 0 -2 0
    D. Doughty D 0 0 0 0
    B. Dumoulin D 0 0 0 1
    J. Edmundson D 0 0 0 2
    E. Gustafsson D 0 0 -1 0
    E. Haula LW 0 1 1 3
    A. Kempe RW 0 0 -1 3
    A. Laferriere RW 1 0 0 3
    S. Laughton C 0 0 -1 2
    T. Moore LW 0 0 0 2
    A. Panarin LW 0 0 -2 4
    C. Perry RW 0 0 1 0
    A. Turcotte C 0 0 0 0
    M. Zuccarello RW 0 0 0 0
    GOALIES SA GA SV SV% TOI
    J. Markstrom 20 1 19 0.950 60:00
    GOALIES SA GA SV SV% TOI
    D. Kuemper 28 2 26 0.929 57:56
    All times are US/Eastern.
    Around

  • Golden Knights crush Kraken 6-2 behind Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel

    AP

    SEATTLE (AP) Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl scored two goals apiece and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Tuesday night.

    Mark Stone had a goal and an assist to become the third Vegas player to reach 400 points with the team. Jack Eichel scored a goal and had three assists for the Knights, who were up 5-0 after two periods. Hertl had two assists.

    Shane Wright and Jared McCann scored third-period goals for the Kraken. Kaapo Kakko assisted on both goals.

    Olofsson ripped a shot from just inside the blue line on the right wing side to open the scoring with 6:58 left in the first period. He made it 4-0 with 6:53 remaining in the second.

    Hertl scored a power-play goal with 4:02 left in the first period to make it 2-0, with Stone getting the primary assist.

    With Vegas short-handed early in the second period, Seattle’s Brandon Montour broke his stick on a hard shot from the blue line. Eichel picked up the loose puck, crossing it to Stone coming down the left side. Stone drilled it into the back right corner past Kraken goalie Joey Daccord at 1:43.

    Stone joined Jonathan Marchessault (417, now with Nashville) and current teammate William Karlsson (403) with 400 points for Vegas.

    Carter Hart made 25 saves for the Golden Knights.

    Daccord had 16 saves in two periods for Seattle, then was replaced by Philipp Grubauer at the start of the third. Grubauer made six saves.

    The third period got chippy. Seattle’s Ben Meyers drove Olofsson hard into the boards and was given a five-minute major and game misconduct. Montour and Stone got into a fight, with Montour also being given a misconduct. The Kraken’s Ryan Winterton and Vegas’ Marc Gatcomb dropped the gloves with 4:57 left.

    The Kraken begin a five game road trip on Friday at Detroit.

    Las Vegas returns home to face Toronto on Thursday.

    —

    See AP’s full NHL coverage here

    Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

    1 2 3 T

    3-1-0

    		 2 3 1 6

    2-2-0

    		 0 0 2 2
    • Climate Pledge ArenaSeattle, WA
    STARS OF THE GAME
    SKATERS G A +/- SOG
    R. Andersson D 0 1 0 0
    I. Barbashev LW 0 1 1 2
    B. Bowman RW 0 0 0 1
    T. Connelly LW 0 1 1 0
    N. Dowd C 0 0 0 0
    J. Eichel C 1 3 2 2
    M. Gatcomb C 0 0 0 3
    N. Hanifin D 0 0 1 1
    T. Hertl C 2 2 1 3
    B. Howden C 0 0 0 0
    W. Karlsson C 0 0 0 1
    J. Lauzon D 0 0 1 0
    M. Marner RW 0 0 0 2
    B. McNabb D 0 0 2 2
    V. Olofsson LW 2 0 1 2
    M. Stone RW 1 1 2 4
    S. Theodore D 0 0 2 4
    P. Wotherspoon D 0 0 0 1
    SKATERS G A +/- SOG
    M. Beniers C 0 0 -1 0
    B. Catton C 0 0 -1 3
    V. Dunn D 0 0 -2 1
    J. Eberle RW 0 1 -1 0
    R. Evans D 0 0 -1 0
    C. Fleury D 0 1 -1 1
    F. Gaudreau C 0 0 -1 0
    K. Kakko RW 0 2 -1 2
    A. Larsson D 0 0 0 2
    R. Lindgren D 0 0 0 0
    J. McCann C 1 0 0 7
    B. McMann C 0 0 -1 3
    B. Meyers C 0 0 -1 0
    B. Montour D 0 0 -1 0
    M. Samoskevich RW 0 0 -1 3
    C. Stephenson C 0 0 -1 0
    R. Winterton C 0 0 -1 1
    S. Wright C 1 0 0 4
    GOALIES SA GA SV SV% TOI
    C. Hart 27 2 25 0.926 60:00
    GOALIES SA GA SV SV% TOI
    J. Daccord 21 5 16 0.762 39:53
    P. Grubauer 7 1 6 0.857 20:00