#preseason

#preseason

For all of the excitement that comes with a new season of hockey, Marco Sturm was candid ahead of puck drop of the inevitable learning curves in store for a Bruins team learning a new system under a first-time bench boss. "We still are going to make a lot of mistakes," Sturm said pregame. "I know that, too. [There] was a lot of information coming at them. But I also want to see us playing simple hockey - straight up-and-down Bruins hockey."

So when the Rangers found themselves on the wrong end of a five-on-three power play in the closing minutes of their preseason opener Sunday afternoon against the Devils at the Prudential Center, it actually wasn't the worst thing for goalie Dylan Garand. "The PK stuff was actually pretty nice to get some reps in there," Garand said after the Rangers' 5-3 victory.

Before his injury, Lund, 21, had two goals in what became a 6-3 Sharks win over the Ducks. He did not play Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Kings, who had a four-goal lead after the first period before Kasper Halttunen, Filip Bystedt, and Sam Dickinson scored for the Sharks in the second. Lund was a second-round pick by the Sharks in 2022 and, after a three-year career at Northeastern, signed an entry-level contract and turned pro in March.

It's hardly ideal that Elliott was playing on Saturday, but if you're a veteran being asked to play serious snaps in a third preseason game, you might as well make flash plays. Elliott was a game-wrecker in the middle against the Chargers' second and third-string offensive lines. If he was on the roster bubble, he should have played his way off it Saturday.

But going out for a third drive that bled into the early minutes of the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the offensive starters got their preseason touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. Tagovailoa threw a short pass to slot receiver Malik Washington, and Washington put a juke move on a reserve Jaguars defender to take it 25 yards for the touchdown.

When Gabriel was asked during the CBS Sports broadcast about "tuning out the noise" surrounding the Browns' quarterback competition, Gabriel said, "Yeah, it's just part of it. You know, there's entertainers and there's competitors, and I totally understand that. But my job is to compete. And that's what I'm focused on doing."

Coach Sean McDermott said during his news conference Thursday that Allen will not be participating in Saturday's third and final preseason game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He did not play in either of the team's previous two games. McDermott said that they are still making decisions on some of the other first-team players for the game, but that Allen will not play.

Joe Flacco will open the season as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, entering his 18th NFL season. He will also start in the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones, meanwhile, had his strong moments as a passer and runner as the clear-cut potential QB4 in preseason, and that might have been enough for him to latch on to a practice squad spot if the Falcons wanted insurance for a potential Kirk Cousins trade.

Blake Freeland suffered a fractured right leg during the Colts' preseason game against the Packers, getting injured on a third-and-1 running play.

Carolina Panthers second-round pick Nic Scourton is week-to-week after suffering a collapsed lung in Thursday's joint practice against the Texans in Houston. The edge rusher out of Texas A&M originally was diagnosed with heat-related symptoms following the session. Coach Dave Canales revealed after Saturday's 20-3 preseason loss to the Texans that the 20-year-old was taken to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston for observations, where it was determined he had suffered the collapsed lung.

Mike McDaniel believes that identity and culture must be created through diligent work rather than mere talk, which led to the decision to practice and play against the tough Detroit Lions.

Campbell's stats were even more impressive, as the rookie left tackle didn't allow any sacks or pressures in the 17 snaps that he played, doing a remarkable job of finishing blocks and giving Drake Maye plenty of time to throw.