This playoff run has felt different for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, though they are now back in the same place. They have advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row, again against Florida after losing a seven-game series to the Panthers last June.
Players from around the league agree that online abuse has gotten progressively worse in recent years. And many players believe it’s directly linked to the rise in legalized sports betting.
Aleksander Barkov stopped on a dime, turned around, ducked back toward the net and slid the puck to a place that only Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe could reach. Verhaeghe turned that pass into the winner, and with that, the Panthers were headed back to their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Thunder routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday night to win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.
The Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch a spot in the NBA Finals with a win at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
For Novak Djokovic, this is a relatively easy call: He, like many players, thinks the French Open is making a mistake by eschewing the electronic line-calling used at most big tennis tournaments and instead remaining old school by letting line judges decide whether serves or other shots land in or out.
With their season on the line, the Carolina Hurricanes found a way to play their best hockey.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr might be done. The 40-year-old Portugal striker posted a message on social media hours after the final round of the Saudi Pro League late Monday sparking speculation over the future of one of the most high-profile figures in sports.
The NCAA baseball tournament opens Friday with play in 16 double-elimination regionals. Regional winners advance to best-of-three super regionals next week, and the final eight go to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning June 13.
The case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was simple. He’s the best player on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had the best record this season and set a league mark for margin of victory. If that wasn’t enough, he also won the scoring title.
That’s an MVP year.
