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Good Morning 👋
The NHL’s Final Four is set, and the Canada Cup curse rides on one team. Following a third Game 7 in 36 hours, it’s all gas (no brakes) before the Conference Finals and the Indy 500 this weekend. Get ready for speed week… Letter Rip! |
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Photo: Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images |
Oilers Ice Canucks in Game 7 (3-2) to Return to Western Conference Finals — NHL’s Final Four is Set
The stage is set! Three of the four Stanley Cup finalists were secured before last night’s all-Canada clash, and it’s the Oilers — with a 15-minute frenzy — heading back to the Western Conference Finals. Edmonton hadn't won a Game 7 on the road in more than 25 years, but that changed in the blink of grade-school recess. The Oilers scored three goals in 15 minutes during the second period thanks to the sticks of Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Cody Ceci. The Canucks battled back, scoring two in the final 10 minutes, but ultimately fell short. The dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will get another crack at the penultimate series. The Oilers went to the West Finals two years ago (2022), but they haven’t won the Cup (or been to the Finals) since their run of five titles in seven seasons back in the 80s (1984-1990).
🇨🇦 Canada’s Last Hope: The Oilers-Canucks series was the last hope for Canada to break the Stanley Cup curse. None of the seven Canadian franchises have won the Cup since 1993 (31 years). The Oilers are the last shot for the Great White North in 2024. Watch: Oilers Hold Off Canucks in Game 7 (3-2)
EDM Wins Series (4-3) Stanley Cup Conference Finals East: Rangers vs. Panthers (Wednesday) West: Oilers vs. Stars (Thursday) Read More
NHL: Oilers Hold Off Canucks in Game 7 to Advance to Western Finals
ESPN: Top Oilers Playoff Trends as Western Conference Finals Loom |
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Power Rankings: Royal Rumble 👑 |
Photo: Ed Zurga / Getty Images |
Yankees & Astros Heating Up, Braves & Twins Slide, But It’s Time to Talk About the Royals…
It’s time for another snapshot of the MLB power rankings. A lot can change week-to-week, and we’ll show you why. Two of last week’s top five went on losing streaks of four or more games in just one week (Braves and Twins). On the positive side, the Yankees rode a seven-game win streak up until last night, and the Astros are beginning to come to life. And amid all of the up-and-down movement, one team is catching our attention — the Royals are for real. Kansas City won their fourth straight game last night. They’re 1.5 games back of first place in the AL Central, and that’s a far cry from their 31st-place finish in 2023. Keep your eyes on this KC sleeper...
MLB Power Rankings 1. Phillies (34-14) — 2. Yankees (33-16) ↑3 3. Dodgers (33-17) ↓1 4. Orioles (29-16) ↓1 5. Guardians (31-17) ↑2 6. Braves (27-17) ↓2 7. Royals (30-19) ↑3 8. Brewers (27-20) — 9. Padres (25-25) ↑2 10. Cubs (26-22) ↓1 Teams 11-20: 11. Mariners (26-22), 12. Twins (24-23), 13. Rays (25-24), 14. Rangers (24-24), 15. Giants (23-25), 16. Red Sox (24-24), 17. Mets (21-26), 18. Diamondbacks (22-26), 19. Astros (21-27), 20. Blue Jays (21-25) Teams 21-30: 21. Pirates (22-26), 22. Tigers (23-24), 23. Cardinals (21-26), 24. Nationals (21-25), 25. Reds (19-28), 26. Athletics (19-30), 27. Angels (19-29), 28. Rockies (15-31), 29. Marlins (16-33), 30. White Sox (14-34)
Read More CBS Sports: MLB Power Rankings: Why Only Five Teams Are in Baseball’s Upper Tier
B/R: MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees Continue to Dominate as Astros Wake Up |
Devers Makes It 6: Rafael Devers set a Red Sox record last night by hitting a home run for the sixth straight game. It’s also the most in MLB since Mike Trout homered in seven straight games back in 2022. Boston blanked the Rays (5-0).
Mariners Snap NYY Streak: Despite their rise up the power rankings with a seven-game win streak, the Yankees finally lost last night after the Mariners rallied from three runs down in the 9th (5-4). Sale Strikes Again: Chris Sale fanned nine batters and threw another scoreless seven innings in yesterday’s Braves-Padres nightcap. That took Sale’s scoreless streak to 20 innings, and he’s now 7-1 as a starter in Atlanta. The Braves won (3-0).
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Caitlin Clark's Injury Scare 👀 |
Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images |
Editor’s Note: We know many readers have requested more coverage of the WNBA, specifically Caitlin Clark (after nearly every game). We’ve also heard from readers who don’t want to see Clark-only content all Summer. Hang with us while we navigate the polarization, but we’ll cover the ‘W’ more once the NBA Playoffs end. |
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⚽️ Team USA for Copa America
The U.S. will host Copa America 2024 this Summer, and it’ll be a great tune-up test for the ’26 World Cup. Gregg Berhalter’s 27-man USMNT roster has just been revealed. (Sporting News)
🏈 Rookie QBs at OTAs
The Bears, Commanders, and Patriots drafted quarterbacks 1-2-3 atop the NFL Draft, and those three newcomers are adjusting to OTAs. How about the teams? (Sports Illustrated)
🏀 The Future of the Knicks
It’s hard to say which injury did them in. “Hit after hit,” as Tom Thibodeau described it. New York is faced with roster questions, but an optimistic future still stands. (FOX Sports) |
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🏀 NBA Playoffs Gm 1: Pacers at Celtics (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)
⚾️ MLB Mets at Guardians (6:10 pm ET, MLBTV) Braves at Cubs (7:40 pm ET, TBS)
D-Backs at Dodgers (10:10 pm ET, ESPN+) 🏀 WNBA Wings at Dream (7:30 pm ET, WNBALP) Mercury at Aces (10:00 pm ET, WNBALP) ⚽️ U.S. Open Cup (Round of 16)
Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Tulsa (8:30 pm ET) LAFC vs. Loudoun United FC (10:30 pm ET) *Stream on USSoccer.com |
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Sports Fans in the Midwest Are Having a Year. Let's Take a Moment to Spotlight the Hot Streak & Take a Victory Lap... -
Winter Football (January-February): Michigan (CFB) and Kansas City (NFL) raised football trophies to start 2024. The Detroit Lions won multiple playoff games for the first time, too.
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Spring College Sports (March-April): Purdue made their first Final Four run in 44 years in March. The Chicago Bears (NFL) and Indiana Fever (WNBA) found future stars with No. 1 draft picks in April — Caleb Williams and Caitlin Clark.
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Main Events in May: The South might claim Kentucky (debatable), but Louisville has been the center of the sports world in May with the Kentucky Derby and last weekend’s PGA Championship. Now, the T-Wolves (Minnesota) and Pacers (Indiana) are back in the conference finals for the first time in decades.
This coming weekend, Indy gets the spotlight with the Pacers at home in the East Finals on Saturday before the Indy 500 on Sunday. Speed week is here. We'll get the party started soon and wave the official flag of Summer. 🏁 Quite a run for the flyover states...
— Proud Midwest Sportswriter |
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