Jaccob Slavin scores in OT as the Hurricanes beat the Capitals in Game 1 of their 2nd-round series
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jaccob Slavin scored in overtime, Frederik Andersen made 13 saves in his return from injury and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 2-1 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Logan Stankoven started the comeback with his goal midway through the third period off a turnover. After failing to score on a power play late in regulation, Slavin scored 3:06 into OT from just inside the blue line to give Carolina the series lead.
Oilers rally for NHL-record fifth straight time to beat Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 1
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zach Hyman scored from just above the right circle with 3:02 left to put Edmonton ahead for good, and the Oilers rallied yet again this postseason to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 1 of the second-round series. The Oilers, who came back from 2-0 down, set an NHL record with their fifth consecutive playoff comeback victory. Vegas, which had just seven shots on goal over the final two periods, lost a playoff game in regulation after leading by at least two goals for the first time. The Golden Knights are 47-4 overall in the postseason with such leads. Game 2 is Thursday night in Las Vegas. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, and Corey Perry and Connor Brown also scored. Mark Stone scored twice for Vegas.
Inter stuns Barcelona with improbable comeback to reach another Champions League final
MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan beat Barcelona 4-3 after extra time in another rollercoaster encounter to reach a second Champions League final in three years. In the end it took extra time, two astonishing Barcelona comebacks and 13 goals to separate the teams and see Inter prevail 7-6 on aggregate. Substitute Davide Frattesi was the extra-time star for Inter, firing home in the 99th minute to leave the Barcelona players slumped to the ground while his Nerazzurri teammates were racing to celebrate with him. Inter will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in Munich on May 31 for the title. Inter lost to Manchester City in the showpiece match in 2023.
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness, dashing Triple Crown possibility
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness Stakes. That means there won’t be a Triple Crown winner for a seventh consecutive year. Trainer Bill Mott told Preakness officials that the plan will be to enter Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. This is the fourth time since Justify won all three races in 2018 that the Preakness will go on without a true shot at a Triple Crown. The short, two-week turnaround from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and changes in modern racing have sparked debate around the sport about spacing out the races.
Road, sweet road: Visiting teams go 4-0 in Game 1 of NBA conference semifinals, a league first
Road, sweet road. Home-court advantage? It doesn’t exist so far in the NBA conference semifinals where visiting teams combined to go 4-0 in Game 1s, the first time that has happened during this round in the league’s playoff history. Indiana beat top-seeded Cleveland on Sunday in the opener of that East series, New York beat defending champion Boston and Denver beat West top-seeded Oklahoma City in their respective openers Monday, and Golden State topped Minnesota in Game 1 of their matchup on Tuesday.
NBA playoffs are seeing close games become the norm. And there have been some heroic moments, too
Aaron Gordon went to the postgame interview room after his latest heroic moment for the Denver Nuggets, took a seat with his two nephews on his lap and waited for somebody to say something. He finally broke the silence by asking, “Any questions?” Seems about right that he would ask that, given that so far in these NBA playoffs, Gordon has been one of the players with all the answers when games are on the line. New York’s Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer to beat Detroit in Round 1. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton got a layup with 1.4 seconds left in overtime of the Pacers’ series-clinching Game 5 to oust Milwaukee then hit a late 3-pointer on Tuesday to beat Cleveland.
Sliding mitts are baseball’s ‘must-have,’ even if at youth levels, they’re all fashion, no function
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Baseball players from major leaguers to Little Leaguers are using sliding mitts as a form of self-expression, even if at some levels, they’re not needed at all. The padded gloves are designed to protect a player’s hand when they slide headfirst to reach for a base. The equipment was first introduced by former major leaguer Scott Podsednik in the late 2000s. The market has exploded in the last 16 years, with millions of mitts being sold each season to players at all levels in a wide array of colors and designs. At the youth levels, it’s all about fashion over function. Most leagues ban or limit headfirst slides for players 12 and under. That hasn’t stopped them from being in heavy demand anyway.
Trump, Congress and city council: Managing relationships, DC’s mayor walks a tightrope
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been walking a public tightrope for months with both the White House and Congress. Now Bowser’s relationship with the D.C. Council is under public stress as the legislative body squabbles with Bowser over budget issues and prepares to debate her new deal to bring the NFL’s Washington Commanders back to the District of Columbia.