When Danny Smith won the United Sprint Car Series season opener at Florida’s Hendry County Motorsports Park in late January, he took one goal off his plate almost before the season began.

Smith has now won at least one feature for 44 consecutive seasons, a record few can match. And while it might not have been an outlaw-quality field, the fact Northeast power Davie Franek and Tony Stewart rounded out the podium, showed Smith still has game.

Following the win, Smith ran 410 and 360 shows all over Florida, waiting for the weather up north to improve so he could go to his usual Midwest haunts.

“I keep going because it’s my passion,” Smith said. “I’ve never had a real job and I can’t see starting one soon. My wife, who’s a nurse, told me that if I kept the race car going, she’d keep the house going. I’m 62 now, so I take it a year at a time, but if I stay healthy who knows how long I’ll keep racing.”

Hall of Famer Jack Hewitt says he could have predicted Smith’s long career before he even started.

The New Jersey Devils won the 2019 NHL draft lottery after entering Tuesday night's event in Toronto with the third-best odds.

It's the second lottery win in three years for the Devils. They won it in 2017 and selected center Nico Hischier.

"I said the No. 1 thing we needed was [more] talent, and this is a huge part of getting more talent. It's a huge day for the Devils," GM Ray Shero said after the draw.

The 15 teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs were all eligible to win the lottery. The NHL uses three separate drawings to select the teams for the top three picks in the draft, in an effort to discourage tanking.

The Devils had a 11.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. The New York Rangers, who had just a 7.5 percent chance, jumped up from No. 6 to snag the second overall pick. The Chicago Blackhawks made an even more dramatic move, going from No. 12 all the way to the third pick in the draft. They had just a 2.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. The Colorado Avalanche, via a pick acquired from the last-place Ottawa Senators in a 2017 trade involving center Matt Duchene, entered the lottery with the best odds at 18.5 percent. The Los Angeles Kings (13.5 percent), Devils (11.5 percent), Detroit Red Wings (9.5 percent) and Buffalo Sabres (8.5 percent) rounded out the top five teams in draft probabilities.

American center Jack Hughes is projected as the first overall pick.

"I skate with [Devils star] Taylor Hall in the summers. He's been a really good guy to me, really nice. It's the NHL. I'd be honored to play for New Jersey one day. It's a great spot," Hughes said.

The Devils' lottery win continues a bizarre run of luck for Hall in the draft lottery. When he was in Edmonton, the Oilers picked first overall three times. After the Oilers traded him to New Jersey, the Devils won the lottery twice.

This has been some kind of heater folks. This is like when you've hit the blackjack tables and made 10x the money you came with. For one final bet, you toss on half your winnings and hope for the best. Either way, you've gotten lucky and came out ahead. Here goes https://t.co/sbrRmx770V

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 9, 2019

Here's the full draft board:

1. New Jersey Devils

2. New York Rangers

3. Chicago Blackhawks

4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa)

5. Los Angeles Kings

6. Detroit Red Wings

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. Edmonton Oilers

9. Anaheim Ducks

10. Vancouver Canucks

11. Philadelphia Flyers

12. Minnesota Wild

13. Florida Panthers

14. Arizona Coyotes

15. Montreal Canadiens

This year's lottery was a painful one for Ottawa fans to watch. The Senators finished the regular season with the NHL's worst record but did not own their first-round pick, which was traded to Colorado in the Duchene trade. They had the option to give Colorado their first-rounder in the 2018 NHL draft, but instead opted to select center Brady Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick. That gave Colorado the Senators' 2019 pick and the best lottery odds. To add insult to injury, the Senators traded Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets in February after 118 games in Ottawa.

The prize of the 2019 NHL entry draft is Hughes, a special talent who skates at an elite level and can make plays at high speed.

The 17-year-old center's footwork is unique among most players in that he skates deceptively well on top of having higher-end puck skills. Hughes also has elite vision, which combined with his shiftiness, allows him to exploit open ice and find teammates with ease. There are somewhat limited concerns about his size and physical strength, but they have done little to dissuade most that he belongs at No. 1.

Hughes rewrote the record books at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, blowing past the likes of Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews while putting up 202 points over his past two seasons to shatter the previous career scoring mark of 189. He is averaging 2.10 points per game this season with the U.S. national under-18 team amid a mixed schedule of USHL, college and international opponents. Hughes also represented the U.S. at the World Junior Championship this year where he helped Team USA earn a silver medal alongside his older brother and last year's No. 7 overall draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes.

There is really only one significant challenger who could unseat Hughes as the No. 1 pick. That would be 17-year-old Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, who brings size and strength to a high-end offensive skill set. Kakko scored 22 goals for TPS Turku this season, which made him the highest-scoring under-18 player in Liiga history as he surpassed Aleksander Barkov for the record.

After Hughes and Kakko there are several players who could challenge for the next few spots, including Russian winger Vasili Podkolzin, Western Hockey League centers Kirby Dach and Dylan Cozens, WHL defenseman Bowen Byram and some of Hughes' own under-18 teammates -- Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras and Matthew Boldy.

The 2019 NHL draft will take place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The first round will be held Friday, June 21. Rounds 2-7 will take place Saturday, June 22.

ESPN's Chris Peters contributed to this report.

The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin on Wednesday, April 10. Our writers, analysts and editors weigh in with their predictions for each first-round series, along with way-too-early picks for the Stanley Cup Final and Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.

ESPN Experts panel: Sean Allen, NHL fantasy columnist; Ben Arledge, associate editor; Pierre Becquey, deputy editor; John Buccigross, SportsCenter anchor, "In the Crease" host; Matthew Coller, NHL writer; Sachin Chandan, hockey researcher for ESPN the Magazine; Aimee Crawford, senior editor; Dimitri Filipovic, NHL writer; Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter; Tim Kavanagh, general editor; Don La Greca, ESPN Radio host; Steve Levy, SportsCenter anchor; Vince Masi, Sports & Information research specialist; Victoria Matiash, NHL fantasy columnist; Barry Melrose, NHL analyst; Chris Peters, NHL prospects writer; Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer.

Four sleeps without hockey was too many, if you ask us. The NHL returns tonight with five games opening the slate of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Here's what to watch for in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

About last night...

There was some NHL action last night. The draft lottery was held in Toronto, and for the second time in three years, the Devils will be picking No. 1. Yes, New Jersey won the Jack Hughes sweepstakes. The New York Rangers got second, and the Chicago Blackhawks bucked their 8.2 percent odds to finish in the top three. The Colorado Avalanche, with Ottawa's pick, ended up at No. 4 -- a rare moment of reprieve for Senators fans.

The big picture? Hughes is the next big American hockey star -- and he'll likely play for an American team (unlike Auston Matthews, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser -- all stashed above the border on Canadian teams). That's a boon for fans in the U.S.

On the schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 1, 7 p.m. ET

The Lightning open as the big Cup favorites, at 2-1. Don't discount the John Tortorella-coached Blue Jackets in putting up a fight, though. Several Columbus players -- notably star winger Artemi Panarin and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky -- are playing for new contracts this summer.

• Series preview

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

A 2019 playoff game at Nassau Coliseum? Yeah, we didn't see this one coming, either. The Islanders have been plucky underdogs all season and now take on a Sidney Crosby-led team that's peaking at the right time.

• Series preview

St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, Game 1, 8 p.m. ET

Everyone expected Winnipeg to be a wagon this season, but they haven't looked quite right. The Blues, meanwhile, didn't look right at all when they were the league's worst team on Jan. 2, but since then, they have been among the league's hottest. Bring on a classic Western Conference slugfest.

• Series preview

Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators, Game 1, 9:30 p.m. ET

Just after Christmas, Stars CEO Jim Lites went on an epic rant, calling out the play of his two star players as "f---ing horses---." Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin can get the last laugh if they pull an upset over the Central Division champs in Round 1.

• Series preview

Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

The misfits are back -- and brought reinforcements, like Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and Paul Stastny. They'll look to spoil it for the Sharks yet again. San Jose would like to win one for Jumbo Joe Thornton before the 39-year-old (possibly) hangs them up this summer.

• Series preview

Social post of the day

They talk about Gretzky's 92 goals or Sittler's 10 pts in one game as records that may never be broken. But winning 5 draft lotteries in your first 9 years in the league? In 2 different draft lottery eras, no less. That is a record that will stand forever.

— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) April 10, 2019

We didn't see much of Taylor Hall for the second half of the season as he nursed a knee injury; the reigning MVP came in hot on Twitter this week, though.

Quotable

"I want to straighten it out: If you've had one shot, it's like you've had a million." -- New Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, appearing on the ESPN on Ice podcast, discussing his viral moment during his unemployment period, when he ripped shotskis with Chicago Bears fans while tailgating at Soldier Field.

I suppose if you had to pick one man in the entire world who doesn't need any reminder of the value and impact of late goals, it'd probably be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -- particularly a couple of days after he revisited the Camp Nou for the first time since his historic Treble-winning goal there in 1999.

For Manchester United fans, it was their all-time miracle moment, but for us neutrals in the stadium it was no less incredible.

I was working in the Camp Nou, sat a couple of rows behind Charlie Sheringham and Kasper Schmeichel, as they anxiously watched their fathers team up in the Bayern Munich penalty area after the clock had already ticked past 90 minutes. When United's talismanic Norwegian stuck out his right boot so that the ball rose steeply upward into the roof of Oliver Kahn's net, the noise, the sensation of disbelief, the professional need to steel oneself and rewrite copious newspaper copy at the speed of light -- all these emotions hit a scale somewhere between euphoria and a paralysis of incomprehension.

So while Solskjaer watched Barcelona's late show against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, I wondered whether it not only sparked fragments of memories of his own glorious past, but also a nagging worry about one of the Blaugrana's least-praised tendencies?

There's no escaping the fact that Solskjaer's United are Champions League quarterfinalists because of the added-time penalty that Marcus Rashford crashed past Gianluigi Buffon in Paris a couple of weeks ago. Like coach, like striker: much better late than never. But in Barcelona they are facing the absolute masters in this art of delayed gratification.

Let me explain. Goals scored between the 80th minute and the final whistle are a demonstration of resilience, mental and physical fortitude, are very hard to fight back against and are the touch of ruthless masters. So digest this data: In this season's Champions League, Barcelona have scored six times after the 80th minute. In fact, they haven't faced a single team in Europe this term against whom they've failed to score one of these late goals.

However, that's not all. Not by a long chalk.

When Solsjkaer -- with Mike Phelan beside him in the presidential box and Michael Carrick in an overspill area of the Camp Nou main stand -- witnessed Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi hit the net in the 85th and the 86th minutes, respectively, against Atletico he was witnessing a trend, not flukes.

Spain's champions-elect have scored in the final 10 minutes during well more than half their Liga matches since August. In some cases, like against Diego Simeone's Atleti, they have been goals that seal all three points. Occasionally, for example their midweek 4-4 draw at Villarreal, when Messi burst the net with seconds of normal time left and Suarez rammed home the equaliser moments before the final whistle blew, these late phenomena are important but don't secure the jackpot of victory. Occasionally the late show merely decorates a big scoreline.

However only once, in the 4-3 home defeat to Real Betis, has one of Barcelona's jack-in-the-box last-10-minute strikes failed to register a draw or a win. Late goals are worth their weight in gold. It's clear. And it means Ernesto Valverde's squad is very special. Across all competitions in 2018-19, they've hit the net 35 times after minute 80.

Now hold on a minute, I hear you. I hear your dismissive tone. "It's only Messi and Suarez, right? It's only the two predators hitting opponents when they're tired?"

Wrong. Of these 35 ultra-late goals, Messi has scored 11. Not a bad haul. But what I find remarkable, and important for United to plan against, is the fact that a total of 12 Barcelona players -- Messi, Suarez, Gerard Pique, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic, Jordi Alba, Carles Alena, Clement Lenglet, Philippe Coutinho, Munir El Haddadi, Malcom and Arturo Vidal -- have carved their initials on this signature Barcelona trick.

And there's more. When considering these hard-to-bounce-back-from late strikes, we can tighten the microscope even more. The huge majority, 26 out of those 35, have been scored from the 85th minute onward into added time.

Barcelona, whether they are on top, whether they are at bay but struggling to sneak a win, or whether they are clinging on and apparently having an off night, just keep saving and saving their knockout punch. But the punch still puts rivals on the canvas.

Nor, just so that we are clear, does it only happen against lesser sides or uniquely at the Camp Nou. Finding the net late when opponents have drooped happened at Wembley against Tottenham, in Milan against Inter, at the Metropolitano for 1-1 in the 90th minute, at Sevilla, at Betis. The list goes on.

If you are a student of Barcelona, then you might be musing to yourself, "But they've been doing this for years." True. From the beginning of the Johan Cruyff era -- the 1989 UEFA Cup-Winners' Cup semifinal won thanks to Guillermo Amor's 81st-minute strike, a 2-0 goal against Real Madrid in the 1990 Copa del Rey final coming in the 90th minute, Ronald Koeman's 112th-minute Champions League winner at Wembley in 1992 -- this has been happening.

Under Frank Rijkaard in 2006: Samuel Eto'o's 89th-minute winner in the Champions League quarterfinal against Benfica, Juliano Belletti's epic final-clinching goal in Paris against Arsenal in the 80th minute. Pep Guardiola? Who will ever forget what's known here only as the "Iniestazo!" at Stamford Bridge in 2009 with a mere sliver of added time left and Chelsea on the verge of reaching their second consecutive final? Messi's 87th-minute semifinal goal at the Bernabeu in 2011?

The reason for mentioning this tendency is that while Barcelona's playing style and ideology have changed -- markedly -- from the Cruyff-Rijkaard-Guardiola days, the tendency remains.

Whenever Barcelona have been fully engaged with the Cruyff philosophy of maintaining possession, dragging opponents about, making their rivals chase after the ball, spreading the pitch positionally, it has, almost inevitably, left teams being sucker-punched late on in contests when they are mentally jaded, physically exhausted, or both. It's easy to understand: Make your enemy run, exhaust him, then strike when mind, legs and lungs are fading.

But this team doesn't play that style. Sure, they still love to take the ball and pass the ball, as Guardiola once phrased it. But they no longer have that associative style that was so based on the elite-level Xavi, the prime of Andres Iniesta and the apex of Sergio Busquets' career. This Barca team needs to run much more, play with lightning bursts forward and often has a significantly lower share of possession. Valverde's team should, in theory, be nearly as tired as their rival, if not more so, by the time the final 10 minutes are approaching. Yet, regularly, they prove that they are not.

It's a triumph of squad, changes made at the right time and impactful footballers joining a broken game. It's the product of fabulously honed technique, such that even when Valverde's players are jaded or flagging, they are slightly less likely than their opponents to actually wilt. It is, above anything else, the result of elite mentalities.

This team, which is founded on the titanium-tough will to win of Pique, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Suarez and Messi, simply keeps going, keeps probing, keeps believing that there's something in the match for them whether they're winning, losing, drawing, playing brilliantly or having a stinker of a night.

And the best-placed person at Old Trafford on Wednesday to recognise that wonderful resilience and confidence is -- you guessed it -- Solskjaer. Teaching his team how to prevent Barcelona from doing an Ole Gunnar to them would be a massive step toward wrecking the Camp Nou club's firm progress to their third Treble since Solskjaer, Sir Alex Ferguson, Teddy Sheringham & Co. achieved theirs nearly 20 years ago in Barcelona's stadium.

In 2015, after a summer of rumour and speculation, Manchester United accepted defeat in their attempt to get David De Gea to sign a new contract and agreed to sell the Spaniard to Real Madrid. Four years and a faulty fax machine later, and United are back where they started. In less than three months' time -- July 1, to be exact -- De Gea will officially have one year left on his deal at Old Trafford and the decision facing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the Glazer family will be whether to cash in on their prized goalkeeper or hold their nerve.

Sources have told ESPN FC that their plan, as of writing, is to stand firm. Bids in the summer will be rebuffed in the hope that De Gea can be convinced to stay. Their view is that they can take the financial hit should the worst happen and he leaves for nothing in 12 months; to the club, it's worth the risk if it gives them extra time to negotiate a fresh agreement.

At the moment, though, an agreement is some way off. Sources close to De Gea have suggested the club do not have the "capacity" to meet his demands. Other sources have hinted that associated costs (including agents' fees) have driven up the price of the deal.

United are ready to pay the goalkeeper £350,000 per week over five years in a deal that would earn him more than £90 million. De Gea is asking for more and, at the moment, the gap is so wide that there is no end in sight.

De Gea and his representatives believe he deserves to be one of the highest-paid players at United. He has, after all, won the club's player of the year award in four of the past five seasons and is among the best goalkeepers in the world. At 28, he is in the prime of his career and is keen to cash in while he can. You can see his point.

United, meanwhile, are trying to manage a wage structure that has been wrecked somewhat by Alexis Sanchez's mega-money move from Arsenal in January 2018. More than that, they're also trying to cope with a shifting landscape in the transfer market. Neymar's £199m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 blew the roof off the market in terms of transfer fees and it's taken time for wages to catch up. During negotiations with De Gea and Ander Herrera in particular, they've started to feel the pinch. After more than a year of talks, Herrera is two months away from leaving on a free transfer, with PSG linked most closely to the Spanish midfielder.

Neymar and Sanchez have set a benchmark, but United are at least learning. From now on, their top players will be offered five-year contracts with the option of a sixth rather than the four-plus-one deal De Gea signed in 2015 when his transfer to Real Madrid fell through at the last minute. Club chiefs hope it will give them more protection from situations like this happening again in the future.

It's clear that United want De Gea to stay. In August 2018, they were confident an agreement was close. Buoyed by Thibaut Courtois' move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, there was a strong belief behind the scenes that he would sign a new contract sooner rather than later. Eight months later, the word being used is no longer "confidence" but "hope."

In United's favour is a lack of other options for De Gea. Any club in the world would love the chance to sign him, but the wage packet being talked about means he will be out of reach to all but a handful of Europe's elite. He wouldn't play anywhere else in the Premier League, and Barcelona already have Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

A move to Real Madrid would allow him to move back to the city where he and girlfriend, Edurne, grew up. He has had problems with the Spanish press since becoming the national team's No.1 but the pull towards home is strong. Sources have told ESPN FC that he particularly enjoyed his incredible save from Luis Muriel's point-blank header during the Champions League last-16 first leg against Sevilla last season because his parents and sister were in the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to see it.

Real have been keen in the past and have the financial clout to sign De Gea, but they would likely have to jettison Courtois, who is only 12 months into a six-year deal. It is noteworthy, though, that the Belgian's first season at the Bernabeu has not gone well and Keylor Navas has been first choice since Zinedine Zidane's return as manager.

Next in line would be PSG and Juventus in terms of realistic suitors, but even then there are people at United who doubt whether the Italian champions have the resources after splashing out on Cristiano Ronaldo.

If De Gea does leave, United are prepared. In 2015, they signed Argentina's No.1, Sergio Romero, and were ready to pull the trigger on Jasper Cillessen, then playing for Ajax and now at Barcelona. This time, scouts have spent time watching Gianluigi Donnarumma at AC Milan and Jan Oblak at Atletico Madrid. Sources have told ESPN FC that Oblak is first choice if they find themselves looking for a new goalkeeper; they believe the Slovenian is attainable even if he signs a new contract.

Neither United nor De Gea has given up hope that he could yet sign a new deal at Old Trafford. De Gea is settled in Manchester and has close friends in the dressing room in Herrera, Juan Mata and goalkeeper coach Emilio Alvarez. He was also appreciative that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer listened to his advice and retained Alvarez in the wake of Jose Mourinho's dismissal. The pair worked together at Atletico and have a good relationship away from football as well as on the training ground.

United are willing to push the boat out to keep one of the only genuine world-class players in the squad, but they will stop short of offering him Sanchez-type money to stay. The trick now is to find a middle ground but the clock is ticking.

Sources have told ESPN FC that United are braced for bids this summer that will test their resolve. They are planning to have him in their team next season whether he has signed a new contract or not, but there is also a reluctant acceptance that things can change very quickly -- just as they did on deadline day in 2015.