The San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights will square off in a matchup that may well go down as the best of the entire 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Who will win? Let's break it down:

How they got here: They didn't get it done until September, but the Sharks landed the prize of the NHL offseason in defenseman Erik Karlsson, giving them two of the league's premiere offensive blueliners along with Brent Burns. He joined a veteran team primed for a Stanley Cup run this season, with players like Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, pending unrestricted free agent Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane, who was acquired last season. Gustav Nyquist was added to the group at the trade deadline, and the Sharks finished the season second in scoring at 3.52 goals per game. One problem: They were 21st in team defense at 3.15 goals allowed per game, with the worst team save percentage in the NHL (.889). Still, the Sharks finished 46-27-9 (101 points), second in the Pacific Division.

Right behind them were the Vegas Golden Knights (43-32-7, 93 points), last season's expansion darlings who lost in the Stanley Cup Final. They upgraded in the offseason too, with free-agent center Paul Stastny and a trade for Max Pacioretty; and made an in-season blockbuster for Ottawa's Mark Stone. But inconsistent play, some expected regression and injuries to key players (including goalie Marc-Andre Fleury) left the Knights stuck in third place in the Pacific.

First line: Last season's dominating top trio for Vegas -- Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith -- couldn't quite recapture the magic this season, with just a 50.65 goals-for percentage. The better line for Vegas might end up being Stone, Stastny and Pacioretty, which has played just 154 minutes together but has a goals-for percentage of 60.00 at 5-on-5. The Sharks, meanwhile, don't have a consistent top line this season. Currently, the line of Couture, Pavelski and Timo Meier (who broke out with 30 goals) might qualify. Advantage: Golden Knights

Depth: The Knights return many of the supporting players who helped them thrive in the postseason last spring, including Alex Tuch (52 points), Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves and Cody Eakin, who had a career year (41 points). The Sharks have players like Marcus Sorensen and Kevin Labanc flanking Joe Thornton, and Barclay Goodrow and Melker Karlsson among their depth players. Advantage: tie

Defense: Burns (83 points in 82 games) was the league's best offensive defenseman, pumping 300 shots on goal and skating 25:06 per game for San Jose. He's skating with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who has had an uncharacteristically down season. Karlsson (45 points in 53 games) skates with Brenden Dillon, with Joakim Ryan and Justin Braun on the final pairing. The Golden Knights return the same group as last season -- Nate Schmidt and Deryk Engelland, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore, Nick Holden (the lone new addition) and Colin Miller -- partially because they couldn't find a way to acquire Karlsson. Advantage: Sharks

Goaltending: Fleury went 35-21-5 in 61 starts with a .913 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average -- not as dominant as last season, but he played a critical role during some early-season struggles for the Knights. He's been lights-out in his past two postseasons. The good news for San Jose is that Martin Jones has a .926 save percentage in 42 playoff games. The bad news is that he had an .896 save percentage in the regular season, and a putrid minus-23.35 goals saved above average. Advantage: Golden Knights

Coaching: Peter DeBoer is 8-8 over the past two postseasons, following his trip to the Stanley Cup Final with the Sharks in his first season there. Gerard Gallant won the Jack Adams last season and has done a fine job helping the Knights to avoid a huge letdown in their second season of existence. Advantage: tie

Health: The Sharks should be at full strength for Game 1 when Meier returns, although there will still be lingering concerns about the effectiveness of recently injured players Karlsson and Pavelski. The Golden Knights will also be at full strength, minus forward Erik Haula, who was injured late in the season. He had nine points in 20 playoff games last year. Advantage: Sharks

Special teams: The Sharks had the sixth-best power play (23.6 percent) in the NHL, while the Knights struggled, finishing 25th (16.8). The penalty kills for Vegas (80.9) and San Jose (80.8) were basically a dead heat. Advantage: Sharks

Prediction: Golden Knights in 7. This promises to be an absolutely brutal series after the two went six games in the second round last postseason. Both teams have made significant upgrades since then. It's entirely possible that the series will be won or lost on the effectiveness -- or lack thereof -- of Sharks goalie Martin Jones in a battle between perfectly matched teams.

BAYTOWN, Texas – Last year, Houston Raceway Park powered by Pennzoil was the site of one of Brittany Force’s most triumphant moments in her standout career, as the 2017 Top Fuel world champ returned from a season-opening crash in Pomona to win in Houston just two months later.

It was a special moment for Force and she will look to add another in her 10,000-horsepower Advance Auto Parts Dragster at this weekend’s 32nd annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil. After racing to a runner-up finish on Sunday in Vegas, Force has momentum heading into the back-to-back NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race weekend, and she is thrilled to again try to take advantage in Houston.

“I’m excited to get to the back-to-back races,” said Force, who has eight career wins. “For me as a driver it puts me at ease. You haven’t been out of the seat too long and you jump right back into it, back into your routine, so I’m excited to get to Houston. Houston is a special place for me. We won there last year so I’m ready to get there. We really turned things around and stepped things up in Vegas so we should be looking good if we get some good qualifying passes in. I want to go out there on race day and win.”

Force (Top Fuel) and J.R. Todd (Funny Car) were last year’s winners of the event, which will include live finals coverage on FOX starting at 3 p.m. (ET) on Sunday. It marks the NHRA’s season debut on FOX and is the fifth of 24 races this year.

For Force, things have come together quickly with a new team and after the result in Vegas, the former world champion may be ahead of schedule as she competes for a second world title.

The John Force Racing Top Fuel team added crew chiefs David Grubnic and Mac Savage into the mix in 2019, and the potential has already been obvious. After a slow start to the season, Force came alive in Gainesville, qualifying No. 1 with a 3.680-second pass at 326.32 mph and picking up her first round win of the year. She qualified third last weekend in the four-wide racing event in Vegas, winning her first two quads to advance to the final round. She went 3.810 seconds, falling to Mike Salinas, but the team accomplished a great deal as it moves into position for its first win of 2019.

“Coming into this season we’ve had big changes with a new team, new crew chiefs David Grubnic and Mac Savage and a new group of guys,” said Force, who jumped to eighth in points. “It takes a while until you figure out your routine and you find your stride and I’m very happy for this team.”

Force hopes the strong weekend carries into Houston, but the Top Fuel class is loaded with talent. She beat Terry McMillen in the finals last year, and Force will also have to deal with the likes of Salinas, defending world champ Steve Torrence, points leader Doug Kalitta, Leah Pritchett, Clay Millican, three-time world champ Antron Brown and Gainesville winner Richie Crampton. But she hopes to capitalize on the way the team is racing right now, eyeing a jump in the points standings. She sits just a round out of fourth and is pleased her team is being rewarded for its hard work.

“We really hit it hard (in Vegas) and it really showed,” Force said. “We were running consistently in the 70s, awesome all weekend and we came out and ended up runner-up. I’m very happy. Big moves for all of us as a team all around and I’m very happy with how we ended (last) weekend. We’re obviously looking for a win but we’ll have to chase it down (this) weekend in Houston.”

WATERBURY, Vt. – The American-Canadian Tour events at both Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway and Thunder Road Speedbowl have been postponed due to poor ground conditions and leftover snow from the past winter.

The Oxford 150 has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m. while the Community Bank N.A. 150 has been moved to Sunday, May 5 at 1:30 p.m.

With less than a week remaining before the originally-scheduled opening date, Oxford Plains Speedway reports that they still have three inches of snow on the ground. More snow and rain are in the forecast for later in the week, which are expected to exacerbate the already-wet conditions.

This led to the decision to postpone the event – which will also feature the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models, PASS Modifieds, Honey Badger Street Stock Series, and North East Mini Stock Tour – to Sunday, April 28. The open practice day has also been rescheduled for Saturday, April 27. The full schedule of events for both days will be announced at a later date.

The combination of ground conditions and scheduling has also resulted in the postponement of the Community Bank N.A. 150 at Thunder Road, which has been facing problems with snow in its own right. It has been moved back one week to Sunday, May 5. The event was originally scheduled for April 28, the same date the Oxford 150 will now be held.

“It’s been a long winter in northern New England – long enough that we’ll have to wait a little to start racing here,” ACT managing partner Cris Mchaud said. “Simply put, neither facility is in condition for racing right now because of all the snow we’ve gotten. Given the conditions we’re facing, we agreed it was in everyone’s best interests to pull the plug early on both events so everyone has time to make new plans.”

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has suspended former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw for two years, for testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) prior to a flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo on Jan. 19 in New York.

USADA officials announced the suspension, which Dillashaw did not contest, on Tuesday. The news comes less than one month after Dillashaw willingly relinquished his bantamweight championship, which the UFC would have almost certainly stripped him of based on Tuesday's announcement.

Top seeds Jamie Murray and John Peers - playing together for the first time in more than three years - were knocked out of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech in the first round.

Britain's Murray and Australian Peers were beaten 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (7-9) 10-6 by Denmark's Frederik Nielsen and the Netherlands' Matwe Middelkoop.

Murray and Peers split after reaching the ATP World Tour Finals in 2015.

Elsewhere, Germany's Alexander Zverev reached the singles second round.

The top seed beat Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-4 6-4 and will play Spain's Jaume Munar next.

NAPLES, Maine – With three inches of snow on the ground and with more snow and rain in the forecast, officials with the Pro All Stars Series and Oxford Plains Speedway felt it best to postpone this weekend’s PASS/ACT doubleheader to April 27-28.

There will be practice for all divisions on Saturday, April 27, along with the Oxford Plains Speedway regular season opener set to begin at 4 p.m.

On Sunday, April 28, racing will begin at 1:30 p.m. featuring the Honey Badger Bar & Grill 150 for the PASS Super Late Models.

The ACT Late Models will also be racing for 150 laps, along with the PASS Modifieds, North East Mini Stock Tour, and Street Stocks.