Atkinson signed a new contract with the club in February and has played every minute at inside centre in 11 out of 13 Premiership matches so far.

Skivington said Atkinson was one of the "top three" names who would be picked out by his team-mates as key to the club's strong performances this season.

Victory against the Bears moved Gloucester back into the top four, level on points with third-placed Leicester.

"He's got brilliant power and it's deceptive I think, he's got a great skillset. He's a brilliant individual," Skivington said.

"He's in the leadership group at his age already which says a lot, he takes this very seriously. He's not here to mess around and get paid and go home, he's here to win.

"Internally he'd be one of the top three names mentioned as to why things are going well at the club, if you asked the boys."

Atkinson added it would "be nice" to be on the England radar but that club honours are his main focus.

"I'm just focussing on what we're doing at Gloucester and pushing on to the end of the season and if that comes, it comes," Atkinson said.

"I'm trying to find a balance of my game. I know that my passing game's really strong but trying to find some carrying, breaking tackles, fighting the extra few metres to get us on the front foot is something I've been working on really hard this year and I was glad I could show that."

Saracens will rest their England players for their Champions Cup last-16 trip to Toulon on Saturday.

Director of rugby Mark McCall says he is prioritising making the Premiership play-offs ahead of a chance at a fourth European crown.

McCall started Maro Itoje, Jamie George, Tom Willis and Elliot Daly in his side's 29-22 win at Leicester on Sunday, while Ben Earl was a replacement.

Itoje and Willis will complete their mandatory post-Six Nations rest period this coming week while McCall says his other England players will also be stood down for the tip to Toulon, who are third in the French Top 14.

Victory in Toulon would set up the possibility of a trip to French league leaguers Toulouse in the quarter-finals, should they beat Sale at home.

"We made the decision to do this halfway through the Six Nations," McCall said after the win at Leicester.

"After we lost to Castres we got on the difficult side of the draw so we were always going to do this and those players are all off now for the next seven to 10 days.

"They will all miss Toulon. We don't have to do that but we will. We think it's unwise not to rest them. It's very important that they get rest.

"They have to do it in one of the three games after the Six Nations so we took the decision to prioritise the Premiership. Your hand is forced to some extent. We're just realistic about what's possible.

"A lot of the English teams have done this, it's not just us. We had our big game at Tottenham last weekend and it was essential that we had our best players playing.

"We will send our best available team to Toulon. We're not going to send a pack of 18-year-olds out against Toulon, we'll also give it a crack with absolutely nothing to lose."

The Stars were the third team to clinch a playoff berth this season, and the most likely outcome for Dallas is earning the No. 2 seed in the Central Division and squaring off with the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

But there remains a chance that the Stars claim the division title, bringing on a first-round matchup with one of the wild-card teams.

Heading into Monday night, the Stars are six points behind the Winnipeg Jets at 106-100, and one point behind in regulation wins (40-39). If Dallas is going to catch Winnipeg, it should definitely win Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken (10 p.m., ESPN+). The Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday night.

Looking beyond Monday, the Stars play games against current playoff teams just twice, and one of those is a "four-point game" against the Jets on April 10. For comparison, the Jets face current playoff teams five times in their remaining schedule.

The chances aren't super high that the Stars get this done; the Stathletes projection model gives the Jets an 82.8% chance of winning the Central title, compared with 17.2% for the Stars. But by winning games that they should win against non-playoff teams -- and getting some help from Winnipeg's opponents -- they can definitely pull this off.

There are less than three weeks left until April 17, and we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today's schedule
Yesterday's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 New York Rangers
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Monday's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.

Sunday's scoreboard

Montreal Canadiens 4, Florida Panthers 2
Buffalo Sabres 8, Washington Capitals 5
Winnipeg Jets 3, Vancouver Canucks 1
Utah Hockey Club 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 1, Ottawa Senators 0 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 6, New York Islanders 4
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Anaheim Ducks 2
Los Angeles Kings 8, San Jose Sharks 1

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104.2
Next game: vs. FLA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Ottawa Senators

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 94.4
Next game: vs. BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 86.5
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 30%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 3.3%
Tragic number: 16

Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 76.5
Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 76.4
Next game: @ OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 10

Metro Division

x - Washington Capitals

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 115.7
Next game: @ BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 105.6
Next game: vs. WSH (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

New Jersey Devils

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 92.9
Next game: vs. MIN (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.7%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85.3
Next game: vs. MIN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 33.1%
Tragic number: 17

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 85.4
Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 19.6%
Tragic number: 19

New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. TB (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 14.4%
Tragic number: 16

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 77.6
Next game: @ STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 75.4
Next game: vs. NSH (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 7

Central Division

x - Winnipeg Jets

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 117.5
Next game: @ LA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Dallas Stars

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 112.3
Next game: @ SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 103.1
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 96.4
Next game: @ NJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 92.3%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 95.1
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 94.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Utah Hockey Club

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 86.4
Next game: vs. CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Tragic number: 8

e - Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 69.6
Next game: @ PHI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 56.5
Next game: vs. COL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 110.1
Next game: vs. EDM (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: vs. WPG (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 100.0
Next game: @ VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.4%
Tragic number: N/A

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 89.8
Next game: vs. SEA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 5.8%
Tragic number: 11

Calgary Flames

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 91.1
Next game: @ COL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 7.3%
Tragic number: 14

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: vs. SJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 4

e - Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 75.4
Next game: vs. DAL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 55.0
Next game: @ ANA (Tuesday
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An "x" means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An "e" means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL's Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18

3. Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

4. Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

5. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 19

7. Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

9. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23

10. New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25

11. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 26

12. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 23

13. New York Rangers

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32

14. Utah Hockey Club

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 25

15. Calgary Flames

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26

16. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26

Real Betis midfielder Isco has joked that crowdfunding will be needed to keep Manchester United's loanee Antony at the club for at least next season.

Antony has been a big hit in Spain since joining on loan from United after a difficult first half of the campaign at Old Trafford.

However, the loan deal which took the Brazilian winger to Betis did not include an option for the Spanish club to automatically make his stay permanent this summer.

"We need to crowdfund so he can stay at least another year," Isco said smiling when asked about Antony after Betis' 2-1 win against Sevilla in Sunday's derby.

Antony, 25, has a contract with United until June 2027.

He has scored four goals and set up four more in 12 appearances for the Spanish outfit.

Betis have already made it clear that they are keen for Antony to continue at the club next season and Isco believes he has made a huge impact at Betis.

"I'm happy to be able to enjoy Antony," the former Spain international said. "He has surprised us all with his humility and with his willingness to help and add. We have noticed a change since he arrived. We are happy for him and for the team."

Antony, who despite not scoring stood out against Sevilla on Sunday, delighted the home crowd when he waved the club's flag around after the derby win as part of his team's celebrations.

"I'm very happy for Antony," Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini said in his post-match press conference.

"He is a great player, who had gone through a complicated spell."

Antony scored only 12 goals in 96 appearances for the Red Devils since his 85 million transfer from Ajax in 2022.

"He is young, he has a lot to give to football," Pellegrini said of Antony. "It has helped his game to play alongside players like Isco, [Giovanni] Lo Celso, William Carvalho..."

Antony, meanwhile, said he is only focused on the present.

"What I am most happy about is having found myself and I found myself here," Antony said after Sunday's game.

"I'm grateful for the affection I've received since I arrived. I'm very happy here. My head is at Betis. I'm enjoying every day the city, the club... Let's continue like this."

Sunday's win was Betis' sixth straight league triumph and allowed the side to cement their sixth place in LaLiga. Betis play at league leaders Barcelona on Saturday.

Barcelona inaugurated their first store abroad at the weekend in Georgia's capital Tbilisi as part of their business expansion.

The 'Barça Store Georgia,' located in the historic centre, opened its doors on Saturday and will be operated under license.

"We are delighted to open 'Barça Store Georgia' in Tbilisi and offer Georgian fans a unique opportunity to feel even closer to the club they passionately support," Georgian businessman David Zakariadze, the driving force of the project, said.

"Our goal is to create a special environment where every fan can truly experience the 'Blaugrana spirit.'"

Zakariadze, a big fan of Barça since childhood, worked on this project for three years.

"The most difficult thing was to convince FC Barcelona of how attractive the Georgian market is," Zakariadze told EFE as reported in Infobae.

"Fortunately, they believed me. We conducted a market study, and now we can be proud of the implementation of the idea."

The Catalan club will open two further stores this week in Spain, one in Malaga and one at Palma de Mallorca airport, thus, owning 15 shops outright with six others operated under license.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka is "ready to go" as his side prepare to face Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Saka, who underwent surgery for a hamstring injury in December, has spent a lengthy spell on the sideline for Arsenal but is fit to return against Fulham.

The 23-year-old sustained a tear to the muscle in his right leg during the first half Arsenal's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace.

It has been some rise for Mensik, who broke into the top 100 in February 2024 by reaching the Qatar Open final.

In Miami he beat three top-10 players in Djokovic, Britain's Jack Draper and American Taylor Fritz to lift the biggest title of his career, and handled the pressure of the occasion well.

After a five-and-a-half hour rain delay before the final, settling into a rhythm was not easy, but Mensik adjusted quicker than Djokovic.

He broke Djokovic at the first opportunity and his first serve popped as he rushed out to a 4-1 lead.

Djokovic, by contrast, had a rough start. He fell twice, had to apply eye drops after being bothered by swelling under his right eye and resorted to using sawdust to help him grip his racquet in the humidity.

However, his serve improved as the set progressed and his backhand slice in particular trouble Mensik, who eventually handed the break back.

A tie-break felt inevitable and Djokovic paid for a poor start to it, although he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way to the opener.

The match was following a similar pattern to their previous meeting in Shanghai last year, when Mensik took the first set on a breaker before fading in the next two.

However, this time he kept up the intensity. Mensik did not face a break point in the second set and the heat and humidity began to take a toll on Djokovic.

Breathing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between every point, Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him to force a tie-break, before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it.

If the point was short, then it was Djokovic who came out on top. But Mensik dug in to the long rallies, sending Djokovic darting around at the back of court and ultimately setting up three match points.

The first one went by as Djokovic sent a superb return right onto the baseline, but Mensik ensured a fitting end with a serve out wide to clinch the second.

He will now rise to a career-high of 24th in the world rankings.

For Djokovic, the wait for a first ATP title since 2023 goes on, but there were signs that his serve in particular has improved under coach Andy Murray.

With Aoibheann Reilly, 24, linking well with the 21-year-old pair of O'Brien and Dalton, Ireland have a youthful nine-10-12 axis.

"They're inexperienced but there's skill and talent," added Downey.

"They're malleable and they can be coached.

"There's leadership and there's great depth from those young players."

Ireland are next in action against England in Cork on 12 April before finishing their campaign with trips to Wales and Scotland.

Sitting third in the standings after the big win in Parma, Ireland will hope to finish strongly before turning their attention to the World Cup which starts in August.

Ireland, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup, will be in a pool with Spain, Japan and New Zealand at the tournament in England.

"You have to look at areas that don't go right for you and when you right the wrongs, that's how you grow," concluded Peat.

"The growth from last week to this week, they're the key moments that will extract the potential from this team.

"Hopefully they'll kick on the rest of the tournament and then the bigger picture is the World Cup."