Like 1990s moviegoers finding out Bruce Willis' character really was dead all along, the Florida Panthers' dominant run to the Stanley Cup Final has taken us all by surprise.

But what else do both of those plot twists have in common? We should have seen them coming.

Florida surely left its own trail of breadcrumbs in the regular season, right? Some hidden Easter eggs that indicate just what could be possible for the Panthers if they made it into the postseason?

The potential had to be there. Florida bullying its way through the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes could hardly be accidental.

• Sergei Bobrovsky standing on his head?

• Matthew Tkachuk wielding a (game-winning) hero's cape?

• Unparalleled scoring depth?

• A breakout star on the blue line?

• Paul Maurice pushing the right buttons?

These have been some of Florida's greatest strengths over the last 16 games. Those seeds simply needed time to grow, so the Panthers could be at their best when this all-important time of year rolled around.

Florida was, after all, only in a playoff spot for less than 30% of the season, and didn't have a great shot at making the field until the final weeks. Plus, the Panthers required a little help from the Pittsburgh Penguins losing their final two games against the lottery-bound Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets to squeeze into the Eastern Conference's final postseason slot.

The Panthers grabbed a tight grip on the opportunity and haven't let go. Florida's will and determination alone should have put the hockey world on notice that once the Panthers arrived, they'd make landfall like a late-summer hurricane -- unpredictable, powerful and impossible to ignore.

Which brings us back to the original question: Should we have expected this from the Panthers?

Let's rewind the tape and find out.

Bullish on Bobrovsky

Sergei Bobrovsky is the front-runner to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. On January 1, that possibility seemed laughable.

At the time, Bobrovsky was 8-12-1, with an .894 save percentage and 3.32 goals-against average. Florida was sitting 23rd overall in the league standings, at 16-18-4. Those two things were likely related.

Goaltending is the backbone of any great team. And as Maurice mentioned before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final, netminders must be special at playoff time for a club to go far.

Bobrovsky wasn't giving those vibes in the fall. From winter into spring though, Bobrovsky was on track toward a major glow-up.

The turnaround started slowly around mid-January, with a breezy 5-0-1 stretch from Bobrovsky. He became more consistent from there, and Bobrovsky fully re-announced himself as a reliable No.1 by going 11-4-1 with a .921 SV% and 2.63 GAA into late March.

If Bobrovsky hadn't found his groove, Florida may not have been in position to push for the postseason at all. And had Bobrovsky not been felled by illness in early April it's possible his surge in the playoffs wouldn't have been so shocking.

As it was, Bobrovsky was replaced between the pipes by journeyman Alex Lyon, who produced the greatest run of his career (and a 6-1-1 record) to backstop Florida into its playoff berth. Lyon was then tapped to start in the Panthers' first-round series, and Bobrovsky became something of an afterthought.

The writing was on the wall, though. When Lyon faltered against Boston, and Bobrovsky stepped back in, the veteran essentially picked up where he left off as the cool, calm, collected goaltender that improved steadily throughout the regular season. He's done the same in these playoffs.

After stumbling briefly in the Boston series -- Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 30 shots in a Game 4 loss -- he has since recorded exactly one postseason loss, in Game 4 of the Panthers' second-round series against Toronto.

That puts Bobrovsky at 11-1, with a .942 SV% and 1.95 GAA. Seem familiar? It should. Those stats aren't far off what Bobrovsky was producing in the regular season.

Verdict: Pick your jaw up the next time Bobrovsky produces an eye-popping stop. Florida's $10 million man was earning his keep before the Panthers let loose in the playoffs. Now it's just a whole lot of fun to watch how, exactly, he'll keep a puck out of the cage.

Tkachuk? Clutch

Matthew Tkachuk has re-written his own script this season.

That process began well before the playoffs. The postseason is merely highlighting how far Tkachuk has come (for those maybe not paying close attention).

The 25-year-old orchestrated his exit from Calgary last offseason by informing the Flames he would not be committing there long-term. That was the first bet Tkachuk placed on himself. Calgary acquiesced by inking Tkachuk to an eight-year contract and then trading him to Florida for the start of a superior second act to his career.

Tkachuk didn't get his due for much of the season, though. Florida was so bad early on, with their season so swiftly deemed over, that Tkachuk's prowess could fly easily under the radar. Meanwhile, the winger was having the time of his life, racking up a career-high 109 points and producing a second consecutive 40-plus goal season. And of those 40 goals, six were game-winners, tied with Aleksander Barkov for Florida's team lead in the category.

When Florida needed him most, Tkachuk really turned up the heat. In the Panthers' final 16 games of the regular season Tkachuk popped in 12 goals and added 13 assists. It was the type of stretch that helped earn Tkachuk the first Hart Trophy nomination of his career. Big-time stakes; big-time performance.

Is it any wonder that with a larger stage in the playoffs, Tkachuk has risen to the occasion?

Tkachuk is second in postseason scoring, with nine goals and 21 points in 16 games. He's collected four game-winning goals -- three in overtime, one with less than five seconds remaining in a sweep-clinching Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final -- and he's averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per contest.

And for a player that once earned his reputation as a pest prone to taking penalties, Tkachuk has been restrained. That started in the regular season, too, something Maurice was quick to point out late in the Panthers' push.

"There's a quiet maturation in his game," Maurice told me in March. "You go back and look and he's had [12 penalty minutes] in about his last [23] games. We need him on the ice. So, his maturation as a player, his relationships with the referees, his relationships with the game [have evolved]."

Verdict: Tkachuk is doing it all for Florida -- and has for some time. If the Panthers' record and position in the standings were better, would it have made Tkachuk's dominance prior to playoffs more obvious? Absolutely. The fact that he's emerged as the postseason's most timely scorer is no great shock. Pucks found his stick when Florida needed positive outcomes in the regular season, too. The Panthers should count on that to continue in the Cup Final.

Rolling in the deep

Florida's scoring depth is hitting all the right notes this postseason.

The Panthers have 15 skaters with at least one goal through 16 games. Five are in double-digit point totals. Six have scored one or more game-winning goals.

Even Bobrovsky appears on the scoresheet with an assist.

Being multifaceted up front is how Florida has stayed alive while other teams -- with success more tied to superstars driving the train -- made early-round exits.

To wit, Tkachuk has been the Panthers' top scorer, but he didn't light the lamp once in Florida's five-game series against Toronto. Did that hurt the Panthers? Nope. Because Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe are dangerous around the net, too. So are Barkov -- and defenseman Brandon Montour.

Florida flows. They adjust. It's more than picking up slack for one another; it's recognizing how to make the most of every individual's ability. Certain scorers have thrived in different scenarios, tasked with different matchups. There's a chemistry to the Panthers' group that's making them dangerous in ways they didn't always display in the regular season, where top-heavy scoring was more their speed.

The Panthers had a pair of players -- Verhaeghe and Tkachuk -- with 40-plus goals in the regular season. Reinhart had 31. Barkov hit 23. After that, no one was above 16. Contributions across the board improved along with Florida's record, but the Panthers leaned on their best players to produce -- sometimes to their own detriment.

Injuries and illness certainly impacted Florida's regular-season depth issues. The Panthers have stayed remarkably healthy in the postseason and haven't seen a player go down for any significant stretch. But it was telling of how far Florida has come in this area when Barkov left Game 3 of the conference final with an injury. The Panthers rallied to stay on course and still came out with a victory. Could they have lost a significant player from their top-six and done the same three months ago? Maybe not.

Verdict: Florida morphing into a proverbial Swiss Army knife of scoring talents? Low-key shocking. The playoff field is riddled with players going from regular-season playmakers to postseason duds. The Panthers are doing the opposite. They've turned something that wasn't an obvious strength before into a crucial element of success. Score one for the "that's a surprise" side.

Moving on with Monty

The Panthers' postseason could have ended in Boston -- if it weren't for Brandon Montour.

Florida's defenseman had a monster series against the Bruins: He scored five goals in those seven games (setting a record for most ever in one playoff series by a Panthers' blueliner) and was at his best in Game 7. That's when Montour not only got Florida on the board first, but lit the lamp again with one minute remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime -- where Verhaeghe's tally sent Florida on to face Toronto.

In Game 1 against the Maple Leafs, it was Montour's moment to come through again, with the third period game-winner that got Florida off on the right foot. Montour hasn't scored since then, but he's still arguably been the best defender in all of this postseason.

Montour again proved his value in stunning fashion during Game 1 of the conference final, a marathon four-overtime ordeal that had Montour clocking in at nearly 60 minutes of ice time. He wore the workload well; anyone previously unaware of the defenseman's vast capabilities could hardly discount them after that.

Montour's excellence was nothing new. The 29-year-old blew away all his previous career-bests in a 16-goal, 73-point regular season that should have cemented his status as one of the league's top defensemen. But Montour going the unheralded route was yet another side effect of the Panthers' spot in the standings.

No matter. Montour keeps making up for lost time -- and general underappreciation -- by stabilizing Florida's blue line when the going gets tough. He's also among the Panthers' best penalty killers and quarterbacks their top power play while maintaining elite defensive details. It's the same elements that Montour has brought since October, for those who hadn't noticed.

Verdict: If you don't know, now you know: Montour is Florida's ace on the blue line. Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling have played their part as well, but Montour's coming-out party in the playoffs isn't some flash-in-the-pan example of overnight success. He put in the work to thrive at the hardest time of year. If he hadn't, Florida might have hit the golf course weeks ago.

Maurice making it work

Paul Maurice sent ripples through the hockey sphere when he resigned as coach of the Winnipeg Jets in December 2021.

Would the veteran bench boss land on his feet somewhere else? Or would other teams be wary of hiring him?

The answer came when Florida GM Bill Zito opted to hire Maurice last summer instead of sticking with interim coach Andrew Brunette. Considering Brunette had taken over from Joel Quenneville and led the Panthers to a Presidents' Trophy-winning season, it was a somewhat shocking decision to bring Maurice on instead.

Key word being "was." Maurice's hiring now looks like a hit.

Tkachuk said Maurice makes it fun coming to the rink. There's a sense Maurice allows the Panthers to be themselves, an often rare quality in long-time coaches who can trend towards a stick-in-the-mud territory that doesn't jibe with this new generation of players.

Consider the speech Maurice made after Florida's win over Carolina in Game 4 made them Eastern Conference champions. It was short, sweet and embodied the fun-first mentality Tkachuk referenced as one of Maurice's strengths.

The @FlaPanthers are having the time of their lives. ? #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ZxvJmkNOdi

— NHL (@NHL) May 26, 2023

"We are going to go now into, for all of us, the greatest time in our lives," Maurice said in the viral video. "It's a lifetime of work to get to this. And there's something so much more important. And it's actually not the [Prince of Wales] trophy. It's the time we're going to spend together from right now until we get a bigger [trophy]. It's going to be the best time of our lives."

There's positivity from Maurice. He doesn't lead with an iron fist but is no push over, either. He'll defend a player just as soon as call him out -- but only when it's warranted. Maurice wants the Panthers to embrace the moment without letting in outside pressure, and that balance has kept Florida on track through every up and down of the postseason.

It's no wonder that the Panthers have cultivated the ultimate us-against-the-world mentality. Maurice appeared to have put his team onto it well before the playoffs started. It was only last month Maurice admitted he'd lost a love for the game after what happened in Winnipeg. Over the course of this season, Maurice found his way back. The Panthers came right along with him.

Verdict: Coaching is an interesting business. Jim Montgomery (rightfully) earned heaps of praise for how he guided the Bruins through a historic regular season. Maurice pulled in far fewer accolades while Florida was floundering much of the year. But the Panthers' eventual success should be in substantial part attributed to how Maurice got his group to buy-in instead of bow-out. The latter might have been easier.

Ultimately, Maurice helped get the Panthers to this pinnacle -- just four wins away from a Stanley Cup. And Florida has the receipts to prove this team is no fluke. It's the rest of us who shouldn't be surprised the Panthers eventually put it all together to come collect their (overdue) respect.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti remains Brazil's first choice to replace Tite, the country's football confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues has said.

Despite receiving a strong interest from Brazil since Tite stepped down after the 2022 World Cup, Ancelotti reiterated his desire to continue as coach of Real Madrid until June 2024 when his contract expires.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"He [Ancelotti] is a coach who has this vision and courage to put new talents to play," Rodrigues said.

"No disrespect to any other coach. Brazil has many coaches that we have great appreciation for, and who are competent, but we have a plan, and plan A is exactly that [Ancelotti]."

Ancelotti led Madrid to the Copa del Rey title this season despite missing out on the LaLiga title and also falling short in the Champions League following their semifinal exit to Manchester City.

Rodrigues remains optimistic that he can convince Ancelotti to take over the national team.

"We have the feeling that it can work," Rodrigues said. "Let's wait for the end of the competition [LaLiga], despite already having a champion, Barcelona. But we will wait for the competition to end, and we have the intuition that it can work."

Rodrigues said he understands Ancelotti's contract situation but knows the Italian coach is an admirer of the Canarinha. The Madrid boss already coaches Brazil's attacking pair Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior at the Bernabeu.

"If I were in his place and with a contract in force, I wouldn't belittle the company I was hired for either," he said. "I think he has an enchantment for the Brazilian national team, he knows most of the players who played and who still play for the Brazilian national team."

Rodrigues expects to have a clearer vision of who the next Brazil coach will be in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the CBF are relying on Brazil's under-20 coach Ramon Menezes as interim boss.

Menezes named a 23-man squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Guinea on June 17 and Senegal three days later.

"We hope that we can have, right after these games in June, but still within the month of June, a clearer position and that we can speak with greater conditions," he said.

The CBF are also monitoring other Brazil-based coaches, such as Palmeiras' Abel Ferreira, Fluminense's Fernando Diniz and Sao Paulo's Dorival Junior as possible alternatives should they fail to lure Ancelotti.

"The coach will be the one that the CBF understands is the best for the cycle," Rodrigues said. "And this cycle is not just about competing in the World Cup. It's winning the [2026] World Cup."

Brazil have not won the World cup since 2002.

Liverpool have appointed Jorg Schmadtke as the club's new sporting director, the Premier League side said on Tuesday, as they look to rebuild for next season after failing to secure Champions League qualification.

Schmadtke spent more than four years in the same role at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg before leaving at the start of the year. He has held similar positions at Cologne, Hannover and Alemannia Aachen.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Schmadtke will begin his new role at Liverpool on July 1 and replace Julian Ward, who is leaving after 12 months in the position and more than a decade at Anfield.

"Jorg will work with our football operations department as it continues to provide support for Jurgen Klopp, in keeping with our ongoing endeavour to keep growing and developing the club in all areas," Mike Gordon, the president of Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, said in a statement.

"We must also bid a fond farewell to Julian Ward, who has served us with unstinting diligence, fortitude and energy in a number of roles."

Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League, outside the Champions League qualification spots for the first time since 2016-17.

Juventus are leading the race to sign Christian Pulisic, sources told ESPN, with Chelsea prepared to offload the United States forward for a £20 million fee this summer.

Although Chelsea have now confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach at Stamford Bridge on a two-year contract, sources have said that the arrival of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss will not signal a U-turn on the club's decision to listen to offers for Pulisic.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Pulisic, a £58m signing from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, has 12 months remaining on his contract at Chelsea. With the club needing to reduce the size of their squad and wage bill after spending £585m on new players since Clearlake Capital bought out former owner Roman Abramovich a year ago, sources have said that Pulisic is high on the list of potential departures.

A number of clubs have been approached about the prospect of signing Pulisic, with sources telling ESPN that Manchester United, Newcastle, Napoli, AC Milan and Galatasaray have all been made aware of the player's likely fee and salary, which sees him earn £13m per year at Chelsea.

But Italian club Juve have emerged as the front-runners, despite their reluctance to match Pulisic's Stamford Bridge pay deal.

Juve, who will miss out the Champions League next season following a 10-point deduction for false accounting that has left them seventh in Serie A, are attempting to bolster their attacking options with wingers Angel di Maria and Juan Cuadrado both out of contract this summer.

With top-level experience at Chelsea and Dortmund at a relatively young age, the forward is regarded as an affordable option at £20m -- if a deal can be struck to reduce his wages.

Pulisic, 24, has endured an injury-hit time at Chelsea over the past two seasons. He was booed by a small section of the club's supporters when introduced as a second-half substitute during the final game of the season at home to Newcastle on Sunday.

With Chelsea adding forwards Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Datro Fofana to their squad since the takeover, as well as the loan signing of Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, Pulisic fell out of the picture at the club and had been set to leave on loan in January but for a knee injury which led to him being sidelined for two months.

Sprinters ready for 100m clash as Diamond League series moves to Italy on Friday

It is the head to head everyone wants to see. World 100m champion and Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley versus the man who beat him to the title in Tokyo two years ago, Marcell Jacobs. But will it happen?

After trash talk on social media in recent months, the pair were due to meet at the Diamond League in Rabat last weekend but Jacobs pulled out with a minor injury. On Friday (June 2), though, he will be competing on home soil.

Kerley, of the United States, won the 100m in Rabat in 9.94 with Jacobs sitting on the sidelines as he sorted out a sacral nerve issue. “It’s the result of a misstep and not an injury,” said the Italian. “I’m in strong physical shape technical and ready for a great outdoor season. The challenge is only postponed.”

Jacobs has come under the spotlight elsewhere lately too after it emerged his former nutritionist Giacomo Spazzini was given a 15-year doping ban, only to have it rescinded when anti-doping authorities decided he was not under the jurisdiction of WADA rules.

Also in the 100m line-up on Friday are Trayvon Bromell, Ferdinand Omanyala, Akani Simbine and Samuele Ceccarelli, an Italian who made big improvements to beat Jacobs to the European indoor 60m title in Istanbul in March.

With the Stadio Olympico in Rome being upgraded ahead of the 2024 European Championships, the action on Friday will unfold at the Luigi Ridolfi Stadium in Florence. A number of top British athletes will be in action too.

Laura Muir faces world and Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya plus Ireland’s Ciara Mageean and in-form Diribe Welteji of Ethjiopia in the women’s metric mile.

Dina Asher-Smith and fellow Brit Imani Lansiquot are in a 100m field that includes Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, European champion Gina Lückenkemper of Germany and Abby Steiner of the United States.

A stacked women’s long jump line-up sees European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers up against Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany, host nation hope Larissa Iappichino, Ese Brume of Nigeria, Tara Davis-Woodhall of the United States and Ivana Vuleta of Serbia.

Femke Bol leads a women’s 400m hurdles line-up that includes US talent Shamier Little and, intriguingly, last weekend’s Götzis heptathlon winner Anna Hall. It will be interesting to see how the latter goes as her best is 54.48 from 2022 and she has run 12.75 for 100m hurdles and 51.03 indoors for 400m.

Distance running fans will want to tune in as well as the men’s 5000m features 14 men who have broken 13 minutes. The first time that barrier was breached incidentally was when Said Aouita did it at this very meeting in Rome in 1987. This time the main contenders are Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, Selemon Barega, Berihu Aregawi and Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, Mo Katir of Spain and Grant Fisher of the United States.

The women’s steeplechase also has a strong line-up with Winfred Mutile Yavi, Sembo Alemayehu and world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech.

Elsewhere, Erriyon Knighton headlines the men’s 200m, Grant Holloway and Devon Allen are in the men’s 110m hurdles, Valarie Allman is in the women’s discus, while Katie Moon and Sandi Morris are in the women’s pole vault.

For UK viewers the event is broadcast on BBC Three from 7-9pm on Friday.

Up-to-date start lists here.

The future of London Irish hangs in the balance with Tuesday the deadline for the completion of their takeover.

If it is not, they risk being suspended from next season's Premiership.

If no deal is done, and the current ownership refuse to fund the club going forward, Irish will be the third club this season to suffer financial ruin.

While sources close to the deal insist talks are ongoing, another high-ranking club official has indicated there is little chance a deal can get completed in time.

This would mean current owner Mick Crossan would need to step in to stop the club going to the wall, as was the case with Wasps and Worcester earlier in the season.

Crossan, who took over the club in 2013, met last month's payroll just as players were preparing to hand in breach of contract notices, which would have allowed them to leave the club in the event their wages went unpaid.

Sources have indicated there is a possibility the deadline could be extended if certain conditions are met. However the RFU is still awaiting proof of funds from the United States.

On 15 May, the RFU said the timescale had been set to "avoid a scenario where the club enters insolvency mid-season, with the corresponding and substantial impact that has on players, staff and fans, as well as on the remainder of the league".

The governing body for rugby in England added: "This deadline was set to give enough time for the buyers to provide the information needed and for the transaction to complete."

The not-so-long national Knightmare has ended. The Vegas Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their sixth year of existence.

Reaching the postseason is a goal for many teams. Fair or unfair, making it to the playoffs has become the expectation for the Golden Knights. That's what happens when a franchise advances to the final round in its first season.

Since then, every Golden Knights team has been judged through the prism of whether it could get back to the Cup Final -- and possibly win it all. It's what made last year's failure to make the playoffs so jarring, leading to many questions and the hiring of former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.

Those questions were answered by what Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault says is the best team the Golden Knights have had. Here's how Vegas secured its date with the Florida Panthers and moved within four wins of the first Stanley Cup in team history.

Who's scoring for the Golden Knights? Everyone

Let's revisit what Marchessault said about this year's version of the Golden Knights being the best team in their short franchise history. If anyone would know, it would be him as one of the six players left from their inaugural campaign in 2017-18. One of the reasons he made that statement presented itself in Game 3 against the Stars.

OK, more like two of the reasons. The first came when William Carrier scored to give Vegas a 3-0 lead at the end of the period, with the second coming in the second period when Alex Pietrangelo pushed it to a 4-0 lead. What made those goals from Carrier and Pietrangelo significant is that the Golden Knights have 16 players who have scored at least one goal this postseason.

That pushed them into a tie for the most of any active team in the playoffs with the Stars. Before those goals, that distinction was held by the Panthers with 15 goal scorers. That the Golden Knights and Panthers are among the two deepest teams in terms of scoring goes back to how coaches and general managers stress the need for depth scoring.

Just look at the recent Stanley Cup winners. The Colorado Avalanche had 16 players with at least one goal when they won it last year. The Tampa Bay Lightning also had 16 players who scored at least one goal in each of their back-to-back title seasons. The St. Louis Blues had 20 when they won the Cup in 2018-19, while the Washington Capitals had 18 when they won their first title in 2018-19.

Don't call them front-runners

What the Dallas Stars learned in the Western Conference final is a lesson the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers also discovered, in that the Golden Knights are more than comfortable playing from behind.

They gave up the opening goal in Games 2 and 4 against the Jets, contests they would win by more than two goals before taking the series in five games. A similar scenario played out against the Oilers. Vegas trailed in Game 3 before scoring five unanswered goals. The Knights also came from behind in Games 5 and 6 to close out the series. Edmonton had a 2-1 first-period lead in both games.

It happened again in Game 1 of the Western Conference final, when the Stars took a 1-0 lead only to see Vegas eventually win when Brett Howden scored in overtime. In Game 2, the Stars held a 2-1 lead before Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev combined to create a scoring chance Marchessault converted to tie the game, then Chandler Stephenson scored the winner in overtime.

They're having 5-on-5 success against some big names

Roope Hintz. Matthew Tkachuk. Connor McDavid. Leon Draisaitl. Evan Bouchard. They were the top five players in postseason points prior to Game 6 of the Western Conference final. Here's something else they have in common: The Golden Knights have either played or are about to play all of them.

How the Golden Knights will fare against Tkachuk, who is second in playoff points, is one of the subplots to follow in the Cup Final. But what they have done against the majority of the points leaders at this stage is another one of those items that has yet to attract attention with the idea that it could as the playoffs go forward.

Vegas' penalty kill is still a work in progress as its 61.4% success rate is 15th out of the 16 playoff teams. But the Golden Knights have made strides in 5-on-5 play against the majority of those aforementioned players. Edmonton's McDavid was the most consistent of the group, with the superstar center scoring 10 points, six coming on the power play. Draisaitl had six goals in the first two games against Vegas, but did not score again for the rest of the series. He finished with one point -- a 5-on-5 assist -- in the last four games. Bouchard had three points in the final four games, all on the power play.

As for the Stars' Hintz? He entered Game 6 leading the NHL with 24 points this postseason. He had three points -- one goal and two assists -- in Game 1 with all of those points coming in 5-on-5 play. Yet Vegas seemed to find a formula for subduing the hulking Finnish forward as he was held to zero points on five shots in Games 2 and 3, and two assists in Game 4. Thereafter? Goose eggs.

King of the (Adin) Hill

One game. That's the amount of combined playoff experience that Laurent Brossoit and Adin Hill shared entering this postseason. Brossoit answered a few of the questions about his inexperience when he won five of his first seven starts and helped the Golden Knights reach the second round.

But questions resurfaced when Brossoit sustained an early injury in Game 3 against the Oilers in the second round. Enter Hill, who relieved Brossoit in his first career playoff outing. Hill shut out the Oilers on 24 saves the rest of the way in a 5-1 Vegas win.

All told, Hill enters the Stanley Cup Final with a 7-3 record, a 2.30 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Aside from the 4-1 defeat in Game 4 against the Oilers, Hill's worst performance came in Game 5 against Dallas, when he allowed four goals on 34 shots. Among goalies with at least eight games played this postseason, Hill is in the top five in GAA and save percentage.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fred Biondi shot a 3-under 67 and rallied from a five-shot deficit in the final round to earn Florida’s third individual men’s NCAA golf championship on Monday.

Biondi shot 2-under 35 on the front nine at Grayhawk Golf Club and was three back after a bogey on No. 12. The senior from Brazil birdied the par-4 14th and closed with four straight pars, two-putting from 50 feet on No. 18 to finish at 7 under.

Biondi joins Bob Murphy (1966) and Nick Gilliam (2001) as national champions at Florida.

“I just tried to kind of stay calm and stay patient,” Biondi said. “You’re going to make mistakes out there and I feel like if I stay patient, I have a better chance of coming out on top.”

Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan just missed a 20-foot birdie on No. 18 that would have tied him with Biondi. He shot 67 to tie Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman at 6 under.

“This season has been phenomenal,” Buchanan said. “There were some ups and downs, but it was great.”

Steelman had a three-shot lead after 15 holes but closed with three straight bogeys to open the door for Biondi. Steelman shot 73 to finish at 6 under.

North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed in match play, and top-ranked Vanderbilt struggled, missing match play by nine shots.

Steelman was 6 over through his first six holes at Grayhawk a year ago and had three birdies in four rounds to finish 76th.

Knowing what to expect, Steelman conquered Grayhawk’s Raptor Course in the opening round this year, rolling in six birdies during a bogey-free 64 for the first-round lead. He went 68-69 the next two days, taking a four-shot lead into the final round.

Steelman saw his overnight lead cut in half with a double bogey on the par-4 sixth but followed with birdies on Nos. 8 and 11 to take a three-shot lead at 9 under.

Then he unraveled.

Steelman three-putted from the fringe on the par-3 16th and took another bogey on No. 17 when his tee shot stopped in a divot and he couldn’t get up and down from a greenside bunker.

That dropped him into a tie with Biondi at 7 under.

After a long wait on the 18th tee. Steelman crushed a drive on the hole, converted from a par 5 to a par 4, but nearly pushed his second shot into the water right of the green. He left his chip shot about 10 feet short and missed the putt, falling one behind Biondi.

Biondi remained steady while Steelman faltered. He two-putted for par on Nos. 16 and 17, then hit a massive drive on the 520-yard par-4 18th. He watched his approach shot bounce hard to the left side of the green and made a 4-foot par putt for the title.

With his victory, Biondi earned spots into this year's U.S. Open at Los Angles Country Club and next year's Masters Tournament, should he remain an amateur for both.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The past few weeks, Arizona State head coach Matt Thurmond would end each practice with a pressure drill. For example, all five players would have to find the fairway, then get up and down from a bunker, then hole a 10-foot putt. And if any player failed a task, they’d all have to start at the beginning. On one occasion it took the Sun Devils an hour to complete. Other times they’d finish the circuit in 10 minutes or less.

On Monday evening at Grayhawk Golf Club, Arizona State found itself in another high-pressure situation – only this one wasn’t a simulation.

After finishing 72 holes of stroke play at 12 over, the Sun Devils squared off against Stanford in a five-man, sudden-death playoff for the right to face top-seeded North Carolina in Tuesday morning’s quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. It took a little longer than 10 minutes, but on the second round of extra holes, Arizona State made the clutch putts to extend its season.

Michael Mjaaseth got up and down from behind the par-3 16^th hole.

Josele Ballester holed a 6-footer for par at the par-4 17^th hole.

Luke Potter had 5 feet for par at the par-4 15^th hole and made that. As did Ryggs Johnston, from 4 feet for par at the par-4 18^th hole.

With both sides tied at even par, it came down to the Sun Devils’ star sophomore Preston Summerhays and the Cardinal’s junior stud Michael Thorbjornsen, who had chipped in for birdie on No. 18 in the first round of extras. Facing 10 feet up the hill for birdie at the par-4 14^th hole, Summerhays drained the putt to send Arizona State into match play for the third straight season at Grayhawk.

“Those were huge putts we made to win, and we needed it all,” Thurmond said, “and every one of those guys are gonna have those putts tomorrow on a big hole in a big match, and hopefully they’ll go in.”

Make no mistake, though; Thurmond’s squad has been facing pressure for three years, ever since Grayhawk hosted its first national championship in 2021. That year, Arizona State made the semifinals before losing to Oklahoma. And then last year, the Sun Devils fell to Texas in the final.

Spot the trend? With one shot left at home, it’s very much NCAA title or bust for Arizona State.

“It sounds super arrogant to say something like this, but we just have so much more stress than a lot teams,” Thurmond said. “Expectations for us are immensely high. Everywhere these guys go, every day, people asking us, ‘Are you guys gonna win it this year?’”

It hasn’t helped that the Sun Devils, despite losing four players from last year’s NCAA starting lineup, remained among the best teams in the country, ranked fourth in the nation entering this week. And playing the second toughest schedule in the country, Arizona State didn’t finish outside the top four while placing second at Pac-12 and winning the NCAA Las Vegas Regional.

Arizona State head women’s coach Missy Farr-Kaye, whose team failed to qualify for nationals this year, remembers Thurmond returning to their shared facility after regionals and exhaling.

“The pressure is real,” she said shortly after watching Monday’s nail-biting finish.

And it’s still real.

When Summerhays’ playoff-winning putt played on the video board behind Grayhawk’s clubhouse, the Sun Devil faithful packing the back patio let out a huge roar. They’re still waiting for that home NCAA triumph.

“Being the last time that we’re going to get this on our home course, it’s just, we had to get this done today,” Johnston said. “We had to get into the top 8 because we know once we get into match play anything can happen, it was just getting here. And it was a battle, but man, we really wanted this one.”

Now, it’s time for the knockout stage, which will also see No. 2 Florida face No. 7 Virginia, No. 3 Illinois play No. 6 Florida State and No. 4 Pepperdine square off against No. 5 Georgia Tech.

Arizona State may have been, in Thurmond’s words, “scratching and clawing” already for 74 holes this week, but the Sun Devils’ job gets even tougher versus a North Carolina squad that is ranked second in the country – and now the team to beat after top-ranked Vanderbilt’s surprising exit.

The Commodores dropped from T-8 to T-11 on Monday with a closing 8-over 288, and they finished nine shots out of the playoff. They also didn’t have a player finish in the top 25, and Gordon Sargent, their superstar, tied for 40^th.

“Endings are tough, and I’m hurtin’ for our kids, I really am, because I know that they wanted to do it this year,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “Obviously, we had the kind of team to do that, and their season comes up short, and we just gotta keep learning and getting better. There are no excuses, but we didn’t play great SECs, we didn’t play great at regionals … and to get through a tournament like this, you’ve gotta have a couple dudes clicking.”

Arizona State arguably has all five guys clicking after a slow start, as the Sun Devils have thrown out a 73 and two 72s the past three days. That’s part of the reason Thurmond says to throw out the seedings, and the rankings.

Anyone can beat anyone now.

“There is no such thing,” Thurmond said of the numbers in front of the teams’ names. “It doesn’t really matter. It’s just like regionals; who cares what your seed is? We’ve seen North Carolina many, many times; we’ve beaten them a lot, they’ve beaten us a lot. So, really the seedings at this point are mostly irrelevant because we all start at zero.

“They might tee off first, and that’s the extent of their advantage.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he is happy to have Harry Maguire in his squad but the defender will have to make a decision about his future after losing his spot in the side.

The England international has fallen down the pecking order behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, with even left-back Luke Shaw having played in central defence, leaving Maguire with eight starts in the league this season.

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Maguire became the world's most expensive defender when United signed him from Leicester City for £80 million ($100.97 million) in 2019. His contract is due to end in 2025.

Asked about Maguire's future, Ten Hag told the Times: "Let's say I'm happy he's here and when we needed him he did his job. But it's also a decision he has to make."

The Dutchman said Maguire was putting in 100% effort in training and had played an important role as club captain but acknowledged the player would not settle for a place on the bench going forward.

"No one would be happy with this situation. He is not as well," he added.

Ten Hag added that goalkeeper David de Gea will remain at the club next season but said the Spaniard, who kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season, would face competition for the gloves.

"I will not say he'll always be my number one because in a club like Man United there must be competition in all positions," he said.