We've reached the conference finals of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, with no shortage of star power in either series.

The Eastern Conference finals begin Wednesday, and feature Hart Trophy candidate Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers against the two-time defending Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. In the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the rest of the Colorado Avalanche take on the Edmonton Oilers, who have the hottest line in hockey: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane.

It's time for our experts to go on the record with their predictions on which teams will make it to the Stanley Cup Final, which is returning to ABC this season.

More: Full playoff schedule
Conference finals preview
Offseason keys for eliminated teams

Eastern Conference finals

New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Sean Allen: Lightning in six
Blake Bolden: Lightning in six
Brian Boucher: Lightning in seven
John Buccigross: Lightning in seven
Ryan Callahan: Lightning in seven
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Lightning in five
Sachin Chandan: Lightning in seven
Chris Chelios: Lightning
Linda Cohn: Rangers in seven
Rick DiPietro: Lightning in six
Ray Ferraro: Lightning in five
Leah Hextall: Lightning in six
Emily Kaplan: Lightning in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Lightning in six
Hilary Knight: Lightning in six
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Rangers in six
Steve Levy: Rangers in seven
Victoria Matiash: Lightning in six
Sean McDonough: Lightning in six
Mark Messier: Rangers in seven
AJ Mleczko: Lightning in six
Dominic Moore: Rangers in six
Arda Öcal: Lightning in six
Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six
John Tortorella: Rangers in seven
Kevin Weekes: Rangers in seven
Bob Wischusen: Lightning in six
Greg Wyshynski: Rangers in seven

Consensus pick: Lightning, 20/28

Western Conference finals

Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers

Sean Allen: Avs in six
Blake Bolden: Avs in six
Brian Boucher: Avs in seven
John Buccigross: Avs in seven
Ryan Callahan: Avs in six
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Avs in six
Sachin Chandan: Avs in five
Chris Chelios: Avs
Linda Cohn: Avs in seven
Rick DiPietro: Avs in seven
Ray Ferraro: Avs in six
Leah Hextall: Avs in six
Emily Kaplan: Avs in six
Tim Kavanagh: Avs in seven
Hilary Knight: Avs in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Avs in six
Steve Levy: Avs in six
Victoria Matiash: Avs in seven
Sean McDonough: Avs in seven
Mark Messier: Oilers in seven
AJ Mleczko: Avs in six
Dominic Moore: Avs in six
Arda Öcal: Oilers in six
Kristen Shilton: Avs in seven
John Tortorella: Avs in seven
Kevin Weekes: Oilers in seven
Bob Wischusen: Avs in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Avs in six

Consensus pick: Avalanche, 25/28

The conference final round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs is upon us. Sixteen teams entered the postseason tournament, but only four are left in the bracket, as the New York Rangers will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the Colorado Avalanche will square off against the Edmonton Oilers in the West.

To help get you up to speed before the puck drops on Game 1 of the West matchup Tuesday night, we're bringing you a mega-preview, breaking down each team in five different categories and offering our predictions on which clubs will head to the Stanley Cup Final.

Note: Kristen Shilton previewed the Western Conference teams, while Greg Wyshynski previewed the two clubs from the East.

Jump to:
NYR | TB
COL | EDM

New York Rangers

How they got here: Defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3, defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-3.

Goalie confidence rating: 10

The Igor Shesterkin that we saw during Round 1 is not the Igor Shesterkin that the Lightning are going to see. He worked through his emotions during the Rangers' first two games in Pittsburgh, where he was pulled twice. He battled back and won a Game 7. Against Carolina, Shesterkin gave up two or fewer goals in six of the seven games in the series and won another Game 7, this time on the road. He's both their last line of defense and their catalyst, as the Rangers feed off his performances when opponents tip the ice.

Defenseman Adam Fox said he's looking forward to the battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin. "Obviously, Vasilevskiy has a track record that speaks for itself. But I think Shesty has one that does, too. What he's done this year has been insanely impressive. Two good goalies coming together. But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said.

What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason

The Rangers had their share of breaks. Defenseman Jacob Trouba's booming hits took out Penguins star Sidney Crosby for two critical games, and then Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis in Game 7. The Rangers didn't have to face Penguins starter Tristan Jarry until Game 7; instead, they saw backup Casey DeSmith for five and a half periods and then third-stringer Louis Domingue for just over six games. The Rangers didn't have to face Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen, who missed the playoffs with a lower-body injury; instead, they saw Antti Raanta for six games and half of Game 7 until his injury, and then third-stringer Pyotr Kochetkov.

But breaks are only breaks if one capitalizes on them, and the Rangers have shown an impressive resiliency. They rallied to beat the Penguins after being down 3-1 in their first-round series. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. "I've kind of referred to us as cockroaches. We just didn't go away. That's always been ingrained in the culture of every good team I've been on here. We just don't go away, regardless of the score and regardless of where the game is. We just keep on trying to find our game and playing for each other," said forward Chris Kreider.

The Rangers still aren't an impressive five-on-five team, relying on Shesterkin to bail them out at even strength, which he has. They're tremendous on the power play, as Carolina witnessed. They have depth at forward and are getting excellent play from defensemen like Fox and Trouba. And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations.

Player(s) who will be key to the series

Obviously, the Rangers are going to go as far as Shesterkin takes them. But the players and Gallant all said that their Game 7 win at the Hurricanes was indicative of what a quintessential effort from the Rangers looks like, getting points from 12 different players.

Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. Kreider had two goals, after scoring 52 during the regular season. They'll need continued offense from Fox, who had 18 points in 14 games. But it'll also take continued contributions from players like Andrew Copp (12 points), Ryan Strome (9) and Frank Vatrano (8); and further damage done by the Rangers' "Kid Line" of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.

Player who needs to step up

Artemi Panarin quietly had points in the last three games against Carolina, including a great outlet pass that sprung Strome for a critical goal that put them up 3-0. But the Rangers star has only had two signature games in the playoffs: a three-point night in Game 2 against the Penguins and an overtime power-play goal in Game 7 of that series. They could use some more from him, especially at five-on-five.

How will the Rangers handle Nikita Kucherov?

No disrespect intended to Sebastian Aho, but the Rangers didn't have to face an elite offensive player like Kucherov in their series against the Hurricanes. The last time they did was in the first round, when Crosby's line ran roughshod over them (Crosby had 10 points in six games) -- until a Trouba hit cost No. 87 a game and a half. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. How they choose to defend Kucherov's line is going to be a key for the series.

Tampa Bay Lightning

How they got here: Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3, defeated Florida Panthers 4-0.

Goalie confidence rating: 10

Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the greatest postseason goaltenders in NHL history. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek, among others. This postseason, he's 8-3 with a .932 save percentage and has 6.76 goals saved above average to lead all goalies still playing in the postseason. And that was against the two best offensive teams in the regular season.

The Big Cat's run since 2020 in elimination games is the stuff of legend: 10-0, six of the wins by shutout. He's an integral part of their success.

What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason

There's a lot we already knew about the Lightning after back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, from their ability to win in a variety of ways to their efficiency in elimination games. But that doesn't mean the playoffs haven't enlightened us about some aspects of this Lightning team.

For example, we've learned that they've effectively rebuilt their bottom six after the offseason exodus of their celebrated checking line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Center Ross Colton, who scored the only goal in their Cup-clinching game last summer against the Canadiens, has played the majority of his minutes with Brandon Hagel, whom the Lightning acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline. They've spent time with fellow deadline pickup Nick Paul, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, but really clicked with veteran winger Corey Perry in the Florida series. Colton and Perry, the latter of whom was acquired as a free agent this past summer, lead the Lightning with five goals each. Returning contributors Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat can play up or down the lineup with effectiveness. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in his first season with the Lightning, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster the bottom six.

We're learned that fatigue hasn't yet been an issue for a team that's gone all the way in two straight postseasons -- perhaps because they followed truncated regular seasons? We've also learned that two straight Stanley Cups haven't made the Bolts fat and happy; the hunger to win another, and the killer instinct to close out teams, remains for Tampa.

Player(s) that will be key to the series

Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. There's an argument to be made that Kucherov is the best power-play performer in the NHL, and he has lived up to that with seven points with the man advantage. Their second-leading scorer is defenseman Victor Hedman, who is doing as Victor Hedman does: He has 10 points in 11 games and is skating 25:03 per game.

Center Steven Stamkos (eight points) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh have been there in big moments. Center Anthony Cirelli has two points in 11 games but has provided what the Lightning need in the middle after Brayden Point's injury.

Player who needs to step up

The Lightning have a couple of players they'd like to see produce a little more, but their lack of production is injury-related in both cases. Obviously, the Lightning would like to see Point back on the ice. Coach Jon Cooper says his standout center -- the team's leading goal-scorer (30) over the past two postseasons -- is progressing from a lower-body injury he suffered in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. He had four points in seven games before that.

Hagel took a puck off one of his feet in Game 2 against the Panthers, though he appeared in Games 3 and 4. He hadn't been practicing, but is expected to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Again, Hagel has done fine in the roles that they've cast him in during the playoffs. That said, they'd like more than one goal off 18 shot attempts in 11 games from a player who had 25 goals in the regular season.

What will be the key to solving Igor Shesterkin?

The Rangers goalie has been their best player through the first two rounds -- heck, he has even chipped in three assists on top of his stellar goaltending. But he's not unbeatable. In fact, even as he has gotten better as the playoffs have continued -- playing through jitters in the first round that included two games he didn't complete in Pittsburgh -- he has yet to pitch a shutout.

The Hurricanes had their best success on high-danger chances, scoring eight high-danger goals against the Rangers goaltender, the second-most allowed in the second round. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. There were times when Carolina created chaos around Shesterkin's crease but couldn't find the rebounds he'd leave. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty."

As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. There is no such problem for the Lightning.

Prediction for the series: Rangers in seven

Tampa Bay is better 5-on-5. Their power play is going to do some damage. They aren't going to wilt if the Rangers control the tempo. If New York wants to trade chances like they did against the Hurricanes at MSG, the Lightning have finishers that make them pay in ways the Hurricanes could not. If New York wants this to be a 1-0 goalie duel, the Lightning can win those, too. A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. On paper, they're winning this series.

On paper, the Rangers were out in the first round. And yet, here we are. You can say the Rangers haven't faced a goalie like Vasilevskiy, and that's true. But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. The Rangers are playing with house money. They're not the Maple Leafs or the Panthers, crushed by the weight of expectations and entitlement. They're finding ways to win, finding ways to survive and I think they do it again here.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a place where teams defy the numbers, find an undeniable belief in themselves and create - for lack of a better term - postseason magic. I think we're there with the Rangers.

Colorado Avalanche

How they got here: Defeated Nashville Predators 4-0, defeated St. Louis Blues 4-2.

Goalie confidence rating: 7.5/10

Darcy Kuemper has been solid if unspectacular in the playoffs, posting a 6-2-0 record, .904 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average.

Granted, Nashville's Ryan Johansen did (accidentally) injure Kuemper's eye in the first round, but the goalie recovered and Colorado swept the Predators in time for Kuemper to return in the second round against St. Louis. Kuemper came through in that series when the Avalanche needed it, but there wasn't a lot of rhythm to his game.

Then again, Kuemper hasn't been facing a ton of shots. In over 500 minutes of game action this postseason, Kuemper has faced only 218 pucks. That's by far the fewest among any goalie left in these playoffs. The Blues averaged just 26 shots per game at Kuemper, while Colorado was in control averaging 37 shots the other way. When Kuemper was tested, he didn't always look sharp; St. Louis caught him in bad positioning and decidedly flat-footed on a few occasions. Now, does that reflect a deficiency in Kuemper's game? Or was it symptomatic of the Blues' inconsistent attack?

The answer should be clear early on against Edmonton. The Oilers peppered Calgary's Jacob Markstrom with over 34 shots per game in the second round and their elite talent up front (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, etc.) will be coming full force. Kuemper's terrific regular season (37-12-4, .921 SV%, 2.54 GAA) suggests he's up to the task of what's ahead though -- even if his playoff resume to date isn't so dazzling.

What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason

We don't roll out the term "juggernaut" for just anyone around here.

Colorado is every bit as good as we thought it was, and could be. Any notion that the Avs' slide out of the regular season (losing six of their last seven games) was a premonition of poor playoff performance to come was unfounded. Colorado is notably multifaceted, capable of beating its opponents in different ways. There's an enviable level of top-end talent, but the balanced depth is really what the Avalanche have displayed in the postseason.

Other than Nathan MacKinnon going off in Game 5 against St. Louis, and Cale Makar just being generally excellent at every turn, it's not as if Colorado has required its superstars to carry the day. Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. Colorado has given up the third-fewest goals against per game (2.70) among remaining playoff teams, and its power play is operating at a crisp 34.5% (best in show throughout the postseason).

The Avalanche are excelling in the ways they should, getting timely goals and playing to their strengths. Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. But what we've seen so far in the playoffs is Colorado primarily at its best.

Players who will be key to the series

All eyes will be on Makar and MacKinnon.

The Avs' Norris Trophy finalist defenseman projects to draw Edmonton's toughest matchups, and as the Oilers proved against Calgary, its top line is tough to contain. How well Colorado's back end -- led by Makar, Devon Toews and Bowen Byram -- can manage those assignments will go a long way in determining the series.

Meanwhile, MacKinnon will be leading the charge up front. If his Game 5 hat trick against the Blues was any indication, "Playoff Nate" is ready to dance toe-to-toe with McDavid & Co. MacKinnon already has eight goals and 13 points in 10 games. While offense can sometimes dry up the deeper we get into postseason play, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be the case here. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs.

Player who needs to step up

We've already discussed Kuemper. Let's key on Mikko Rantanen.

Colorado's big winger has one goal in these playoffs, which he scored on an empty net in the Avs' 6-3 victory over St. Louis in Game 4. He has added 10 assists to his point total, but Rantanen has still fallen short of expectations to date in terms of output. Rantanen's 36 goals led Colorado in the regular season, so seeing him hesitate to shoot the puck and fail to drive play like a $9.25 million-per-year player should in the postseason is odd.

The Avalanche will require all hands on deck to keep pace with Edmonton. Their superstars kept improving throughout the last round and were the difference-makers at critical times. Rantanen must be exactly that for Colorado in the series ahead.

How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line?

Never let them have the puck. Like, ever.

If only it were that simple.

Edmonton's top line is stacked, it's slippery and it's been operating at an incredibly high level. Keeping those three in check starts with good neutral-zone play, limiting their ability to gain speed and forcing play to the outside. Calgary got burned off a couple clean looks for that unit that turned into almost series-defining mistakes. Colorado has to frustrate the Oilers' top skaters, make it difficult for them to find space or get in a rhythm early.

The Oilers' top trio will be a confident bunch going into the series -- as they should be -- and Colorado can send a message early by staying on top of them and standing up to that top line's speed in the middle of the ice.

Edmonton Oilers

How they got here: Defeated Los Angeles Kings 4-3, defeated Calgary Flames 4-1.

Goalie confidence rating: 8/10

The legend of Mike Smith has only grown this postseason.

He's a 40-year-old veteran churning out great numbers, including an 8-3-0 record, .927 SV% and 2.70 GAA. If you just ignore the three goals he gave up in the first six minutes of Game 1 against Calgary, and also put aside that he allowed a 132-foot clearing attempt past the posts in Game 4, then Smith has been unequivocally rock solid for the Oilers.

Unlike Darcy Kuemper, who has faced the fewest shots among remaining playoff goaltenders, Smith has been peppered with the second-most. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. That bodes well for Edmonton in this series, since Colorado happens to be a high-volume shot team (39.8 per game); if that continues, Smith will be back under a spotlight early and often in the next round.

What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason

The Oilers are more resilient than some observers previously thought. When Jonathan Quick repeatedly slammed the door in the first-round series, Edmonton didn't panic. The Oilers bought into playing good defense, stuck to their structure and chipped away at Quick until they broke through. The second round against Calgary couldn't have started any worse with a quick 3-0 deficit for Edmonton in Game 1 and another 2-0 hole to start Game 2. Again, the Oilers stayed calm, and refocused. At every juncture where past Oilers' teams have misstepped, this group has stepped up.

The other thing we've seen from Edmonton is a real commitment to the defensive side of the puck from its top players. There was never any doubt that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could score in the regular season, but the playoffs have brought their challenges in keeping up that pace offensively. This postseason has been different because of how strong that duo's defensive habits are. It starts in their own end and being engaged down low. The uptick of physicality in McDavid's game has been well-documented. There has also been more effort on the forecheck.

All of those little things add up when they're coming top down through the lineup. It breeds confidence, and that's having a huge impact on the Oilers' success in this postseason.

Player who will be key to the series

If Cale Makar is the flashy rising star leading Colorado's blue line, Duncan Keith is the veteran grandmaster stabilizing Edmonton's back end.

Keith has been on every big stage hockey has to offer. He knows when to push and when to pull back. He relieves pressure in Edmonton's end, makes smart plays up the ice and is a natural leader from whom few words are required -- but there's no doubt Keith has a "big voice" in the Oilers' room, according to teammates. Colorado will be zipping around trying to set a tone offensively, and early in this series Keith will be looked upon to steady Edmonton between the whistles and on the bench.

Keith did that for the Oilers against Calgary, steering them out of a potential loss in Game 2 and picking up some of the responsibilities for the not-100% healthy Darnell Nurse. What Keith does best is bring consistency to Edmonton's defensive effort. They'll need every bit of his experience and ability to slow the Avalanche down.

Player who needs to step up

You could put Nurse here, and say he hasn't been an obvious difference-maker for the Oilers (to the degree a top-pairing defender usually is). But the defenseman is battling a core muscle injury and he's still playing over 21 minutes per game, so faulting him too harshly for not performing at his most elite would be misguided.

In general, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been leaning on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners. So if there's room for improvement anywhere, it's from some of the Oilers' second- and third-line skaters like Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi. Each player had some solid stretches late in the Calgary series, but those four have combined for only five goals thus far in the playoffs. We've seen in other series around the league how important timely scoring is from often unheralded or unexpected players. There hasn't been a ton of that for the Oilers; most of their key tallies have come from the same group of four or five guys.

This series against Colorado could see each team's top talents canceling each other out. That's where depth will come into focus, and the Oilers will want to be sure theirs is on point.

Which powerhouse top line has the edge?

Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? Yes. Do you blame us? Obviously not.

This Western Conference finals present a hockey feast for the eyes: Colorado's top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin vs. Kane, McDavid and Draisaitl. Oh, baby.

Edmonton's trio has combined for 26 goals and 67 points in 12 games. Colorado's big three has produced 17 goals and 31 points in 10 games. Now, these two teams just went through two second-round series that were markedly different. The Oilers played a wide-open, goal-scoring bonanza of a five-game spread against Calgary versus the Avalanche's more bruising, defensive-conscious, six-game affair against St. Louis. This series projects to trend more toward what Edmonton just experienced, with the potential for larger momentum swings and opportunity to generate offense.

If that's the case, whose top line will benefit more? Colorado's will have less pressure to produce given their second unit is anchored by a guy named Nazem Kadri, who's coming off an 87-point regular season and is averaging a point per game in the playoffs. But don't underestimate the drive of MacKinnon and McDavid to really show off here. Their head-to-head matchup will be a primary talking point in the lead-up to Game 1. Both stood out late in the second round with an individual highlight performance (MacKinnon with his Game 5 hat trick, McDavid with the overtime game-winner in his own Game 5). They are firing on all cylinders.

The edge, though, probably belongs to Edmonton. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). Draisaitl has unmatched playmaking ability and when he's on a roll, it's hard to think of how Colorado will totally contain how adept he is with the puck. And Kane already had a pair of hat tricks in the playoffs. Not too shabby.

All we know for sure is that the real winners here are those of us watching the action unfold.

Prediction for the series: Colorado in seven

All things being equal, Colorado boasts the deeper team. Its defense has been a little better than Edmonton's (giving up a playoff-low 27 shots against per game versus the Oilers' 37.5) and its depth is impressive. Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. It'll be down to the wire, but I like Colorado.

My other prediction for this series? Special teams will play a pivotal role. The Avalanche have an excellent power play (34.5%) but weaker penalty kill (73.1%). The Oilers are more balanced (28.1% on the power play, 85.4% on the kill). Edmonton really performed well against Calgary on the penalty kill too, coming up with critical stops that frustrated the Flames' attack. If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Lexi Thompson was 12 when she competed in her first U.S. Women’s Open. The championship returns to Pine Needles for the first time since that 2007 event and Thompson, now 27, will be making her 16^th Open start.

“It was an amazing experience,” Thompson said Tuesday while reflecting on her debut. “I remember driving up with my parents, practicing my signature on the way, and just embracing it all.”

Thompson may have been a pre-teen 15 years ago, but that event was the impetus for her professional career. “Teeing it up here when I was 12 is the reason where I am today,” she said, “because I realized then that this is what I wanted to do.”

Thompson, however, recalls how she felt more than how the course looked. “I don't remember much of the golf course besides No. 10's tee shot,” she said. “I remember how nervous I was, and I was so happy that it was raining because there was nobody out there following.”

Thompson has found lots of success since then. She’s won 11 times on tour and is a major champion (2014 Chevron Championship). But along with all that joy has come plenty of heartbreak, including at this championship a year ago. Thompson held a five-shot lead in the final round at Olympic Club but closed in 41, with a bogey-bogey finish, to miss a playoff by a shot.

Although disappointed in the result, Thompson wasn’t disheartened. Her maturity and understanding of the game have allowed her to approach this week’s U.S. Women’s Open with a fresh mind. “It didn’t go the way I wanted to, but every time I tee it up there's always something to learn,” she said. “I always say there's really no failing, you're always learning. Every time I tee it up, there's something to be processed, to learn.”

Currently No. 6 in the world, Thompson’s key to success – and happiness – comes from recognizing blessings in her life, in and outside her golf career. “I grew up playing golf ever since I was 5,” she said. “It's important to me to just realize that it's not all my life. Yes, I get frustrated with loss of events or troubled rounds, but you just have to realize, at the end of the day, you still have your family around you, still have the people that love you and love you no matter what.”

Thompson has three top-5 finishes in her last four U.S. Women’s Open starts, but will be seeking her first victory this week. She tees off at 8:39 a.m. ET off the ninth tee on Thursday, alongside the 2022 Chevron champion Jennifer Kupcho and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.

Jon Rahm didn’t get the chance to close out the Memorial Tournament last year, but bettors like his chances to do so this time around.

Rahm led by six strokes through 54 holes a year ago at Muirfield Village, when he was informed after walking off the 18^th green on Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The Spaniard had to withdraw, but went on to claim the U.S. Open a few weeks later.

According to PointsBets, Rahm is the favorite to win his second Memorial title, having also prevailed in 2020. He was listed at +100 as of Tuesday afternoon. Rory McIlroy, seeking his first victory at Jack's Place, was second at +1200.

Here are notable odds from PointsBet for this week's Memorial Tournament:

• Jon Rahm: +1000

• Rory McIlroy: +1200

• Patrick Cantlay: +1700

• Collin Morikawa: +1900

• Jordan Spieth: +2000

• Xander Schauffele: +2000

• Cameron Smith: +2200

• Hideki Matsuyama: +2500

• Shane Lowry: +2500

• Viktor Hovland: +2500

• Matthew Fitzpatrick: +2800

• Will Zalatoris: +3000

• Cameron Young: +3300

• Sungjae Im: +3300

• Joaquin Niemann: +3500

• Max Homa: +3500

• Davis Riley: +4500

• Mito Guillermo Pereira: +4500

For full and updated odds, click here.

Jack Nicklaus is the host this week at the Memorial Tournament, just as he is every year, but much of the conversation for the 2022 edition is less about the tournament and more about Nicklaus.

The Golden Bear made news recently when Michael Bamberger of the Fire Pit Collective quoted Nicklaus saying he was offered in excess of $100 million by the Saudis to take on the role of LIV Golf CEO, a wildly controversial position that is now held by Greg Norman.

Nicklaus said Tuesday at Muirfield Village that he met with the LIV group at the Bear’s Club in Florida as a courtesy, because Nicklaus Companies is building a golf course in Saudi Arabia, but he never intended to take on the role.

“I've got zero interest in wanting to do something like that,” Nicklaus said. “I don't care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA Tour. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there and it's going to stay there.”

This quote from Nicklaus is somewhat in contrast with allegations made by Nicklaus Companies in a lawsuit for breach of contract and other offenses filed against Nicklaus on May 13.

Nicklaus Companies goes so far as to claim it “essentially saved Mr. Nicklaus from himself by extricating him from a controversial project.” The company did so, it contends, by “convincing” Nicklaus to “stop exploring a deal for the endorsement of the Saudi-backed league.”

Nicklaus issued a statement last week defending himself from the allegations.

"The claims made by [Nicklaus Companies executive chairman] Howard Milstein are untrue," Nicklaus said in the statement. "Our relationship has been a difficult one, at best. I have little doubt about the outcome, but I don't intend to make this a public spectacle, if it can be avoided."

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Annika Sorenstam is familiar with Pine Needles, having successfully defending her U.S. Women’s Open title here in 1996. But this year, the atmosphere will look and feel a little different. She now has her husband, Mike, on her bag and her two children, Will and Ava, cheering for her in the gallery.

“We're excited to be here. We're going to enjoy it,” Sorenstam said on Tuesday. “We're going to hit some shots, and just soak up the atmosphere. I want the kids to see what it's like to play in an Open. My goal is obviously to play the best I can. I know what I'm capable of. I can hit fairways and greens. I can make putts.”

Sorenstam earned an exemption into this year’s championship after winning last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio, where she shot 12 under to win by eight strokes.

This will be her first USWO start since 2008, when she holed out for eagle on the 72^nd hole. Sorenstam retired after the ’08 season, wrapping up a career that consisted of 72 tour wins and 10 majors, including three U.S. Women’s Open victories (1995, 1996 and 2006).

Sorenstam recognizes the greatest challenge this week will be the length of the golf course, which is playing over 6,600 yards. “I'm a different position now than in '96, where I was probably one of the longest off the tee and would hit last into the greens. Now it's the reverse,” Sorenstam said. “Today, I'm standing there with hybrids. I'm not in a spot right now in my career where I can attack these hole locations. I'm going to be aggressive with what I have, but then conservative in just hitting greens.”

Sorenstam elaborated on this challenge when describing her Tuesday practice round with three-time Solheim Cup player Meghan Khang. “We were on [No.] 15. I hit a shot, and it was good. I turned to Mike and said, ‘My body is starting to stiffen up.’ Then Megan hit a shot, and she ripped it. She goes, ‘Finally, I'm getting loose.’ I'm, like, hmm,” Sorenstam laughed. “I just told Mike I'm stiffening up and you're getting loose. Here we go.”

Sorenstam said she doesn’t have a target score in mind, but “feels good” about her game. “If you think about the time I've put in and the time that I have, I'm there where I can be,” she said. “We'll just see where that takes me. This is really everything I have. I'm going to make the most out of it.”

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Money can’t buy happiness, and it also doesn’t buy major championships.

Lydia Ko, a two-time major winner at the Chevron and Amundi Evian championships, is chasing the third leg of the career Grand Slam at the U.S. Women’s Open. She’ll be competing for a $1.8 million winner’s check, which is part of an all-time high $10 million dollar purse. But Ko says all the money in the world won’t change what it means to win a major title.

“When there's just so much on the line, none of us – I can say none of us are going to think about the money,” Ko said Tuesday about the purse, which doubled from 2021. “I don't think anyone is going to have a putt on the 72nd hole to possibly win and go, ‘Oh, my goodness, if I miss this putt it's like something, something thousand dollars.’”

Making history versus making money. That’s become a hot debate in recent months in the men's game as LIV Golf has reportedly offered the world's best players unprecedented amounts of money to walk away from history-making opportunities on the PGA Tour.

Luckily for the women competing at the U.S. Women’s Open, they won’t need to make that choice. The winner on Sunday will have her name etched in history and take home nearly $2 million in prize money. In 2022, the USGA brought on ProMedica as a presenting sponsor, a first for the championship, which allowed the purse to be doubled and the winner’s check increased.

Like Lydia Ko, world No. 1 Jin Young Ko is chasing the third leg of the career Grand Slam at Pine Needles. For her, the chance to etch her name alongside the game’s greats far outweighs the financial windfalls.

“I don’t care about money because these are majors,” Ko told GolfChannel.com. “I want to get my name on the trophy. It’s a bigger deal than money.”

It's tough to anticipate what the money might someday mean as this is the first time players on the LPGA are competing for such substantial prize money. For their entire careers, they’ve competed for substantially less than their male counterparts in both regular tour stops and major championships. Are the best female players in the world just used to playing for much less? Or does winning a major championship simply mean more to players than padding their bank account?

“At the end of the day, yes, the more zeros are better, but we're all professional athletes and trying to play well in what we do and just having a good time out there,” Lydia Ko said. “And to be able to play for more money doing that is a bonus.”

The USGA has long been a frontrunner in driving the women’s game forward. For years they’ve offered the largest purse in women’s golf, which spurred the other sponsors of the women’s majors – KPMG, Chevron, AIG and Amundi Evian – into raising their prize money to keep pace with the USGA. The CME Group Tour Championship has also joined the race as the season-ending event will offer the largest payday in the women’s game, with a $2 million dollar payout to the winner. Lydia Ko says she is hopeful that the conversation around increased purses won’t just be about the dollar amount they’re playing for but what it means about the future of the women’s game.

“We should be very grateful, but at the same time I think there's still a ways to go, and I'm excited where women's golf and golf is trending,” Lydia Ko said. “For them to believe in women's golf and see women empowerment I think is awesome.”

It is indeed an exciting time for the women’s game. In addition to the higher purses, they’re competing on venues they’ve never played before. The U.S. Women’s Open heads to Pebble Beach in 2023.

Despite the money and the venues, it’s still the priceless gift of getting to add their name to a major trophy that remains the biggest prize of all.

“I don't need to make more money, I want my name on the U.S. Open trophy,” said Jin Young Ko, “and I want history.”

And that is something money can’t buy.

Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko broke into tears on the eve of his team's crucial World Cup qualifier with Scotland, saying he wanted above all else to see peace in his homeland.

Ukraine, ravaged by war since Russia's invasion in February, face Scotland at Hampden Park on Wednesday and if they win that game they will go on to take on Wales in Cardiff on Sunday for a place in the finals in Qatar in November.

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But Zinchenko, who plays for Premier League champions Manchester City, said the prospect of World Cup qualification was secondary to the main hope of his countrymen.

"Every Ukrainian wants one thing -- to stop this war," Zinchenko said. "I spoke to people from different countries, all over the world and I spoke to some Ukrainian kids who just don't understand what's happening back in Ukraine. They only want the war to stop. They have one dream to stop the war.

"When it comes to football, the team, we have our own dream. We want to go to the World Cup, want to give these incredible emotions to the Ukrainians because they deserve it so much at this very moment."

Zinchenko has shown his emotions on and off the field since the war began and, sat in an auditorium with his coach Oleksandr Petrakov, it was clear it continues to impact on him.

"It's impossible to describe these feelings until you are not in this position. The things which are happening now in our country, it's not acceptable. It's something which I cannot even describe," he said.

"So that's why we need to stop this aggression altogether and we need to win because Ukraine is a country of freedom. Ukraine is never going to give up.

"But the thing is, which I would like to say as well that a lot of countries maybe don't understand that: Today it is Ukraine but tomorrow it can be you. So that's why we need to be united and need to defeat aggression altogether."

Zinchenko praised the welcome the team has received in Scotland and said he appreciated an attempt to provide Scotland fans with phonetic lyric sheets to sing along with the Ukrainian national anthem, calling it an "amazing initiative."

Ukraine have not played a competitive game since Russia's invasion, but have played three friendly matches against club sides and trained together in Slovenia.

The meeting with Scotland was postponed from its scheduled date in March and Zinchenko is sure that there will be huge interest at home.

"I am sure that the whole of Ukraine will be watching us. We will feel the support. We can talk a lot, but we need to prove everything on the field. We will try to make our people happy and proud," Zinchenko said.

Meanwhile, Scotland are hoping to reach their first World Cup finals in 24 years and manager Steve Clarke understands if they are to make it through the playoffs it will have to be at the expense of war-torn Ukraine.

"They made a decision to get their football players out the country and to a training camp because they want to play and want to try to give their nation a boost by qualifying for Qatar," Clarke said on Tuesday.

"The game goes ahead amid the horrific outside influence, but for us, we focus on the game of football.

"How you would deal with yourself if you were put in that situation, you don't know until you're actually there, but I've nothing but good thoughts for them and good wishes for them -- except for during the game."

Barcelona will seek approval from the club's members for a cash injection of up to €700 million ($750m) to help overhaul the squad this summer, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The Catalan club announced on Tuesday that they will hold an extraordinary assembly on June 16 for members to vote on the potential sales of Barca Licensing & Merchandising [BLM] and future television rights.

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Barca say they want "authorisation for the acquisition by one or more investors of a minority stake in the social capital of the BLM business (up to 49.9%)."

They are also asking for members to allow them to sell "up to 25% of income for the exploitation of television rights corresponding to [LaLiga] to one or more investors."

Members will be provided with more information on June 3 and then, 13 days later, will be able to vote electronically on whether to grant the club permission to sell off the assets.

Sources have told ESPN the sale of a stake in BLM could bring in around €200m ($214m), while the club's television rights could bring in as much as €500m ($536m) depending on the final terms and lengths of the potential deals.

The sources add that while there are drawbacks long-term -- the club will make less from merchandising sales and television rights for the duration of the agreements -- there is a belief that the cash injection is essential to fix the club's current financial problems.

Barca are currently working with a spending cap of -€144m, the only negative limit in LaLiga, and the sales would allow them to increase that cap and invest in the squad this summer.

President Joan Laporta has previously said if Barcelona can pull off all the financial operations they are working on, there will be no need for "painful sales" this summer as they seek to improve coach Xavi Hernandez's squad.

Members have already approved the sale of 49% of Barca Studios and negotiations continue with regard to selling a stake in the club's in-house production company, which is separate to the €700m.

Barca have already agreed deals to sign Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie this summer on free transfers, while they're also working on the transfer of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, among others.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas said on Tuesday that Barca are not in a position to sign Lewandowski, who has expressed a desire to leave Bayern, but Laporta responded later in the day by telling him to keep his nose out of the club's business.

"I would ask Tebas to abstain from making comments about if Barca can sign a player or not," Laporta said. "He's quite clearly harming Barca's interests.

"I don't know if he's making these comments voluntarily or involuntarily. If voluntarily, it's a clear sign that he wants to damage the club's interests. If not, it's further proof of his verbal incontinence and desire for prominence."

CINCINNATI -- U.S. men's national team manager Gregg Berhalter says he'll make "compromises" in terms of playing his core group of players versus testing newcomers in a quartet of upcoming games.

The U.S. will begin its four-game run on Wednesday against Morocco at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium (watch live at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2). That will be followed four days later with a match against Uruguay at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Then come a pair of CONCACAF Nations League encounters, first against Grenada at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on June 10, then a road tilt against El Salvador four days later.

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The four games mark one of the last times the U.S. will be able to get together before the start of the 2022 World Cup in November, and they should give Berhalter plenty of opportunities to try out different combinations. Against Morocco, he mentioned he'll try Brenden Aaronson in a central midfield role; Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long will be the two starting center backs, and Matt Turner will start in goal. Weston McKennie, recently recovered from a broken foot, is expected to play about 20 minutes.

"The experience of playing against two World Cup opponents is going to be important for us," Berhalter told reporters via a Zoom call on Tuesday. "So we're going to really have to value that and really compete in those games and see where we stack up.

"But within that, there's going to be time periods in those games where we have to test players, so we're gonna make substitutes no matter what the score line is. We're not going to play everyone 90 minutes to hang on to a 1-0 lead. You know, it's just unrealistic at this stage. We can't do that. We don't have enough time on the back end to be able to do that. So that's, I think, one of the compromises."

The U.S. received some good news on the day with the announcement that Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman is now eligible to play for the U.S. after filing a one-time switch with FIFA. He had previously represented Germany at youth level.

"We're really excited that [Tillman] got cleared by FIFA to play. He's shown a lot of quality in training, very good understanding of the game, very good first touch and awareness around the penalty box, so that's been great to see."

One area of concern continues to be the playing time of the top three keepers on the team; Manchester City's Zack Steffen, soon-to-be Arsenal keeper Turner and Nottingham Forest's Ethan Horvath. All three are expected to be backups on their club teams next season, leading to worries over how much sharpness they'll carry into the World Cup. But Berhalter said it's too soon to be worried about such things.

"A lot can change," he said. "We have Ethan going into the Premier League. We have Zack in the Premier League. We have Matt go into the Premier League. We have [NYCFC's] Sean Johnson having an excellent season. And I think it's time to just let all this play out."

Turner isn't the only player set to switch clubs. Aaronson just completed a $30m move to Premier League side Leeds United, and there is concern about how much playing time he'll get and how that will affect his World Cup performance. But Berhalter said as long as players know what they're getting into, he's OK with it.

"I think the most important thing is that players move into situations that they know what the expectations are, and what their role is going to be, and that they fit into the playing style of the club," he said. "That's the most important thing, and then things are going to work out. So for me, as long as it's a fit in those regards, I'm OK with it."

One player Berhalter won't be able to call upon in the next four games is in-form CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, who was forced to withdraw from the camp on Monday with an ankle injury.

"Our heart goes out to Djordje, and, you know, the timing of this is very unfortunate for him," Berhalter said. "He's been having a great season. We were really looking forward to working with him in this camp. But what I told him is just focus on getting better and continue to do what you've been doing. And if you do that, there'll be other opportunities for you down the road."