New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello is hoping he can keep his roster mostly intact while knowing he still must re-sign star forward Mathew Barzal, despite having limited room under the NHL's flat salary cap.

In saying he is exploring every possible option, Lamoriello on Tuesday wouldn't completely rule out what he called "a last resort'' of having to part ways with a core player or two.

Without going into detail, he added: "But I'm reasonably comfortable that we'll be able to accomplish what we want to accomplish and have the team that we want to put on the ice once the season starts.''

It might take some juggling for the NHL's GM of the year.

The Islanders, coming off their first conference finals appearance in 27 years, are projected to be about $10 million under the $81.5 million cap, which remains unchanged from last season. Barzal, meantime, is a restricted free agent and expected to command a hefty raise after recording 19 goals and 41 assists in 68 games to reach the 60-point mark for a third consecutive season. The 23-year-old then put on a dazzling display with five goals and 12 assists in the playoffs.

Aside from Barzal, defensemen Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock are also unsigned restricted free agents. The Islanders also stand to lose other contributors with forwards Matt Martin and Derick Brassard, goalie Thomas Greiss and defenseman Andy Greene -- a late-season addition --eligible to become unrestricted free agents on Oct. 9.

Lamoriello said he has had discussions with his restricted free agents since New York was eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sept. 17.

"I feel we'll get all of our players signed in due time,'' he said.

The Islanders took a major step forward in their second season under Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz. New York advanced past the first round for just the third time since 1993, and it did so in consecutive years for the first time since a seven-year run spanning 1979 to '85. In finishing seventh in the East when the regular season was paused because of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, the Islanders were the only team to compete in the best-of-five preliminary round to reach the conference finals. New York eliminated the Florida Panthers (3-1), Washington Capitals (4-1) and Philadelphia Flyers (4-3) before running out of gas against the Lightning.

The Islanders featured a balanced scoring attack in which nine players finished with 10 or more points. Though Semyon Varlamov had the bulk of the goaltending duties in finishing 11-7, Greiss contributed with two wins, including a 16-save outing in New York's 4-0 victory over the the Flyers in Game 7.

Lamoriello was impressed by what he saw, and said he expects the Isles can build upon the experience.

"There's room for improvement internally,'' he said. "If we can get better externally, we'll certainly try doing that. But right now, we're going to focus in on trying to keep our team together.''

Also Tuesday, Lamoriello said forwards Casey Cizikas (retina) and Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body) and defenseman Adam Pelech (wrist) all had successful surgeries and are on track to be ready for the start of next season. Kuhnhackl is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent.

During the past few months, the phrase "in these uncertain times" has entered the zeitgeist or at the very least entered the lexicon of advertising copy. The phrase also is applicable to what the National Hockey League's newest free-agent class will experience when the horn sounds at noon ET on Oct. 9.

"I mean, no one knows what next season is going to look like or even if there's going to be a season," said one NHL general manager.

But assuming the 2020-21 season begins in December or January -- which is the current projection -- there is uncertainty far beyond the schedule. The COVID-19 pandemic has terraformed the financial landscape of the league. The new collective bargaining agreement installed a flat salary cap of $81.5 million for next season, and possibly more, as a reaction to the massive revenue losses for the NHL and its teams. Furthering the financial constraints are the internal budgets established by teams that have gone months without significant revenue streams and are uncertain when they're flow again.

What does that means for the 2020 free-agent frenzy?

One player agent told ESPN: "The big guys will go quick, like they always do. Then there will be a bit of a cooling-off period, probably a little longer than normal because we've got so much time."

As one NHL general manager explained, "After the biggest names, who probably know where the want to end up, I think you're going to have some players that put themselves out there just to get a deal done, for security."

Another wrinkle, according to a few player agents: There might be more unrestricted free agents than anticipated. "There are going to be teams that aren't qualifying some [restricted free agents]," said one agent.

It'll be a frenzy like no other, and that includes on the calendar: a tradition in July is being held in October. Typically, a lot of business gets down between the start of the frenzy and the July 4 holiday in the United States. We're not sure if Columbus Day presents the same urgency.

What hasn't changed: There are a collection of unrestricted free agents available who can alter the fortunes of teams, as well as some they would be better off avoiding. Here's a look at the key players hitting the market, organized into different tiers. We left out some veterans who could be close to retirement (Mikko Koivu), ones we feel are likely to only sign with one team (Joe Thornton, Zdeno Chara, Justin Williams) and some, such as Patrick Marleau, who might fit into both categories.

Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Note: Ages listed are as of Sept. 28. Players are listed alphabetically within each tier.

Jay McLuen led the Monday qualifiers for the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, which he proudly noted on Twitter by writing, ''Every time I think it's coming to an end I go do something like shoot 66 and qualify for the PGA Tour event in Jackson.''

He could have been talking about golf or life. Few players have been through more in the last couple of years.

In an interview with pgatour.com, McLuen said he was on the couch with his children in October 2017, two days before going to Q-school, when he had a heart attack. His wife called 911 and paramedics revived him at home and in the ambulance. He now has a pacemaker and has not any problems since.

Then in April, he was using a brush hog to clear land at home in Georgia when he ran over some barbed wire. He shut down the tractor and raised it up to loosen the wire. As his wife crawled underneath to hand him wire cutters, the hydraulics failed and the tractor landed on them, pinning his wife to the ground.

''She couldn't breathe. I was awake, but I couldn't move,'' he said. ''I called for my little girl to go get our neighbors. They came and were able to pick it up with their tractor and get it off of us. When I looked over, she was purple, she wasn't breathing. Luckily, our neighbor knows CPR and he told me what to do.''

He said she was in full cardiac arrest when the ambulance arrived and had a collapsed lung.

''But she made it through all that and is back to work,'' he said.

So is the 40-year-old McLuen, who is making his 13th career start on the PGA Tour dating to 2013. And yes, he's happy to be there.

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

Will Zalatoris will have a PGA Tour card, the goal he set for himself at the start of the year. Still to be determined is when that happens. Equally fascinating is how.

Zalatoris had a pair of top-10 finishes to start the Korn Ferry Tour season when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf for three months. Because of the shortened season, the PGA Tour decided to extend the Korn Ferry season into 2021, meaning no one would get a PGA card until next fall.

Zalatoris kept sharp while playing at home in Texas during the pandemic and has been at his best since golf's return. His victory in Colorado was among 11 consecutive finishes in the top 20, eight of those in the top 10. He leads the Korn Ferry with 1,876 points. He is a lock to get his card – next year.

Now there are other opportunities.

Zalatoris tied for sixth in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. On a sponsor exemption last week in the Dominican Republic, he closed with a 65 to tie for eighth, which got him a spot this week in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

He has 185 FedExCup points, leaving him 103 points away – the equivalent of a two-way tie for fifth – from special temporary membership on the PGA Tour. That would allow Zalatoris unlimited sponsor exemptions.

He already has an exemption for next week in Las Vegas, which would be nine tournaments over the last 10 weeks, including a draining week at Winged Foot.

''At this stage of where I'm at, I can't take a week off,'' Zalatoris said. ''Hopefully, we'll keep on running.''

If he gets it done, Zalatoris likely can play a PGA Tour schedule next year without being a full PGA Tour member, unless he were to win.

The advantage of being in the big leagues is obvious, and the point was brought home at Winged Foot. For all his success on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, Zalatoris has earned $403,978. He made more than that – $424,040 – for his two-way tie for sixth in the U.S. Open.

Also in Mississippi is Davis Riley, playing in his home state. Riley might be even closer to PGA Tour membership than Zalatoris. He has two wins this season on the Korn Ferry Tour. And because the ''season'' now covers two years, another win gives Riley an instant promotion to the PGA Tour.

Jared Wolfe, who won the Wichita Open last week, also has two Korn Ferry Tour wins. He is playing the Savannah Golf Championship this week. The final Korn Ferry Tour event for 2020 is next week in Orlando, Florida.

JUST CALL HIM TOM

For someone who turned pro a month before his 16th birthday, Joo-hyung Kim already is well traveled.

He was born in South Korea, moved to China as an infant and then spent seven years in Australia learning to speak English. From there, Kim moved to the Philippines for six years and he fell in love with golf. When he turned pro, he moved to Thailand while playing the Asian Development Tour.

One other thing about Kim worth noting: He goes by Tom.

''It was actually Thomas,'' Kim said last week in the Dominican Republic. ''I got it from 'Thomas the Train' when I was young. As I grew older, some people started calling me Tom and I thought it was just shorter and more simple.''

Kim said he had a lunchbox and toys from the movie, and now even his family calls him Tom.

He also is worth some attention. Kim won twice on the ADT at age 17, won the Panasonic Open India on the Asian Tour and earlier this year at the Korean PGA Gunsan Open captured his fourth career victory. That moved him inside the top 100 in the world for the first time, landing a spot in the PGA Championship at Harding Park.

In two PGA Tour starts, he tied for 67th in the Safeway Open and tied for 33rd in the Corales Puntacana Resort Club and Championship. He is not in the field at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

His long-term goals would not be described as modest.

''I really would love to be world No. 1,'' he said. ''I would obviously love to play on the PGA Tour, win all four majors, be in the Golf Hall of Fame, just those big things I always would love to achieve. I've had that mindset ever since I started playing golf, so it's always with me.''

DIVOTS

Anirban Lahiri did not make a return flight home from the Dominican Republic, instead booking a seat on the PGA Tour charter to Mississippi even though he was not in the field. He tied for eighth to play his way into the Sanderson Farms Championship. ''This is going to be good for my confidence because I backed myself to do this,'' he said. ... Renee Powell has been selected to be U.S. captain for the Junior Solheim Cup team next year in Ohio. ... The last two runner-up finishers in the Sanderson Farms Championship went on to win for the first time on the PGA Tour later in the season – Corey Conners in 2018 and Sungjae Im last year.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Hudson Swafford was the seventh PGA Tour winner this year ranked outside the top 200 in the world.

FINAL WORD

''I think we're too far down the road to do anything drastic. It went on too long and too far to bring the game to where it was in the mid-90s.'' – Rory McIlroy on what golf should do about distance.

Doug Ferguson is a golf writer for The Associated Press.

An urgent trip to the bathroom for Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier led to the surreal sight of the defender running off the pitch during Tuesday's Carabao Cup match against Chelsea -- with coach Jose Mourinho chasing down the tunnel after him.

Spurs were trailing 1-0 with 15 minutes to go when Dier raced off the pitch and darted towards the dressing room, quickly followed by a furious Mourinho whose side were briefly down to 10 men in their fourth-round home clash.

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Mourinho soon returned to his dugout and Dier swiftly made it back onto the pitch, helping Tottenham find an equaliser from Erik Lamela which made it 1-1 to force a penalty shootout.

Spurs went on to win 5-4 on penalties, with Dier scoring their first spot kick.

"Jose wasn't happy but there was nothing I could do about it, nature was calling," explained Dier. "I heard there was a chance [for Chelsea] while I was off the pitch but thankfully they didn't score."

Former Chelsea boss Mourinho defended his decision to race after Dier down the tunnel, but praised the England international for his performance, which came two days after he played 90 minutes in the 1-1 Premier League draw with Newcastle United.

"He had to go, he had no chance," Mourinho said of Dier's mad dash for the bathroom. "Maybe it is a normal thing when you are completely dehydrated which is the case.

"I had to put pressure on him to get back but he is a great example for everybody."

The win gave Dier something to celebrate after a hectic few days in which he made headlines after the ball hit his arm against Newcastle leading to the controversial penalty equaliser that denied Spurs all three points on Sunday.

Queensland could field a top order with 17 Test centuries under their belt after naming a 15-man squad for the Adelaide Sheffield Shield hub during October and November.

Incumbent Test opener Joe Burns will be joined by Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja in the likely top four with Matt Renshaw a chance to bat at No. 5. Bryce Street, who enjoyed a breakout first season with 489 runs at 37.61, is expected to open with Burns.

Consistent top-order runs has been a challenge for Queensland in recent seasons. In the 2018-19 Sheffield Shield there was just one individual century although that improved to four last season - two of them from Street. Part of that may be attributable to conditions at the Gabba which can often aid pace bowling, something which won't be a factor in the first part of this season.

Pace bowler Michael Neser, who has recovered from a groin injury, and legspinner Mitchell Swepson will both be in the mix to join Australia's Test squad for the India series which will need to be larger than usual to cover for travel restrictions.

Benji Floros, a Queensland contracted player for the first time this season, and left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann are the two uncapped players in the squad - the first to be confirmed ahead of the start of the competition.

The squad will begin a self-quarantine period on Monday and travel to Adelaide later in the week. Queensland's opening game is against Tasmania at Park 25 on October 10.

Queensland squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Blake Edwards, Benji Floros, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Lachy Pfeffer, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.

Lionel Messi says he acted with Barcelona's best interests in mind when trying to engineer a move away from Camp Nou this summer.

In his first interview since he announced he was staying at the club, the Argentina forward also said he was willing to accept responsibility for his mistakes.

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"After so many disagreements, I would like to bring an end to everything and put aside any differences," Messi told Diario Sport on Tuesday.

"I take responsibility for my mistakes and, if there were any, they were only to make Barcelona better and stronger.

"If any fans were annoyed by something that I said or did, let there be no doubt that anything I did was always with the club's best interests in mind."

After the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in August, Messi told Barca he wanted to leave and that he thought he could do so for free per a clause in his contract.

Sources told ESPN that Manchester City wanted to sign Messi but Barca remained adamant that he could not leave for free and said his only way out would be by paying his €700 million release clause.

Messi, 33, eventually backed down, saying he didn't want a legal fight over the validity of the clause with the club that he loves.

But in announcing that he was staying for the remainder of his contract, which expires in 2021, he was also critical of president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the board of directors.

Louisville men's basketball coach Chris Mack fired back Tuesday at John Calipari's assertion that the Cardinals don't want to play Kentucky this season, releasing a video on Twitter that ended with him announcing the annual rivalry game indeed will be played.

"I keep getting asked, 'Coach, are we playing the game? Are you scared? Are you a chicken? You won't play Kentucky?'" Mack said in a video heavy with sarcasm. "As for the UK series, here's the thing: I want to do what's most convenient for John and his program."

Mack then proceeded to go through the scheduling back-and-forth the two schools have had to plan this season's game.

Mack said it originally was scheduled for Dec. 12, but Kentucky backed out because it was expected to return from London on Dec. 6 after playing Michigan there. The London game against the Wolverines ultimately was canceled, but Mack said Kentucky scheduled Notre Dame for Dec. 12 instead of playing Louisville on the original date.

Mack also accused Kentucky of trying to change one of Louisville's ACC games without the Cardinals' knowledge.

He added that Louisville asked Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops to change the schools' football game that was scheduled to be played on the Cardinals' home field to 2021, and Stoops acquiesced to that request.

"If you could do it in football, seems like you could do it in basketball," Mack said.

He ended the video by saying Louisville will play the game against Kentucky this season.

"I don't want to stand in the way of college basketball's best rivalry. Whatever is most convenient for Coach Cal, we'll do it," Mack said. "See ya in the Yum! Center! Go Cards."

Calipari was brief in his response, writing on Twitter later Tuesday: "See you December 26th. Can't wait!"

See you December 26th. Can't wait!

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) September 30, 2020

Mack recently said he didn't know if this season's Wildcats-Cardinals game would be played, since it was scheduled to be held at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville -- where there could be attendance restrictions because of COVID-19.

"Where is the equity of Kentucky coming here in front of no fans and then having to go back to Rupp Arena [in 2021-22] in front of 21,000 fans?" Mack said on "The Full Court Press" podcast.

Calipari responded by releasing a statement, making it clear he expected the game to be played this season in Louisville.

"Chris and I have talked and he expressed his concerns," Calipari said. "While I understand the difficulty and the complications created by the pandemic, we are prepared to come to Louisville to play this season under the previously agreed upon terms, and we fully expect Louisville to honor the agreement with a return game to Rupp Arena next season.

"We are contracted to play Notre Dame and a Big 12 opponent for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Rupp Arena this season and we are honoring those contracts even if it is with little or no fans. It is no one's fault we are in a pandemic. We cannot predict the future with this virus, whether that's this December or next December. My hope is they are not trying to end this series because it is important for this state that we play."

Calipari reiterated his desire to play the game during a videoconference Tuesday morning.

"I'm not gonna tell you what they're thinking or what they're doing. I just know that the terms of the contract, we go there and they come here next year," he said. "How about, does anybody really know what this virus is going to do? I mean, what if we're in next year and we're in the same boat? Then we got them at home with no fans. We don't know. This virus is running us. We are not running this virus. And so, you know, you'd have to talk to them. My hope is we're playing the game this year, but we're prepared if not.

"I think that game is good for our state. It should be played ... I'm not telling any other program what they should or shouldn't do."

Kentucky is 2-0 against Louisville since Mack took over in 2018. The Wildcats are 11-2 against the Cardinals under Calipari.

Adrian Peterson had more snaps, rushes and yards than the rest of the Detroit Lions' running backs combined Sunday. And based on what his offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, said Tuesday, it looks as though the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer might end up being the lead back for the club for the immediate future as well.

Peterson played 40 snaps in the Lions' 26-23 victory against Arizona on Sunday, getting 22 carries for 75 yards along with one catch for 10 yards. That followed two weeks of a committee approach among Peterson, Kerryon Johnson and D'Andre Swift.

"It's not anything that those guys are or aren't doing," Bevell said. "We're just trying to, again, accentuate their positives and put them in positions to be successful. You saw Swift. His plays were a little bit down. We want to keep those up and get him more involved. The one play he catches, he has a nice catch-and-run, looks fast, looks explosive.

"It's just continuing to manage those guys and putting them in the best situations."

Those situations come with Peterson atop the depth chart. Detroit signed Peterson after he was released by Washington on Sept. 4. He said he had a opportunities to go to a couple of teams, but he chose the Lions because of an opportunity to play again with Bevell, who was his offensive coordinator at the start of his career in Minnesota.

So far, Peterson has averaged 4.9 yards per carry (43 attempts, 209 yards). Johnson has averaged 3.4 yards (18 attempts, 62 yards), while rookie Swift is averaging 2.5 yards (8 attempts, 20 yards).

Bevell did praise Johnson on Sunday, calling him the "player of the game" due to his pass-protection pickup and the nuances that led to Jesse James' touchdown reception. But it appears Johnson, who has been Detroit's lead back when healthy the past two seasons, might not touch the ball as much as he has in the past.

The question now might be whether the Lions have to manage Peterson's workload. He has already played in 167 career games and carried the ball 3,079 times for 14,425 rushing yards. Plus, he's at an age when most running backs are retired or playing a much less significant role.

"I've told you, this guy is a freak of nature now. I don't know where that wall is or where he's going to hit it. The guy is always asking for more," Bevell said. "He is in great shape. He takes care of his body. He does all those little things to set himself up for that success.

"I don't know when it's going to happen, but he wants [the ball], we want him to have it and we'll just keep continuing to go there and spell him with Kerryon, spell him with Swift and kind of go from there."

Running backs coach Kyle Caskey said he and Peterson have an open line of communication about his reps and if he needs rest. Caskey said any management, for now, is "a during-the-week thing," and on game day they are going to play the game.

"He'll tell me," Caskey said. "That's your answer right there. He'll tell me when he's had enough or when he needs a break. He's communicated well with me since he's been here. I don't think it's anything that I personally need to do to watch him.

"He will tell when he's feeling whatever you want to call it. He is that way. He's not scared to tell me anything, so it's really good. It's a really good coach-player relationship we have with everything."

NEW YORK -- Video reviews overturned 42.4% of calls checked during Major League Baseball's shortened regular season, down slightly from 44% in 2019.

The Boston Red Sox were the most successful team, gaining overturned calls on 10 of 13 challenges for 76.9%. The Chicago White Sox were second, successful on 8 of 11 challenges for 72.7%, followed by the Kansas City Royals at 7 of 10 (70%).

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the least successful at 2 of 11 (18.2%), and the Toronto Blue Jays were 7-for-25 (28%).

The Minnesota Twins had the most challenges with 28 and were successful on nine (32.1%). The New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers tied for the fewest with nine each; the Yankees were successful on five (55.6%) and the Brewers three (33.3%).

MLB said Tuesday there were 468 manager challenges and 58 crew chief reviews among 526 total reviews during 898 games. The average time of a review was 1 minute, 25 seconds, up from 1:16 the previous season, when there were 1,186 manager challenges and 170 crew chief reviews among 1,356 reviews during 2,429 games.

This year's replays saw 104 calls confirmed (19.8%), 181 that stood (34.4%) and 223 overturned. An additional 12 calls (2.3%) were for rules checks and six (1.1%) for recording-keeping.

In 2019, there were 277 calls confirmed (12.5%), 463 that stood (34.1%) and 597 overturned. An additional nine calls (0.7%) were for rules checks and 10 (0.7%) for record-keeping.

Expanded video review started in 2014.