At the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, some predicted that the Detroit Red Wings -- with one of the proudest histories among the league's 32 clubs -- would make their triumphant return to the postseason field.

Although they remain mathematically in the race with less than two weeks to go, their chances are getting slimmer by the day.

Friday night, they'll host the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), with a chance to inch their way closer to the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, who have been ping-ponging the final wild-card spot back and forth in recent days.

As the games get underway, the Red Wings' 75 points are six behind both the Canadiens, and their 26 regulation wins are tied with Montreal.

Things only get harder for Dylan Larkin & Co. after the game against the Canes. Their remaining schedule features only games against teams currently in playoff position: the Florida Panthers twice, Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. Perhaps the teams that have clinched a playoff berth will take a proverbial foot off the gas pedal, but this is not exactly an ideal closing schedule for a team on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

But if the Red Wings are going to make a run, a win on Friday will go a long way (at least emotionally) to rally support. Can they do it?

With the regular season ending April 17, we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

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

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

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

Western Conference

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

Friday's games

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

Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/NHLN)
Minnesota Wild at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday's scoreboard

Montreal Canadiens 4, Boston Bruins 1
Ottawa Senators 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Colorado Avalanche 7, Columbus Blue Jackets 3
St. Louis Blues 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 4 (OT)
Dallas Stars 5, Nashville Predators 1
Los Angeles Kings 4, Utah Hockey Club 2
Calgary Flames 4, Anaheim Ducks 1
Winnipeg Jets 4, Vegas Golden Knights 0
Edmonton Oilers 3, San Jose Sharks 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

x - Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 105.0
Next game: vs. CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 101.7
Next game: @ BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 100.6
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Ottawa Senators

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 94.0
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 88.6
Next game: vs. PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 42.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. CAR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 2.7%
Tragic number: 11

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 77.6
Next game: vs. TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 6

Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 74.4
Next game: vs. CAR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 1

Metro Division

x - Washington Capitals

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 114.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 106.4
Next game: @ DET (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

New Jersey Devils

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 93.9
Next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.7%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 86.4
Next game: @ NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 26.8%
Tragic number: 13

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85.3
Next game: @ TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 27.4%
Tragic number: 13

New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: vs. MIN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 2.8%
Tragic number: 10

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 77.7
Next game: @ DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 4

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 76.6
Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 3

Central Division

x - Winnipeg Jets

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 116.5
Next game: @ UTA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Dallas Stars

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 113.7
Next game: vs. PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Colorado Avalanche

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 104.4
Next game: @ STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 96.9
Next game: vs. COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 97.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 96.0
Next game: @ NYI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 94.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Utah Hockey Club

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 86.3
Next game: vs. WPG (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.7%
Tragic number: 4

e - Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 66.9
Next game: vs. MTL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 56.9
Next game: @ WSH (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

x - Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 107.2
Next game: @ CGY (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 95
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 103.9
Next game: vs. EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 101.7
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 91.8
Next game: vs. VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 5.9%
Tragic number: 10

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 88.6
Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.8%
Tragic number: 7

e - Anaheim Ducks

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: @ ANA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Seattle Kraken

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 75.5
Next game: @ SJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 54.7
Next game: vs. SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

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

Race for the No. 1 pick

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

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18

3. Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

4. Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

5. Seattle Kraken

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26

6. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26

7. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 20

9. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23

10. New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25

11. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26

12. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24

13. New York Rangers

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

14. Utah Hockey Club

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26

15. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26

16. Calgary Flames

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 27

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a familiar position at the beginning of April. For the ninth straight season, the Leafs will play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The organization and their fans hope that this is where the familiarity ends; can playoff disappointments of the last decade be a thing of the past?

If the Leafs win the Atlantic Division, they will likely play the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The Senators are good, but they are not on the same level as the Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers, and the Leafs would be the favorite. Anything but a series win would be considered a major disappointment, and should result in significant changes this offseason.

Without winning at least one or two rounds, the Leafs' core group of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly will have burned through three coaches and three different systems without any playoff success.

Will head coach Craig Berube's system force them to the inside where playoff goals are generally scored, or will the scoring woes -- and playoff failures -- continue?

The changes on offense -- and in goal

Under previous coach Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs were one of the league's best regular season teams. Keefe identified why the Leafs failed in the playoffs, but was unable to convince the top players to buy in to changing. After taking over this season, has Berube fundamentally changed how the Leafs play? To the eye, their play style features more forechecking, cycle play and net-front focus than the off-the-rush, skill and speed that used to be a hallmark of the team.

The Leafs previously struggled to score in the playoffs because their offensive play style was not conducive to the type of goals scored in the playoffs. The fancy passing and highlight-reel goals are few and far between in the playoffs. It is about getting inside, creating traffic at the net front and in hockey terms, "getting the greasy/garbage goals."

The differences between Keefe and Berube's systems are stark. The Leafs are not controlling the play the way they did under Keefe, and they're playing in more low-scoring games. In Keefe's final season, 2023-24, Leafs games averaged 6.81 goals for both teams, compared to 6.19 under Berube. Last season, Toronto ranked second in goals per game (3.63) and second in scoring chances per game (18.09). They currently rank ninth in goals per game (3.26) while ranking 22nd (14.55) in scoring chances, per Stathletes.

Berube has the Leafs playing a more direct offensive style, with focuses on forechecking, puck pursuit and puck recovery. It functions as a dump-and-chase style of play, a significant departure from Keefe's possession style. Toronto ranked top 10 in possession time under Keefe, and ranks 20th under Berube. Most notable is the change in how Toronto is scoring their goals. Their rush chances have dropped dramatically, from second in the NHL last season (17.5 per game) to 15th this season (14.5).

The interesting exception is that Toronto is one of four teams with more than 90 breakaways, and Nylander (unsurprisingly) leads the NHL with 18 goals off the rush. Last season, the Leafs scored 7.7% of their goals directly off a rebound, dead last in the NHL. Under Berube, they are scoring 10% of their goals off rebounds, according to Stathletes.

The defensive side is where major changes in results have occurred. In Keefe's final season, the Leafs surrendered 3.18 goals per game, with an .893 save percentage for their goaltenders. The Leafs averaged 32.5 shots per game, while surrendering 29.8. Under Berube, the Leafs average 28.2 shots per game and surrender 29.3. The difference is Toronto is allowing 7% fewer scoring chances per game under Berube because of a conscious commitment to defense. Berube is opposed to the track meet style of play, and while Nylander gets his nightly breakaway, the ping pong rush chances do not occur with the same regularity. Last season, Toronto was +2.11 in scoring chances per game, compared to -0.34 this season.

The Leafs are playing in tighter games and creating more favorable situations for their goaltenders. Anthony Stolarz ranks fourth in goals saved above expected (13.26), per Stathletes. Toronto has the NHL's best winning percentage in one-goal games because they are more comfortable defending in those situations. This is obviously critical come in the playoffs.

A defense built differently

Berube's system is most successful with defensemen who play a physical, defensive style. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving's remodel of the blue line has fit well with Berube's desired style. He inherited Jake McCabe, and added Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a blue line led by Morgan Rielly.

Berub's team in St. Louis featured Colton Parayko, Jay Bouwmeester, Joel Edmundson, Robert Bortuzzo, and Carl Gunnarsson. There are obvious similarities between those defensemen and the Leafs' group. They are big, physical shot blockers. All are defensively oriented. The Leafs don't get much from the blue line in the way of offensive production, and it certainly feels like they're more defensively stable.

It is no secret that the playoffs are a different style of game that caters towards toughness rather than skill. Far more physicality and stick infractions go uncalled in the postseason. The Leafs have struggled to draw penalties and have not been very good about dishing out the physicality, either. The defensemen the Leafs have acquired have proven track records of ramping up the truculence in the playoffs, and will join in on the physical side of the game. Treliving and Berube had a clear vision, and the play style matches the roster -- with one exception.

Perhaps the biggest similarity between Berube's teams in St. Louis and Toronto is the (relative) lack of production for Morgan Rielly and Vince Dunn. The lone offensive defenseman in St. Louis didn't thrive until he joined the Seattle Kraken. Rielly's decrease in production has been a significant topic of discussion, but he is the blueliner most negatively impacted by Berube's play style. He thrives in an offensive system that relies on activation and rush offense, as Dunn does in Seattle and Rielly did under Keefe.

Dunn averaged fewer than 18 minutes per game under Berube. He's averaged more than 22 minutes per game in Seattle, and his offensive production has nearly doubled from 102 points in 267 games with the Blues to 180 points in 268 games with the Kraken. Compare that to Rielly, who has seen his production dip from 202 points in 274 games under Keefe (0.74 points per game) to 35 points in 74 games under Berube (0.47). While Rielly has not been up to his usual standard, there is evidence that Berube's system suppresses offensive defensemen.

Will it translate to playoff success?

The one thing that has not and cannot be accounted for: the curse. There is not a statistic nor logical explanation for the playoff curse that seems to haunt the Leafs, the way it haunted the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs before they broke through. The Leafs have playoff demons.

Many observers have wondered if this core has what it takes to climb the mountain. Berube's style seems to be more conducive to playoff success. However, the recent playoff problem has not been defensive for the Leafs: It is that their scoring has dried up.

There is little opportunity for a track meet style in the playoffs with how closely teams check and the way games are officiated. The team's change in style of play under Berube has made Toronto more prepared for playoff hockey. Strong defensive play and offense driven by a tough forecheck that wears teams down is more translatable. That style makes teams uncomfortable because it is more grueling; players handle the puck differently if they think someone is going to doggedly pressure and physically engage them along the boards.

If the Leafs are going to have success in the playoffs, three things need to happen:

• The goaltending needs to be good

• They must continue to play well defensively

• Their best offensive players must create more scoring chances in dangerous areas of the ice

The Leafs have built habits of forechecking, puck pursuit and commitment to defense over the course of the season. It is a matter of executing on those principles. Stopping on pucks, making the extra effort to clear the puck in a tough situation, winning the extra net-front battle to score the ugly goal, finishing the forecheck to wear down their opponent. There is no track meet to be had; breakaways and odd-man rushes will be few and far between.

All those habits have been engrained in the players since Berube took over, it is up to the players to prove they can get the job done when the games matter most.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has insisted "no one knows" where teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold's future lies amid continued links to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold is out of contract at the end of the season and a source has told ESPN that Madrid are confident of signing him on a free transfer this summer.

However, a Liverpool source told ESPN no deal has yet been finalised and Robertson has revealed the 26-year-old's full focus remains on working his way back from an ankle injury.

"Trent's head is not great because he's injured," Robertson said.

"He hates being injured, none of us like being injured but it hurts Trent a little bit more. That's all he is focused on.

"It is impossible for me to say we have not seen all the noise and everyone commenting on it. But for us our focus is for him to get back fit and healthy. Once he does that, what will happen, will happen. No one knows that yet. People can talk and speculate but for us we want Trent back very soon."

Liverpool restored their 12-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday night. But Robertson believes Arne Slot's side still have plenty of work to do to secure the title.

"You guys talk about the 12 points but we talk about the next three points," he said.

"Every game becomes bigger for us. Every time we win three points, the gap becomes bigger for us.

"We have eight games left, every time we pick up three points, it brings us closer to where we want to be. But we are still a long way off that."

Ange Postecoglou has said he is "falling out of love with football" after admitting he made a mistake in celebrating Pape Matar Sarr's disallowed goal against Tottenham, but not because he risked a fan backlash.

Spurs lost 1-0 at Chelsea on Thursday but Sarr had a second-half strike ruled out for VAR. Postecoglou's decision to bring on Sarr for Lucas Bergvall was booed by some travelling Tottenham supporters who also briefly chanted "you don't know what you're doing" at the 59-year-old.

Postecoglou responded by cupping his ear in their direction when Sarr scored, only for the goal to be chalked off after a lengthy VAR check.

Spurs fell to their 16th league defeat of the season and Postecoglou appeared to hang back at full-time rather than engage with the away fans, hinting at a fractious relationship which places further pressure on his position.

However, at a news conference on Friday, Postecoglou chose to focus his attention on the impact VAR is having after there were 12 minutes of added time at the end of Thursday's game with Chelsea also having a goal ruled out as Moisés Caicedo's volley came after replays showed Levi Colwill was offside in the build-up.

"Maybe I was influenced by England and the old First Division," he said. "What I loved about it as opposed to other leagues was the frenetic pace of it. In English football, there was always something happening.

"I loved that and it has influenced me a lot in terms of the kind of football I like to watch. There are plenty of other leagues I could have watched. End-to-end stuff, not a lot of teams trying to hold onto wins. It was just everyone going for it. It was the speed and tempo that I loved.

"I've tried to design a gameplan that has tempo and energy because I feel if you want people in there for an hour and a half of entertainment and engagement, you want them off their seats. There was 12 minutes of extra time last night. VAR was not brough in last month. It has been here for a long time and it is still taking 12 minutes.

"Everyone says 'they came to the right to decision', well, yeah. That's what people want then. Let's continue. I don't like it. I am falling out of love with the game because I love celebrating goals. Last night I did and I'm paying a massive price for it. I'll make sure I don't do it again but I reckon that's kind of sad.

"I am the lone voice. I don't hear anyone else saying it. That's why I am sat here and saying maybe I am disconnected. I don't think anyone else cares. We're just so accepting. Maybe I come from a different generation where we used to rail against anyone who tried to change the fundamentals of our life.

"It is sad for me because I am a lone voice but I don't think it is sad for the game because I guess people want that. I've got to accept it. When I do finally retire, I will probably watch less football and try and find another hobby."

Asked again about his ear-cupping celebration, which stands as the lates in a series of incidents in which fans have voiced their anger, Postecoglou said: "I get that seems to be the main talking point out of last night.

"People tend to focus on the internals of Tottenham rather than the externals. I made a mistake last night in that I celebrated a goal.

"Since VAR came in here, there were four or five incidents where we were standing around in Scotland and I thought I am not really going to celebrate goals. There's no point because you've got to wait.

"Last night, I just felt we needed something, cracking goal from Pape [Matar Sarr], I heard the supporters weren't happy with my decision, which is fine and my response was to celebrate, get them to make some noise and get behind the team. I felt it was a real momentum shifter, that moment.

"My mistake was celebrating a goal, VAR defeated me again. I won't be doing that again."

Sources have told ESPN that Postecoglou is at risk of losing his job if Spurs exit the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt -- their two-legged quarterfinal clash begins next Thursday -- and he added: "I've been fighting my whole career. I'll continue to fight until I'm told to stop by someone. I still believe we've got a massive opportunity for ourselves this year and I'm not going to let that slip away whether that's from external or internal pressure. I'm focused on that.

"I feel like people want me to say something that will somehow change the mood of the fans. I've just never done that. I've never felt that's my role. My role is to produce teams and get the fanbase behind what we're doing.

"It is not unusual they are frustrated and angry and the moment but at the same time if anyone looked at that game and thought they weren't trying, that they had resigned themselves to their fate, I'm sorry, they are not watching the right game.

"The players are fighting tooth and nail to try and address our issues within a real difficult season and try to take this massive opportunity that's ahead of us."

Kevin De Bruyne has announced that he will be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.

The Belgium international's contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in the summer, and he said on Friday that will leave the club as a free agent.

In his 10 years at the club, he won 16 trophies including six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields and a Champions League.

"Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading," he said in a post on social media on Friday.

"So I'll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player.

"Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here -- and you deserve to hear it from me first.

"Football led me to all of you -- and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This city. This club. These people... gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back! And guess what -- we won everything."

"Whether we like it or not, it's time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michèle, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. 'Manchester' will forever be on our kids' passports -- and more importantly, in each of our hearts.

"This will always be our home."

De Bruyne joined City as a 24-year-old from Wolfsburg in 2015 and, over the following decade, established himself as one of the Premier League's greatest ever midfielders.

In 413 appearances for the club, he has scored a remarkable 106 goals and assisted a further 174 assists. He is tied with former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry for the most assists (20) in a single Premier League season.

The 33-year-old has been central to City's recent era of success, twice winning the Premier League Player of the Year award.

De Bruyne, who has been linked with moves to the MLS and Saudi Pro League, could end his time at City with yet more silverware, with the club playing Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semifinals later this month.

The PGA Tour wants one premier circuit operating in men's professional golf.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund wants two -- and that's why the sides' talks to reunify the sport seem to be back at square one.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that the PGA Tour has rejected the PIF's most recent offer to invest $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises, the tour's for-profit entity, which came with the caveat that the rival LIV Golf League would remain intact.

The PIF, which has funded LIV Golf since its inception in 2022, also wants its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to serve as co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises' board. Former Valero Energy CEO Joe Gorder is chairman of the PGA Tour Enterprises board, and Tiger Woods serves as vice chairman.

The Guardian of London reported that the PGA Tour replied to the PIF in a letter on Monday.

Sources previously told ESPN that the LIV Golf League continuing in its present form was a nonstarter for the PGA Tour, which prefers to have the top golfers in the world competing on one circuit.

Sources said the PIF has dug in its heels in negotiations and wants team golf to be part of the sport's future ecosystem if the sides reach a deal. The PGA Tour has tried to offer solutions to the PIF that would include some sort of iteration of LIV Golf in future schedules, such as having team competitions at international venues in the fall.

"We will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said at last month's Players Championship. "So while we've removed some hurdles, others remain. But like our fans, we still share the same sense of urgency to get to a resolution."

The latest correspondence comes on the heels of the sides' four-hour meeting at the White House on Feb. 20, which included Al-Rumayyan, Monahan, Woods and PGA Tour player director Adam Scott. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously met with Monahan and Scott in Washington on Feb. 4.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday that he hopes the competing tours can reach a deal. Trump was flying to Miami to meet with LIV Golf officials at Trump National Doral, which he owns.

"Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That'll be good. I'm involved in that too," Trump told reporters on the flight to Miami, according to the Associated Press. "But hopefully we're going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing."

Published reports indicated the PIF will have injected $5 billion into LIV Golf by the end of this year. The circuit that celebrates 54-hole tournaments, no cuts, shotgun starts and team golf has struggled to gain footing in the U.S. in terms of corporate sponsors and TV ratings.

Before this week's LIV Golf League tournament at Trump National Doral in Miami, LIV Golf League captain Brooks Koepka said that he had hoped the breakaway circuit would be further along in its fourth season.

Koepka was one of several PGA Tour stars lured to LIV Golf with guaranteed contracts worth more than $100 million. Past major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith are among the others who left the PGA Tour and were suspended by Monahan.

Financial records filed by LIV Golf's United Kingdom-based company, which operates its tournaments outside the U.S., indicated it had nearly $400 million in operating losses in 2023. Financial records for events in the U.S. weren't available.

New LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil told reporters on Tuesday that his league didn't have to make a deal with the PGA Tour to survive.

"If the deal can help grow the game of golf, I'll jump in with two feet," O'Neil said. "Do we have to do a deal? No. It would be nice to do a deal, so long as we're all focused on the same things.

"So do we have to do a deal or need a deal, whatever word you use, leave that to somebody smarter than me. I will say I love what we're doing, I love our prospects. I love the growth in three months. I know what's coming in the next three months. And I love where we are."

O'Neil isn't involved in the PIF's negotiations with the PGA Tour.

"The reality of the way I see the world is I see the LIV Golf League with a lot of hope and a lot of future," O'Neil told ESPN. "I hope that we find a way to get more opportunities to have the best players in the world playing together. It might not be in a nice, neat bow, or it might be. We'll see."

The PGA Tour and the PIF sued each other in federal court, but the lawsuits were dropped when they signed a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, to form an alliance that would reunify the sport. That deal expired at the end of 2023, but the sides have continued to try to hammer out a deal the past two years.

In January 2024, the PGA Tour and Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of U.S. pro sports teams and others, reached a deal to have SSG invest as much as $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises.

LOS ANGELES -- Golden State Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler suffered what appeared to be a left forearm injury in the third quarter of Thursday night's 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and was uncertain about his status for Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

Butler said he might have to undergo further testing on his forearm and see how he feels on Friday to determine if he can play at Chase Center in the second game of a back-to-back. He was able to return and play the entire fourth quarter.

"Part of the game [is] getting nicked up a little bit," Butler said after also having three steals in 36 minutes. "I hope that I'm going to be all right though, so we'll see tomorrow."

Butler said he did not undergo an MRI or X-ray on his forearm after the game. Asked if he would need to do so, he said, "Maybe. Probably. I hope not."

Butler's return in the fourth quarter helped the Warriors close out their fourth consecutive win, as he scored seven of his 11 points in the final 12 minutes.

"Jimmy's tough as hell, and we needed him to come back in to close that game up," Golden State power forward Draymond Green said. "He came back and he was exactly who he's been and who we needed him to be."

Stephen Curry, who has been playing with a pelvic contusion that cost him two games recently, took a fall on his tailbone Thursday night but shook off the injury and finished with 37 points.

Curry said he should be fine and that the bigger issue is wearing a protective pad on his back, which he expects he'll have to do for the remainder of the Warriors' season.

When asked if he knows if he will play in the second of a back-to-back Friday, Curry said, "I'm not sure." Head coach Steve Kerr said he thinks Green and Curry will play against Denver.

The Warriors (45-31) are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings with six games remaining in the season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou bemoaned the time-consuming VAR process that saw Pape Sarr's goal chopped off in their 1-0 defeat at Chelsea on Thursday and said football was heading towards being refereed by artificial intelligence.

Referee Craig Pawson was advised by VAR to check Sarr's 69th-minute equaliser on the monitor and eventually chalked off the goal for a foul by the Spurs player in the build-up.

"It's going to be refereed by AI soon," Postecoglou told reporters after Thursday's Premier League match.

"We might as well dispense with the players when some genius comes up with a game with no participants at some point. As referees aren't refereeing.

"Whether I think its a foul or not, does not matter. VAR was called in for clear and obvious errors. How long did it take tonight? Six minutes. For a clear and obvious error.

"I don't see how it's benefiting our game. I don't think anyone would have complained tonight if we just went with referees' decisions."

Spurs, who are 14th, host Southampton on Sunday before welcoming Eintracht Frankfurt for the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday.