CATAWBA, N.C. – Mountain Creek Speedway has announced two key partners of their annual outlaw kart showcase event.

The newly-rebranded Nitro Karting Clash at the Creek presented by QRC rolls off May 19 with title sponsorship from two giants in outlaw karting, Nitro Karting and QRC Karts.

Nitro Karting is based in Mooresville, N.C., and manufactures a wide variety of components found in the pits of any major karting event including gears, pit tools, smaller karting components and trailer accessories. Red Bluff, Calif.’s, QRC Karts has over three decades of outlaw kart manufacturing experience, essentially building the discipline in its early years with their innovations and involvement in the sport.

“Our goal since last year’s inaugural Clash was to continue to build the event and improve it every single year,” said Adam Stewart of Mountain Creek Speedway. “With everything that has finally come together in the last few weeks, racers and fans should be optimistic for not only this year’s event, but also future editions of the Clash. We’ve got a lot of great people beginning to take interest and get involved in what’s going on here in Catawba County.”

In addition to new event partners, MCS also announced the race director for this year’s event. Known for his long-time involvement in outlaw karting around Red Bluff and other areas on the west coast, Christopher Rowling has been retained to run the May 18-19 event. Rowling has been active in outlaw karting events on the west coast for years and has also worked in the industry’s manufacturing and distribution side, giving him an in-depth understanding of the sport from all angles.

Adding to the event’s momentum in only its second year, MCS has announced two of its contingency partners for the event, Sparco USA and Van-K Wheels. Sparco is a leading manufacturer of safety equipment and Van-K manufactures a substantial portion of the aluminum wheels used on various race vehicles including karts and outlaw karts like those which will be racing during the 2nd Annual Nitro Karting Clash at the Creek presented by QRC.

“We’re really looking forward to this year’s event,” Stewart continued. “Our phone is ringing with competitors, sponsors, fans, and I’d like to believe this is quickly becoming a showcase race for outlaw karts. We’ve got a slimmed down schedule with more racing and racers who are excited for the event again, that’s always a good thing. We certainly are appreciative of everyone’s support.”

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Gabriel Landeskog returned to the Colorado Avalanche bench and sat down just as teammate Colin Wilson put the puck behind San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. Game 7 on Wednesday night was tied, 2-all, in the second period. The Avalanche had new life.

Or so Landeskog believed.

"I didn't think anything of it, to be honest with you. And then we were wondering why they weren't dropping the puck," the Avalanche captain said.

The Sharks have a video coach, Dan Darrow, who is tasked with quickly assessing plays to see whether there's an opportunity for a coach's challenge. Most people watching the game saw Derick Brassard make a sweeping one-handed pass into the Avalanche's attacking zone and Nathan MacKinnon speed to the puck to set up Wilson, and all of them appeared to be onside. Darrow saw something else: Landeskog, standing at the door to the Avalanche bench, his skates appearing to land inside the attacking zone before the puck did.

Based on Darrow's suggestion, the Sharks challenged the play with 12 minutes, 11 seconds left in the second period. Lose the challenge, and they would have been assessed a delay of game penalty.

"He's the lead on it, every night. Ballsy call," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said of Darrow.

The on-ice officials discussed the play with the NHL War Room in Toronto.

The decision: No goal.

"I saw some replays on the bench. From what we saw, it could have gone either way," Landeskog said.

The NHL didn't issue an explanation of the call until after the Sharks' 3-2 victory to eliminate the Avalanche, an uncharacteristic move given the importance of the decision and the game.

"After reviewing all available replays and consulting with the Linesman, the Situation Room determined that Gabriel Landeskog did not legally tag up at the blue line prior to the puck entering the offensive zone," the league said. "The decision was made in accordance to Rule 83.3 (i), 'All players of the offending team clear the zone at the same instant (skate contact with the blue line) permitting the attacking players to re-enter the attacking zone.'"

Essentially, after Landeskog went offside, his skate touched the blue line at one point, so he wasn't offside. Then his skates both went back to the right of the blue line as he slowly entered the Colorado bench, putting him offside again.

To have this type of offside called was uncommon, the Avalanche said.

"I would say it's pretty rare," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said with an exasperated laugh. "In a Game 7, even more so. That player has nothing to do with the play that's going on. It seems like such a minute detail, whether he's onside or offside. So it's strange, you know? It's strange. And it's something we could have done without tonight, no question."

Controversial officiating in a Sharks Game 7 is officially a trend in these playoffs. They also eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights thanks in part to a five-minute major penalty on which they scored four goals and for which the NHL eventually apologized to Vegas.

The decision left Colorado despondent. Just under five minutes later, Joonas Donskoi scored to make it a 3-1 lead for the Sharks.

"We thought it was 2-2, and then we kinda got caught sleeping. And then it was 3-1," Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole said. "No matter what that call is, we have to keep playing. We have to learn that when things don't go our way, we have to take momentum back as quickly as possible."

If that sounds like the dulcet tones of personal responsibility, that's because the Avalanche took it after Game 7. In the same dressing room where Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said the NHL should be "embarrassed" for the controversial major penalty in the Knights' Game 7 loss, Landeskog took the officials off the hook and shouldered the blame for the critical overturned goal.

"It's a clumsy mistake, you know? 'Get off the ice.' If I could have done something different on that play, I would have jumped the boards a lot quicker," Landeskog said.

"Hopefully, the linesmen got it right. I haven't been in that position at all, to have to make that call in a Game 7. It's a tough job. It's a tough call to make. Hopefully, they got it right. I'll take the blame for that. Ultimately, it's my skates on the ice. But there was a lot more to the game than that."

Landeskog and his teammates pointed to a variety of other factors that went into their Game 7 defeat. There was MacKinnon's unfortunate shoulder injury in the first period that limited his ice time; MacKinnon said it's an injury he'll need to rehab, but that "they shot me up with something, and I came back." There was the slow start, as captain Joe Pavelski's return from injury energized the Sharks and propelled them to a 2-0 lead in the first 11:35 of the game. There was the Avs' push at the end when the score was 3-2 that produced several good chances but not the equalizing goal they needed.

"In the last minute, we could have tied it up. But nothing would go in," said MacKinnon, who played 20 minutes, 58 seconds in Game 7. "It's unfortunate. But we felt with the way the East is shaking out, and the West as well, we could have won the Cup this year. It truly felt like we could have won everything. It was up for grabs. It sucks."

The Avalanche have a young core of players and more prospects on the way. Their window to win extends beyond this postseason.

What veteran players such as Cole hope is that the experiences from a Game 7 loss -- from the frustrating overturned goal to the missed opportunities -- are the learning experiences they'll need to eventually win a series like this.

"There's always turning points in every game. I think, hopefully, if we can learn from them and better recognize those situations, then maybe we can continue to grow as a team," he said. "Because we did a ton of growing this year."

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares will miss the world hockey championships for Team Canada after suffering an oblique injury during practice in Slovakia, it was announced Thursday.

Hockey Canada said Thursday it contacted the Maple Leafs and it was agreed it was best for Tavares to return to Toronto for further evaluation of his oblique.

"We are disappointed that John will not be able to participate as a member of Team Canada," Hockey Canada official Jason Botterill said in a statement. "We know John was excited about the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf once again, and we were excited to have John as a member of our team and to welcome his many years of NHL and international experience."

Canada opens play in the world championships on Friday against Finland. The event runs through May 26.

Tavares, 28, has played on three previous world championship teams for Team Canada. He won a gold medal at the 2014 Olympics, where he injured his left knee and missed the rest of that NHL season.

He had a career-high 47 goals and 41 assists while playing all 82 games this season, his first with the Maple Leafs after signing with Toronto as a free agent.

He also played all 82 games in 2017-18, his final season with the New York Islanders.

The six-time All-Star has 272 goals and 349 assists in 10 NHL seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The conference finals are officially underway, as the Boston Bruins used a huge third period to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1. The bad news? We have to wait a day until the Western Conference series begins on Saturday.

Here's a recap of last night's action (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for tonight, in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

Jump ahead: Last night's game | Three stars
Play of the night | Social post of the day

About last night ...

Game 1: Boston Bruins 5, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (Bruins lead the series, 1-0)

In the previous round, the Hurricanes saw firsthand how difficult it was for the Islanders to muster energy after a long layoff between rounds, but the Canes didn't seem to have that problem at all. Things opened up in the second period. According to Natural Stat Trick, there were a combined 13 scoring chances in the second (Carolina had a 7-6 edge) compared to just five in the first (Carolina had a 3-2 edge). Tuukka Rask, coming off an excellent second-round series, kept the Bruins in it.

Then Boston surged with four goals in the third -- including two 28 seconds apart that regained the lead. The Bruins added an empty-netter and a breakaway goal in the closing minutes to make this game look less close than it was for the preceding 58.

Three Stars

1. Marcus Johansson, C, Boston Bruins. Entering this game, the Bruins' power play had been the best of any team in the postseason (28.6 percent) but wasn't all too great in the Columbus series. Johansson and the second power-play unit helped reignite things, with a huge goal in the third to tie the score at 2-2. Johansson added an assist.

2. Tuukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins. Rask has been strong this postseason, and Thursday was yet another example. He stopped 29 of 31 shots, including some huge saves before and after his teammates' offensive explosion.

3. Greg McKegg, C, Carolina Hurricanes. It was the second straight game with a goal for the fourth-liner; before that, he had gone 23 straight games, dating back to the regular season, without one. It's a pretty cool moment for McKegg: The Hurricanes are his fourth team since the start of the 2016-17 season (he has been traded twice and waived twice).

Play of the night

And the first goal of the Eastern Conference Final has been scored by... Steven Kampfer, just as we all drew it up. #NHLBruins lead 1-0 pic.twitter.com/NAkHjEL3vN

- Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 10, 2019

This was a special moment for Steven Kampfer, who drew into the lineup because of Charlie McAvoy's suspension. Kampfer, 30, was playing in his second career playoff game, a chance eight years in the making. No problem. He plugged in with a goal just three minutes in.

"My parents always told me, if you're nervous, you're ready to go," he told NBC's Kathryn Tappen after the first period.

Dud of the night

Poor Dougie Hamilton. He got traded from Boston, and then his old fans serenaded him with chants of his name as he took two penalties.

And not everyone agreed with this call.

This? An NHL referee who I'm certain was assigned this game because he earned it, called this? That sets a ridiculous standard for this game and both teams, that he can't maintain... and won't. What a joke. Do better. https://t.co/Vo1dkZHu4l

- Aaron Ward (@NHL_AaronWard) May 10, 2019

...including Dougie.

Dougie Hamilton reviewed video of both of his third-period penalties before speaking with reporters: "I just watched both of them and I didn't agree with either."

- Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 10, 2019

Social post of the day

Hintz played Game 7 with a broken foot. Janmark broke foot back in February or March and it kept getting aggravated. Zuccarello break was healed, but tendons were struggling and got injections before each game.

- Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) May 9, 2019

Hockey Players are Tough, Volume 1, 332.

Quotable

Reporter: Can you talk about the Bergeron line

Brind'Amour: Again?!

- Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) May 9, 2019

Unfortunately for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, he'll likely have to face the same questions before Game 2.

Atletico Madrid's Filipe Luis is one of the left-backs interesting Barcelona as they look to bring in competition for Jordi Alba, sources have told ESPN FC.

Luis is out of contract in the summer and available for free, which makes him an attractive proposition for Barca, who will look to use any money available to them to move for Matthijs de Ligt and Antoine Griezmann.

Barca have gone the whole season with Alba as their only left-back. The 30-year-old has had a good campaign, earning himself a new contract which he signed in February, but the club are aware they need backup for him in the long-term.

Sources at Barca told ESPN FC that Luis is being considered because of his availability and his experience in the game, with B team full-back Juan Miranda unable to take advantage of his opportunities this season.

Luis, 33, was close signing for Barcelona 10 years ago. The club wanted to bring him in from Deportivo La Coruna but the Galician club's then president, Augusto Cesar Lendoiro, would not go lower than the €20 million release clause. Barca signed Adriano instead from Sevilla.

The Spanish champions are also working on an alternative option to Luis but one that would cost money -- and would prefer to focus their spending on needs elsewhere. De Ligt and Griezmann, in that sense, are two players who could improve the XI.

As revealed on ESPN FC this week, Barca hope the signing of Frenkie de Jong will be followed by De Ligt and Griezmann. The two will cost close to €200 million -- a figure which will likely oblige the club to make sales this summer.

Things are expected to accelerate for the Netherlands international next week. With Barca and Ajax both out of the Champions League, negotiations will resume with the player's agent, Mino Raiola, who is pushing for more money from the deal. Barca and Ajax have already agreed on a potential fee and De Ligt wants to move to Camp Nou.

As for Griezmann, his release clause will drop to €120m on July 1. Barca don't want to talk about a possible deal until then to avoid any conflict with Atletico. The Catalan club are conscious of Atletico's complaint to FIFA for making an illegal approach for Griezmann in 2017.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino have questioned the high prices and travel costs that supporters face to attend the Champions League final.

The two English clubs reached the June 1 showpiece thanks to dramatic comeback wins, but supporters making plans to attend the match in Madrid face huge costs.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Klopp hit out at "crazy" hotel prices and said he had sympathy with fans who are being charged such high rates.

"One hundred percent," Klopp said. "Obviously travel agencies and hotels are not silly. Maybe these cities before they get the final they have to agree to a price cut and say [the prices] can't be more than [a certain figure].

"I heard about a room which usually costs £100 and it now costs £2,700, it's just crazy. I sympathise a lot."

Pochettino said he was having trouble finding accommodation for his family.

"Yesterday I was calling some hotel in Madrid to try to book some rooms because I don't know if my family is going to be there, friends, people from Argentina," he told a news conference. "But it was very difficult.

"The prices are crazy. It's not normal, but it's normal that people take this opportunity to benefit and I am suffering for both sets of fans, ours and Liverpool's."

Liverpool and Tottenham supporters have called for an end to "cashing in on fan loyalty" amid rocketing prices for flights and hotel rooms for the Champions League final.

The price of some flights to the Spanish capital in the days around the match has risen to more than £1,500, while rates for hotel rooms in the city and surrounding towns have soared to over £1,000 a night.

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The two clubs have been allocated 16,613 tickets for the match at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium, with the cheapest of those costing around £60 and the most expensive £513.

Liverpool fans' group Spirit of Shankly and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust have issued a joint statement calling for a crackdown on exploitation of supporters and hitting out at UEFA's "measly" allocations.

"This has been a sensational Champions League campaign for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, with fans of both clubs now looking forward to the final in Madrid on June 1," the statement said.

"But supporters' joy has been tempered by the extortionate costs of travel, accommodation and tickets -- if they get a ticket at all with the measly allocation from UEFA.

"Prices of flights to Madrid and surrounding towns have rocketed by up to 840 percent. Hotel rooms are more than £1,000 a night, with stories of room bookings being cancelled and resold at vastly inflated rates.

"Tickets in excess of £500 are exorbitant. There needs to be transparency from UEFA and both clubs in how tickets are priced and allocated."

The joint statement from the Liverpool and Tottenham fans also called for consumer protection measures to be applied to the repricing of flights and hotel rooms in the days around the final.

"For many, the final is not a one-off event," it added. "It is the culmination of a season-long journey for fans, who have spent thousands of pounds already travelling to support their team, bringing the spectacle and atmosphere that is a key part of the game so prized by television.

"It is time to stop cashing in on fan loyalty."

Klopp also questioned the selection of Baku, Azerbaijan, as the site of the Europa League final between London rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

"I think with Madrid it's unbelievably expensive that's clear, but going to Baku for a Europa League final, that's really funny," Klopp said.

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"I think these guys who made these decisions, I don't know what they had for breakfast really when they did it.

"Last year we went to Kiev [for the Champions League final] which is a wonderful city but it was not really likely a Russian team or a team from that part of the world would be involved."

With no direct flights to Baku from London, fans face journey times of up to 14 hours depending on connections.

"These decision they must be much more sensible," Klopp said. "It looks irresponsible, I don't know how they do it and I sympathise a lot with the fans."

Chelsea's Supporters' Trust described the allocation as "totally inadequate" while board member Tim Rolls told the BBC his journey would involve a seven-hour bus ride from Tbilisi.

"Baku is one of the most inaccessible cities in Europe from the UK," said Rolls. "There are few flights and those there are are prohibitively expensive."

UEFA defended the choice of venue, saying it was impossible to predict in advance which clubs will reach the final.

It also said it would have been irresponsible to offer more tickets with limited transport options to Baku.

"Taking into consideration the geographical location and logistical capacity of airports in and around the host city, it was deemed that around 15,000 spectators would be able to travel from abroad with Baku as the main hub," UEFA said.

"Offering more tickets to fans of the participating teams, without any guarantee that they would be able to arrange suitable travel, was therefore not a responsible option."

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Tim Weah made the United States roster for this month's FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland, while Joshua Sargent and Tyler Adams were left off Friday, making it likely they will be with the senior national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Alex Mendez heads the 21-man roster after scoring eight goals with six assists at last year's CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. Mendez left the LA Galaxy youth system last fall to sign with Germany's Freiburg.

Weah, a son of Liberia President and 1995 FIFA Player of the Year George Weah, scored three goals against Paraguay in the round of 16 at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup. He has one goal in eight appearances with the senior national team. Weah has spent this season on loan from Paris Saint-Germain to Scottish giants Celtic and has four goals in 17 matches.

In an Instagram post, Weah said Celtic manager Neil Lennon told him "that it is in the best interest of the team that I collect my things and go home rather than be apart of the game on Sunday," referencing Celtic's Old Firm derby against rivals Rangers.

Weath thanked the Celtics fans for their support, adding: "It was a true honor playing for this club and also having the opportunity to interact with legends who paved the way for us."

Sargent scored five goals at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup and twice at the 2017 Under-20 World Cup. He made his debut for Werder Bremen this season and has two goals in 10 games.

Mendez is among 14 players on coach Tab Ramos' roster who played at the CONCACAF tournament.

Goalkeeper Brady Scott is the loan holdover from the 2017 Under-20 World Cup roster.

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The U.S. opens against Ukraine on May 24, plays Nigeria three days later and closes the group stage against Qatar on May 30. The Americans were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2017. Weah may miss the opening match to remain with Celtic, which plays in the Scottish Cup final May 25.

Ramos, who played for the U.S. at three World Cups, will be coaching the Americans at the Under-20 World Cup for the fourth straight tournament.

Full U.S. roster:

Goalkeepers: C.J. Dos Santos (Benfica, Portugal), David Ochoa (Salt Lake), Brady Scott (Cologne, Germany)

Defenders: Sergino Dest (Ajax, Netherlands), Chris Gloster (Hannover, Germany), Aboubacar Keita (Richmond), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia), Matthew Real (Philadelphia), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Midfielders: Edwin Cerrillo (Dallas), Chris Durkin (D.C,), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Alex Mendez (Freiburg, Germany), Paxton Pomykal (Dallas), Brandon Servania (Dallas)

Forwards: Ayo Akinola (Toronto). Konrad De La Fuente (Barcelona, Spain), Ulysses Llanez (Wolfsburg, Germany), Justin Rennicks (New England), Sebastian Soto (Hannover, Germany), Tim Weah (Celtic, Scotland)

Week 11 in MLS is jam packed with storylines, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy battle another team from the Big Apple (vs. New York City FC on Saturday; 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)) while the Revolution host surprising San Jose without Brad Friedel at the helm. To cap it all off, Marco Fabian and Michael Bradley get set for Round II when Toronto FC host Philadelphia.

Zlatan and the Galaxy come back to earth

Guillermo Barros Schelotto's tenure as LA Galaxy boss was going pretty smoothly, until Saturday, that is, when a seven-match unbeaten streak came to a sudden halt with a 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls. That was then followed up by a fatigued 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night in Columbus.

While perturbed superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not about to concede that the Red Bulls kept him under wraps, telling reporters that New York "did not make things difficult for us," the same can't be said for the Columbus loss. After a 2018 season that had more ups and downs than a roller coaster, this is the first time the Galaxy have faced adversity in 2019.

To add insult to injury, midfield lynch pin Jonathan dos Santos had to exit Wednesday's game, so the Galaxy will have to summon a little something extra with a quick turnaround on Saturday afternoon against NYCFC.

After a rough start, NYCFC is starting to come together with new arrivals Alexandru Mitrita and Heber finding their stride in MLS. Coach Domenec Torrent is off the hot seat for now and will be coming off a full week of rest to prepare for Zlatan & Co. Whether NYCFC has enough to overcome an angry Ibrahimovic is another question.

Revs begin life after Friedel

Brad Friedel was a fantastic goalkeeper for both club and country, but his first foray as a manager in MLS with the New England Revolution was a complete disaster. On Thursday, the Revs mercifully parted ways with Friedel after the team followed up a 6-1 shellacking by Philadelphia last weekend with an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on Wednesday. Friedel departs with the Revs rock bottom in the Eastern Conference, with 30 goals conceded in 12 games.

Perhaps reflecting the nature of things in New England, this week the team had a deal in place to land Congolese winger Paul-Jose M'Poku, but it fell through because the Standard Liege man said he didn't want to join the team. Can you blame him? This is a side in desperate need of some housecleaning.

It's ironic that New England's next opponent is the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). For the past several seasons, the exact same thing could be said about the Quakes, but new coach Matias Almeyda has changed everything.

Things started roughly for the Earthquakes with four losses, but since then, the change of attitude instilled by the Argentine boss has San Jose in a playoff spot. Teams know that when they go up against San Jose, they'll be in a battle for 90 minutes against arguably the fittest team in the league. Watching Almeyda's Earthquakes in action on Saturday can serve as a healthy lesson for New England ownership.

Bradley vs. Fabian, Round II

Historically, a Toronto FC-Philadelphia Union matchup has never been one to get the juices flowing, that is until now. Back in the first week of the season, TFC left the City of Brotherly Love with three points, but that wasn't the story.

Evoking misty, water-colored memories of USA-Mexico rivalry in MLS -- Landon Donovan vs. Rafa Marquez anyone? -- Michael Bradley "welcomed" Marco Fabian to MLS with a shove to the ground during TFC's 3-1 win.

Those two international rivals will renew pleasantries on Saturday in Toronto (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+) in what also could be an Eastern Conference final preview. Despite a 2-0 loss in Atlanta on Wednesday night using a reserve-heavy squad, Toronto FC appears to be back to its 2016 and 2017 level. Alejandro Pozuelo has been a revelation, and once Jozy Altidore returns from injury, perhaps in the next week, TFC should be humming nicely entering the summertime stretch.

Meanwhile, for just the second time in their history, the Union are in first place at this point of the season. This will be Fabian's first match in a month after an injury kept him out of Philadelphia's past four contests, so he'll be plenty motivated to not only return with a splash, but also hand out a little payback to Bradley.