CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Cameron Boozer shoots the ball during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA Draft is in less than three weeks, and the speculation about Cam Boozer is hitting new heights.
Part of it may be gamesmanship, as various front offices try to push players up or down to get their true target.
Subterfuge is actually one of our favorite parts of the whole process. In Boozer’s case, though, we’re not sure that’s necessarily what’s going on.
He’s been through the combine, and he’s done the interviews. Teams have a much better idea of who he is now.
The top three picks, as you probably know, are Washington, Utah, and Memphis, and there’s the consistent rumor that Oklahoma City would like to trade up to get him.
It’s not a bad position to be in, really, other than going to the Wizards. In our opinion, it’s less important to be an early pick than it is to be picked by a stable franchise. Memphis and Utah are remaking their teams, but management appears to be competent. And it would be hard to do much better than OKC.
HENDERSON, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 06: Babacar Sane #4 of G League Ignite reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against the Perth Wildcats as time expired in the first quarter of an NBA G League Fall Invitational game on September 06, 2023 in Henderson, Nevada. Ignite defeated the Wildcats 124-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last month, St. John’s announced the signing of Senegalese forward Babacar Sane. Rick Pitino was quoted as being “extremely impressed” with Sane’s athletic ability. At 6-foot-8, Sane possesses the prototypical NBA forward frame, but his freakish 7-foot-2.5 wingspan places him alongside NBA champion Kawhi Leonard and Knicks forward OG Anunoby. The Senegal-born forward didn’t take the traditional route to college basketball. Instead, he joined the NBA Academy in Africa and was placed on Dakar Université Club, where he thrived.
Sane ended up joining G League Ignite alongside Pistons guard Ron Holland and other NBA talent. In 75 career games, Sane averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. The consensus around Babacar Sane has always been that he’s a prospect who has the raw tools to become an NBA forward but hasn’t taken that step just yet. Sane possesses freakish vertical jumping while still being able to create his own shot. Granted, his shooting splits across all levels haven’t been eye-popping; Sane has a viable jumpshot.
When watching film across three different continents for Sane, one thing is evident: He’s a phenomenal athlete. Sane’s film shows multiple clips of him finishing above the rim and impacting plays on both ends. Sane should thrive in Rick Pitino’s transition offense. His long strides and grab-and-go ability allow him to cover ground quickly, making him a threat in the open floor.
That downhill pressure often draws multiple defenders, creating open looks from beyond the arc, as seen during the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Sane averaged 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Intercontinental Cup, and those marks are pretty impressive because most of those G League Ignite players were kind of just looking for their buckets and not making the extra passes.
Sane works more in the off-ball player role, where he finds himself in a bunch of motions and is constantly cutting to the basket. The reason he’s gonna do well in this role at St. John’s is that Babacar has never had a point guard of the same quality as Quinn Ellis in terms of playmaking. Ellis has a special ability to find the right player at the right time, and I could count on multiple occasions how many times I saw a guard miss a wide-open Sane cutting to the rim. If Quinn Ellis can consistently find Babacar in transition or on cuts, this could be a lethal Big East pairing. Sane is nearly impossible to contain once he’s going downhill, and even when defenses do, he still gets to the free-throw line, where he converts at an above-average rate.
One of the big questions heading into this season will be how many minutes Sane will get. In 17 minutes per game at MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, Sane had 16 double-doubles in 28 games and had three games with 20-plus points. So if we adjust Sane’s minutes and he ends up playing 20–25 minutes, he could definitely average around 12 points per game off the bench and could be a big momentum shifter when he checks in.
The make-or-break attribute for Sane and his playing time will be directly tied to his three-point shooting, where he was about average everywhere he played. His jumpshot is not broken; it is actually workable. His base looks good, his arms are tucked in, and he’s not a stiff shooter. So knowing how Pitino gets the best out of all his players, there’s nothing stopping Babacar Sane from becoming Big East Sixth Man of the Year besides himself.
Sane has been a successful international player with Senegal and has been a solid role player on three different continents. But it’s time for him to break out of his shell and live up to the potential most scouts think he has. Look what Rick Pitino did for Dillon Mitchell—he wasn’t an NBA-ready player at the beginning of the season, and now he’s projected as an early-to-mid second round pick.
I’ll say this one last time: Babacar Sane is gonna be must-watch TV at Madison Square Garden with his glamorous dunks and ability to create offense through his movement alone. He is one of many new pieces for the Johnnies this season, and we should all be excited to see how Pitino uses him.
Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) practices before game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Karl-Anthony Towns has taken full control of the New York Knicks offense this postseason.
NY is essentially playing Towns as a point-center and allowing him to both distribute the basketball but also find his own shot depending on the matchup.
That method has worked incredibly well for the Knicks as they find themselves up 1-0 over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Not only is Towns playing great offense, though, but he was pretty impactful against the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday night at the defensive end of the court.
His two-way ability has shined and in the win, the former Kentucky Wildcat felt his late mother’s presence.
“I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace that, I don’t know, had to be coming from the woman above,” Towns said on ESPN.
“I felt really confident about today, I felt good,” Towns said. “I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. This is something that as a kid you always dream about. You always hope to be an NBA player, let alone to be in the NBA Finals.
“All day, it was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to play my Saturday AAU games and my Sunday AAU games. In a way, it felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun, it was really fun, and it was really comforting.”
His mother passed away in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19. The Knicks will suit up for Game Two of the Finals tonight in San Antonio and are 5.5-point underdogs.
Tweet of the Day
NEWS: Matchups for the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge are set, per sources.
Ark @ UNC AU @ Clem Duke @ UF BC @ UGA Wake @ LSU Pitt @ Mizz SU @ OU OleMiss @ VT SC@NCSt FSU @ Tenn Texas @ Lville Bama @ Miami UK @ UVA GT @ MissSt Stanford @ A&M Vandy @ NDhttps://t.co/CH4tXkiAal
BOSTON - 1980: Andrew Toney #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during an NBA game at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1980 NBAE (Photo by Ron Koch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Andrew Toney is somewhat overlooked today, which is really a shame.
Drafted out of the University of Lousiana by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1980, Toney quickly established himself as a superb offensive guard.
He was particularly lethal against the Boston Celtics, to the point where Beantown media called him The Boston Strangler.
He was a key part of the 1983 Philadelphia championship team, starting alongside Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Julius Erving.
Sadly for Toney, his career ran into real problems after about five years. He was having serious pain in his feet, and he and the Sixer disagreed about the cause. Ultimately, he was found to have stress factures in both feet, and the last three years of his career were difficult, personally and professionally. His relationship with the 76ers deteriorated and has never fully recovered.
He retired in 1988, because he never recovered from his feet problems.
His contemporaries knew how good he was. Charles Barkley said he was the best player he ever played with, and since he was teammates with Malone and Erving, that’s really saying something. Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief thought he was right there with Michael Jordan.
Here are some of his career highlights. Keep in mind that Toney was just 6-3 and most of his scoring was not near the basket. Nonetheless, he shot 50% for his career.
Farrell to remain as Ireland’s head coach until 2031
51-year-old says ‘best is yet to come’ for Ireland
Andy Farrell has signed a new deal to remain as Ireland’s head coach until 2031, removing any chance of England luring him back to Twickenham after next year’s Rugby World Cup. Instead, Farrell has opted to stay put in Dublin and will now preside over Ireland’s next two World Cup campaigns.
Farrell, who led the British & Irish Lions to a series win in Australia last year, has steered Ireland to two Six Nations titles, including a grand slam in 2023, and a historic Test series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand since replacing Joe Schmidt in late 2019. His latest five-year deal ends any speculation about a possible return to English rugby in 18 months’ time.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Stuart Skinner #74 of the Pittsburgh Penguins protects the net against the Edmonton Oilers at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Stuart Skinner Born: Nov 1, 1998 Height: 6-feet 4 inches Weight: 215 pounds Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Catches: Left Draft: Third round pick (78th overall) in 2017 by the Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 Statistics: With Edmonton – 23 games (11-8-4 record, 2.83 GAA, .891 save%, 2 shutouts). With Pittsburgh – 27 games (12-9-5 record, 2.99 GAA, .885 save%) Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent on July 1
Story of the Season
For the first time, a joint player review! It’s more like a ‘Penguin veteran goalie’ review day, which was Tristan Jarry when the season started. Jarry played well for the Pens at the beginning of the year (9-3-1 record, 2.66 GAA, .909 save%) only to see a shocking trade made seemingly out of nowhere on December 12th that sent him to Edmonton for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second round pick.
In that moment, the future of the crease in Pittsburgh was changed. Skinner fit into Jarry’s place as part of the goalie rotation with Arturs Silovs, alternating in and out of the lineup almost every other game.
It turned out to be the perfect timing for the Pens to cut ties with Jarry and his onerous contract. The negative patterns of his career – namely injury and second-half decline – ended up repeating once again this season. Within three games of joining the Oilers, Jarry got hurt and was out for nearly a month. Once back, his play steadily regressed and he lost the position of being the Edmonton’s starting goalie by March. Jarry was only called on for one playoff game, where he took an overtime loss in Edmonton’s Game 4 against Anaheim.
On the other side of the equation, Skinner wasn’t tremendous but performed better statistically than Silovs for much of the season. That allowed Skinner to eventually nudge ever-so-slightly to the front of the line to earn being the Pens’ starting goalie at the beginning of the playoffs. Skinner performed fairly well against the Flyers in Games 1 and 2, allowing only five total goals – but his team wasn’t sharp and lost both games. Skinner was shakier in Game 3 where he gave a couple of questionable goals, and four total in another loss. At that point he was benched for the remainder of the series when the team gave Silovs a shot.
Skinner was at his best for the Pens in January, providing some very sturdy play and winning seven of his eight starts. No other month was particularly impressive on paper, but considering the Pens finished three points ahead of ninth placed Washington in the standings an elevated January performance stands out as one of many factors that helped make Pittsburgh into a playoff team. Had Skinner had his fairly usual type of record, say a 4-3-2 January, that would have meant four less points in the standings. There’s no shortage of little variables that all combined to add up to a successful season for the team at large so that period for Skinner could be seen as just as important as anything else an individual contributed along the way (including going back to a 30 save on 31 shot night on 12/30 in a 5-1 win against Carolina that stands out as perhaps Skinner’s finest game as a Penguin).
The tale of the tape regarding GSAA for the two goalies traded for one another was just about the same until the Olympic break. Skinner ended up being pretty strong at +5.35 GSAA overall in 27 games as a Penguin and +9.05 GSAA on his entire season. Jarry, as tends to be his calling card, fell apart over the second half of the season. Jarry ended up with a -3.41 GSAA for his campaign, a tremendous fall from his +10.2 peak in late-January.
In the end, perhaps fittingly, the story ended the same for both goalies – they each watched from the bench as their respective teams lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Skinner’s advanced numbers might give him a little more credit than his reputation suggests. His save percentage wasn’t impressive but was better than the expectation (dashed blue line in the bottom right). Now with the benefit of time passing by, it’s easy to see he was miscast in Edmonton as a 50-60 game No. 1 starter role he filled from 2022-25. Hopefully on his next team he can slot in as a 1B or backup and he will have a chance to shine in the right situation. Some rumors already are out there that Ottawa may or should be interested in him, which might be a good spot. If I were his rep, I’d probably keep an eye out for what teams like Florida, Tampa and Winnipeg might be looking for as clubs that potentially seeking a secondary goalie option this summer.
As for Jarry, well, there’s no nice way to put it, his declining level of play combined with his contract is a massive issue for the Oilers moving forward. He was brought into be the solution and ended up making the situation even worse than it previously was. Whether it was physical, mental or some combination of both, the change of scenery did little to alter what’s become the downward slope of his career.
Skinner was slightly better than Silovs when it came to high danger save percentage (.775% for the Latvian), though neither were particularly good relative to the rest of the NHL goalies at large. All other things fairly equal, that slight advantage is a big reason on what helped to give Skinner the edge in being named the team’s No. 1 goalie at the start of the playoffs. (For his part, Jarry was pretty strong at high danger shots, stopping 82.5% of them. However, his mid-range and long-range numbers were absolutely atrocious and among the worst in the league.)
There’s not a lot to question at this point, GM Kyle Dubas made it clear at the end of the season that his “full expectation” is that Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist will be competing for an NHL roster spot next season. It doesn’t take a lot of reading between the lines to figure out that Skinner isn’t a part of Pittsburgh’s plans moving forward in order to open up that spot for a younger goalie to step into it.
Ideal 2026-27
In this instance, Dubas achieved an ideal outcome as far as juggling the Penguin veteran goalie situation. At the beginning of the season they had Jarry’s inconsistent play and $5.375 million annual cap hit on the books through 2027-28, they were able to drop that with no pain and create a clear runway for the Penguins to elevate Murashov into the NHL next season if he’s ready for it.
By making another move to flip Kulak as part of the Jarry return over to Colorado, Pittsburgh now has mined Sam Girard and two future second round picks for what was once Jarry at the start of the season. It’s difficult to imagine anything better than that coming into the year, considering the Pens had waived Jarry with no takers and had to assign him to the AHL in 2024-25. To turn that impediment into actual assets was an impressive feat.
As for Skinner, he should be alright to receive interest on the free agent makr and get to pick his own spot for next year to continue his career. With Jarry, the buzz seems to be that Edmonton will be bringing him back next year.
Bottom line
Jarry did well enough at the start to make Edmonton want to acquire him, Skinner’s play with the Pens was unremarkable but mostly fine splitting starts for the rest of the season. The Pens turn the page on their goalie situation and are primed for the future with new goalies that could perform better than what Jarry/Skinner have given them over the past couple years.
PensburghGrade: C on player performance, A+ for the managerial maneuvering behind it.
There was no tournament program with his name, no first name even among the starters at the scorer’s table.
More than a decade later, Tom Crean still blends shock and awe at the first impression of OG Anunoby, then an unknown, lightly recruited three-star prospect, per 247Sports, not inside the nation’s top 200 in the 2015 class.
“We saw him for the first time in Atlanta, at an Under Armour tournament,” Crean told USA TODAY Sports. “We didn’t know his name; wasn’t even in the program.
“We go see the book, it just says ‘Anunoby.’”
Crean remembers thinking, “... we had to find out his name.”
Now, the entire NBA knows the Anunoby name — from rookie-year starter to eventual NBA champion with Toronto to current glue-man for the surging New York Knicks.
He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 12th straight postseason win, and will again be an X-factor Friday in Game 2 in San Antonio.
“He's a product of when the ball is moving at a high level, like New York is doing, he can score, he can finish, he can do all that,” Crean said of Anunoby, one of the 16 NBA pros with contracts totaling more than $1.4 billion to hone their crafts under Crean in college.
“What separates him defensively are these four things: his remarkable intelligence, excellent instincts, he’s a very good anticipator and is always on-balance. He can absorb contact because he’s got great contact-balance.”
Those are all elements Crean remembers lurking near the surface but hardly unlocked during that summer recruitment, featuring Crean’s attendance at every one of Anunoby’s summer-circuit events in an Indiana Hoosiers class to feature three eventual pros: Anunoby, Thomas Bryant and Juwan Morgan.
“He’s from (Jefferson City) Missouri, University of Missouri didn’t even recruit him,” says Crean, a college basketball analyst for ESPN also doing work for NBA Radio. “Once we saw him in Atlanta, and once I saw the film… I was intrigued in person and sold off the film and the phone call we had.
“We went everywhere he was that summer. I personally went to every one of his tournaments.”
Still wistful, Crean knows Anunoby’s Indiana career is a bit paradoxical. There are just 50 career games, injuries robbing 18 from Anunoby’s 2016-17 sophomore campaign, and a mere 10 career starts.
“He has unbelievabe intelligence and basketball intelligence to go with great competitive stamina,” says Crean, remembering his Hoosiers beat out George Mason, Georgia, Iowa and Ole Miss to sign the 6-8, 220-pound Anunoby. “He doesn't wear down.
“He grew into that with us, but we didn't get to see the best sides of it. But his freshman year, he really came on in January and was a huge part of why we won the Big Ten championship and went to the Sweet 16.”
Today, Anunoby and Crean still talk.
In the hours Thursday morning after the Knicks’ near wire-to-wire win in the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance this millennium. They swapped phone calls and texts.
Routine, Crean explained.
“Our conversations aren’t always basketball-driven,” Crean says. “I send those guys a lot of stories or articles I read about life. OG is in the top three of people in my life of who if he sees something interesting, he sends it to me. He's a very introspective, loyal, thoughtful person. Always trying to get better. He does the same for me.
“Then, we might discuss it over text or a call. I always end a call with praying for him, I do that with all these guys (Crean coached and with whom he maintains relationships). Ultimately, that’s what it’s about more about than anything else. Anthony (Edwards) is the same way; we don't see each other as much but when you talk to them, you pick up right where we left off.
"I love OG and love his family and love how much he loves my family.”
The court invader will be banned from all NBA arenas for life [Getty Images]
Major sports events present an "enormous platform to do stupid things", says NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
A spectator ran on to the court during game one of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on Wednesday, with a young man filming himself on his phone as he approached Victor Wembanyama.
He stopped in front of the San Antonio Spurs star, without appearing to make contact with the 22-year-old Frenchman, before two security guards swiftly bundled him away.
He was arrested on charges of intentionally interfering with a lawful gathering, and criminal trespass for entering the court area despite having notice that such entry was prohibited.
An NBA spokesperson confirmed that the court invader and a second individual will receive a lifetime ban from all NBA arenas. The league did not disclose what role the second individual played.
"I've never been in that situation, I didn't know how to act," said Wembanyama, the NBA's defensive player of the year.
"It really surprised me, almost as much as that time where a bat crossed the court," added the France international, referring to an incident during a Spurs game in January 2024.
Commissioner Silver said: "I even hesitate to describe that person as a fan. They seemed to have an ulterior motive for doing so.
"It's unfortunately part of all sports," he added.
"I think the other side of the coin of global attention is that somebody realises that there's this enormous platform to do stupid things. The consequences are dramatic if you do this."
Silver also said extra security will be required at New York's Madison Square Garden if US President Donald Trump attends a game later in the NBA Finals.
Trump said he will take up an invite from New York Knicks owner James Dolan and "maybe do both" game three on Monday and game four on Wednesday.
The NBA incident comes a week before the start of football's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Pitch invaders have been increasingly common in football, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having been targeted for selfies on multiple occasions.
There have been at least three further incidents during Miami games in the US and Canada this season.
Messi and Portugal rival Ronaldo are set to play in their sixth World Cup, with their group games being played in the US.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said it was "a concern" that five people made it on to the pitch during their win over Turkey at Euro 2024 in Dortmund.
"Today the intentions of the fans were good," said Martinez. "But you [must] understand there's a difficult moment if their intentions are wrong."
A pitch invader also made contact with Ronaldo as he was warming up for a Nations League game against Germany last June.
Babe Ruth’s move from the Red Sox to the Yankees was rumored to have cursed Boston for years. Photograph: AP
It’s a Chicago legend, nurtured like a hot dog with everything except ketchup. During the 1945 World Series, local bar owner William Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to a game between the hometown Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Murphy was denied entry, because he smelled. Thus began the Curse of the Billy Goat, dooming Chicago’s NL entry to decades of also-ran status. As Sianis reportedly wrote team owner Philip Knight Wrigley after the Tigers won in 1945, “Who smells now?” The Cubs would not win another title until 2016.
Welcome to the world of magic in baseball. On the macro level, a goat can apparently change the fortunes of an entire team; on the micro level, batters engage in elaborate rituals at the plate, and no one dares to say “no-hitter” until the final out. It’s a narrative that goes back to baseball’s 19th-century origins, and it’s all chronicled in a new book out this week – The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses by author, journalist, astrologer and New York Mets fan Addy Baird.
While cheering on the Mets, Baird says, “I found myself becoming a very superstitious baseball fan. It’s part of what made me want to write the book. Probably predictably, I got extra superstitious when the Mets, for once, played great baseball for some stretches.” Trying to influence a win, she says, “I changed the way I acted, things I did, wore, watched, said, ate.”
Baird has plenty of company within the pages of the book. There are turn-of-the-century managers like Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and John McGraw of the New York Giants who relied on human mascots to bring their teams good luck. In the 1980s and 1990s, Wade Boggs famously ate chicken before every game. In this decade, a Seattle Mariners fan believes that when he held a pair of slippers in his hand, it somehow sunk his team’s fortunes. And when the Tampa Bay Rays struggle in the middle innings, music from Middle Earth soothes a Rays fan who otherwise has no interest in Lord of the Rings.
Those superstitions appear to have bled into softball. This week it was revealed that a top college player eats ladybugs in the dugout for good luck.
Then there’s the larger-than-life narratives surrounding baseball, its mythologies and curses. Baseball hushed up its British connections and created its own made-in-America origin story featuring Civil War general Abner Doubleday and a ballfield in Cooperstown, New York. Multiple Major League teams became associated with curses – not just the Cubs but also the Boston Red Sox, who notoriously sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. Champions in 1918, the Sox did not win another World Series until 2004. Over that 86-year drought, they became known for agonizing near-misses, notably in 1986 against Baird’s Mets, losing Game 6 of the World Series on a ball that went through Bill Buckner’s legs.
Asked what it is about baseball that makes it more prone to magic than other sports, Baird had several answers: The presence of luck. The structure of the game. And its repetitive nature.
“Basically, when a sport has fewer instances of scoring, luck is a bigger factor,” she says. Structurally, she notes, “[baseball] is one of the only games we play, and the only major North American sport, where the defense has the ball. The offense has a crazy power imbalance. It creates a really uncertain environment.”
What’s another surefire way to spark superstitious practices, according to researchers? An atmosphere of constant repetition, such as each time a batter comes to the plate over a 162-game regular season.
“A batter maybe sees more than a dozen pitches every game,” Baird says. “There’s a split second from the ball leaving the pitcher’s hand [and going] over the plate for you to try and hit it … it compounds the elements of uncertainty and luck, a perfect environment for magic to thrive.”
Baird is a politics journalist who previously worked in Washington DC, where she covered including the impeachments of Donald Trump to the January 6 riots. Describing herself as burnt-out, she decided to leave her full-time job and write a book. A friend advised her to pick a subject she loved, as she would be spending all her time with it.
“What do I care about? What can I spend four years on?” she recalls thinking. “The answers, for me, were baseball and magic.
“I’ve always loved magic, astrology, tarot cards, spirituality, religion. I’ve been very interested since I was a kid.” Her passion for baseball and the Mets is more recent, dating back to a decade ago and “a magical game with my father.”
There was an unexpected element of magic regarding this article: A copy of the book mysteriously disappeared from a room in this reporter’s home on the morning of the interview. Later in the day, with an hour to spare before the call, the book mysteriously reappeared in a different room.
“No way!” Baird says when informed of this. “No way.” With a laugh, she adds, “This book is a magical object.”
The Magical Game contains nine chapters, reflecting the nine innings of a baseball game. Baird, a former archivist, delved into newspapers on microfilm at the Library of Congress and interviewed experts such as John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball. The book backs up its findings on baseball with insights from seemingly unrelated fields like psychology and anthropology: Baird discusses Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey, and Bronislaw Malinowski’s study of South Pacific island fishermen in the early 20th century.
“In the inner lagoons, [the fishermen] had no magic rituals,” Baird says of Malinowski’s findings. “In the open sea, where it was more dangerous, and the catch was more uncertain, there were a lot of magic rituals involved … What happens in baseball is uncertainty, prediction of failure, a high degree of luck.” When it comes to rituals in such an environment, she says, “the human brain is almost perfectly designed to latch on in this way.”
Meanwhile, MLB’s Thorn noted that “the form of the game itself mirrors that of the Odyssey,” Baird says. “It’s the hero’s journey: You start at home,” where you either “strike out – literally or figuratively,” or “go on a journey where the goal is to come home. It’s the story of the Odyssey. The story of this myth is embedded in the game itself. Magic is in its very structure.”
The book asks whether sabermetrics, and recent rule changes aimed at shortening games, have made the magic disappear in baseball. Baird has shifted her stance on this. In the summer of 2022, she pitched a book chapter on the death of magic in the national pastime. One year later, MLB debuted its pitch clock.
“I pitched the chapter, ‘baseball is dead, the magic is over, the league killed it by implementing new rules,’” Baird says. After doing more research, she had a realization: “I was entering a long tradition of people who had been saying this since the 1860s: ‘They don’t play baseball like they used to, baseball’s dying if not dead.” What she’s come to believe is that “the game should evolve, an unchanging thing is a dead thing.”
As for sabermetrics, Baird says, they “help us to see what makes [baseball] unique, what makes it special, what makes players exceptionally good … Those numbers reveal to us the magic.”
By the end of her book project, not only did she have a completed manuscript, but an additional career path. In addition to continuing with her journalism, now for the Deseret News, she has also become a practicing astrologer.
“It was one of my really interesting side quests,” Baird says, adding that now, “I do readings for people, reading charts.”
Whether you’re an Astros fan or an astrologer, a Cardinals enthusiast or a tarot card reader, the book has something for everyone.
“I always tell people, it’s a book for people who love baseball,” Baird says, “also for those who do not care about baseball at all.” And, she adds, “it’s a book for the people who love magic, looking at it through a lens they may never have considered before.”
Associated Press | Larry Fleisher: The Yankees maintained hope throughout the week that Aaron Judge’s rib injury wouldn’t be too serious, with the captain undergoing a long series of tests and imaging. That hope was dashed last night, as the team announced that Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib and will be shut down for four to six weeks before being re-evaluated. Judge at least dodged a bullet in the form of thoracic outlet syndrome, but that’s only so much comfort to the Yankees, who will be without Judge for a significant chunk of the rest of the season.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: The news of Judge missing months of time quickly conjured bad memories for fans of the 2023 campaign, when the Yankees finished with their just 82 wins, their worst season in 31 years. However, Kirschner argues that the 2026 squad is in a better position to withstand Judge’s absence. No team in baseball is going to improve upon losing their MVP of course, but the only regulars from 2023 who were at or above league average by wRC+ were Gleyber Torres (122) and a still-declining DJ LeMahieu (100). In contrast, this year’s club so far has Ben Rice (184, actually better than Judge’s 150), Cody Bellinger (137), José Caballero (105), Trent Grisham (101), and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (100). Bench bats Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario surpass that mark, and there’s obviously potential from Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez’s forthcoming returns as well.
CBS Sports | RotoWire: Stanton, who was cleared to resume running last week, is working his way back from a calf strain that landed him on the injured list on April 28th. Per manager Aaron Boone, he will take live batting practice again this weekend and will continue to ramp up running. He won’t be ready in time to be activated ahead of next week’s road trip that starts in Cleveland on June 8th, though. Activation in mid-June feels plausible, especially because thanks to Trajekt pitching machines, the DH sometimes doesn’t actually need rehab assignments.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have been without Domínguez since he hurt his left AC joint against the left-field wall on a great defensive play back on May 7th. He appears to be closer than Stanton and will officially start a rehab stint this weekend, playing minor league games on Friday and Sunday. Boone said that the Martian is expected to play more games past that, though, so it’s not as though he will immediately tag in for Judge. He is close, though.
ESPN | Jeff Passan: Passan published an early Trade Deadline preview, and of course the Yankees were mentioned. The MLB insider said that even though New York doesn’t need Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the moment he officially becomes available, “The Yankees will gauge the cost, because even if you don’t need something, that doesn’t mean you don’t want it.”
Passan, however, did say that Isaac Paredes is their best option “in an ideal world,” and that they need power arms for their bullpen, although he speculated the latter might come from within the organization.
The league has been a launchpad for players such as Noah Caluori while showcasing the best English rugby has to offer
The final round of the regular Prem season is nigh, with the playoffs yet to come. Here is the Guardian’s 2025-26 team of the season with players needing to have appeared in at least nine league fixtures to get the nod.
Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -110, Hurricanes -110; over/under is 5.5
STANLEY CUP FINAL: Series tied 1-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Carolina Hurricanes in game three of the Stanley Cup Final with the series tied 1-1. The teams meet Thursday for the fifth time this season. The Hurricanes won the last matchup 4-3 in overtime.
Vegas has gone 26-14-9 in home games and 39-26-17 overall. The Golden Knights are 49-7-12 when scoring three or more goals.
Carolina has a 30-12-5 record on the road and a 53-22-7 record overall. The Hurricanes have a 58-7-6 record when scoring three or more goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has 28 goals and 44 assists for the Golden Knights. Brett Howden has eight goals and two assists over the last 10 games.
Andrei Svechnikov has 31 goals and 39 assists for the Hurricanes. Nikolaj Ehlers has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 8-1-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Hurricanes: 8-2-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.2 assists, 4.6 penalties and 10.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: None listed.
Hurricanes: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
People in custody on Rikers Island watch Game 1 of the 2026 NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.Photograph: Lauren Caulk/The Guardian
It’s nearly half past eight on Wednesday evening and approximately 30 men in tan uniforms drift into the common area of a housing unit deep inside the George R Vierno Center, an 850-bed jail and one of eight active facilities on New York’s Rikers Island. Some hover around a folding table piled to the edges with snacks. Others make their way into the smaller rooms on the perimeter of the two-floor communal space and drag plastic chairs closer to the flat-screen televisions mounted inside. The excited chatter and nervous energy bubbles as a familiar refrain cuts through the din.
Knicks in four.
The New York Knicks are moments away from playing in the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years, the last remaining hurdle in their bid to end a title drought that reaches back to 1973. On this balmy June evening, separated by less than 10 miles of water, concrete and razor wire from a Manhattan skyline bathed in orange and blue, the men gathered here are watching the same game that is commanding the attention of millions more in bars, restaurants, living rooms and outdoor gatherings across the five boroughs.
Pictured above: An exterior view of the Rikers Island jail complex on 3 June 2026. Pictured below: The bridge connecting Rikers Island to Queens crosses a sprawling employee parking lot before reaching the jail complex, which houses the vast majority of people held in New York City’s custody. All photographs by Lauren Caulk.
For a few hours, one of America’s most notorious jail complexes and least visible institutions is tapping into a civic ritual that has brought New Yorkers together like few public events in decades. The underdog Knicks’ long-awaited return to basketball’s biggest stage has given people in custody at Rikers a rare opportunity to participate in a shared New York moment that will see them arguing over the same calls, second-guessing the same decisions and dreaming the same dream that is consuming the city outside.
“You don’t have a team full of superstar players in the Knicks,” says Luis Guzman, a 43-year-old from the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx who has been held at Rikers since September on a burglary case that remains pending. “It’s the chemistry and the teamwork that makes them great. This is the year they finally might get it done. If we take one in San Antonio, it’s over for San Antonio. We will not lose at home. All we got to do is take one down here.”
Guzman has taken a front-row seat for Wednesday’s game inside the Beacon Center, a common area that includes classrooms, a recording studio, a barbershop and other workforce-training programs. He is part of what correction officials describe as an “honors house”, a housing unit reserved for incarcerated people who have gone at least 120 days without violence or disciplinary incidents and have demonstrated a sustained commitment to programming and rehabilitation, qualifying them to receive snacks and to remain out past the normal 9pm lock-in. Many of the men here to watch the game have gone six months or longer without an infraction.
Pictured above: A group of men in the common area of a housing unit in the George R Vierno Center watch as the Knicks play their first NBA finals game since 1999. Pictured below: Most of Wednesday’s attendees have gone six months or longer without an infraction, qualifying them to receive snacks and to remain out past the normal 9pm lock-in.
The Guardian was granted access to Rikers Island by the New York City department of correction and was accompanied during its visit by the agency’s deputy commissioner for public information.
The reward for good behavior on Wednesday night looks more like a Super Bowl spread than standard jailhouse fare: bags of chips and cookies, platters of fruit and cheese, bottled soft drinks and a large sheet cake frosted with three words that, for a night at least, unite nearly everyone in attendance: Let’s Go Knicks! Some of the items are similar to what people in custody could buy through commissary, though one DOC staffer notes that the name brands represent an upgrade from what’s offered during a typical movie night. A tinsel curtain frames the entrance while the remnants of an unfinished balloon arch lie scattered across the sealed concrete floor.
The Game 1 watch parties on Rikers extend far beyond this one. Correction officials say incarcerated people in roughly 44 housing units across the complex are taking part in some form of gathering for the game, reaching almost 2,000 people in all. Some facilities host viewings in dedicated program spaces like the Peace Center in the basement of the Robert N Davoren Complex, a similar hub for incarcerated males aged 21 and under. Over in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, another male detention unit located a half mile down the road, people are watching in a chapel.
Pictured above: A large sheet cake frosted with three words that, for one night at least, unite nearly everyone in the room. Pictured below: Remnants of an unfinished balloon arch lay scattered across the floor of the Beacon Center, which stands for Building Education, Advancing and Creating Opportunities for Networking.
There are roughly 6,000 people in custody on Rikers Island, a 413-acre patch of land in the East River tucked between Queens and the Bronx just north of LaGuardia Airport. Most have not been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial, while some are serving shorter sentences. For generations, the name Rikers has been shorthand for New York City’s vast and troubled jail system, a collection of aging facilities that has been ordered to be closed and replaced by four jails across the city by August 2027, though it is unlikely to meet that deadline.
But on Wednesday night, for roughly a third of the people incarcerated here, basketball briefly collapses the distance between the island and the city beyond the bridge.
***
‘This is what the Knicks do!’
The snappy conversation ricochets around the room during the tense opening quarter, sounding much like it would in a Bronx barbershop, a Queens bodega or a crowded Staten Island living room. The hollers ring out from the doorways in Beacon Center with mounting intensity as the Knicks sprint out to a 14-7 lead, but the mood shifts when they abruptly fall behind 27-17 and the broadcast cuts away to star playmaker Jalen Brunson limping off the floor and into the locker room with an injury.
“This is what the Knicks do!” groans John Shakespeare, a 44-year-old from Brooklyn who has been detained here since February while awaiting trial. “This game is over. This is why I roll with the Liberty. I like the little elephant they got.”
Most New Yorkers know Rikers only as a forbidding silhouette in the East River, a cluster of low-slung buildings visible from highways on the drive into LaGuardia but largely disconnected from daily life. In reality, it functions almost as a self-contained municipality, with its own power plant, industrial kitchen that produces roughly 7m meals annually and other infrastructure needed to sustain thousands of people every day.
Nearly everybody in the Beacon Center watch party is a lifelong Knicks fan hanging on every possession. Not Richard Weems, a 44-year-old Harlem native who has been held here since October while awaiting court proceedings. He took a liking to the Spurs back in the 1990s because of Tim Duncan and quietly observes the game from the front row with a stoic intensity similar to the longtime San Antonio star, acknowledging every Victor Wembanyama highlight with a subtle fist pump and a knowing nod.
Thomas Gregory, 59, arrived at Rikers on a charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon nearly 15 months ago and is still waiting for his case to move forward. A longtime Knicks supporter going back the Walt Frazier days, he says he was supposed to go to trial in December but has instead watched hearing after hearing come and go. With another court date looming next week, he speaks about his future with a mix of frustration and resignation.
“They keep putting it off, putting it off,” says Gregory, who spends his typical Wednesday nights in the housing unit playing chess or dominoes. “I feel like they’re not going to do nothing.”
But Gregory snaps right back into the action when a San Antonio player appears to get away with traveling during a chaotic possession: “He’s taking the A train! How many steps is he gonna take?”
Pictured above: The George R Vierno Center, opened in 1991 as an 850-bed facility for detainees, is one of eight active facilities on Rikers Island.
Sport may seem like a frivolity in a jail long criticized for violence, neglect, dysfunction, corruption and inhumane conditions. The average detainee remains at Rikers for nearly four months, roughly four times the national average. Four people have died in custody so far this year, including two in a 24-hour span last month, after more than a dozen deaths in 2025, nearly all from medical problems. An independent commission once described the jail as “a crumbling, inordinately expensive incubator of misery”, which qualifies as a understatement in the broader context of its bleak history. Though city leaders intend to replace Rikers with four smaller borough-based jails under a City Council mandate, the current administration has admitted the scheduled 2027 closure date is “practically impossible to fulfill”.
But for now those grim realities fade into the background and the conversation belongs to basketball.
The repartee during commercial breaks strays far beyond the game. An advertisement for the new iPhone sparks a debate over the merits of smartphones v dumbphones and the shredded attention spans of today’s youth. A trailer for Disclosure Day prompts an animated discussion of Steven Spielberg’s body of work. A mention of the reports that Donald Trump will be attending Game 3 at Madison Square Garden is met with a mixture of laughter and groans.
“Oh, now he wants to come?” Shakespeare says. “Now he’s from here?”
The banter comes quick and fast and everybody is fair game. When Mikal Bridges buries a mid-range jumper to put the Knicks ahead 40-39, the television cameras find celebrity superfan Timothée Chalamet celebrating from near courtside.
Guzman shakes his head.
“You see that guy?” he says, pointing at the screen. “He’s cheering now, but watch when they go down. He stays quiet.”
***
‘We’re not the judge or jury’
Few people in the room understand the weight of these moments better than Stanley Richards, who in January was tapped by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to become the first formerly incarcerated person to oversee the city’s jails. Three decades earlier, Richards spent time in a 10-by-7-foot cell on Rikers following a robbery conviction. He has gone on to build a career helping others navigate re-entry before returning to the system as a reform-minded leader.
Richards says events such as the Knicks watch party are designed to remind people in custody that they remain connected to the city beyond the jail’s walls.
“Nights like this communicate to the people in our care that we’re not the judge or jury,” Richards tells the Guardian at half-time with the Spurs nursing a seven-point lead. “We don’t determine who comes in or when people go out, but we can determine how we treat people when they come into our care.”
Pictured above: Stanley Richards was appointed commissioner of the New York City’s department of correction in February, becoming the first formerly incarcerated person to oversee the city’s jails. Pictured below: Richards takes in the second half of Game 1 at the George R Vierno Center.
His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Rikers. The jail complex has been under federal oversight for a decade, while last year a federal judge ordered the appointment of an independent remediation manager with sweeping powers after finding the city had failed to make sufficient progress in curbing violence and improving conditions.
The unusual arrangement means Richards must lead the nation’s second-largest jail system while sharing authority with a court-appointed third party, known as a federal receiver, charged with accelerating reforms. At the same time, he is helping steer New York City’s long-delayed effort to close Rikers altogether and replace it piecemeal. That has included the April opening of a jail unit within the city’s Bellevue hospital that will house more than 100 people with acute medical conditions and serious mental illness who are currently held at Rikers.
Standing inside one of the viewing rooms in the Beacon Center as correction officers hand out cake and drinks during the third quarter, Richards says those small acts matter more than people realize.
“Part of our job is to see the best in people before they can see it in themselves,” Richards says. “We hold that image of who they can be until they begin to believe it too. That means not judging someone by the worst thing they’ve ever done. It means refusing to give people a scarlet letter for life. It means treating people the way we’d want our own family members treated.”
***
‘The whole of New York is stressed right now’
Even as San Antonio stretch their lead to 14 midway through the third quarter and a collective anxiety begins to creep in, the noise level in the unit barely dips. But as Richards watches the game from alongside the men of the George R Vierno Center while giving his running commentary, the Knicks storm back with a 22-9 run to close the period and send the game into the fourth tied at 76 apiece.
With every New York basket from there, a full throttle of sound reverberates through the cinder-block walls from all directions as “Let’s go Knicks!” chants ring through the corridors. Gleeful correction officers and staffers move in and out of the different viewing rooms with pace, pumping their fists and hollering as if they were in the Garden itself.
The tension only climbs in the fourth quarter as the Spurs rattle off eight unanswered points during a four-minute stretch where the suddenly frigid Knicks miss seven shots in a row, lifting San Antonio to a 95-94 lead with just over two minutes to go.
“This is stressing me out right now,” Guzman says. “The whole of New York is stressed out right now.”
Pictured above: An interior view of the George R Vierno Center. Pictured below: The bridge to Rikers Island is less than a mile long, but for many New Yorkers it marks a far greater divide between life inside the city’s jail system and the world beyond.
That’s when Brunson, the Knicks’ undersized talisman, deposits a corner three that puts New York ahead once and for all, detonating celebrations throughout the unit. The home team closes the game on a decisive 11-0 run, the roars growing in volume as the margin widens, setting off scenes of pure elation throughout Beacon Center and sending nearly all of the crowd off to lock-up with spirits high. Final score: Knicks 105, Spurs 95. One down, three to go.
“Last time I watched the Knicks in the finals I was a senior in high school,” Guzman says. “It was back in 1999 when they lost to the Spurs, the year after Michael Jordan retired. I grew up on 149 and Third Avenue in the Bronx, but I ended up moving out to a better neighborhood. Third Avenue is like a third-world country nowadays. But I love the Bronx and I love our city.”
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 03: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against Victor Wembanyama #1 and De'aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter in Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 03, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In an 0-1 scenario for the second time this postseason, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t sound like they were hitting the panic button after their Game 1 loss to kick off the 2026 NBA Finals. Nor should they: Even near the end of what was a rough 2nd half where they were outscored 57-40, the Spurs still held a 2-point lead with less than two minutes to go and with the game looking primed for a photo finish before an 11-0 Knicks run sent fans heading to the exits. Still though, games this deep into the postseason hinge almost entirely in the margins. In other words, who’s doing the little things that can help a team pick up wins when shots aren’t falling? In Game 1 it was the Knicks coming up with all those hustle plays and loose balls. If the Spurs want to avoid heading to the Mecca in an 0-2 hole, they’ll need to flip that script on its head tonight in Game 2.
San Antonio Spurs (0-1) vs New York Knicks (1-0) June 5 2026 | 7:30 PM CT Watch: ABC | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM) Line: San Antonio -6.5
As has been the case since he was drafted, everything the Spurs do on offense and defense revolves around Victor Wembanyama. He’s had an eventful postseason in his first playoff run, with moments ranging from the historical (NBA record 12 blocks in Game 1 against Minnesota) to the flat-out ridiculous (40/20 Game 1 against OKC, picking up his first Game 7 victory on the road). Along the way though, there’s been a few headscratchers, the sort of games that have all the talking heads and social media boo-birds getting on their soapbox in between games about what he needs to do to overcome his current shortcomings. The aftermath of his 6/21 shooting performance in Game 1 has been no different, but the best thing about this postseason, maybe even more than this Finals appearance itself, has been watching him respond with exactly what San Antonio needs from him to come away with wins. The Knicks’ defense will have a say, but expect Wembanyama to come out with something to prove tonight, just as he’s done time and time again this season, especially when the moment demands it.
Jalen Brunson went just 12/31 from the field overall, but he was 5/9 in the 4th quarter, scoring 13 of his 30 points when it mattered most for the Knicks. The Spurs did a good job at contesting on a lot of those looks, but the fact that he was able to get 31 shots off against what has been an excellent San Antonio defense all season is a testament to the type of offensive player he is and also the sort of trust the Knicks have in him. Knowing what they’re going to get on the offensive end in the waning moments of a close game by putting the ball in Brunson’s hands is an advantage New York has over the Spurs in this series, but at least the Spurs know that he’s gonna be the one coming.
Dylan Harper added another caveat to what has been an impressive rookie season, becoming the youngest player to score at least 10 points in an NBA Finals game in just his first 6 minutes of play. He scored just 6 more the rest of the way, finishing with 16 points, but the talk afterwards was about Mitch Johnson’s decision to play Harper just 3:35 in the 4th quarter, especially considering De’Aaron Fox’s troubles putting the ball in the hole (3-13, 7 points) the entire night. There’s certainly a case to be made that Harper should have been in at least for the final 90 seconds of the game, but Mitch Johnson opted to roll with the group that ultimately overcame an 8-point deficit and had even taken a 1 point lead before the Knicks went on that 11-0 run that ended the game. In light of all this, it will be interesting to see what his minutes look like at the end of Game 2 tonight.
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Seth Jarvis #24 of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime to win of Game Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 04, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes were losing 2-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and the ESPN crew was talking about a Las Vegas Golden Knights’ sweep, but then something happened.
With less than 10 minutes left, Logan Stankoven went behind the Vegas net, bodied the defender and then took away the puck. He skated to the side of the net and fired the puck on net. Somehow, it found its way past Carter Hart and the Hurricanes as well as their fans, found new life.
After the game when Coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked how such a small player could make a play like that, Brind’Amour patted his chest. “It’s all heart” the coach said.
Stankoven has been Carolina’s top goal scorer all postseason and has now notched 10 goals.
Also, ESPN reported that this is the first time since 1944 that a team has come back to win after trailing by multiple goals with less than 10 minutes left.
Two minutes and change after Stankoven’s goal, William Carrier made another extra effort move to get the puck to Mark Jankowski while laying prone on the ice and Jankowski took the puck and went bar down to tie the score. Of course the crowd was going nuts at this point.
A couple of minutes after that, the Knights came close to scoring to take the lead. It looked to me like the puck got under Fred Andersen and it was blown dead, but it was eventually knocked past the goal line as everyone converged in the crease. It was called no goal on the ice but John Tortorella challenged the play.
After a review, the call on the ice was held and the Canes were awarded what everyone thought would be another meaningless powerplay.
But, the tremendous momentum swing held over and the Hurricanes scored their first powerplay goal of the series when Jordan Staal tipped in a Shayne Gostisbehere shot to give Carolina a 3-2 lead. Staal had been battling in front of the net beforehand and was finally rewarded.
The Knights tied things up with a minute and change left. Mark Stone was credited for the goal which sent the contest to overtime.
In overtime, Vegas was called for tripping and Carolina went back on the powerplay. Seth Jarvis then blasted in a shot from the wing for the game-winner.
In the first period, the Canes outshot the Knights 8-2 but went to the dressing room behind on the scoreboard, 1-0.
Vegas scored again in the second and took over the game for a bit. Things seemed a bit down for the Canes until the Stankoven play which may have saved the playoffs for Carolina.
Brind’Amour said that they were just waiting for someone to make a play. The coach did switch up the lines by moving Jordan Martinook to the first line and Jarvis to the third, and Martinook did his job and was chasing down the puck and created a couple of chances.
The Canes ended up out-hitting the Knights, 46-25. Svechnikov, Staal, and Carrier had seven hits each.
Staal won 70% of his faceoffs while Stankoven won 64%.
Both teams will leave for Las Vegas for their next match on Saturday night.
