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First-place Giants end grueling gauntlet with familiar fireworks

First-place Giants end grueling gauntlet with familiar fireworks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Perhaps the most fitting ending the Giants could have asked for.

With no outs, nobody on and the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Heliot Ramos dribbled a ball between third base and the pitcher’s mound, and thanks to a pair of throwing errors on the play, circled the bases to deliver a thrilling walk-off little-league-style home run that capped a 3-2 win on Sunday at Oracle Park.

“Honestly, I remember when I got to second, and then after that I blacked out and kept running,” Ramos told reporters postgame. “I saw [third base coach Matt Williams] waving me and I saw the ball and I turned and just kept running.”

Ramos initially stopped as he pulled into second base before he realized where the ball was. Giants manager Bob Melvin pointed out after the game, that had Ramos kept running instead of hesitating, he likely would have eased into third without a throw and the ensuing second throwing error that allowed him to score would not have happened. Although, with how the team has performed in high-leverage situations, it’s fair to assume he eventually would have found his way home.

“For whatever reason, it all worked out about as good as you could … sometimes things happen for a reason, and the theatrics were pretty cool there at the end,” Melvin told reporters.

It wasn’t pretty. And boy, was it exhausting. But it got the job done. The same could be said for a lot of the Giants’ wins on their stretch of 17 games without a day off.

The two-and-a-half-week marathon was a gauntlet. First, a three-game series against the reigning American League champion New York Yankees (17-11). Then four against the perennially-championship-contending Philadelphia Phillies, followed by three against (at the time) a hot Los Angeles Angels squad before consecutive home series against the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers, two teams off to slow starts, but more than capable of winning their respective divisions at the end of the season.

What do the Giants (19-10) have to show for it? A 10-7 record in those 17 games and first place in the National League West.

Not too shabby.

“I think it was great, and we had a lot of guys playing every day, too,” Melvin said of his team’s performance on the stretch. “So to be able to post up, day games, night games, travel, East Coast, West Coast. It was pretty significant, and these guys just continue to go out there and fight and our best work is usually done at the end. So I think they handled 17 in a row really well.”

“I think it was pretty good,” Ramos added. “I think New York was the toughest for us, it was pretty cold and rainy. I think this stretch, all the wins that we got, playing as a team, it’s going to help us throughout the season with this momentum.”

Again, it wasn’t perfect. The Giants feel as if they should have notched another win or two. But all things considered, they not only kept their heads above water, but proved they have what it takes to contend with the game’s best.

“We don’t have many of those stretches, so it’s important that whenever we have the tougher ones that we come out on top with a winning record,” Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks said. “I think we handed it really well. There were some that we probably would have liked back, but at the same time, 10-7 is pretty good.”

What’s their reward? A day off in beautiful San Diego before two big games against the Padres (17-11), one of their division foes, along with the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10), who trail them in the standings.

“I can’t wait,” Ramos, with a big grin on his face, said about the day off. “It’s going to be great. A great off day, for sure.”

“Last year was always fun battling those guys, you know what you’re going up against,” Hicks said of the Padres. “Pretty elite lineup and solid pitching as well. It should be fun. It’s always a good environment and one of my favorite stadiums. I get to watch the games, watch [Logan Webb] dominate and hopefully come out with two [wins].”

After their quick stop in Southern California, the Giants then have three games against the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies (4-23) before another tough series against the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs (17-11).

Then, a much-more favorable month of May that the Giants could use to position themselves quite well for a second-half playoff push.

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Did Warriors solve Rockets' defense? Kerr urges appropriate caution

Did Warriors solve Rockets' defense? Kerr urges appropriate caution originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Deep into the third game of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets, the Warriors couldn’t find their trademark offense. The passing, cutting and dazzling ball movement that defines them at their best was being stifled by Houston’s rangy, rugged defense.

One of the ways the Warriors measure their offense is assist totals per game. If they record 30 or more, it’s working. If they’re between 25 and 29, it’s less than ideal but workable.

They had 20 in Game 1, 22 in Game 2 and eight through the first half of Game 3 on Saturday. Five assists per quarter is, for this offense, a sign of abject failure. The Warriors were averaging 47 points per half.

The second half of Game 3 brought the first glimpse of success, as the Warriors recorded 16 assists, scoring 58 points, to close out a 104-93 victory. They found a solution.

Maybe.

“I never liked the word solve, just because I think every game is different, and you have to adapt to whatever’s happening,” coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “I think we found some things in the fourth quarter, but that doesn’t mean they will translate to tomorrow.”

Consider this a caution sign for Game 4. It might reek of “coach speak,” but it’s a reasonable approach in the middle of a postseason series. Coaches and players find adjustments along the way, sometimes between games, sometimes at halftime. Sometimes, even, between possessions.

Yet that second half was instructive insofar as Stephen Curry found impeccable balance between scoring and using his gravity to make plays for others. His two-man game with Gary Payton II torched the Rockets, particularly in the pull-away fourth quarter.

With 10 assists and only two turnovers, Golden State rang up 35 points in the fourth on 57.1-percent shooting from the field. With the Rockets up 84-83, the Curry-Payton connection got busy. Curry to a cutting GP2 for a layup. Curry to a cutting GP2 for another layup. Curry to GP2 for a corner 3-ball that gave Golden State its first four-point lead, 90-86, with 4:29 left.

The Rockets never got any closer.

“There were some good combinations out there,” Kerr said. “And again, tomorrow could be totally different. You could throw the exact same combination out there and not have success.

“Really, it’s about figuring out each game and what’s happening and trying to find combinations that click. And some night shots go in, other nights they don’t. You often ride the hot hand, so it’s really hard to sort of come to a conclusion and say, ‘We’ve solved this or that,’ and then just do that again, because it doesn’t necessarily happen so easily.”

The combinations surely will change if Jimmy Butler III is available for Game 4. He brings contrast in style, generally trying to pick apart a defense with more deliberate passing to maximize any cutting.

But the Steph-GP2 combo is tried and true. Has been for years.

“He knows how to find his spots and how to use Steph to get things for himself,” Draymond Green, speaking after Game 3, said of Payton. “That’s big. Any time … you learn how to play off Steph, it makes the game a lot easier for you. Any time you can pick up on those things and play great off Steph, he just has so much gravity. His gravity on the court is incredible.

“So, if you learn how to play off that, it kind of puts you as an advantage, and G has been great at that for years now.”

A win in Game 4 would give the No. 7 seed Warriors a 3-1 series lead and put them in prime position to oust the second-seeded Rockets from the Western Conference playoffs. But Kerr’s caution is rooted in his years of experience as a player and coach.

An adjustment is coming from Houston. It shouldn’t take long to discover if it will be enough to send Golden State’s offense back to the edge of futility, scrambling for buckets as it did in the first 10 quarters of this series.

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2025 NBA Playoffs results, highlights, recap April 26 including Aaron Gordon’s dunk saving Nuggets

INGLEWOOD, Calif —It was a wild Saturday across the NBA, but the two biggest games of the day were in California.

NUGGETS 101, LA CLIPPERS 99 (series tied 2-2)

Denver would have lost if this game had gone to overtime. Their starters had all played at least 42 minutes of regulation basketball, and you could see how tired they were, particularly in their suddenly slow (and sometimes non-existent) defensive rotations. The Clippers had the momentum.

However, the Nuggets had Aaron Gordon saving the game — and perhaps their season.

That theme about depth — the Clippers have it, the Nuggets do not — is going to be a main one the rest of this series.

In Game 4, the Clippers' bench played 59:45 minutes, more than double the Nuggets' 25:33 (to be fair, the Nuggets were without Russell Westbrook due to an ankle injury). The Clippers' closing lineup featured a bench player (Bogdan Bogdanovic in for Kris Dunn). All of that is why the Clippers were the fresher team down the stretch.

That matters, but the Clippers need better production from their bench and role players, or it won't matter. Dunn, Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. shot 2-of-13 from 3 in Game 4. The Nuggets are just ignoring Dunn when the Clippers have the ball — doubling off him and daring him to shoot — and if he and the rest of the Clippers' bench/role players can’t make the Nuggets pay, then Denver will get the win.

It’s cliche to say Game 5 Wednesday is huge, but for the Nuggets it is especially so: This series goes to every other day starting with that game Tuesday, which means less time to recover for the Nuggets starters. It will wear them down even more. They can’t go down 3-2 and expect to come back against the deeper team.

WARRIORS 104, ROCKETS 93 (Golden State leads series 2-1)

Stephen Curry was mesmerizing, doing Stephen Curry things in the Warriors' win.

That, however, is not the big takeaway from this game or why the Rockets are really in trouble.

It’s that they can’t score in the halfcourt.

It was a concern coming into the playoffs, when the games tend to slow down. During the regular season, the Rockets ranked 22nd in the league in halfcourt offensive rating, positioned between Utah and Philadelphia (stats via Cleaning the Glass). In the playoffs, they have been worse — and on Saturday night they had an 81 offensive rating in the halfcourt. And that against a Warriors team without Jimmy Butler, who was out with a pelvic contusion (he may well return for Game 4).

Credit to Rockets GM Rafael Stone and ownership management, they were patient at the February trade deadline and didn’t make a rash move — get this core to the playoffs, see what happens, then adjust.

The adjustment is becoming clear: The Rockets need a high-level offensive creator and bucket getter to spark them in the half court, a player who fits with the timeline of their young core (so not Kevin Durant, who will be 37 next season). Jalen Green filled that role for a night scoring 38 in Game 2, but the Warriors loaded up the defense on him in Game 3 and things fell apart. Alperen Sengun is a high-level passing and scoring big man, but he's not a creator in the way the Rockets need. Amen Thompson might develop into that guy, but he's not there yet.

Which player the Rockets chase is a matter of speculation, but the Rockets have the picks and young players to put together an enticing trade package for whichever team is selling. Expect an aggressive Rockets front office this summer.

For now, Houston needs to come out with some real desperation and win Game 4 on the road, or this series is all but over.

THUNDER 117, GRIZZLIES 115 (OKC sweeps series 4-0)

Give the shorthanded Grizzlies (no Ja Morant) credit for putting up a fight. However, that does not change the big end-of-season question:

Where does Memphis go from here?

We know where Oklahoma City goes, it has looked dominant in dispatching the Grizzlies in a sweep and now awaits the winner of the Clippers/Nuggets bloodbath. OKC appears on a path to the NBA Finals.

Memphis' path forward is shrouded in mist. It is largely locked into the core of Ja Morant (three more seasons on his max contract), Desmond Bane (four more years) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (extension eligible this offseason and the one player the Grizzlies do not want to walk).

Should Memphis take a swing at a big-time trade? (Don’t say Kevin Durant, he does not want to go there.) Or, should it work around the edges and try to add shooting, athleticism and depth around the Morant/Jackson/Bane core and continue to ride this out to the end of the line? While some fans might suggest trading Ja Morant, the market for his services would not be very strong (unless the Grizzlies want to talk swapping one flawed player for another, such as Trae Young or LaMelo Ball), and the offers in return would be lowball. However, it's something to consider.

Also, who is coaching this team next season?

CAVALIERS 124, HEAT 87 (Cleveland leads series 3-0)

No Darius Garland for Cleveland, he aggravated a big toe injury that sidelined him a couple of games at the end of the season. It was evident how much the Cavaliers missed him at the very start of the game when the Heat raced out to a lead, although part of that was shooting variance (Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware hit some open 3s, while the Cavs started 0-of-5 from beyond the arc).

Things normalized soon after, the Cavaliers were up by 13 after one quarter and from there cruised to a win.

There is another game, maybe two, to play, but this series is over. The Cavaliers would love to end it in four, get Garland (and everyone else) more rest, and wait for the winner of the Bucks/Pacers series. Miami faces some hard questions heading into this offseason. With all due respect to the step forward Tyler Herro took this season, the Heat need another high-level offensive creator to make this all work, and you can expect them to be aggressive going after one. This is not a franchise that looks to tear things down and rebuild.

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USA Names First 18 Players To World Championship Roster

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (#1) and defenseman Andrew Peeke (#52) are both among the 18 players named to the United States' World Championship roster. © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

USA Hockey has named the first 18 players to its roster at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which runs from May 9 to 25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning Denmark. The USA plays in Group B in Herning.

The team so far includes 17 players from NHL teams that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs and one – goaltender Hampton Slukynsky – from Western Michigan University.

Three players have been named from each the Boston Bruins and Utah HC, two each from the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks and one from the Buffalo Sabres.

Unlike past seasons, no current AHL players have been chosen and only one – Chicago’s Frank Nazar – spent any time in the league this season. The USA might start the tournament with this roster but more players will likely be named as teams start getting eliminated from the playoffs.

The head coach of the team is Ryan Warsofsky from the San Jose Sharks. His assistants are Kevin Dean, Adam Nightingale and Mike Vellucci. The team’s director of hockey operations is former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

Five Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At HomeFive Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At Home Five players have so far confirmed their spots on the Swedish roster for this year’s IIHF World Championship, which the Swedes will co-host with Denmark at the newly-renovated Avicii Arena in Stockholm.

While the USA has not won a standalone World Championship since 1933, this roster includes many players that have had success at the World Junior and U-18 World levels.

Goaltenders (3): Joey Daccord (Seattle, NHL), Jeremy Swayman (Boston, NHL), Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan University, NCAA).

Defensemen (6): Michael Kesselring (Utah, NHL), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim, NHL), Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei (both Boston, NHL), Brady Skjei (Nashville, NHL), Alex Vlasic (Chicago, NHL).

Forwards (9): Matty Beniers (Seattle, NHL), Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley (both Utah, NHL), Drew O’Connor, Conor Garland (both Vancouver, NHL), Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim, NHL), Michael McCarron (Nashville, NHL), Frank Nazar (Chicago, NHL), Tage Thompson (Buffalo, NHL).

Brady Tkachuk: Brady Tkachuk: "I don't think anyone can get under my skin"In the third game for each team, Slovakia built up a 4-1 lead after two periods but the USA stormed back with three straight in the third to force overtime. Miloš Kelemen, who had opened the scoring in the fourth minute, ended it in overtime to claim two points for Slovakia. However, the late comeback allowed the Americans to get one. They now have four points after three games but have the group’s toughest opponents now seemingly out of the way.
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European football: McTominay double opens up three-point lead for Napoli

  • Napoli beat Torino 2-0 in Sunday’s late game
  • Title rivals Inter lose 1-0 at home to Roma

Two first-half goals from Scott McTominay helped Napoli to a 2-0 home win against Torino in Serie A on Sunday as the hosts reclaimed the sole lead in the standings with four games left to play.

Napoli are three points above the defending champions, Inter, who were handed a 1-0 home defeat by Roma earlier in the day. Napoli raced to a seventh-minute lead through McTominay, who bundled the ball in from close range before doubling the advantage just before half-time from a neat lofted cross by Matteo Politano.

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Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

After falling behind Liverpool cantered to an easy win over Tottenham, and for the first time in 35 years a packed Anfield celebrated a league title

History was made in 1964: it was the first time the reporter responsible for informing Guardian readers of a Liverpool title victory got a byline. Eric Todd celebrated by quoting Thomas Gray’s The Progress of Poesy, an ode in Pindaric form. They had secured the trophy with a 5-0 thrashing of Arsenal. Here’s a bit of Todd’s missive:

Having already exhausted most of the available superlatives on the team, Mr W Shankly, its manager, and the Kop, I can think of no more fitting a preface to my last dispatch from Anfield than a statement by Mr Shankly shortly after Liverpool had won promotion. “We are not merely going to be sitting on the First Division fence,” he said. They finished a useful eighth last term and, after a modest start, they dropped several broad hints that they intended winning something this season.

Yet Saturday’s proceedings were less satisfying than had been expected or hoped for. For one thing, there were fewer than 50,000 spectators – some of them had queued all night, and others for seven hours. For another, Liverpool made rather more mistakes than usual, and finally Arsenal did little to allay the general suspicion that they were there just to be sacrificed. The atmosphere was charged with tension and emotion, so that perhaps it would be unfair to be hypercritical. The indisputable fact remains, however, that Liverpool did what they set out to do. They are worthy champions, and Arsenal, who have enjoyed a good share of the game’s honours over the years, paid them generous tribute.

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What we learned as Giants win on unbelievable Ramos walk-off

What we learned as Giants win on unbelievable Ramos walk-off originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — At long last, the marathon has ended, and the Giants should feel very good about how it went.

Monday will be San Francisco’s first day off since April 10. The 17-day, four-city gauntlet against some of MLB’s best teams taught us a lot about the 2025 Giants, who entered Sunday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park alone in first place in the National League West and held onto it at least for one more day — thanks largely in part to a Little League home run by Heliot Ramos in the bottom of the ninth.

It also taught us a lot about Jordan Hicks, who toed the rubber against young Rangers righty Jack Leiter on Sunday as San Francisco secured its sixth series victory of the 2025 MLB season.

Here are three takeaways from the Giants’ thrilling 3-2 walk-off win, the second in as many games.

Recovered Nicely

Hicks struggled in his three previous starts, but if you take away three of his 27 1/3 total innings before Sunday’s start (ND, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), his numbers on the season would look pretty good.

Five of the seven earned runs Hicks surrendered in a start against the New York Yankees on April 12 came in the fifth inning alone. All five of his earned runs against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 17 came in the first inning, while three of his five earned runs against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday came in the third inning, before Hicks departed in the middle of an eight-run top of the sixth in an eventual 11-3 loss.

His outing on Sunday followed that same trend. Fortunately for Hicks and the Giants, it was just a two-run top of the first inning before four scoreless frames.

As a reliever, one rough inning likely would spell doom for his team on any given day. That’s much less likely to be the case for Hicks in his role as a starter.

Procrastination At Its Finest

The Giants entered Sunday’s game with four walk-off wins this season, the most in the majors. The last time the Orange and Black had four walk-offs in their first 12 home games was in 2011.

Patrick Bailey delivered the pinch-hit, game-winning single in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Texas, and on Sunday, it was Ramos. Well, kind of …

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Ramos led off with a dribbler up the third-base line into no man’s land between the mound and third base. Rangers reliever Luke Jackson, a former Giant, threw an off-balance throw up the right-field line, which allowed Ramos to advance all the way to third before first baseman Jake Burger overthrew third base and Ramos scored a Little League homer to win the game.

San Francisco had a .761 OPS in what Statcast defines as high-leverage situations this season before Sunday’s game, which was the fifth-best in baseball.

The Giants also now have 16 walk-off wins dating back to last season, which, unsurprisingly, is the most in the majors.

Bird(song) Is The Word

Hayden Birdsong, who has been nothing short of a revelation for the Giants out of the bullpen this season, continues to show impressive poise in his new role.

With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning, old friend Joc Pederson roped a leadoff triple into the gap in right-center. Not a problem for the 23-year-old.

Birdsong then struck out Adolis García before getting Marcus Semien and Nick Ahmed to ground out and pop out, respectively, to end the inning. He was awarded an additional inning in the seventh, another scoreless frame. And then a third in the eighth, also another scoreless frame.

Light work.

The three scoreless frames lowered Birdsong’s ERA to 1.13 on the season. It’s unclear what the future might hold for the young righty who still hopes to reprise his role as a starter, but for right now, he provides an already elite Giants bullpen with another very, very exciting weapon.

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Game 5 Puck Drop Time Set Between Golden Knights and Wild

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) is taken down by Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) during 1st OT in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild find themselves even at two games apiece, with the series heading back to Vegas on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. PST puck drop. 

The series has been a tale of two stories. When the Golden Knights win the special teams battle, they go on to be victorious. When they don't, Kirill Kaprizov takes over and leads the Wild to wins.

Games 1 and 4 saw the Golden Knights take advantage of their power play opportunities while shutting down the Wild with their penalty kill. Games 2 and 3 were filled with unforced errors from the Golden Knights and iffy goaltending from Adin Hill.

Although the Golden Knights would rather be leading the series and heading back onto home ice looking to close it out, they still maintain home ice advantage in what can now be considered a best-of-three. 

In Game 4, the HC Bruce Cassidy threw his lines into a blender, trying anything to spark some offence. The move paid off, scoring two even-strength goals alongside their two power play markers. Ivan Barbashev ended the game in overtime, scoring his first of the series, assisted by Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy, a trio that has rarely seen the ice together. 

Cassidy will have a decision to make for Game 5 regarding his lines. He can continue with what brought him success in Game 4, or go back to what's worked so frequently throughout the regular season. Whatever his choice is, it will have major implications.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

3 Takeaways: Barbashev Lifts Golden Knights To 4-3 Overtime Win In Game 4, Sends Series Back To Vegas Tied 2-All 3 Takeaways: Barbashev Lifts Golden Knights To 4-3 Overtime Win In Game 4, Sends Series Back To Vegas Tied 2-All The Minnesota Wild were the only NHL team to carry an undefeated record into the third period when leading after two. Captain Mark Stone Epitomizes Leadership Role For Golden KnightsCaptain Mark Stone Epitomizes Leadership Role For Golden KnightsLAS VEGAS -- When the Golden Knights traded for Mark Stone in 2019, general manager Kelly McCrimmon knew the franchise landed much more than one of the most talented 200-foot forwards in the NHL.
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Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

Manchester United rallied to grab a point through Rasmus Højlund and dent their 10-man hosts’ European hopes

The teams walk out into the sunshine. Bournemouth are in their Stendhal stripes, United in all-white, like a poor man’s Real Madrid.

As United go into their huddle, Luke Shaw seems to be giving the pep talk, which is a nice touch. Shaw is at left centre-back, so the wing-backs are Mazraoui and Dorgu. Amorim does like to have three full-backs on the field at all times.

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Winners And Losers From Week 1 Of The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Adrian Kempe (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Whenever he’s asked about expanding the Stanley Cup playoff pool, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has come up with a response that’s tough to argue: the current format creates the most compelling first round in all of sports. 

This year has been no different, with familiar matchups, old favorites from a generation ago and fresh rivalries igniting. After eight days, all 16 teams are still alive, and there’s at least a small element of doubt in every series. 

Here are six players that have stood out in the early going — for better or for worse.

Winners

Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche

The smile said it all when Landeskog’s high wrister beat Jake Oettinger over his glove to put the Colorado Avalanche up 3-0 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

It was the first goal for the Colorado captain since June 20, 2022 — a triumphant story of perseverance that also served as an important insurance marker to level one of this year’s most high-level first-round series at 2-2. 

Adrian Kempe - Los Angeles Kings

Does practice make perfect for the big Swede? Kempe had 11 goals and 19 points across 18 games in the Kings’ previous three playoff meetings with the Edmonton Oilers. This year, he has obliterated that pace with nine points in the first three games, including four goals. 

The Kings let one slip away in Edmonton on Friday, but Kempe still finished the night with two points. At 28, he’s an underrated threat whose start could shine brighter than ever before if L.A. can finish the job and advance.

Jake Sanderson – Ottawa Senators

Who better than the Senators’ future Norris Trophy hopeful to foil the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dream of a first-round sweep? At just 22, Ottawa has Jake Sanderson locked up for seven more years. He could become one of the league’s great bargains if he continues his trajectory.

Sanderson picked a perfect moment to score the most important goal of his career on Saturday. Let’s see what’s next.

Losers

Stuart Skinner - Edmonton Oilers

He’s been here before, but it can’t be easy for Stuart Skinner to cede his crease to Calvin Pickard for the second-straight year.

Last season, Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner for two starts against Vancouver in Round 2. He was steadier when he got back into action, and earned his team two series wins.

This year, Skinner’s regular-season numbers dropped, and his playoff performance followed suit. He gave up 11 goals in five-and-a-half periods and gave up 4.7 goals above expected before he got the hook. 

The silver lining? After three games, the Kings’ Darcy Kuemper has surrendered 5.2 goals above expected. If the Oilers can stay alive long enough for Skinner to get back on track, there’s still a path for them to advance.

Jack Eichel - Vegas Golden Knights

Eichel picked up his first playoff point of the year as the Golden Knights evened their series with the Wild on Saturday. But he was also a minus-2, taking him to minus-7 over four games. 

Plus-minus may not be a perfect stat, but that’s not good.

Being a No. 1 center is no easy task, but Eichel crushed it in his maiden voyage two years ago, chipping in better than a point a game while playing sound two-way hockey on his way to winning a Cup. 

He knows exactly what it takes, so is there something holding him back? Despite hitting a new career high with 94 points and attracting some Hart Trophy chatter during the regular season, he went cold late in the year, logging just one point in his last five games played, and missing four just before the playoffs with an upper-body issue. 

Eichel led all Vegas forwards with 29:57 of ice time on Saturday, and his six shots were one more than the first three games of the series combined. Sin City fans will be hopeful that’s a sign that his full game is starting to round back into form.

Aaron Ekblad – Florida Panthers

It’s a small sample size, to be sure. But after his Florida Panthers carved out a 2-0 series lead on the road in Tampa, Ekblad’s return to the lineup from his 20-game performance-enhancing-substance suspension couldn’t have gone much worse.

While he was out, Nate Schmidt seized his moment and scored three goals in two games. But with Ekblad back in the lineup and Uvis Balinskis scratched, the Panthers suffered a 5-1 beatdown on home ice on Saturday. 

Ekblad finished third in ice time among Florida defensemen, at 20:20. But he and partner Gustav Forsling were both an ugly minus-4 for the day.

Ekblad needs to sharpen up in a hurry to help the Panthers move on — and to help set the table for his next payday. The 29-year-old is heading for free agency on July 1, and there hasn’t been much talk yet about an extension with Florida.

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Yankees removing Devin Williams from closer role 'for now'

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed on Sunday morning that the team is moving reliever Devin Williams out of the closer role “for now.”

Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Boone said that Luke Weaver will get the majority of the save opportunities, while the club wants to see Williams build up some positive momentum in non-save chances.

“The good news for Devin is, he has everything to get through this and come out better from the other side. That’s my expectation," Boone said, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "Right now, it’s best for everyone to pull him out of that role and try to start building some good rhythm, confidence, and momentum.

"I fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino wrote on Friday that the Yankees could be making a change at closer, noting Williams’ command issues along with Weaver’s early-season success.

Williams, a two-time All-Star and twice named the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year, was acquired in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, looking to give the Yankees another lockdown closer in their storied history.

But the 30-year-old's start in New York has been nightmarish, with the right-hander pitching to an 11.25 ERA and a 2.375 WHIP with only eight strikeouts and seven walks in 8.0 innings of work.

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Stars' Hintz, Oilers' Nugent-Hopkins Headline Playoff Players Due for Bounce Back Performances

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz and Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among names listed for struggling players yet to produce in Stanley Cup Playoffs

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs have seen some exciting moments early on like Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog returning to the lineup after being sidelined for three years or Toronto depth defenceman Simon Benoit finally getting his moment and contributing two overtime winners.

It's been fun to see some players get their day in the sun but for others, this postseason has been one to forget following a slow start. Here are some players that have either been out to slow starts or have done well but aren't being respected at the sportsbooks.

Roope Hintz - Dallas Stars

The 28-year-old Finnish winger has struggled to generate offence early on after recording 28 goals and and 39 assists for 67 points this season. His 0.88 point-per-game average was still very solid and people expected the young centre to play a big role in the Stars' postseason success.

After the first four games of the opening round, Hintz has recorded just one point—a surprising turn considering he came into the series riding a three-game point streak against Colorado and had finished the regular season strong with 12 points in his final 13 games. Points will come eventually for Hintz and I expect his prop bets to become a great value over the final three games.

Ivan Demidov - Montreal Canadiens

This one is more of a player simply being due as the highly-anticipated Russian prospect has now played five career games in the NHL and hasn't gotten on the scoresheet since his debut. His wild first game was fun to watch and I expect another big Demidov game as the Habs have the momentum in the series after a big game three win.

The Capitals have also lost a ton of steam after losing starting goaltender Logan Thompson to what looked like a painful knee injury. They will likely smell blood in the water and play a very tight second game in Montreal. Demidov is seeing more chances after playing just over 15 minutes in game three which was his most time on the ice since his debut. If he gets more ice-time the chances should come.

More NHL: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have really struggled to find secondary scoring with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl being forced to carry the load. While both star players were out this season, Nugent-Hopkins stepped into a much bigger role as the team's top centre and finished the season strong with ten points over his last 13 games.

He recorded his first point of the series with a goal in a 7-4 game three win and I expect him to build on it as the Oilers will only look to get hotter and climb back into their series with LA. Nugent-Hopkins sees time on the first power play unit, which has been shown to be deadly in the past and could provide a cheap option to get in on scoring from McDavid and Drasaitl for odds at plus money.

More NHL: Edmonton Oilers vs LA Kings Round 4 Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Mark Stone - Vegas Golden Knights

It was a breakout year for the Vegas captain, who managed a 1.02 point-per-game average with a career-high 67 points through 66 games. It was a solid campaign from the 32-year-old Winnipeg native but since turning to the postseason, he hasn't found nearly the same success.

Stone is known to be a gamer for Vegas with 64 points through 75 playoff games with the Golden Knights. However, the Minnesota Wild have been shutting down Stone and limiting his chances with just one point through the first four games of the series. I expect a huge bounce back from Stone after finishing second on the team in points during the regular season and will most certainly see points start to come as he plays with lethal forwards in Ivan Barbashev and superstar Jack Eichel.

More NHL: Bolts, Golden Knights Present Last Call For Massive Betting Values

John Carlson - Washington Capitals

A name that many may forget about is Carlson as a solid defenceman that has helped quarterback the Capitals blueline since being drafted back in 2008 with the 27th overall pick. The now 35-year-old defenceman has been a decent source of points throughout his career with 51 points this season and passing the 50-point mark for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons.

When making the playoffs, Carlson has also been one of the highest producing blueliners in the game with 40 points over his last 54 playoff games. He has no points through the Capitals' three games so far and I expect this to change over the next few games.