Leverage index and box score
Graphics via FanGraphs.
He’s still Good, man: Hunter Goodman, +0.15 WPA
Rea’d out: Colin Rea, -0.32 WPA
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LAS VEGAS — The Carolina-Vegas series was largely expected to be a Stanley Cup Final in which goals were at a premium and each shift felt like a march up a well-defended hill.
Yeah, that isn’t this.
Another two-goal lead went the way of the landline on Tuesday night, the go-ahead shot came from a 37-year-old on his stomach on one of the great runs in Cup final history, and the winning goalie made his first start in two months and doesn’t know if that will be his last one this postseason.
None of it makes sense and yet it all somehow does in this series that is now even after four games — probably aptly so — because of Jordan Staal’s second goal at 6:32 of the third period that came while sprawled on the ice in what became a 5-3 Hurricanes victory over for the Golden Knights.
“It’s a wild ride, isn’t it?” Staal said. “There’s a lot of emotion, lots of ups and downs.”
Now the series heads back to Carolina for Game 5 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes will potentially have two games on home ice to win their first Cup in two decades. Coach Rod Brind’Amour captained that 2006 team, and though he’s not ready to look at the big picture, he recognizes this is a unique final.
“I know I need to (appreciate it) because this doesn’t come across very often,” Brind’Amour said. “But it is pretty stressful.”
The same applies at the other end, where the 9-year-old Golden Knights chase their second championship in four years. Their position isn’t all that different from when the day started — two more wins and they’re there — but now they need to win at least once more on the road.
“We need to flush it and get ready for our next game,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we should be looking any farther than just the next game.”
Whichever team winds up losing can point to a number of moments that could have changed the outcome.
Each game until this one was decided by one goal. It appeared this one would as well until Nikolaj Ehlers deposited an empty-net goal from 187 feet.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
The 33 combined goals are tied for the third highest in a Cup final with the Islanders-Flyers series in 1980.
Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.
Ehlers’ goal was part of a three-point night for him, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven scored a goal.
Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves, and including his work in relief in Game 2, Bussi has 36 saves on 40 shots. Brind’Amour said that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.
“If you’re going to give him a break, you need to give him a break,” Brind’Amour said. “So to me, him dressing and going through all that does not really give him a night off.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart made 23 saves. Karlsson also had an assist.
The Hurricanes came out blazing, taking a 3-1 lead in the first period. Vegas nearly cut it to one, but Brayden McNabb’s goal came right after the period ended and didn’t count.
Vegas scored twice in the second to tie the game, and the Golden Knights have now outscored Carolina 9-1 in that period.
But the Golden Knights failed to add to that total, shifting home-ice advantage back to the Hurricanes.
“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “We’re playing a really good team and 2-2, best out of three and fly out to Carolina (Wednesday) and take care of business in Game 5.”
5,000 light years from Birdland
But I’m still preachin’ the Trident
Long-gone, uptight years from Birdland
And I’m still watchin’ it with ’em
Years from the land of the Bird
And I am still feelin’ dispirit
5,000 light years from Birdland
But I know we still hear it
Goms named it
Goms made it
Goms heard it
Then played it
Well-stated!
Birdland-
It happened down in Birdland
Oh!
The Mariners needed Logan Gilbert to go deep on Tuesday. The team is down a reliever because they ditched the ham sandwich for a six-man rotation, for reasons I do and don’t agree with. But regardless, it means they’re short in the bullpen for a bit. After leaning on the leverage arms the last few games, this would have been the time for Gilbert to snap out of his funk, go deep in the game, secure a Mariners win, and help reset things for the week ahead.
That seemed unlikely early. Gilbert threw 31 pitches in the first inning. He loaded the bases, but allowed just one run on a sac fly (which could have been much worse without a great catch from Julio). He threw 27 pitches in the second inning. He put a couple runners on but escaped without a run (thanks to a great throw from Cole Young). This felt like a disaster in the making.
And from there, Gilbert was perfect. He set down the side in order the third, fourth, and fifth innings. I began writing in this very recap that Gilbert’s day ended after five at 96 pitches, then whoa, he stepped out of the dugout for the sixth. He got Pete Alonso to line out on a first pitch slider. He worked a full count against Colton Cowser but dropped a slider on the black for strike three. Then he got Leody Tavares to ground out to first, racing to cover the bag, stomping down for the final out. Six innings, five strikeouts, three hits, two walks, one run. This was roughly the vibe by the end.
I don’t even really know what to say about Gilbert at this point. His FIP still begins with a 4. So many of his outings this year have looked like Tuesday. Well, he’s typically dominated early and struggled late. But every game there’s a handful of batters he can’t quite sit down or even simply move on from, throwing full-count pitch after pitch after pitch. It’s just weird. The arsenal metrics suggest Gilbert should have some resistance to these specific issues. Like, his stuff is sharp, hard, diverse, and deceptive. He got Alonso to whiff so bad he threw his bat into the stands, giving us one of the all-time Brad Adam in-game interviews with Craig from Richland. (Craig kept the bat despite cash offers from Orioles fans! Nice. An all-time Logan Gilbert trophy, in the hands of a Mariners fan.) So I don’t know. I think there’s something to be said for Gilbert tonight. I gave up on this one. He didn’t.
It’s a good thing he didn’t, because the Mariners won 6-5 in extras in what turned out to be a ridiculous, sloppy, fever-dream of a game that the Mariners had no business winning in Birdland.
In the middle of that hub
I remember one ball club
Where we went to try and sweep
Down on Eu-taw street
Some ornithology nerds
That they named it for a Bird
Where Ayala swooped and swirled
And League made me want to hurl
Adam Jones was sent there
To the distance we stared
Birdland – I’m singin’ Birdland
Birdland – Ol’ swingin’ Birdland
The lineup the Mariners together tonight was… uh… not the plan from Spring Training. They’re dealing with a rash of injuries at the moment, and so it’s been the, “We need some guys to step up” time of the season. And step up they, ultimately, kinda, in a way, did.
Randy Arozarena led off the third inning with a line drive single, and Rob Refsnyder followed with one of his own. Mitch Garver fell behind quickly, but laid off a few great pitches out of the zone. Trevor Rogers came back in with a fastball, and Garver was ready, giving us the latest Mitch Garver Exasperated Bat Drop.
This was huge to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead. Again, Gilbert was clearly not long for this game, and they were going to need some runs to survive a shallow bullpen. After the homer, the vibes were roughly here:
Once Gilbert miraculously cleared six with the game still 3-1, the lineup did well to scratch across some cushion. Victor Robles beat out a squibber with two outs, and Julio rocketed another single through the infield. That brought up Arozarena, who picked up a third-straight, two-out single, scoring Robles on a close play the plate.
Unfortunately, the Orioles would get that run right back. An error by Cole Young, a single, and a double play put a runner on third. Alex Hoppe brought him home with a spiked pitch to the backstop. 4-2. The walls of Birdland were closing in.
Jose Ferrer got the ball in the ninth. He threw 42 pitches.
Ferrer quickly got ahead of Tavares leading off. But Tavares battled, working the count back to 2-2. Ferrer threw him a fastball way outside for ball three. Tavares thinking it was ball four started toward first and began to derobe, unbuckling his elbow guard. He tried to play it off cool once he realized, slowly returning to the box. But he’d forgotten about the pitch timer, and when it expired, the umpire called him out. Vibe check:
Still, this is Birdland. Coby Mayo immediately homered to make it 4-3. Jeremiah Jackson singled, and Tyler O’Neill nearly ended the game with a barrel to right. But it landed short and skipped over the wall, crucially, for a ground rule double.
Samuel Basallo then hit a ball just three feet. Ferrer went charging after it down the first base line. He grabbed it and made a desperate, tumbling throw for home that was neither accurate nor on time, scoring the tying run. He probably should have thrown to first.
Ferrer walked Taylor Ward to load the bases. Again, there was still just one out in the ninth inning of a tie game. Gunnar Henderson pounded a one hopper to third. Patrick Wisdom, playing in, leaped high to snag it and made a strong throw home to get the lead runner.
Up stepped Pete Alonso. Ferrer threw him six sinkers to work the count full. He went to the sinker again. It caught the center of the plate and Alonso rocketed a grounder up the middle. Right there was Bliss, who snagged it and raced to the bag to get the runner by a step. The Mariners, somehow, survived.
Arozarena took the lead right back in the 10th. With the Manfred Man on second, he poked a slider way out of the zone to right. It looked like a fly out off the bat, but it just carried and carried and carried the Mariners to a 6-4 lead. It can’t be state enough: What a season he’s having.
Nick Davila got the 10th with a 6-4 lead and the Manfred Man. It didn’t start well. Hoppe hit Blaze Alexander with the first pitch of the inning to bring the winning run to the plate. Tavares followed with a hard grounder through the right side to make the game 6-5 with nobody out.
Davila got Mayo to pop up to Bliss, who made a tremendous diving effort near the foul line for the first out. Jackson then hit a chopper to third. Wisdom, again playing in, cut the ball off perfectly with a backhand ranging toward the third base line. He contorted his body to get off a quick throw, which was right on target to Garver, who slapped down the tag to deny the tying run.
Davila ended it with a strikeout.
Not today, Birdland.
Curs-ed lair
Who even cares
– where?
Down in Birdland
Junior’s swing
Home run king
– there
Down in Birdland
Ju-li-o
Climbed the wall
– Where?
Down in Birdland
Félix is ours
That was lame
– where?
Down in Birdland
Ju-li-o
Climbed that wall
– Again…?
Down in Birdland
Two and oh
Two to go
– there
Down in Birdland yeah
Aroldis Chapman was warming up in the top of the ninth inning with the Red Sox down a run just in case he was needed for the bottom half of the frame; but with the way this offense has performed all season, that felt like ownership drawing up World Series parade routes for the fall, just in in case.
Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox went down like church mice for the final three outs to fall to:
Perhaps the most surprising stat to go along with that last bullet is that the Red Sox actually lead all of baseball in runs scored in the ninth inning in 2026 with 40. They just never score when they actually need the runs to tie the game or take the lead. Yes, the offense is bad, but it’s specifically abysmal when the game is on the line in a way that’s all but mathematically impossible.
Tonight was just another verse in the same rancid, repeating song that is the 2026 Red Sox season. The twist on this particular stanza is that the bottom third of the lineup actually performed pretty well while the top six guys when 2-24 with zero walks.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the bottom of the eighth inning when right after a Marcelo Mayer double cut a 4-1 Rays lead to 4-3. In this moment, the first three guys of the inning reached, the top of the order was coming up, and the Rays still had six outs to negotiate before the end of the game. How did the top six guys in the Sox lineup handle the opportunity? They went 0-6 and blew a golden opportunity to avoid all three deadly bullet points above.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve never seen a team quite like this one. It’s not just that they’re the worse offense in baseball in high leverage situations (batting .214 with a .609 OPS), it’s that they’re 11th in baseball in medium leverage spots to go along with that. For instance, they actually have a higher OPS than the Yankees in medium leverage spots, but are almost 200 points behind them in high leverage situations.
One of the reasons this season feels like such a joyless slog is because there’s never any nights where they randomly come through in a big spot and mix in a comeback win amid the flood of loses and other deficiencies. Those are the beautiful breaths of fresh at the surface that keep you coming back in a season where you’re otherwise drowning. Even most bad teams with bad lineups find a way to sprinkle them in every once in a while, but not this group.
I keep thinking this has to change somewhat just by random chance, but maybe I’m just an idiot. (On a related note, I’ll be going to Boston to catch the games this weekend.)
Marcelo Mayer: One nice thing about tonight is that there’s more signs Marcelo Mayer’s new toe tap might be paying dividends. Not only did he follow up yesterday’s home run with a big eighth inning double, but he also had a nice at bat in the third inning with a runner in scoring position where despite making an out, he got the ball in play with 107mph exit velocity.
Caleb Durbin: 1-3 at the plate, and he also flashed some leather with this wonderful double play in the field in the first inning, which felt really important in the moment:
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: The only man in the Red Sox lineup with a multi-hit game, which is pretty much an automatic ticket into the stud section of the game wrap in 2026.
Ceddanne Rafaela: 0-4 with the lowest WPA in the lineup tonight.
Willson Contreras: 0-4 with the second lowest WPA.
Masataka Yoshida: 0-4 with the third lowest WPA (and boy has he looked awful over the last month).
Mickey Gasper: 0-4 with the fourth lowest WPA.
Together, these four went 0-16 and had a -0.58 WPA.
NESN: They didn’t get back in time from commercial to show the first pitch of the bottom of the third inning. Under no circumstance can this be allowed to slide!
Jordan Staal had two goals including an iconic moment that old time hockey fans will recognize, The Hurricanes survived another rough second period, Brandon Bussi got his first playoff start and win, and Carolina will hop the plane back to Raleigh with the Stanley Cup Final tied at two.
Rod Brind’Amour had managed to keep his decision of starting goalie under wraps for the last two days, even joking with the media about it when he was asked. Players wouldn’t bite, and neither would Bussi as the only goalie who would speak to the media. However, when the Canes skated out to warm up not only was Brandon Bussi starting, but for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Pyotr Kochetkov dressed and was the backup. During the game, Brind’Amour explained to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that playing Kochetkov as backup was about giving Andersen “a full amount of rest.”
Quickly the story of the game shifted from who was between the pipes to the puck once again getting into the net. For the second game this series, the Hurricanes quickly skated out to a 2-0 lead. The first goal came with only about a minute gone from the game, as Logan Stankoven was able to take a shot from Jalen Chatfield that bounced off the wall behind the goal and easily backhand the puck behind Carter Hart.
Carolina kept pushing, and it led to a quick penalty on Vegas. Shea Theodore was sent to the box for tripping Taylor Hall, and Carolina’s resurgent Power Play controlled the action during those two minutes. With the penalty winding down, Vegas made a poor clearing attempt that saw the puck get back in the hands of Alexander Nikishin. Nikishin quickly passed it back to Nikolaj Ehlers, who whipped it over to Hall. Hall then skated in front of Hart and with Hart paying too much attention to the puck, Hall whipped it over to Jackson Blake. Blake burried the shot in the open net and Carolina was again off to their 2-0 lead.
Just like the other games, though, the action wouldn’t calm down and despite making a couple of great stops, Vegas would eventually get one back thanks to Mark Stone and a bad change by the Canes. Stone did what several Golden Knights have done this series, sit at the blue line and wait for a chance to streak in and was able to out wait Bussi. After that, though, Bussi would stop the rest of the shots in the period, while the Canes would get another Power Play with a Vegas too many men penalty. This one was just Jordan Staal being big in front of Hart. Shayne Gostisbehere shot it on net and Staal was able to get the rebound from Hart and stuff it back in.
Carolina would have to kill a penalty at the end of the first, and Vegas would get a puck past Bussi at the end of the period—but the clock had clearly hit 0.0 before the puck even entered the paint, let alone clear the line. Carolina took a 3-1 lead to the locker room with a 14-6 lead on shots.
Unfortunately for Carolina their second period woes carried over even with a different goalie in net. The good news for the Hurricanes is that they ended the period tied at three instead of trailing like they had in others. The bad news was that once again Vegas just completely dominated play during the period. The Golden Knights set the tone early with the Mitch Marner line scoring again. This time, Marner was able to draw the Carolina defense deep behind Bussi, which left the rest of the team scrambling. That eventally led to William Karlsson being all alone as Stankoven had lost him, and Karlsson blasted the shot by Bussi. Carolina would get a Power Play that was easily their worst of the game, and then Vegas would dominate the Canes on a late power play that did everything but score. Like other times in this series, that Power Play gave Vegas momentum, and about 30 seconds after it finished Brett Howden shot it between K’Andre Miller’s legs and over Bussi’s shoulder.
The second period ended tied, and somehow Carolina ended with more shots than the Golden Knights, but much like Game 1 when the Canes hit the locker room, they found themselves tied with Las Vegas. But as much as Vegas has dominated the second period, the Hurricanes have dominated the third, and that script played out again with a goal that can only be described as iconic.
Vegas started the period trying to reverse the trend, dominating play, but the defense was able to block shots and Bussi made a few key saves. Then Carolina flipped the script and what can only be described as a grinding play, Seth Jarvis was able to get loose and get a breakaway. Hart made the initial stop, but the chaos threw Vegas all out of sorts as three players collapsed on Jarvis to try and recover the puck. Instead the puck rolled over to Ehlers, who flexed a pass over to Staal. At the same moment Staal was legally pushed down, but he perfectly timed swinging his stick as he was going down to direct the puck past Hart and give the Canes a 4-3 lead.
The goal evoked memories of Bobby Orr 56 years ago, a goal so iconic a statue of it sits in front of the home of the Boston Bruins.
From there, Vegas would push but Carolina’s defense held firm in perhaps their most complete effort of the Cup Final so far. The Golden Knights would pull Hart with a little under two minutes left, but Carolina held firm and then it was their turn for a good bounce off the boards. Nikolaj Ehlers would simply try to clear the puck, but it bounced off the wall, and as Vegas had collapsed to try and score, they were unable to get to the puck in time as it trickled into the empty net.
The horn would sound and Carolina claimed a 5-3 victory. Vegas actually outshot Carolina 9-5 in that period, but the Canes would win the period 2-0.
There’s no rest for either team as they’ll hop on a plane and head back to Raleigh. Game Five will be in Lenovo Center Thursday Night at 8 PM. Don’t expect any answers about who’ll be in goal for Carolina before then, and what is being called one of the best Stanley Cup Final series in history will go at least six games. No doubt the arena that Ray Ferraro called the loudest he’s been in will be dialed up even higher.
The Cleveland Guardians fell to the New York Yankees, again, tonight. Dropping game two in this series gives New York the series win and puts the Guardians five games above .500.
Slade Cecconi had a strong outing and is looking like he is hitting a groove. Cecconi went 5.0 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out two batters.
The Guardians scored 2 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning.
With two quick outs to start the inning, José Ramírez hit a single to center, then reached second on his 24th stolen base of the season. Chase DeLuter singled to center, scoring José from second. Kyle Manzardo drew a walk and Rhys Hoskins was hit by pitch to load them up. Angel Martínez singled to Paul Goldschmidt at first base who made a diving catch. Goldschmidt lobbed the ball to the pitcher with just enough arch that Angel was able to slide into first and beat out the tag.
In the top of the fourth, Travis Bazzana made a great sliding catch to end the inning.
The Guards bullpen did their best to hold it down, all things considering. Colin Holderman walked a batter in his inning of work. Tim Herrin gave up a run in his second inning of work, a solo shot to Jazz Chisolm Jr. He fell to 0-2 on the season, recording the loss. The home run was the only hit he allowed. Matt Festa finished the eighth inning, allowing only one other hit. Shawn Armstrong closed the game, keeping the Yankees at bay, but the damage was already done
This team is going through a funk that seems like it could be easily fixed with a couple of pieces or strategic moves. Tonight they left 13 runners on base and were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. While the hot start to this season is providing the buffer they need for these sorts of slumps, something needs to improve soon or the White Sox will be taking ahold of first place in the AL Central before we know it.
Jun 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) looks to pass against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) during the 2nd period in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jordan Staal scored his second goal of the game while stretched out on his stomach at 6:32 of the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their 5-3 victory on Tuesday night over the Vegas Golden Knights and even the Stanley Cup Final after four games.
Game 5 is Thursday night at Carolina, which will potentially have two games on home ice to win its first Cup in two decades. The Golden Knights are searching for their second in four years.
This was the first game not decided by one goal.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
The 33 combined goals are tied for the third highest in a Cup final.
Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.
Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist, Logan Stankoven scored a goal.
Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour told ABC that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.
“Let (Andersen) rest,” Brind’Amour said. “Give him as many days here as we can.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart made 23 saves. Karlsson also had an assist.
The Hurricanes outplayed the Golden Knights in the period, outshooting Vegas 14-6. But the Golden Knights, according to Natural Stat Trick, had four high-danger chances to three for Carolina.
The difference was the Hurricanes took advantage of their chances.
Brind’Amour replaced Andersen with Bussi trailing 4-0 after two periods in Game 2 on Saturday, and he saved the first 18 shots he faced as the Hurricanes mounted a furious rally. Bussi failed to save the 19th shot when Theodore knocked the puck off the boards and it bounced off Bussi’s skate for a Golden Knights victory.
May 24, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was presented with not one, but two awards on Tuesday, earning the Mark Messier Leadership honor and the Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The 33-year-old forward from Sweden becomes the first player to win both in the same season. It’s been a long road back to the rink for Landeskog in his return from a serious knee injury.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
The Messier Award goes to the player who demonstrates “great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”
Landeskog celebrated the awards with his wife and young kids. His wife helped keep him winning the Masterton under wraps until the trophy was brought out in a video posted by the NHL.
Landeskog’s knee issues began after a skate blade cut his right knee during the 2020 playoffs in the Edmonton bubble. He worked his way through it and helped the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup title in 2022.
The Cup clincher, though, was his last game for quite a stretch. After missing a full season, Landeskog underwent cartilage replacement surgery on May 10, 2023.
He made it back last season for Game 3 of the playoffs against Dallas, which was his first NHL contest in 1,032 days.
This season, he had 14 goals and 21 assists over 60 regular-season games. Colorado went 45-7-8 with him in the lineup and 10-9-3 when he was out.
He added six goals and five assists in the playoffs before the Avalanche were swept in the Western Conference Final by Vegas.
Landeskog remains active in the community, too, taking part in Kroenke Sports and Entertainment’s (KSE) Charity Brunch and leading the team’s annual hospital visit. He also hosts several local foundations through the team’s “Community Ticket Pride” program.
His recovery from his knee injury was covered in a six-part documentary series titled “A Clean Sheet.”
The Masterton Trophy, which is presented by the NHL Writers’ Association, was first awarded in 1967-68. The Mark Messier Leadership Award made its debut in 2006-07.
The 2026 NHL Draft is less than three weeks away, meaning the Pittsburgh Penguins front office and scouting staff are deep in preparation for it.
The Penguins have the 22nd overall pick in the first round and depending on how the board shakes out, could have some really good players fall to them.
One player they'll be very familiar with, who has a ton of skill, is Wyatt Cullen, the son of Matt Cullen. The latter won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and works for the team as a development coach.
Wyatt is projected to go in the first round after a tremendous 2025-26 campaign with the United States National Team Development Program. He finished the season with 16 goals and 45 points in 40 games as a winger.
Cullen also played great at the U18 World Juniors, compiling three goals and nine points in five games. He had the best point per game average (1.80) of any player in the tournament.
He has a lot of skill in his game and is very shifty. He's able to knife through players and find open space like it's nothing. One of my favorite plays from his season came during Team USA's game against Germany, when he received a pass and made a beautiful deke around a German skater before going backhand-to-forehand for a goal. His skating, shiftiness, stick-handling, and net-front play were all on display.
Speaking of his skating, he's electric when he gets going and can blow past some players with his separation speed. He's also got some nice vision, especially on the power play.
Cullen spoke really highly about his skill at the NHL Combine last week and almost pitched himself to teams who are looking to potentially draft him.
"I think my skill is, kind of, top-four, five, three in the draft," Cullen said. "I have really high-end skill, and I think that's what separates me. I see the ice and have really high-IQ, and I feel like my IQ and skillset is what separates me from other guys."
While his offensive skill is outstanding, I still question whether he'll be able to pull off some of these moves against better players. I don't think he's going to get as much space when he plays for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA. He's gonna have to learn that "less is more" at times.
'I Took So Much Away From Those Years': Wyatt Cullen Reflects On Growing Up With A Cup Team In PittsburghWyatt Cullen - son of former Pittsburgh Penguin and three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen - learned some valuable and applicable lessons from his time as a child in Pittsburgh.As for his two-way game, it's definitely an area that he needs to improve. He's not as defensively responsible as some of the other forwards in this class, and I'd like to see him get back and help out a little bit more.
Like every prospect, he had some rough plays during this past season, and the Penguins showed him some of them during their meeting with Cullen at the NHL Combine. It's something he really appreciated.
"It went really well," Cullen said. "They showed some bad clips of you, but I think it's really good. They kind of helped me out a bit and gave me some good tips, so I think it went really well."
It's highly likely that Cullen will be picked in the top 15 of the 2026 NHL Draft, but if he falls a bit, I wouldn't be surprised if the Penguins looked to trade up a few spots to snag him.
The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft will take place on June 26 at 7 p.m. ET.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
The Atlanta Braves started a series against the Chicago White Sox after a 5-1 run at home where they took two of three from the reigning AL champ Blue Jays and swept the Pirates who at the time had scored the fourth most runs in MLB.
This matchup was going to be fun because it featured the Acuña brothers playing each other. Unfortunately, that fun was short lived.
Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season long and was hoping to avoid that tonight, although he was going against a red hot offense that is fourth in MLB in HRs.
Brandon Eisert was the scheduled opener for the White Sox, and has actually had a decent season thus far, but the Braves jumped on him quick. After an Acuña strikeout Harris singled in his return to the starting lineup and Matt Olson followed that with his eighteenth HR of the season to put the Braves up by two.
Albies then singled and Dubón walked to have two runners on with one out. Eisert then got Dominic Smith to fly out on a ball that went three-hundred feet, and then he was replaced by former Braves pitcher Erick Fedde who got Riley to strikeout.
Grant Holmes started off the first inning almost perfect like he seems to always do by producing two fly outs and and a ground out. The Braves then showed of possibly getting some insurance in the second when Acuña reached via HBP with two outs, but then he was caught stealing to end the second inning.
In the second, Holmes gave up a single, but that was the only damage done picking up two strikeouts along the way. In the third for the Braves Harris smoked a liner, but it was caught, but Matt Olson then launched a HR again to make it 3-0 for his nineteenth HR of the season. Albies then doubled and then we saw a somewhat rare catcher interference call that sent Dubón to first. What followed was a weird play where Smith should have hit into a double play, but the pitcher, Fedde, straight up missed a perfect throw and that allowed Albies to score to make it 4-0. Riley then singled, but the scoring ended with a Yastrzemski strikeout.
As stated earlier, Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season with hitters having an OPS north of 1.000 against him the second time they face him. That did not stop tonight. After getting two outs to the bottom of the order in the third inning, Antonacci who hits first in the order, walked. Vargas then followed that with a two run shot to make the game 4-2. Holmes was able to settle down and get the third out via fly out.
In the fourth is where the bad news hits Braves Nation. After Wynns flied out Acuña appears to have majorly injured his leg running out a grounder.
After the injury delay Harris hit a single and Olson almost hit his third HR of the night, but the ball was caught right at the yellow line on the wall.
The bottom of the fourth is where Holmes fell apart. Again, he is still facing batters for the second time in the game in this inning. He gave up a single, a HBP, then a single to Braden Montgomery for his first career RBI. After a line out and a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners he walked backup catcher Drew Romo to load the bases. Luckily Dylan Dodd is having the best season of his career and came in and got the out. Holmes finished the night with three earned runs on four hits, two walks, and a HBP on 3.2 innings while picking up two strikeouts.
The Braves were sat down in order in the fifth, but Dodd continued to do well. Outside of a walk, he was able to sit the other three hitters down, to include Vargas who homered in his last at-bat.
It looked like the Braves may score again in the sixth, but it did not happen. After an all too common Riley strikeout, Yastrzemski singled. Then, believe it or not, a catcher got a hit when Wynns singled as well. Unfortunately, in a base running blunder Yastrzemski was thrown out at home when Eli White hit the ball to first baseman Jacob Gonzalez who made the wise decision to throw home for the out. Fedde was then replaced by Tyler Gilbert who got Harris to ground out.
Dodd stayed in the game to pitch the sixth. He got Montgomery to strikeout, but then walked Grichuk which prompted Weiss to replace him with Carlos Carrasco. This move seemed odd considering the close game, and the Braves having the lead, but in a situation where your starter only went 3.2 innings you have to get creative. Carlos Carrasco gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but then settled down forced a fielders choice for the second and and then with the help of Eli White making an epic throw to home plate, he got the third out to end the inning.
Matt Olson led off the seventh inning and walked on a failed ABS challenge by Gilbert. Albies then had his third hit of the night with a single. Tyler Davis then came in for Gilbert and got Dubón to pop up. The White Sox then got redemption on Dominic Smith and forced him into a double play that was actually executed this time to end the top of the seventh.
In a rare questionable move, Walt Weiss left Carlos Carrasco in the game to pitch the seventh with the heart of the order set to bat. He then walked Vargas and then gave up a single to Benintendi to put runners on the corners with no outs. Gonzalez then singled to tie the game with zero outs. Carrasco then was somehow able to get out of the jam by inducing a double play and then a line out.
In the eighth inning Riley walked, then Yastrzemski flied and Mateo pinch hit for Wynns. Unfortunately, Riley got “caught stealing” via pick off, and then Mateo flied out. Sandy León came in to catch and Robert Suarez came in to pitch for the first time since Friday. He was able to retire the side with ease.
In the ninth Eli White flied out, but Harris was able to reach via single. Matt Olson just missed again with a ball that flied three-hundred-thirty feet to RF, and Albies struck out. The Braves at this point have missed insurance runs by mere feet twice to this point.
In the ninth ABS showed its usefulness. In was originally called a ball that would have been a leadoff walk, the call was overturned for a strikeout for Iglesias who relieved Saurez. Vargas and Benintendi were both sat down via ground out and fly out respectively, and it was time for extra innings.
The tenth started out great for the Braves. Albies was the runner on second and Dubón came up clutch yet again and scored Albies with a single on the very first pitch he saw after squaring up like he was going to bunt. Dubón was also able to move to second on the throw home, which worked out great because when Dominic Smith hit another grounder it was not a double play and Dubón moved to third. Unfortunately, for the second time this game a runner was thrown out at home on a grounder that was not a force out when Riley hit a grounder to third and Vargas got Dubón at home. Yastrzemski then flew out to third to put the end to what looked like would be a great inning.
Raisel Iglesias stayed in the game to pitch the tenth making it only the second time this season he pitched more than one inning. He was able to strike out the first batter he saw and then induce a ground out right off the bat, but the ground out moved the runner to third. Braden Montgomery, who made his debut tonight, then hit a walk-off home run to end the game.
The Braves had one of their saddest games of the season this evening. Not only did they lose in extras, but they were 0-8 with RISP if you don’t count the ghost runner and potentially lost Acuña to injury. Matt Olson was a few feet shy twice of hitting a HR to make the outcome much different. Hopefully the Braves can rebound tomorrow when former White Sox ace Chris Sale takes the mound for the Braves.
Following the Mets' 7-0 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about several aspects of the game...
In the third inning with the Mets down 3-0 with runners on second and third and one out, Lars Nootbaar grounded the ball to Marcus Semien at second base. Semien looked the runner at third base back, but Ivan Herrera took off for home as Semien threw to Jared Young at first base for the second out of the inning.
Young threw it home to Alvarez, but Herrera made a nifty swim move to avoid the tag and give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
The Mets skipper was asked about the play and if his infielders could have done anything differently, but Mendoza said he believes the St. Louis baserunners made a mistake and they got away with it.
"They kinda messed it up, because the runner at third base was not going on contact," Mendoza explained. "It was a play that took Marcus to the gloveside. He can’t see the runner on second base, who was playing it like they were going on contact. Looking at the video there, once the ball came out of Marcus’ hand, he took off. At that point, you see JY, you play catch. Looking back, I’ll have to talk to [bench coach Kai Correa] and all that, it was kind of a messed up play there."
At the time, it was a big run, as it was still early in the game. Unfortunately, Cardinals starter Dustin May held the Mets hitters down.
May entered Tuesday's series opener with a 4.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.29, but he looked like the young arm the Dodgers hoped he would be when he was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft.
The 28-year-old pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk. It was May's best start of the season, and he didn't give the Mets many chances -- the Mets had just two batters reach second base against him.
"The sinker was good against righties today. Had a lot of movement," Mendoza said of May. "The cutter against lefties and he was finishing them off with fastballs at the top of the zone. You get down 4-0, it’s different at-bats. This guy is working ahead and he’s going to attack. Once we got down, we couldn’t do much with him."
Joey Gerber allowed one run on three hits across two innings after taking over for Freddy Peralta on Tuesday.
Mendoza was hoping Gerber could finish the game and save his bullpen, but the right-hander was removed in the ninth inning. It seemed as if the 29-year-old was picking at one of his fingers and Mendoza confirmed that Gerber is still dealing with a blister.
"Same blister he went on the IL," Mendoza said. "Started to flare up again. Not going to risk it there."
Gerber was placed on the IL back in mid-April and didn't return to the Mets until mid-May. After being recalled and optioned a couple of times, Gerber finally had a chance to stick with the big league club. Tuesday was his second appearance this month, pitching a scoreless inning back on June 3 against the Mariners, and third overall this season.
In his three appearances, Gerber has pitched to a 1.80 ERA, striking out six batters across his 5.0 innings of work.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Staal scores twice and Hurricanes beat Golden Knights 5-3 to knot Stanley Cup Final at 2-2.
Victor Wembanyama left Stephon Castle out to dry, giving him the ball with less than a second left on the shot clock, forcing him to quickly fire a 25-footer from the wing. The buzzer screamed and thousands groaned as the game-changing 3-pointer fell with less than two minutes left.
When the 21-year-old next looked at the rim, he was standing at the free-throw line with 6.8 seconds left, sinking the clinching shots of the 115-111 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
“He might be the most mature player on our team,” Wembanyama said. “He’s shown over and over again he’s capable and that we are right to put our trust in him.”
Castle inflicted even more damage before his late-game heroics.
The second-year standout from UConn — who won the national championship in his only season with the Huskies — punished the Knicks perimeter defenders from the tip by attacking the paint at will, finishing strong at the rim and sending Knicks defenders scrambling in rotations.
Castle scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half — combining with Wembanyama to become the first pair of teammates who are 22 or younger to each score at least 20 points in an NBA Finals game — and also finished with five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 38 minutes.
Dylan Harper, 20, set the tone in San Antonio, barely a year removed from Rutgers, now repeatedly bullying his way into the lane to put up 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the NBA Finals.
“For the most part, we kind of dictate where we want to go on the court,” Castle said Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. “I think that’s a skill that me and [Harper] both have, and it’s very useful. We’ve just got to keep continuing to use it.
“I don’t think we’ve let the defense force us to do anything all year.”
In Game 4, the Knicks need to try to make the unproven shooters beat them from deep, taking away the young guards’ confidence-building drives.
Castle has shot 5-for-14 on 3-pointers in the series but is a career 30.5 percent shooter from the perimeter. Harper is shooting 60 percent on 2-pointers in the series but is just 2-for-15 on 3-pointers in the NBA Finals, including two wide-open misses in the final 70 seconds of Game 3.
“I feel like every night is not going to be your night,” said Harper, who had made 30.5 percent of 3-pointers in the playoffs. “[In Game 3], I couldn’t make a shot. That’s just the reality of the game. I’m going to keep on shooting them because [of] the confidence I have in myself, the confidence the team has in me.
“I can’t really hang my head too much because we’ve got a lot more basketball to be played.”
Josh Hart has been in their shoes. Throughout this playoff run, the veteran has been left alone on the outside and dared to make the opponent pay for it.
Hart wouldn’t reveal whether the Knicks would employ a similar strategy against the Spurs’ young guards, but part of the game plan is no secret.
“I’m sure we’re going to change some things and switch up some schemes to protect the paint,” Hart said. “Obviously, those guys are very dynamic when they touch the paint.”
The Rays were the kings of the two-out rally on Tuesday night in a 4-3 win over the Red Sox.
Tampa Bay put Payton Tolle to the test early when Yandy Díaz lined a single to right, Junior Caminero followed by smoking a ball to the wall in center, and suddenly Tampa Bay had runners on second and third with nobody out to get the game started.
Well, sort of suddenly.
Caminero got to second, but not before giving us one of the less graceful slides you will see from a professional athlete. It was part stumble, part survival tactic, part “please just let the bag still be there when I arrive.” He made it, and the Rays were in business.
Then Caleb Durbin ruined the fun.
Chandler Simpson hit a hard liner to third, and Durbin made a terrific reaction play, snagging it and doubling Yandy off third before the Rays could cash in on the scoring position. It was the kind of play that flips an inning in one blink. Tampa Bay had Tolle wobbling, had a chance to grab an early lead, and came away with nothing.
The baseball gods did briefly offer them a second chance when a popup in foul territory near the mound turned into a three-person Red Sox game of “not it” for the baseball. Tolle dropped it while multiple Boston defenders stood around as if catching the ball were not the object of the game. Sometimes big leaguers look like little leaguers. The Rays still could not take advantage, even after Ryan Vilade singled and a passed ball moved him into scoring position. Austin Slater grounded out, and the first inning became a collection of missed chances.
Thankfully for the Rays, Nick Martinez was doing his part to keep the game settled.
Martinez worked a clean first, then started the second by striking out Willson Contreras swinging. He kept Red Sox hitters uncomfortable and did not let Boston stack together the kind of loud inning that can make a game feel uphill early. Masataka Yoshida grounded out, Mickey Gasper popped out, and Martinez had the Rays right where they needed to be.
Boston broke through in the third when Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled to left, Marcelo Mayer moved him to third with a groundout, and Jarren Duran lined a single to center to make it 1-0 Red Sox. Annoying, but effective baseball from the Red Sox is doing the boring things that matter.
The Rays, meanwhile, had to get to Tolle before the game got away from them. After going quietly in the third, they finally cracked him in the fourth, with quite the two-out rally.
Vilade started it with a double to left with one out. Slater popped out, and it looked like another inning where another runner might be stranded. Then Cedric Mullins put a hard grounder through the infield and into right. Vilade rounded third, Wilyer Abreu came up throwing, and Vilade beat the play at the plate to tie the game. It was a welcome pressure release valve after the Rays had let Tolle off the hook earlier.
Then Ben Williamson followed with a shot to the wall in left center for a stand-up double, scoring Mullins and giving the Rays the lead. Nick Fortes kept things moving with another double, bringing Williamson home for a 3-1 lead.
Three doubles in the inning. Three runs. All scored with two outs.
Tolle had spent the first few innings bending but not breaking. In the fourth, the Rays finally found the weak spot and pushed through it.
Martinez took that lead and protected it. In the fifth, Austin Slater helped him out with a leaping catch in right field, robbing what could have been an extra bae hit off the bat of Mickey Gasper. Instead of a leadoff problem, Martinez had an out. He followed with two more lineouts to Chandler Simpson, and the Red Sox were back in the dugout.
The sixth was more of the same. Martinez got Mayer on a flyout, struck out Duran, and then retired Rafaela.
Tampa Bay added what felt like an important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Ben Williamson singled with two outs, Fortes was hit by a pitch, and Richie Palacios lined a single to center to score Williamson and make it 4-1. Again, it came with two outs. Again, it showed the kind of inning extension that has not always been easy for this lineup. A three-run lead with Martinez dealing felt comfortable.
Baseball enjoys mocking comfort.
The Rays had a chance to push for more in the seventh after Vilade singled and Slater reached on a soft grounder to third. For a moment, it looked like another two-out rally was forming. Instead, Vilade got caught in a rundown between second and third, and the inning ended. The Rays still led by three, but leaving extra runs out there always has a way of becoming relevant later.
Sure enough, the eighth inning arrived with trouble attached.
Durbin singled. Kiner-Falefa singled. Then Mayer pulled a ground ball down the right field line that stayed just fair, scoring both runners and cutting the Rays’ lead to 4-3. The barely fair ball left the Rays barely leading. Martinez’s night ended there, and despite the late damage, it was still a strong outing.
Kevin Kelly entered with the tying run at second and nobody out, which is a lovely little stress test for a reliever. He got Duran to ground out, moving Mayer to third, then retired Rafaela and Abreu to escape with the lead intact, which was huge in this game.
The bottom of the eighth offered one more weird twist. Mullins reached on a strikeout and passed ball, giving Tampa Bay a needed baserunner. Williamson then lined a ball to center, but Rafaela made a great play and an even better throw to double Mullins off first. It was impressive for the Red Sox and inconvenient for the Rays.
So the Rays carried a one-run lead to the ninth, because of course they did. Thankfully, the Red Sox had no plans of ending their winless streak when trailing after eight innings this season.
Bryan Baker handled it with no drama, which felt like a generous gift at that point. Contreras popped out, Yoshida grounded out, and Gasper grounded out to finish a 4-3 Rays win.
The Rays look for the sweep on Wednesday with Drew Rasmussen slated to take the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm EDT.
The NBA admitted Tuesday it missed a foul call on Victor Wembanyama’s first-quarter shove of Jalen Brunson during Game 3 of the NBA Finals. And they are not going to do anything about it.
The league reviewed the play after San Antonio’s 115-111 win at Madison Square Garden and will not upgrade it to a flagrant foul, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes. This despite NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen going on ESPN to acknowledge that the officials got it wrong.
Wembanyama shoved Brunson hard with both hands as Brunson tried to set a screen. Brunson didn’t fall all the way to the floor but he had to brace himself from the push, which drew an immediate reaction from the MSG crowd. Brunson got up and got in Wembanyama’s face before the game moved on.
No foul was called. No review was triggered at the time.
Brunson frustrated at Wemby 😳 pic.twitter.com/0xd2HO78NV
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2026
McCutchen addressed the missed call on ESPN’s "NBA Today."
“Well most certainly, I think we can all agree that a foul was missed on that play. We have a big part of our job is to, on-ball, off-ball exchanges between referees. We did a poor job of that here where we got two people on-ball and we don’t see the screening action. Lots of fighting over screens throughout the game and if we break down in our fundamentals, in even the smallest amounts, we have the opportunity to miss a clear foul, as we missed here.”
Replays appeared to show Brunson grabbing Wembanyama’s jersey before the shove, which may have factored into the league’s decision not to escalate. Still, Wembanyama’s reaction was to aggressively shove Brunson in the upper back and neck area, sending him toward the floor.
After the game, Brunson said it was obvious.
“Whatever you saw is what you saw,” Brunson said to reporters.
The ruling keeps Wembanyama at two flagrant foul points for the postseason, both from his Flagrant 2 ejection against Minnesota in the second round. Had the shove been upgraded to a Flagrant 1, he would have been at three points, one shy of an automatic suspension.
The contrast with how officials handled a similar moment later in the game was not lost on the Knicks. In the third quarter, with New York leading 71-67, Brunson closed out on Julian Champagnie on a 3-point attempt. Their feet tangled and officials upgraded the contact to a Flagrant 1 on Brunson. Champagnie completed a four-point play, the Spurs cut the deficit to one and went on to win.
San Antonio outshot New York 24-8 at the free throw line in the second half, a gap that left Knicks coach Mike Brown openly questioning the officiating.
“I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight,” Brown said.
The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No flagrant foul upgrade for Victor Wembanyama coming from NBA