Lionel Messi’s first MLS Cup playoff match with Inter Miami will be on Oct. 25.

The Florida Panthers peppered Igor Shesterkin with shot after shot, and the New York Rangers goalie had an answer for almost all of them.

Alex Wennberg deflected home a goal 5:35 into overtime, and the New York Rangers reclaimed home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference finals with a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 3 on Sunday.

Kaapo Kakko was back in the New York Rangers’ lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, replacing injured winger Jimmy Vesey.

Barclay Goodrow scored at 14:01 of overtime and the New York Ranger beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Friday night in Game 2 to even the Eastern Conference final.

NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis had plenty of winners.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed top center Sebastian Aho to an eight-year contract extension worth $78 million.

The New York Knicks are trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, dealing away a former lottery pick who was loved by fans but never as much by coach Tom Thibodeau.

The Carolina Hurricanes are keeping captain Jordan Staal around.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens sees a team in need of small tweaks, not massive disruption to leadership or its core.

The Carolina Hurricanes are evaluating their next steps after falling in the Eastern Conference Final in their fifth straight playoff appearance.

They were No. 8 seeds.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and Caleb Martin gave Miami 26 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to help the Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 and turn back Boston’s attempt at an unprecedented comeback.

The Miami Heat were 0.1 seconds away from a trip to the NBA Finals.

The Celtics finally found cohesion between their defense and offense in their Game 4 win, capitalizing off 16 Heat turnovers and finding their 3-point shot.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 17 points and the Boston Celtics staved off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals by running away in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers are playing in the longest game in each franchise's history to open their Eastern Conference final.

The Celtics got a historic 51-point performance from Jayson Tatum to blow past the 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup to land back in the conference finals for the second straight season.

Jayson Tatum missed his first six 3-pointers before he drilled two straight clutch ones late in the game that pushed the Celtics past the Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 to send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Boston for Game 7.

Jalen Brunson had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 48 minutes in a season-extending performance, and the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 112-103 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic now knows how Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid felt during two previous NBA award seasons.

Jimmy Butler was cleared to return to the Miami Heat lineup on Saturday.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics spoiled Joel Embiid’s MVP coronation, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 114-102 Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

NBA playoff scoring leader Jimmy Butler was with the Miami Heat for their film session Thursday.

Joel Embiid finally said that winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award has been a dream ever since he belatedly started playing basketball.

Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid will play in Game 2 of the 76ers’ second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

Jimmy Butler was sidelined for the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks because of a sprained right ankle.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was ruled out of Game 3 of his team’s Eastern Conference first-round series against the Miami Heat on Saturday night because of his ongoing back issue.

In 2020, under the leadership of Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia the Lions made cornerback Jeff Okudah the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft.

Let’s go ahead and put Denver and Sacramento into the Western Conference playoffs.

Alex Rodriguez was standing near his courtside seat, oblivious to a few fans who were snapping a quick photo of the baseball great as they walked by.

In a battle of two of the top teams in the Eastern conference, the Chicago Sky came out on top of the Connecticut Sun, 91-83.

The Indiana Fever were unable to earn a win in the final game of the regular-season series with the Phoenix Mercury, dropping the game with a 99-78 loss.

Chicago Sky’s Kahleah Copper was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week which marks the first time in her seven-year career to receive the honor.

The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning face the best in the West Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Wednesday in Denver.

Mikhail Sergachev scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining to break a tie and lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night for a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference final.

Ondrej Palat scored with 42 seconds left and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Sunday to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to 2-1.

There’s no panic in the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Celtics’ transition from a team that has gone from just outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference to one that's four wins way from the franchise’s 18th NBA championship began the moment Ime Udoka took the microphone at his introductory news conference.

Tyler Herro has recovered enough to play for the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday night against the Boston Celtics.

Jimmy Butler had 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Miami Heat forced the Eastern Conference finals to a decisive seventh game by beating the Boston Celtics 111-103 on Friday night.

Heat guard Tyler Herro remained sidelined because of a strained left groin as Miami tries to stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Celtics point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.

Heat guard Jimmy Butler will not play in the second half of Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with Boston because of inflammation in his right knee.

The Celtics will be without center Robert Williams III will be out for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat due to soreness and swelling in his left knee.

Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.

Boston will be without two starters for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, with Al Horford entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Marcus Smart unable to play because of a mid-foot sprain.

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boston forward/center Robert Williams missed his third straight game with an injured left knee as the Celtics tried to keep their season alive Friday night in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will have two preseason matchups at Abu Dhabi in October.

There's no overwhelming favorite for NBA champion as the playoffs start, but that was by no means a problem for ABC and ESPN.

Boston’s Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break knowing they've got work ahead just to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The NHL has shut down two more teams through Christmas.

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.

There’s an excellent chance the Milwaukee Bucks will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their lone NBA title by winning it all again.

The Atlanta Hawks will have top scorer Trae Young in uniform for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young will join Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in sitting out Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night due to injuries.

The Atlanta Hawks are dealing with another injury that could affect their preparations for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has suffered a hyperextension of his left knee and been forced to leave the Milwaukee Bucks’ Eastern Conference finals game against the Atlanta Hawks.

This is the sixth time in Vandersloot’s career, including the third in her last two seasons, where she has earned the honor.

Tina Charles of the Washington Mystics and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm have been named WNBA players of the week.

Fan interaction with the athletes has always been a component of sporting events, whether it’s been the good, the bad or the ugly, to steal the title from the famous western movie of the 1960s.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball holds his right wrist during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. Ball is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a broken right wrist, according to a person familiar with the situation. He appeared to be hurt after a fall in the Hornets' 125-98 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball is expected to miss the remainder of the NBA season due to a broken right wrist, according to a person familiar with the situation. Ball appeared to be hurt after a fall in the Hornets’ 125-98 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH - MAY 04: The NHL logo behind the net during the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers prior to game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2008 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The National Hockey League (NHL) announced Wednesday a new TV and streaming deal with the Walt Disney Co. and ESPN. The NHL said the deal includes:Exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on ABC in four of the seven years of the agreement, with the ability to simulcast/megacast on ESPN+ and additional ESPN networksThe return of live NHL action to ESPN networks with 25 exclusive national regular-season games on ABC or ESPN75 national regular-season games per season produced by ESPN that will stream exclusively on both ESPN+ and HuluHalf of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on ABC and ESPN each season; and coverage annually of NHL’s Face-off (opening night games)The NHL All-Star Game and Skills Challenge, plus other NHL special events each season. The NHL’s out-of-market streaming package will now be available for fans to stream only as part of an ESPN+ subscription.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will both be unable to start the second half of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, though neither All-Star will be missing from the Eastern Conference leaders’ lineup for long. Both will miss Philadelphia’s game Thursday in Chicago, and Simmons will also miss the 76ers’ contest on Friday against Washington. Provided both continue to test negative for COVID-19, they would be cleared after those games, the 76ers said. Simmons and Embiid both traveled to Atlanta for Sunday’s All-Star Game, only to learn the night before that they were flagged by contact tracing data. Dallas and Washington both have 38 games remaining, tied for the third-most in the league.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)SASKATOON, SK – Mike Babcock, the former NHL coach who directed the Detroit Red Wings to a Stanley Cup title and Canada to two Olympic medals, is taking over the University of Saskatchewan hockey team. The Huskies announced Saturday that Babcock will lead the team on a full-time volunteer basis for the next two seasons. Babcock, a Saskatoon native and former Huskies player, replaces Dave Adolph, who announced his retirement on Dec. 7 after 27 years coaching Saskatchewan. Babcock joins the Huskies after spending the past 17 seasons in the NHL, including guiding the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship in 2008. Babcock was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season, his fifth with the Maple Leafs.

The NHL did not specify which team prompted the postponement, though four Hurricanes players were added to the COVID-19 list Tuesday. The NHL already postponed the start of the Dallas Stars' season after six players and two staff members tested positive for the virus. Hurricanes players Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Teuvo Teravainen joined captain Jordan Staal on the unavailable list because of COVID-19 protocols. The teams aren’t scheduled to play again in Nashville until the end of the season with back-to-back games on May 7-8. Now the Predators, who gave players Tuesday off after the postponement, are scheduled to visit Dallas on Friday night for the Stars' season opener.

The Red Wings, who were easily the NHL's worst team last season, played for the first time since they lost to Carolina at home on March 10, 2020. “Once you started playing, you stopped thinking about it as much and it wasn’t quite as weird,” Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said. “It was a good step in the right direction.”ROUGH STARTLarkin made his debut as captain of the Red Wings, and his giveaway helped the Hurricanes score first. Playing the rebuilding Red Wings eight times in 56 games in the pandemic-altered Central Division should help Carolina's chances. The Red Wings’ No.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Former Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has a new job as a studio analyst for NBC Sports. Babcock spent 10 seasons with the Red Wings from 2005-2015, posting a record of 458-223-105 in 786 career games. Babcock left Detroit in 2015 when he signed an 8-year, $50 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Read back: Chelios says Babcock caused Franzen to have nervous breakdown on Red Wings benchJohan Franzen went as far as calling Babcock “the worst person” had ever met. Read more: Ex-Red Wings D Colaiacovo on Babcock: Guys hated him in Detroit, tried to get him fired every year

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The pandemic forced the NHL to realign its divisions for the 2020-21 season, and now those divisions will have sponsors. The special divisions formed just for this COVID-shortened season -- games start Jan. 13 -- will be sponsored by Discover (Central), Honda (West), Mass Mutual (East) and Scotiabank (North). The Detroit Red Wings announced Monday they will feature a United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) logo on player helmets starting this season. Some of these helmet logos are ... better than others:Our friends at @PPG will be the first-ever helmet entitlement partner for the upcoming hockey season. Full details on our new 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓉 𝒷𝓊𝒸𝓀ℯ𝓉𝓈: https://t.co/BUUsLJRH2S pic.twitter.com/SOVEdCMW6E — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 4, 2021Will we see more moves to increase revenue?

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The NHL announced Sunday the league will begin its 2020-21 season on Jan. 13. Teams will play 56 games in this pandemic-shortened season. The expansion draft (Seattle’s first season in the league is 2021-22) will be held July 21. Realigned divisions, playoff seeding alteredThe divisions are realigning due to the cross-border travel ban between Canada and the United States. Follow NHL return to play updates here:

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Reports on the NHL’s return to play in January are rolling out this weekend. Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the season will start Jan. 13 (as expected) with a trade deadline scheduled for April 12. The NHL’s regular season -- expected to be cut short to just 56 games -- will end May 8. Teams will play within their divisions with the top four in each division making the playoffs. Read more: NHL eyes division play only; Sharks to ArizonaFollow NHL return to play updates here:

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)The path to the MLS Cup will go through Philadelphia after the Union wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield and top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs on the final day of the MLS regular season on Sunday. The snowy victory for Kansas City was part of a wild final day in the Western Conference, with late goals in Los Angeles and Houston shuffling the playoff bracket. LAFC's reward is a trip to defending MLS Cup champion Seattle in a rematch of last year's Western Conference final won by the Sounders on the road. Only Philadelphia and Toronto had a chance to lay claim to the regular-season title entering the final day of the season. The Eastern Conference had a logjam at the bottom of the standings, and the final day ended with both expansion teams claiming playoff spots.

PHILADELPHIA – There's a new Doc in Philadelphia — one charged with reviving a 76ers organization that fell far short of NBA championship expectations. Rivers takes over for Brett Brown, who was fired after the 76ers were swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Rivers spent seven seasons with the Clippers, making the playoffs in six of them — major success for a once-woebegone franchise. He is 1,624-943 in nearly 21 seasons as an NBA coach. He was the 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year.

Fred McLeod catches up with Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace's wife, Chanda Wallace, in 2006 when the Detroit Pistons went to Miami to take on the Heat in the Eastern Conference final series. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

(Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings have traded a 4th-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Adam Erne. The Red Wings will send over their 4th-round pick in next year's draft for Erne, who is a 24-year-old winger drafted by Tampa at 33rd overall in 2013. Erne played 65 games with the Bolts this past season, scoring 7 goals and 13 assists. This appears to be a move for more size up front for the Red Wings -- Erne is listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds. He found himself a more permanent spot in the lineup this past season.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 02: Sugar Rodgers #14 of the Las Vegas Aces guards Courtney Williams #10 of the Connecticut Sun during their game at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on June 2, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Mystics will look to Ariel Atkins, who had 14 points, three rebounds and three blocks against the Aces on July 13. The Fever will have the strength of Kelsey Mitchell and Candice Dupree who had a combined 24 points and eight rebounds against Las Vegas. Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm Preview (10 p.m. EST tip-off)Two of the WNBA's hottest teams are set to face off when the Seattle Storm host the league-leading Las Vegas Aces on Friday. Las Vegas has won five in a row, while Seattle looks to extend its winning streak to four games.

The most recent victim of this ordeal is New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter JJ Redick whose 10-month social media abscence ended in June when he created a burner Twitter account to keep up with all the drama. In his podcast he states that he decided to create the burner account because his friend asked him how he was gonna stay up to date on free agency, according to the Bleacher Report. "So, I used some random Gmail account that I don't really use, that I think I used to have a Spotify account. I can't remember why I used it, but anyways, used a Gmail account and set up just an egg (avatar) and I followed five people...(Adrian Wojnarowski), Chris Haynes, Ramona (Shelburne), Shams (Charania)the news breakers," Redick said. With the free agency heat cooling down Redick is back off social media and his burnder account has been deactivated.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 09: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers points against the Toronto Raptors in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 9, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ersFree agency begins in just a few days and Jimmy Butler is one of the top commodities for teams. The Houston Rockets are looking for a sign-and-trade deal from the Philadelphia 76ers to recieve Butler, according to the Bleacher Report. Even though the Rockets are on the prowl, the 76ers are looking to aggressively re-sign Butler. The 76ers are looking to offer Butler a five-year, $156 million max deal to stay in Philadelphia, but the Rockets are looking to offer a four-year deal for $140.6 million.

The NBA Draft is this week and the Pistons have a pivotal decision to make. The Detroit Pistons, who finished 8th in the Eastern Conference, have the No. So he's a guard with size who can put the ball on the floor and consistently knock down shots. Yahoo Sports: SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech, 6-5, 205NJ.com: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky: "Hes a combo guard with top-notch shooting ability, and the Pistons are a team that seriously needs to add shooters. The 19-year-old is one of the few quality shot creators in the class, and he has the positional size to make that valuable.

– The Detroit Pistons will be coming off their biggest win of the season when they invade Boston on Wednesday night in a matchup of two teams inching toward the .500 mark. The Pistons, who opened 6-10, won for the sixth time in their last 10 games with a victory Monday at Eastern Conference-leading Indiana, which had been unbeaten at home. Boston has won two straight, five of seven and eight of 12 after a 101-97 victory over Minnesota on Monday. Boston had a season-high 25 turnovers and scored a season-low 77 points in a 10-point loss at Detroit on Nov. 3. Boston F Jeff Green is averaging 21.8 points in his team's last six losses and just 13 points in the last five wins.