Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Thursday, May 29.

NHL

Edmonton roared out to a 3-0 lead and the Stars pulled their goalie in the first period of game five. Then, when Dallas fought back and pulled within a goal, the best hockey player in the world slammed the door shut:

McDavid and the Oilers won the Western Conference with a 6-3 victory and set up a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers. They’re attempting to become the first Canadian team to win the Cup since Montreal in 1993. One last awesome fact from this game before we take a week-long break to prepare for the Finals– Oilers forward Jeff Skinner scored his first career playoff goal last night. That’s notable because Skinner set the record this season for most career games played without appearing in the postseason. 

NBA

There was something magical in the air last night in Madison Square Garden. I don’t know if it was Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Morgan, or one of the countless other celebrity fans sitting courtside for game five, but there was no shot the New York Knicks were losing. Tyrese Haliburton was held to eight points on 2-7 shooting and Indiana failed to score 100 points for the first time this postseason. Meanwhile Jalen Brunson dropped 32 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had a 24 point, 13 rebound double-double. New York extended this series with a wire-to-wire 111-94 victory in which they dominated from the opening tip to the final buzzer. If the Pacers don’t take care of business at home in game six… well I can only imagine how loud MSG will get for a series decider.

MLB

Congratulations to Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale on becoming the fastest pitcher ever to reach 2,500 career strikeouts. Sale joins Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer as the only active players with 2,500 Ks. Sale and the Braves split their doubleheader yesterday against the Phillies.

Here’s a guy you probably don’t know about– Rays rookie Chandler Simpson. He is the fastest player in the game. Tampa Bay won 13-3 yesterday, and Simpson’s wheels played a big part in the victory:

TENNIS

Enjoy our shot of the day from Paris, courtesy of Alexander Bublik. The French Open has been pretty awesome so far. I’d recommend tuning in when you get a chance:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

The College Football Hall of Fame announced they are changing their rules, lowering the minimum career winning percentage from 60% to 59.5% for all eligible coaches. The rule change opens the door for the late Mike Leach to be elected. Leach, a pioneer and beloved figure in the sport, passed away in 2022 with a winning percentage of 59.6% while leading the team at Mississippi State.

Major League Baseball announced a new investment into Athletes Unlimited Softball League, a brand new professional organization set to begin play next weekend. “It's a proven system of what happens when you invest in women and when you invest in anything, and so I hope that translates over to this pro league of creating a sustainable model. This is a north star for a young athlete to dream about, ‘I want to play for AUSL,’” said league advisor and former Team USA player Natasha Watley.

It was a pretty big day for the sport– the softball College World Series is currently taking place, too. You could make an argument that these two homers by Oklahoma and UCLA were the highlights of the day from any sport:

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

FRENCH OPEN:

• (12) Elena Rybakina vs (21) Jelena Ostapenko, 8 AM

• (7) Madison Keys vs (31) Sofia Kenin, Saturday morning

• Joao Fonseca vs (5) Jack Draper, Saturday afternoon

• …and many more exciting matchups throughout the weekend! We’ll have a recap on Monday to prepare you for a thrilling week two in Paris

MLB: Three fantastic interleague matchups highlight a full weekend of baseball…

• Red Sox @ Braves

• Yankees @ Dodgers

• Cardinals @ Rangers

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL: PSG vs Inter Milan, Saturday at 3 PM on CBS

NBA: Knicks @ Pacers, Saturday at 8 PM on TNT/Max

“I’m going to hell. But I’m going to see a lot of y’all with me. A lot of y’all laughing at home, I’m gonna see ya,” –Charles Barkley during halftime of last night’s playoff game, when discussing how high (or how close to heaven) he was sitting. A good reminder that this Saturday’s game could be the last one ever broadcast on TNT, as the TV rights to the NBA change hands next season

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday