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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Denny Hamlin never had a chance to race for the win at Watkins Glen after he was caught up in an opening-lap wreck that knocked fellow playoff driver Ryan Blaney out of the race.

Hamlin recovered to later gain a stage point, but he eventually spun and the nose of his Toyota tagged the wall. He finished 23rd and was dumped to 13th in the NASCAR playoff standings, six points behind Ty Gibbs on the postseason cutoff line.

Not ideal for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, though his familiar bravado hasn’t waned as NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the final first-round playoff race.

“I feel like we can go there and win,” Hamlin said. “We are going to an oval, back to a normal track. We can control our own destiny there.”

Hamlin, who has 54 career wins, should feel confident about his chances at Bristol. He has won in back-to-back years at the track and has four career wins on the 0.533-mile oval.

That should put the drivers around him fighting for a spot in the field of 12 on edge.

Four drivers will be cut from the field Saturday night. Joey Logano won the playoff opener Atlanta Motor Speedway to earn a spot in the second round. Chris Buescher spoiled the playoff party with a win Sunday at Watkins Glen International, leading a string of five non-playoff drivers to the finish.

Hamlin, NASCAR Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton are in the bottom four. Christopher Bell finished 14th at the Glen and holds a comfortable 46-point edge in the standings.

“It wasn’t pretty how we got there, but we got there and now we can go to Bristol and relax a little bit more,” Bell said.

Watkins Glen was a disaster for most of the playoff field. Chase Briscoe was the highest finisher among the 16 drivers, in sixth place. At least 11 playoff drivers ran into some sort of issue, including a rough scene late in the race where Keselowski and William Byron crashed battling for position. Byron’s Chevrolet landed on top of Keselowski’s Ford with six laps left in the scheduled 90-lap race.

Ten playoff drivers were dumped into the bottom 21 finishers.

Briscoe rocks

No playoff driver had a better bump in the standings than Briscoe. The Stewart-Hass Racing driver, trying to win the team a title in its final season, entered the Glen in 16th and 21 points below the cutline. His sixth-place finish jolted him to 11th and six points ahead of the cutline.

Briscoe, who won at Darlington to clinch a playoff spot, has never finished better than 13th in five career Cup races at Bristol.

“I don’t consider ourselves to be an underdog,” Briscoe said. “Some people might’ve already written us off, but for myself and our entire race team, we all feel like we can win it all. That’s probably crazy from a guy who didn’t look like he was even going to be a part of it, but the way we look at it is if we can win the Southern 500, we can win probably any race throughout the entire season.”

Briscoe, who is signed to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing next season, has reveled in the pressure in the final days of the SHR program that won NASCAR titles with Tony Stewart in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2014.

“No other team can compare to what we’re going through, and no other team has the emotions that we do, so I think that’s what makes us so scary,” he said. “We have a lot on our shoulders and there’s a lot of pride that comes along with that. We’re just a unique race team right now.”

Fading champs

Truex, the 2017 champion, has had a farewell season to forget as he heads toward retirement without a victory. The JGR driver was 20th at the Glen and is 15th in the standings, 14 points below the cutline. He has never won at Bristol in 37 starts.

Keselowski has one win this season — he earned another as an owner with Buescher at RFK Racing — and was collected in that late crash Sunday. He finished 26th, enough to dump him from 12 points behind Ty Gibbs for 12th.

The 2012 champion, Keselowski has three Bristol wins (2011, 2012, 2020).

Blaney argued his race team should have been allowed to try to repair his Ford on pit road after the first-lap wreck. His car instead was towed to the garage and his race was over. Last season’s Cup champion, Blaney, is still in a solid spot, in eighth place with a 29-point edge. He has never won at Bristol.

Final say

The complete picture: Logano is in the second round with his Atlanta win. Bell, Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Blaney, Kyle Larson, Byron, Briscoe and Gibbs make up the rest of the field of 12.

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Braves activate RHP Anderson, sign OF Rosario

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Braves activate RHP Anderson, sign OF Rosario

It was old faces in familiar places for the Atlanta Braves on Monday after they activated right-hander Ian Anderson to the active roster and signed outfielder Eddie Rosario to a major league contract.

In corresponding moves, outfielder Jarred Kelenic was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, while right-hander Davis Daniel was optioned to Triple-A after Sunday’s game.

Both Anderson and Rosario emerged as 2021 postseason heroes in Atlanta as the Braves went on to win the World Series.

Anderson, who was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight postseason starts for the Braves over the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.

In the 2021 World Series, Anderson famously pitched five no-hit innings in Game 3 to lead Atlanta to a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros. The Braves defeated the Astros in six games.

Anderson, who turns 27 Friday, was traded by the Braves to the Angels on March 23 for left-hander Jose Suarez. He struggled badly with his new club, going 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in seven relief appearances. He allowed 17 hits and seven walks in just 9⅓ innings.

Rosario, 33, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February and played in two games with the club, going 1-for-4. He was designated for assignment and became a free agent when Shohei Ohtani returned from the paternity list just over a week ago.

Rosario was the 2021 National League Championship Series MVP, when he powered the Braves past the Dodgers with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.647 OPS in six games.

Over parts of 11 seasons, Rosario is a career .261 hitter with 169 home runs and 583 RBIs in 1,123 games with five different clubs, including five seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2015-20) and four with the Braves (2021-24).

Kelenic, 25, was batting .167 with two home runs in 23 games and is a career .211 hitter with 49 home runs and 156 RBIs in 406 games with the Seattle Mariners (2021-23) and Braves.

Daniel, 27, made his only appearance for the Braves on Sunday with a scoreless inning and has appeared in 10 games (six starts) over the past three seasons with a 4.95 ERA.

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Two-time Cup winner Sullivan out as Pens coach

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Two-time Cup winner Sullivan out as Pens coach

Mike Sullivan, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, is out as the team’s head coach, it was announced Monday.

Sullivan was the longest-tenured coach in Penguins history after just completing his 10th season. The 57-year-old, who also coached Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was under contract in Pittsburgh through 2026-27.

In a statement, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said the decision was “the best course forward for all involved” as Pittsburgh navigates a transitional period.

“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” Dubas said. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”

The Penguins have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons as Dubas works to retool the team into a contender while Crosby is still competing at a high level. Crosby just completed his 20th straight season in which he posted a point-per-game scoring pace, and he was voted by his peers in the NHLPA as the league’s most complete player. The captain is under contract through next season on a two-year extension he signed prior to the 2024-25 season.

Sullivan was elevated to Penguins head coach in 2015 after leading the organization’s AHL team in Wilkes-Barre. With 409 wins in Pittsburgh, he leaves as the Penguins’ all-time wins leader.

With Sullivan’s departure, there are now seven head-coaching vacancies in the NHL. The Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken and New York Rangers are also searching for new coaches right now. According to sources, Sullivan has been atop the Rangers’ wish list.

Sources also said Sullivan is keen on coaching again next season and will be a top candidate for several of the vacancies. Sullivan worked as an assistant coach with the Rangers and as both an assistant and head coach with the Bruins earlier in his career.

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Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Round 4 of the Battle of Florida, pivotal Game 5 for Avs-Stars

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Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Round 4 of the Battle of Florida, pivotal Game 5 for Avs-Stars

Home teams are on a tear in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, going 21-10 thus far. Will that trend continue Monday?

The early matchup is Game 4 of the Battle of Florida, and the festivities have become heated; Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel was given a major penalty for his hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, and subsequently suspended for Game 3. In that game, Matthew Tkachuk leveled a hard hit on Jake Guentzel but did not receive the same punishment. What will transpire in Game 4?

In the nightcap, the clash of West titans continues, as the Colorado Avalanche look to keep the momentum going after their 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Saturday.

Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Sunday’s games, and the Three Stars of Sunday Night from Arda Öcal.

Matchup notes

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
Game 4 (FLA leads 2-1) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN

Teams that hold a 2-1 series lead have gone on to win the best-of-seven matchup 69% of the time in Stanley Cup playoff history. The Panthers have won two out of three best-of-seven series when holding a 2-1 lead, and the Lightning are 6-7 all time when trailing 2-1.

Jake Guentzel had three points (goal, two assists) in Game 3, and his 40 career playoff goals are third most among active U.S.-born players, trailing Patrick Kane (53) and Chris Kreider (48).

With his win in Game 3, Andrei Vasilevskiy now has 67 for his postseason career, second most among active goaltenders (behind Marc-Andre Fleury, who has 92), and one behind Andy Moog for 11th on the all-time list.

Matthew Tkachuk scored his third goal of the series in Game 3, and became the third player in franchise history with 20 career playoffs goals (Carter Verhaeghe 26, Sam Reinhart 22); he is also the third Panther to record 50 playoff points for the club (Aleksander Barkov 62, Verhaeghe 54).

Aaron Ekblad‘s return from suspension didn’t go so well. According to Stathletes, Ekblad and Gustav Forsling played 10:50 together at 5-on-5, and the Lightning scored three goals while they were on the ice.

Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars
Game 5 (series tied 2-2) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

With the series tied 2-2, history is on the Stars’ side: Colorado is 11-12 when a series is tied 2-2. Dallas has gone 18-14 in the same scenario.

Nathan MacKinnon is up to 52 career playoff goals, which is six away from tying Peter Forsberg for second in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history; Joe Sakic is first with 84.

Gabriel Landeskog made his return to the ice in Game 3 for the first time since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, and scored a goal in Game 4, the 28th playoff goal of his career.

Mikko Rantanen (formerly of the Avs, now of the Stars) has only one point (an assist) through four games, but it’s not for a lack of trying; he has 12 shots on goal, which is second most on the team this postseason (Roope Hintz has 13).

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled in Game 4, just the fourth time in 49 career playoff starts he has played 40 minutes or less. Since 2022, Oettinger has the second-most postseason wins (25), behind Sergei Bobrovsky (34).


Arda’s three stars from Sunday night

Svechnikov potted a hat trick to lift the Canes to a 5-2 win against the Devils in Newark, giving them a 3-1 series lead. Svechnikov is the only Hurricanes/Whalers player in franchise history (45 seasons, 205 playoff games) with a hat trick in the playoffs (he now has two).

His two goals in the third period tied the game at 3, setting the stage for the Oilers to win in OT and tie up the series. Bouchard is now the fourth defenseman to have back-to-back multigoal games in Stanley Cup playoff history.

After two points over the first three games of the series, Neighbors scored a goal and added two assists as the Blues emphatically tied the series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4.


Sunday’s scores

St. Louis Blues 5, Winnipeg Jets 1
Series tied 2-2 | Game 5 Wednesday

Although he is the overwhelming favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie in the regular season, Connor Hellebuyck is not having a great time this postseason. He was pulled in the third period of this loss after giving up five goals on 18 shots. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor opened the scoring in this game, but the Blues charged back with five straight goals off the sticks of Jake Neighbours, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas. The home team has won every game in this series. Will that continue in Game 5 in Winnipeg? Full recap.

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Tyler Tucker puts the Blues ahead with a goal

Tyler Tucker scores in the second period to give the Blues a 2-1 lead over the Jets.

Carolina Hurricanes 5, New Jersey Devils 2
CAR leads 3-1 | Game 5 Tuesday

After the Canes went up 3-0, the Devils punched back with two second-period goals, and Carolina starting goalie Frederik Andersen was knocked out after a collision with New Jersey’s Timo Meier. However, that was as close as the Devils would get, as Brent Burns added a goal at 14:14 of the third, and Andrei Svechnikov finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal to seal the deal. Full recap.

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Andrei Svechnikov scores his second career playoff hat trick

Andrei Svechnikov lit the ice with his second career playoff hat trick in Game 4 vs. the Devils.

Washington Capitals 5, Montreal Canadiens 2
WSH leads 3-1 | Game 5 Wednesday

The Bell Centre was rocking again for this one. Washington’s Dylan Strome started the scoring at 1:25 of the second period, but the Canadiens answered back with two power-play goals (from Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield) to take the lead heading into the third. However, the Caps proved they were the better team, tying it 6:39 into the third, taking the lead 10 minutes later and then pumping in two empty-netters to put it out of reach. Full recap.

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0:39

Andrew Mangiapane’s big-time goal gives Caps a lead in the 3rd period

Andrew Mangiapane notches a big-time goal to give the Capitals a lead late in the third period.

Edmonton Oilers 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 (OT)
Series tied 2-2 | Game 5 Tuesday

Another back-and-forth contest for these two teams. The Kings held a 3-1 lead heading into the third, thanks to goals from Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala. But the Oilers came back, thanks to a pair of goals by Evan Bouchard (both of which were assisted by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid) to send the game to overtime. Draisaitl then scored the winner on the power play with just 1:42 left in the extra session. Full recap.

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Leon Draisaitl’s OT winner evens the series for the Oilers

Leon Draisaitl nets the winning goal in overtime to give the Oilers a dramatic win over the Kings in Game 4.

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