EDMONTON, Alberta — Evan Bouchard scored the game-winning goal with 38.1 seconds left to help the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

The win tied the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at two apiece, with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday night in Vancouver.

The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring on a power play in the first period, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored late in the second.

Bouchard Scores Late Winner, Oilers Edge Canucks 3-2 To Tie Playoff Series At 2 Games Apiece

Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua scored third-period goals for the Canucks, who lost their first away game of the playoffs.

Calvin Pickard made 19 saves in his first NHL playoff start, and Arturs Silovs stopped 27 of 30 shots for Vancouver.

Pickard, 32, replaced Stuart Skinner, who gave up four goals on 15 shots in Edmonton’s Game 3 loss on Sunday.

“(Pickard) looked like a guy who had played 100 playoff games,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Composed, really solid, seeing the puck really well.”

Pickard signed with Edmonton as a free agent in July 2022, his 13th professional season. He has spent most of his career with the American Hockey League affiliate, Bakersfield Condors.

He was promoted to the NHL team’s backup job in November when the Oilers demoted struggling goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL.

Backing up has yet to result in consistent ice time. Pickard’s last appearance before taking over for Skinner was on April 18.

Knoblauch claimed he was impressed with the goaltender even when he wasn’t playing.

“Continually, his starts have been solid, no matter how long he sat, a week, two weeks,” the trainer stated. “We have a lot of confidence in him and he came up big tonight.”

Pickard said that maintaining composure during Tuesday’s game was difficult.

“I was trying to channel my emotions as much as I could,” he stated. “Obviously it’s difficult; it’s a high-risk game. Obviously, this is a big game for us. But I felt at ease from the beginning.”

Bouchard Scores Late Winner, Oilers Edge Canucks 3-2 To Tie Playoff Series At 2 Games Apiece

Connor McDavid cut a blazing pass to Draisaitl, who fired a one-timer past Silovs from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. The goalie got his glove on the shot, but it bobbled and bounced into the net, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 11:10.

Draisaitl’s point streak now spans all nine of Edmonton’s postseason games. With eight goals and 12 assists, he leads the league with playoff points.

The Oilers pushed harder in the second period but were again hampered by Silovs.

With less than a minute remaining in the second period, the Oilers had a two-on-one opportunity due to a failed hit.

Mattias Ekholm picked up a stray puck in the neutral zone, and when Juulsen attempted to knock him off, the veteran defenseman passed to Nugent-Hopkins. With 39.8 seconds left in the period, the centerman sprinted up the ice and shot over Silovs’ stick, giving Edmonton a 2-0 lead.

Garland finally got a puck past Pickard 6:54 into the third period, blasting a shot from the top of the slot that trimmed Vancouver’s deficit to 2-1.

The Canucks removed Silovs with 2:38 remaining in favor of an extra attacker, and the Canucks capitalized.

Brock Boeser retrieved a feed from Quinn Hughes, waited a moment for his chance, then fired at the Edmonton net, and the ball rebounded in off Joshua’s skate with 1:41 remaining in the third

The Oilers refused to give up, and with 38.1 seconds remaining, Bouchard fired a shot that pinged off Silovs’ stick for his fourth playoff goal.

Silovs, a rookie, delivered another strong performance, according to Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.

Bouchard Scores Late Winner, Oilers Edge Canucks 3-2 To Tie Playoff Series At 2 Games Apiece

Others on the team showed up differently, he noted.

“We’ve been a resilient group all year,” Tocchet remarked. “But we need five or six guys to get started here. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs. I don’t know whether some of these men thought it was playoffs. We can’t play with twelve guys. “We need to figure it out quickly.”

Canucks defenceman Carson Soucy received a one-game penalty for cross-checking Connor McDavid after the final buzzer in Game 3. Noah Juulsen took his place in the lineup.

SOURCE – (AP)

The WNBA Season 2024 is gearing up for a banner year. The league’s inaugural game follows a record-breaking women’s collegiate basketball season, in which more people watched the women’s championship game than the men’s.

Now, when some of those collegiate stars, including Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese, make their formal WNBA debuts as rookies, the WNBA will begin play on Tuesday, seeking to capitalize on that excitement.

The WNBA hopes to expand on the success of its 2023 season, which was the most viewed in more than two decades, with viewing up 21% and attendance up 16% from 2022. And now, the league is considering expansion in 2025 and 2026.

The regular season will last until mid-September, with a break for the Paris Olympics in July and August, where dozens of players will compete. The playoffs will run from late September to October.

Here’s something to watch for as the The WNBA Season 2024 begins this week:

Most Valuable Player

Negley: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Wilson mentioned her fourth-place MVP vote again during a preseason Zoom call with reporters. That fueled her through a career-best playoff performance (23.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.4 spg, 2.3 bpg) and she wore the MVP votes total on her second championship parade T-shirt. The Aces collectively run best on negative outside noise — perceived or real — and Wilson appears hungry for the trophy after losing it last year. It should be a great battle between Wilson, Breanna Stewart and possibly Alyssa Thomas again.

Laase: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
It’s hard to believe Wilson didn’t collect her third MVP trophy last season after putting up career numbers and leading the Aces to their second WNBA Championship. Her stats should be similar this season, and the Aces are the favorites to win a third title in a row. If that happens, it will be because of Wilson leading the charge on offense and defense, and voters should take note.

Rookie of the Year

Negley: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Clark is a generational talent whose game is already translating well to the WNBA. More importantly, she’s stepping into a fantastic situation. Indiana began its rebuild a few years ago and has the foundation already set under second-year head coach Christie Sides. I expect Clark to rank top five in assists as the Fever settle in around her.

Laase: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
I can see Rickea Jackson or Angel Reese making a run for the Rookie of the Year award, but Caitlin Clark is in the perfect position to win it. All eyes will be on the Fever, a team that should make a significant jump this season, and Clark will play an important role in that rise. Aliyah Boston won last year, and I expect her new Fever teammate to do the same this season.

Coach of the Year

Negley: Christie Sides, Indiana Fever
This only has a little to do with Clark. Indiana flirted with a playoff spot last year in Sides’ first season and played close contests against Las Vegas and New York. It’s hard to emphasize how important those minor improvements are to a franchise accustomed to struggling. Clark immediately improves the team, but it takes a good coach to put it all together and keep it going.

Laase: Noelle Quinn, Seattle Storm
The Storm went to work this offseason, picking up Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. They join Jewell Loyd to make up a powerful Big Three that should help the Storm to a playoff run. Quinn’s squad has the personnel and potential to go from 11-29 last season to a playoff team. If she can get this team to jell, while developing players like Jordan Horston, Ezi Magbegor and Nika Muhl, I like her chances to win Coach of the Year.

Defensive Player of the Year

Negley: Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
Thomas is one of the league’s toughest defenders who can guard every position and often does. (Ahem, she faces off against the ROY favorite to start the season on Tuesday.) The 11-year veteran stepped up last year, averaging career highs in most categories, including steals (1.8, ranking fourth). Having center Brionna Jones back from an Achilles injury that kept her out last season will help the Sun improve on both sides of the ball, and Connecticut was already the league’s best defense last year.

Laase: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Part of the reason Wilson is my prediction for MVP is because of her defensive prowess. She’s equally important on both sides of the ball, which is why she’s my pick for DPOY as well.

Sixth Player of the Year

Negley: Kayla Thornton, New York Liberty
It’s not always clear during preseason what a team’s standard starting five will look like, and this honor could easily go to Alysha Clark again. That would make six Aces players winning it in a seven-year stretch. Thornton was in line a few times in Dallas for the Sixth Player award and will be a key contributor off the bench for the Liberty again this year. She’s one of their best defenders, averaging the second-most steals per 40 minutes on the roster.

Laase: Rebecca Allen, Phoenix Mercury
Over the last three seasons, Allen has been both a starter and a bench player for the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. She started the most games of her career last season for the Sun (27) and provided a lift as a 3-point shooter and defender, using her length to get off contested shots on offense and to alter them on defense. Now with the Mercury, Allen will likely come off the bench behind Sophie Cunningham, but her skill and experience will remain the same, allowing her to thrive.

Most Improved Player

Negley: Karlie Samuelson, Washington Mystics
Overseas success can be a good predictor of WNBA improvement, and Samuelson is coming off a EuroCup Finals MVP playing with the London Lions. It’s the veteran guard’s first season on a guaranteed contract and I see her taking off in a starting role, even though the Mystics aren’t expected to make much noise. She is one of the game’s best 3-point shooters (42.6%) and should improve on the 7.7 ppg, 3 rpg and 2 apg of her breakout season with Los Angeles.

Laase: Dana Evans, Chicago Sky
Evans has seen her minutes increase every year she’s been in the league. She played 21.5 off the bench for the Sky last season, but Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon has made it clear that Evans will be her team’s starting point guard. In her first season as a starter, Evans should improve upon her 9 points and 3 assists per game, putting her in position to win the award.

Postseason outlook

Negley: The battle for the No. 1 seed came down to the final weeks last year, and I see that happening again. The Aces have to play Phoenix and Seattle more than New York will, which puts the Liberty in the No. 1 spot. A full training camp and second year together to build chemistry helps New York’s case.

I’m high on Indiana’s offense with Clark at the helm and her pick-and-roll game with Boston. If NaLyssa Smith weren’t out for a few games with a stress fracture in her foot, Indiana would have been a playoff team last year. So jumping a few spots doesn’t seem that drastic. Seattle and Phoenix bulking up their rosters with All-Stars puts them each over Dallas, a top-four team in 2023 that will have to go without injured forward Satou Sabally for most of the season.

Laase: The Aces are my favorite for the No. 1 seed and the WNBA title until someone else proves otherwise. With the way Las Vegas has dominated over the last two seasons, I can’t with good conscience put any team over them at this point. After that, I like the Storm to make a big jump and can’t wait to see the Notre Dame guard duo of Loyd and Diggins-Smith playing alongside Ogwumike.

Source: Yahoo News

Indianapolis — Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points, T.J. McConnell added 15 points and 10 assists, and the Indiana Pacers won their third-largest playoff game ever, defeating the New York Knicks 121-89 on Sunday to tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

Haliburton also had six rebounds, five assists, and four three-pointers as the Pacers cruised to a 43-point victory. They fell barely shy of their greatest lopsided playoff victory, a 34-point win over Cleveland in April 2018.

Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks

The series’ fifth game will be played on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks had only three players in double figures. Alec Burks finished with 20, Jalen Brunson with 18 — his lowest total in this tournament — and Deuce McBride with 16 on a day when they shot 33.7% from the field, 18.9% from three, and faced the greatest deficit of any team in this postseason.

Nuggets 115, Timber Wolves 107.

Minneapolis (AP) — Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon added 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting to lead Denver to a series-tying victory over Minnesota in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter, capitalizing on his buzzer-beating swish from behind half-court, and the Wolves only pulled the margin below double digits for brief intervals of the second half.

Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks

Anthony Edwards scored 44 points in another outstanding outing for Minnesota, hitting 16 of 25 from the field. Despite a 42-31 rebounding advantage, the Wolves were defeated at home for the second straight game by the defending NBA champions, who were fired up after losing the first two games of the series on their home court.

The series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Mike Conley scored 15 points, Karl-Anthony Towns went 5 for 18 from the field for 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert came on late to score 11 and 14 rebounds. Nonetheless, the Wolves trailed at home for the second consecutive game.

Pacers Even The Series With 121-89 Game 4 Win Over The Knicks

Gordon didn’t miss until there was 3:39 remaining. The Nuggets closed the first half with eight points in 20 seconds, highlighted by Murray’s unbelievable heave.

SOURCE – (AP)