You wander onto the track and BANG! The gun goes off before you’re expecting it to as the league returns to action before its European counterparts. The early results don’t seem to matter but so often weigh heavily in how teams end up once the race is over. Shockingly, this week will nudge us past the halfway point. We’ve still got two teams undefeated, and there are a few clear favorites even beyond Monterrey and Cruz Azul (is La Maquina even a favorite?...

“Sometimes you get the bounces and chances you need,” the Tampa Bay defenseman said, “and sometimes you don’t.” MORE: Must-see Stanley Cup Photos | Saad leads Blackhawks to Game 4 win On Wednesday night, the Lightning got some of the bounces they needed, and a few of the chances — but not all of them. Tampa tried to tap a well during the frantic last minute of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, and it came up dry....

“Kenny and I were kind of sitting back-to-back to him and they were doing their picks and I think that year — and they were the right picks — he picked a bunch of Russians,” Nill said. “We kinda looked at him and said, ‘Stevie’s picking all these Russians.’ And that wasn’t his style all the time and here he was.” MORE: Steve Yzerman’s Hall of Fame career | Fedorov, Lidstrom among 2015 Hall of Fame class...

Washington is making its first conference finals appearance since 1998 after finally vanquishing the rival Penguins in the second round. Tampa, meanwhile, is a Stanley Cup semifinalist for a third time in four years and the heavy favorite advance after facing very little turbulence so far in the postseason. GOLDEN STANDARDHow Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history The Lightning enter the series with their high-powered roster fully intact, while the health of Nicklas Backstrom could loom large for the Capitals....

Here’s a bettor’s preview for Game 7. Odds are current as of Thursday. Check our live odds page for updated numbers from Las Vegas. Lightning at Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN (series tied 3-3) Best Tampa Bay line: +140 (Westgate)Best New York line: -145 (CG Technology, Wynn)Total: 5 Analysis: Of course this series is going the distance. The Rangers can never make it easy, win or lose. They’ve played six Game 7s at the Garden over the last four postseasons and won them all....

While there is no fire to go with the smoke fogging the question, and the topic continues to draw attention. Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Pettine got his say in the situation. In a word: Whatever. Pettine called the rumor "noise," preferring to focus on a job that was his, not one for which he was possibly a second choice … or worse. Harbaugh remains coach of the 49ers....

“It’s time for me to say goodbye,” Teigen wrote in a series of tweets before deleting her account. “This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that’s the right time to call something.” She said that the social platform had altered her online persona by making her feel pained and worried about “pissing people off.” “Live well, tweeters,” she said in her final tweet....

The Rockets will face the Indiana Pacers in an NBA preseason game Sunday in Taipei -- a special occasion for the league's first American-born player of Taiwanese descent. "I kind of see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Lin told a packed news conference. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back and play a NBA preseason game here where my parents were born and raised. "Definitely, I am looking forward to it....

In the new campaign spot from the anti-Trump Republican group, Sheen says the Tuesday election will “change our lives forever” and alter “how this country feels about itself” going forward. The West Wing actor also said the 2020 election would mark “the first day of the rest of America’s life” and present a chance to get “the train back on its tracks.” He did not explicitly endorse any particular candidate throughout the clip, but has previously said he despised President Donald Trump....

In a statement released Monday, the conservative political action committee (PAC) said that they are probing the claims against Weaver as part of a “comprehensive review” of the company’s operations and culture. “We are committed to creating a positive, diverse, and inclusive workplace environment at The Lincoln Project and inappropriate behavior by anyone associated with the organization will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the statement read. “We have already taken decisive actions to address internal concerns....

After transferring from Alabama, where he had 28 career starts, to Oklahoma in order to be the Sooners starting quarterback, coach Lincoln Riley said Hurts still has to earn his place under center. “He’s gotta win the job first,” Riley said at Big 12 media days at AT&T Stadium, via ESPN. “If he wins the job, then we’ll talk about that.” Hurts will be playing as a graduate transfer after spending three seasons with the Crimson Tide....

Graham’s plan, suggested to him by representatives from the national restaurant chain Waffle House, would index minimum wage increases to inflation. His plan could also soothe Machin’s worries that the Democrats’ proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would endanger small businesses already harmed by the pandemic’s economic downturn. While Graham didn’t offer specifics when mentioning his plan to reporters last week, similar proposals have tied annual minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI)....

The irrepressible American clinched a record 37th victory in the downhill race on the Italian slopes on Saturday and backed that up by once again taking maximum points in the super-G. MORE: Athletes on SNL | Ronda Rousey takes center stage on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Vonn posted a time of one minute 26.55 seconds, with Tina Weirather 0.69 seconds behind in second, while Viktoria Rebensburg completed the podium. For Vonn, the win means she has now equaled Renate Gotschl’s record of 41 podium finishes in super-G, and she has won five straight races in the discipline to level the record of Katja Seizinger....

Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino saw Brazil overcome Argentina 2-0 in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. However, Argentina hit the woodwork twice through Sergio Aguero and Messi, and twice had penalty shouts turned down. Nicolas Otamendi went down under a heavy challenge from Arthur following a corner and Aguero appeared to be brought down by Dani Alves, the latter occurring just before Firmino’s sealer. Messi felt Argentina deserved two spot-kicks, with the VAR — which has dominated headlines at the Copa America — not asking the referee to look at either incident....

The forward won the Copa Del Rey for the fifth time in his career last season, but Barcelona finished second in La Liga behind Real Madrid and crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals. Revealed: Messi’s wedding menu According to Sport, Messi will be capping off the campaign on a happier note when he gets married on June 30, less than a week after his 30th birthday....

Messi scored a goal on a picture-perfect free kick to momentarily put Argentina ahead of Chile in the opening match of Group A. But Argentina couldn’t make it hold up and the game finished 1-1. The Argentine legend can generally put the ball where he wants, and this time, he curled it into the top right corner past the outstretched arms of Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Here’s another angle of the goal to really appreciate the bend:...

Via csnbayarea.com, the Barcelona superstar spotted online an Afghan youngster wearing his jersey. MORE: Goal’s 2015 MLS Awards | Pep Guardiola to replace Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City Murtaza Ahmadi, 5, pieced together the homemade Messi uniform out of a blue-and-white plastic trash bag and a marker. According to whoateallthepies.tv, Messi’s PR team investigated the boy’s whereabouts and found him in the Ghanzi region of southern Afghanistan. An Afghan FA spokesman confirmed Messi plans to travel to Afghanistan to meet Ahmadi....

But late in Detroit’s game against the Packers, referees whistled him twice for dubious hands to the face calls, extending Green Bay drives that resulted in a touchdown and Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal as time expired. After the game, Flowers, Detroit coach Matt Patricia, the referees and other voices from around the league chimed in. NFL POWER RANKINGS49ers jump Saints; Vikings, Texans rise; Cowboys, Eagles fade

They nearly bookend the first round, as they hold the No. 2 overall pick along with No. 32, acquired from the trade that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams and got them Jared Goff. Detroit holds some leverage with that No. 32 spot, as it is the last pick in which teams get the fifth-year option with first-round picks. We’ve seen teams jump into the first round to have that before, and it’s easy to imagine it happening again....