Baby, baby, baby, oh
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Finally Friday!
Need some fashion inspo for your weekend ’fits? Look no further than the Las Vegas Aces, who rolled up to the White House in style yesterday to celebrate their back-to-back WNBA championships. Straight fire.
- P.S. We’ll be sending out a Mother’s Day Sunday Scroll this weekend. We know it can be a difficult day, so if you’d rather not receive that email, opt out here. It won’t impact your regular GIST subscription.
— Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić, evidently unbothered after winning his third NBA MVP Award in four years on Wednesday. It makes sense — the Joker has bigger wolves fish to fry these days.
PWHL playoffs
🏒 Let’s get this party started
The GIST: The championship chase is on, with the PWHL’s inaugural postseason Game 1s officially in the books. Turn on tweet notifications to see highlights in real time, and settle in because the best-of-five semis are just getting started.
Top-seeded Toronto dominates No. 4 Minnesota in Game 1: Toronto certainly appeared to have made the right semis choice on Wednesday, topping Minnesota 4–0 in front of a sold out crowd. Regular-season points leader Natalie Spooner scored the first goal in PWHL playoff history, and Toronto never looked back en route to the goalie Kristen Campbell–led shutout.
- That marks six straight Ls for Minnesota, dating back to the regular season, but fortunately their gear will have arrived with plenty of time ahead of tonight’s pivotal 7 p.m. ET Game 2 in Toronto.
No. 3 Boston outlasts No. 2 Montréal on the road: The first-ever overtime (OT) PWHL playoff game saw Boston emerge victorious 2–1 as Susanna Tapani lit the lamp with the golden goal game-winner. Say that three times fast.
- With a massive road win in hand and goalie Aerin Frankel in net fresh off last night’s PWHL-record 53-save performance, Boston now has a chance to take a commanding 2-0 series lead when the puck drops for Game 2 tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.
NHL Conference semifinals
🏒 The boys only break their favorite toys
The GIST: The good ol’ hockey game has not disappointed thus far, as teams bring the heat in conference semis play. Scorching that ice.
NY Rangers are one win away from another sweep: The Presidents’ Trophy winners got off to a slow start, but thanks to winger Artemi Panarin, the Rangers skated to a 3–2 OT Game 3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to stay undefeated in the postseason. The Canes will now skate to save their season in tomorrow’s 7 p.m. ET Game 4.
Dallas Stars eke out win over Colorado Avalanche: The Stars almost re-lived their nightmarish Game 1, surrendering three third-period goals to the high-powered Avs, before escaping with a 5–3 Game 2 win last night. With the series tied at one game apiece, these Central Division foes know each other better than anyone — expect more chaos in Game 3 tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET.
Looking ahead to tonight’s games: The fun begins at 7 p.m. ET in Beantown, where the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers (tied 1-1) will duke it out (probably quite literally) for the upper hand in the series. Just like Katy Perry, each team has been hot and cold through the first two games, so tonight’s winner can gain some serious momentum for the rest of the series.
- Over on the West Coast, the Vancouver Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 5–4 in Wednesday’s Game 1. Watch for Oilers star Connor McDavid to take more shots (there’s nowhere to go but up) when the Game 2 puck drops at 10 p.m. ET.
Together With Scotiabank
🏒 The future is now
OMG, it’s happening! The first-ever PWHL Playoffs are underway, and our pals at Scotiabank celebrated the milestone by announcing their partnership with the league, becoming the Official Bank of the PWHL. Cha-ching.
- Scotiabank has always known that hockey is for everyone, which is why they’ve been investing in the future of Canadian women’s hockey for years, from their support of the PWHPA and Dream Gap Tour to their Girls HockeyFest and Hockey for All programs.
- This landmark partnership is the next evolution of Scotiabank’s support, and it’s helping build momentum as enthusiasm for the league is at an all-time high. That’s worth a Montréal-level celly.
NBA Conference semifinals
🏀 Ain’t playing around
The GIST: After last night’s postseason hoopla saw two underdogs come out on top, there’s more chaos to come as the conference semis shift venues for Games 3 and 4. No chicken counting here.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ role players shine in Game 2 upset: Six Cavs scored in double digits, helping Cleveland shock the No. 1 Boston Celtics 118–94 last night. Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, making him the first Cav since some guy named LeBron James to record a 20/10/5 playoff statline. Can he do it again in tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 3?
Luka Dončić (29 points) steers Dallas Mavericks to gutsy win: Dončić and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were both MVP contenders this season, but Dončić came out on top last night, handing the Thunder their first postseason L, a 119–110 Mavs’ victory. With the series evened 1-1, the action swings to Dallas for Game 3, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s Game 3 doubleheader: First up, it’s the Indiana Pacers (down 0-2) vs. the NY Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, with Indy playing host after submitting a lengthy list of referee complaints from Games 1 and 2. However, the outcome of tonight’s battle will likely hinge less on officiating and more on the Knicks’ growing injury list, which now includes All-Star Jalen Brunson. Uh oh.
- Then at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Minnesota Timberwolves, bolstered by the return of Defensive Player of the Year (and new dad) Rudy Gobert, have a home court chance to extend their 2-0 series lead over the defending champ Denver Nuggets. Can Denver rally? Neigh-ver say never.
🍁 To no one’s surprise, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe yesterday following another disappointing first-round playoff exit. The search for the next bench boss begins immediately.
💰 LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud amid his ongoing gambling scandal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Wednesday announcement. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison.
🎾 Clay court king Rafael Nadal won his opening match at the Italian Open in three sets yesterday and will next face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the Round of 64 tomorrow. Vamos!
⛳ After one full day at the Cognizant Founders Cup, American and world No. 22 Rose Zhang leads the field with a nine-under par, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda sits six strokes back in her quest for a sixth straight LPGA Tour title.
⚾ The struggling Toronto Blue Jays will look to open their homestand in a big way when the very good Minnesota Twins come to town for three weekend games starting tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
🏓 What to play
Padel. The sport is a blend of tennis and squash and has surged in popularity, attracting significant attention from luxury brands aiming to tap into its affluent player base, which includes the likes of soccer icons David Beckham and Lionel Messi.
🏀 What to shop
Gear from Hoop York City, a women’s basketball community aiming to close the gender play gap by creating more opportunities for women in NYC to hoop and connect. Hell to the yes.
👟 How to stay fit
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Question of the Day
New team, who ’dis? Utah’s new NHL team (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) is searching for a new name and we want to know which one you would pick. Cast your vote below or reply to this email with your ideas.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Annie Chan. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.