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Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim meet at a welterweight crossroads. Muhammad, the former divisional champion, looks to get back to title contention as Bonfim attempts to overtake his spot in the title hunt. It all goes down from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday in the headliner of UFC Fight Night. 

Muhammad (24-5, 1 NC) finds himself in unfamiliar territory. In 2024, he became the welterweight champion and extended one of the division’s longest winning streaks. One year later, he lost the title and suffered consecutive losses for the first time. 

The recurring theme of UFC Fight Nights in the Paramount+ era is established veterans vs. potential rising stars. The trend started with Mario Bautista fending off Vinicius Oliveira, and now sees Muhammad (No. 5) battle Bonfim (No 11). Muhammad doesn’t see this week’s main event through the same lens. Brimming with confidence, Muhammad believes the real victim here is his opponent.

“I don’t think it’s at my expense. It’s at Bonfim’s expense,” Muhammad told CBS Sports. “I’m the wrong guy to fight. I’m excited to show the world that I’m still the best. I’m still at the top. I have to go out there and show him.”

“I think I have the best cardio in the division. For me, it’s about getting out there and letting loose. Once I let loose, I can go all day.” 

Bonfim (19-1) has the chance to become the next rising welterweight, pushing out the old guard. Muhammad is the last thread in a welterweight top five that’s been taken over by relatively new blood. Bonfim, younger brother of fellow UFC fighter Ismael Bonfim and head coach Odair Bonfim, isn’t worried about Muhammad’s five-round experience. Bonfim asserts that he’ll not only match Muhammad’s pressure, but push the pace despite competing in his first main event.

“Belal messes up other fighters and their rhythm,” Bonfim said through a Portuguese interpreter. “My kicking, movement and quick jabs are key. If he decides to take me down, I can submit him. I will stand up if I need to. I will pressure him every moment.”

This week’s Fight Night has many interesting A-sides. Brendan Allen takes a significant risk staking his No. 4 middleweight position against unranked contender Edmen Shahbazyan. Fares Ziam has the makings of a major player in the lightweight division, Bryce Mitchell continues his rehabilitation and Iwo Barankiewski looks for his fourth consecutive first-round knockout in less than a year.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

Favorite	Underdog	Weightclass
Belal Muhammad -122	Gabriel Bonfim +102	Welterweight
Brendan Allen -205	Edmen Shahbazyan +170	Middleweight
Fares Ziam -310	Tom Nolan +250	Lightweight
Bryce Mitchell -142	Santiago Luna +120	Bantamweight
Iwo Baraniewski -380	Junior Tafa +300	Light heavyweight

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: June 6 | Start time: 8 p.m. (Main card) | 5 p.m. (Preliminary card)
Location: Meta APEX – Las Vegas
Stream: Paramount+ 

Prediction

Belal Muhammad vs. Gabriel Bonfim: Bonfim’s resume buries the lede. The many submissions on his record are not his best weapons, at least not at the UFC level. It’s his kicking game. Bonfim is a fast-twitch athlete with thumping kicks. He knocked out smooth striker Randy Brown with a knee, but Bonfim’s calf kicks are most devastating. Landing them regularly is crucial to stunting Muhammad’s movement and pressure. He’s far more dangerous than Muhammad at range and has a submission game, too. The rising contender has the advantage in most key categories: KO power, submissions, athleticism and youth. I’m still picking against him. Muhammad’s wrestling pressure is unreal. He has very little finishing prowess, but he’s nearly impossible to put away. Muhammad sticks to you like glue, wearing you down with his relentless takedown pursuits. His impeccable submission defense supports this initiative. This style will only got better training with UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

There are two concerns with Bonfim that I cannot ignore: his stamina and deviation from what works. Bonfim’s sole loss came against Nicolas Dalby, an imperfect veteran who can beat world-class fighters on his best day. Dalby struggled in Round 1 before draining Bonfim with pressure in Round 2 to score a TKO. Bonfim has clearly worked on his endurance, and Muhammad can’t strike like Dalby, but I’m concerned about fatigue in a five-rounder. Against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Bonfim showed the veteran far too much respect. The split decision fight was closer than it should have been. Fighting a former champion in a five-round setting — two firsts for Bonfim — might make him deviate too far from his preferred style if he can’t finish early. Pick: Muhammad via unanimous decision

As is typically the case, Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village is presenting an incredibly stiff test for the PGA Tour’s best at the 2026 Memorial Tournament. A firm, fast golf course with thick rough is still the formula for challenging the world’s best, and when you sprinkle in some strong wind gusts in the afternoon, it made for an incredibly difficult Friday in Dublin, Ohio. 

Among the players having trouble handling that challenge is the two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler. The World No. 1 opened his week with a 1-over 73 on Thursday that included a meltdown at caddie Ted Scott after finding the water on the par-3 16th to lead to a double bogey. 

Things didn’t improve much to start his second round. Scheffler failed to make a birdie on the front nine, including a par on the par-5 5th that included a shank from the bunker after getting it greenside in two. 

Three straight bogeys from No. 8 to No. 10 as he made the turn only added to Scheffler’s stress, as he suddenly found himself at 4 over and on the cut line with eight holes to play. As is typically the case, Scheffler was able to steady the ship and made a late surge with three birdies in his final five holes to climb not only off the cut line but inside the top 20 heading into the weekend at 1 over. 

The concern for Scheffler is that while he’s gaining strokes around the greens and with the putter this week, he’s been among the worst in the field with his iron play. Scheffler ranks 59th (out of 72 players) in strokes gained approach, losing more than two shots to the field, and the distance control that made him so dominant the last two years at Muirfield Village has not shown up thus far to start the week. 

A year ago, Scheffler made up a three-shot deficit entering the weekend to win by four, but he’ll need an even bigger weekend charge if he’s going to pull off the first three-peat at the Memorial since Tiger Woods did it back in 2001. Scheffler is currently 10 shots back of J.T. Poston, whose 65 on Friday was truly remarkable given the difficult conditions. Scheffler will need to find a more consistent level with the irons we haven’t seen from him yet this week if he’s going to make himself a real threat. 

Scheffler is far from alone in terms of top players who have had fits with Muirfield Village through the first two days of play. Rory McIlroy is also part of the T19 group at 1 over after a 74 in the worst of the afternoon conditions. He and Justin Thomas (+5) gave a somewhat mocking embrace on the 18th green after surviving a brutal day of golf. Like Thomas, Ludvig Åberg made the cut on the number at 5 over after a Friday 78, as Nicklaus’ masterpiece showed its teeth in a big way in the second round. 

The leader

1. J.T. Poston (-9)

Poston gained more than nine strokes on the field in his 7-under 65 on Friday that saw him jump into the solo lead heading into the weekend. Poston has long been one of the PGA Tour’s best putters, but on Friday he married that quality on the greens with a sensational ball-striking round to post the best score of the day by four strokes. As we saw last year with Ben Griffin and Nick Taylor, who got to 7 under after 36 holes before stumbling a bit and getting passed by Scheffler, it’s never easy maintaining that kind of level at Muirfield Village over 72 holes. The good news for Poston is he’s created a good bit of separation from much of the field with just four other players within six shots of him going into Saturday.

Weekend contenders

2. Ryan Gerard (-8)
3. Sam Burns (-6)
4. Tommy Fleetwood (-4)
5. Eric Cole (-3)
T6. Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark (-2)
T9. Alex Fitzpatrick, Aaron Rai, Shane Lowry (-1)
T19. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and eight others (+1)

Gerard had the lead for much of the morning before Poston ran him down, but the 26-year-old is building on the form from last week’s T10 finish at Colonial and putting himself in position for the biggest win of his career. Sam Burns has shot 69 in both rounds so far and if he could somehow do that all four days, he’d be the heavy favorite to win on Sunday, even facing a three-shot deficit to start the weekend. 

Those two and Poston will likely dictate how many players have a chance come Sunday. Any one of them, especially Poston and Gerard, can set the bar too high for anyone else to reasonably reach given the challenge of Muirfield Village. However, if they back up — as is often the case at the Memorial — then an awful lot of players will have an opportunity. 

Only five shots separate the big group at T19 from Tommy Fleetwood in fourth at 4 under. That kind of movement is certainly in play, and if that trio at the top starts sliding back, we could see an extremely exciting weekend. Cole had a heartbreaking loss last week in a playoff to Russell Henley, but, like Alex Fitzpatrick, is taking advantage of his chance to play in a signature event while in good form. 

Cantlay playing well at Muirfield Village isn’t a surprise given he’s a two-time winner here, and he knows steady play and avoiding mistakes is job No. 1 at the Memorial. Schauffele likewise is a strong theoretical course fit for Muirfield Village and continues his solid play this season in search of his first win in more than a year. Clark, who won two weeks ago by going crazy low at TPC Craig Ranch, is playing well again on a very different kind of golf course, which shows how strong his game is right now. 

Notable players who missed the cut

• Jordan Spieth (+6)
• Ben Griffin (+7)
• Min Woo Lee (+8)
• Akshay Bhatia (+9)
• Rickie Fowler (+17)

The top 50 and ties made the weekend, and this week that sent 19 players packing early from the 72-man field. Spieth got off to a great start with a Thursday 71 but had it all go wrong in Friday’s second round with a 79. Griffin, last year’s runner-up, also had a rough first two days and will not make the weekend, and Fowler had two days to forget as his best round was a 79. 

Updated Memorial Tournament odds, picks

• J.T. Poston (2-1)
• Ryan Gerard (3-1)
• Sam Burns (5-1)
• Tommy Fleetwood (19/2)
• Xander Schauffele (18-1)
• Scottie Scheffler (20-1)
• Patrick Cantlay (22-1)

Poston or Gerard could absolutely run away and win this, but I have a hard time investing at this low a price with this much golf left to play at a tough course. Scheffler having the sixth-best odds with a 10-shot deficit is hysterical, as the sportsbooks have no interest in paving the way for a big payout for anyone taking him to catch fire on the weekend. I would rather take Schauffele in the same range as someone playing a bit better and three shots closer to the lead. Fleetwood’s ball-striking concerns me a touch as well, as his Thursday 67 felt like some smoke and mirrors after scrambling 11 times for pars, but he’s certainly in play for his first win of the year if he can steady the ship. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have spent months regrouping quickly after losses and they have proven unshaken by the challenge of playing in hostile arenas or in next-goal-wins extra time.

Those responses in the most pressure-packed of scenarios helps explain why they’re back to even in the Stanley Cup Final after losing the opener to the Vegas Golden Knights heading into Saturday’s Game 3 on the road. If anything, they seem to be thriving on it with a perfect record in overtime and road games in the postseason, along with avoiding consecutive losses since mid-January.

“It’s a special time of year, and it’s a really cool opportunity and experience we all get to have,” goaltender Frederik Andersen said Friday. “And if we weren’t enjoying it as well, it would be a big shame, right?”

The Hurricanes improved to 13-2 in the playoffs in dramatic fashion Thursday, rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win 4-3 in overtime and split the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The thriller ended with Seth Jarvis hammering a one-timer past Carter Hart from the left side with the man advantage, a moment the Hurricanes are hoping is a breakthrough moment for their regular-season goals leader and the power-play unit after both have sputtered in the postseason.

The story is just as much about the Hurricanes’ ability to navigate through turbulence. The win marked marked Carolina’s 13th straight win when coming off a loss, a run that started after consecutive losses at Detroit and St. Louis on Jan. 12 and 13.

“It goes to talking about belief,” forward Andrei Svechnikov said. “I think we believe in the group. We’re confident in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. We believe in our system, and we just try to go there and play our game, and that’s what we’ve kind of been doing.”

Carolina’s first postseason loss came in the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal, with the Hurricanes emerging from an 11-day between-rounds break — the longest in the playoffs in more than a century — and giving up four first-period goals in a 6-2 loss.

They responded with four straight wins, twice in overtime and then two in romps by a combined 10-1 margin to close out the series.

Coming off a 5-4 loss in Game 1 to Vegas, Carolina responded again, though it looked grim facing a 2-0 deficit and being outplayed in a second period that coach Rod Brind’Amour admitted was “kind of a dud.”

The Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in a span of roughly five minutes in the third period, the last being captain Jordan Staal’s deflection from the top of the crease on the power play.

Then Carolina shook off Vegas scoring an OT-forcing goal with 1:21 left in regulation to cash in for a second straight time on a power play with Jarvis banging in the winner. That came on a well-executed sequence with Shayne Gostisbehere — who assisted on Staal’s score — working up top.

Gostisbehere sold that he might shoot the puck enough to heighten the attention of the Golden Knights’ defenders packed in the middle, while Nikolaj Ehlers even hopped in the slot as though jumping over a shot. That kept Hart locked an extra beat in the middle as Gostisbehere instead passed to Jarvis on the left side for the winner.

Before those scores, Carolina’s power play stood at 7 for 60 (11.7%) in the playoffs after ranking fourth in the regular season (24.9%).

Now Carolina is 6-0 in overtime in the playoffs, including in all four Game 2 home wins, and a 6-0 on the road.

“For almost 50 minutes there (emotions are) kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s a roller coaster, for sure. But it’s just managing them. We’re still human beings. We’re going to be nervous out there and have emotions, but the more you do it, the more you do anything, you get used to it.”

MONTREAL (AP) — Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy given to the NHL’s top defensive forward while teammate Cole Caufield was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and skill.

Suzuki, the first choice on 151 of the 198 ballots cast by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the honor announced Friday, posted a career-high 101 points in 2025-26, and the Canadiens outscored their opponents 94-58 at even strength when Suzuki was on the ice. Tampa Bay center Anthony Cirelli finished second followed by Colorado center Brock Nelson.

“It doesn’t happen without him and his leadership every day,” Caufield said of Suzuki, the Canadiens’ top center. “There’s so many things that he does that help the team as a whole. We really follow his lead. It’s very well-deserved, but I think the guys in the room will tell you maybe not expected, but it’s something that we all knew he has in him.”

Caufield was the Canadiens’ first 50-goal scorer in 36 years with 51, and was assessed just seven minor penalties. Newly retired Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, a three-time Lady Byng winner, was second in voting, followed by Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson.

“Special to give Cole his award and all the effort that he put in this season and what he’s done for our team,” Suzuki said. “The enthusiasm every morning that we all need on some tough mornings. It was cool to share that experience with him. We’ve been through a lot together.”

Suzuki and Caulfield were tasked with presenting the other with their award and said they had no idea they themselves were winners until they were surprised last month.

“It got both of us,” Suzuki said on a video conference call of the award ruse on May 11 that was kept secret for 3 1/2 weeks. “We just thought we were both presenting. It was a great job by everyone to keep that on the down low.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Gavin McKenna left his family and friends behind in Whitehorse, Yukon, some six years ago to pursue his NHL dream.

Now, the NHL is traveling to one of Canada’s most remote regions to meet with McKenna — the 18-year-old forward projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft later this month.

“It was obviously an honor for him to come up there,” McKenna said Friday, referring to Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka’s recent trip to Whitehorse to meet with him and his family.

“Anytime he’s taking time out to come meet with you, it’s awesome,” he added, speaking at the NHL pre-draft prospects combine in Buffalo. “And it was good to meet with him and get a feel for him.”

The significance of Chayka’s trip can’t be understated. By winning the draft lottery last month, the Maple Leafs hold the No. 1 pick of the draft being held in Buffalo on June 26-27.

And the newly hired GM appreciates the chance and responsibility of placing an immediate stamp on his franchise’s future.

Without tipping his hand on who he might select, Chayka described his trip to the Klondike as important in getting a better understanding of who McKenna is as a person, beyond the prolific numbers he’s put up on both sides of the border.

As first impressions go, Chayka said: “I think there’s some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family. And I find it impressive.”

McKenna has done all he’s been asked to live up to being pegged the top prospect of his age group as many as three years ago.

He’s produced at more than a point-a-game pace and excelled on the international stage. And McKenna took one step further this season by showing he can adapt and excel against older and more physical competition by making the jump from the Western Hockey League to Penn State.

Now it’s a matter of waiting for the draft.

“It would be an honor. As a kid, that’s what you dream of,” McKenna said of potentially being selected No. 1 by Toronto. “And obviously, being a Canadian kid, going to a Canadian market would be pretty special.”

Though ranked as NHL Central Scouting’s top North American prospect, McKenna has competition in what’s considered a talented pool of players.

Central Scouting chief Dan Marr told The Associated Press as many as four players could go No. 1. Aside from McKenna, a right wing, there’s Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg and Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits — the top-two ranked international prospects.

And then there’s Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Chase Reid, who is from Plymouth, Michigan, and considered the top-ranked U.S.-born prospect.

Much of the order will depend on how teams rate their needs positionally, Marr said, adding: “This could be a draft year where the top three teams selecting say, `We got the No. 1 guy on our list.’”

San Jose is scheduled to pick second, followed by Vancouver, Chicago and the New York Rangers.

Marr stood by McKenna as being the one player teams can’t pass up.

In two-plus seasons with WHL Medicine Hat, McKenna had 244 points (79 goals, 165 assists) in 133 games.

At Penn State, McKenna overcame an adjustment period in the first half of the season to finish fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games as a freshman. What shined through is 32 of his points coming in McKenna’s final 17 outings.

“I don’t know what more they expect him to do,” Marr said. “He’s showing he can adapt to the level of play, adapt to a different style of play. He just made himself more ready for the NHL.”

McKenna’s year at Penn State was not without its bumps. Aside from the slow start, he was involved in an on-campus altercation in which McKenna allegedly broke a man’s jaw in February.

Prosecutors have since dropped the most serious charge of aggravated assault. McKenna still faces charges of misdemeanor simple assault, along with harassment and disorderly conduct.

Chayka investigated the matter by saying he talked to everyone involved. “We understand the situation, and we’re comfortable,” he said.

McKenna was not suspended by the team, and has not commented on what happened.

Where ever he’s drafted, McKenna is certain of one thing in knowing he’s going to have to become accustomed to big-city living. With Whitehorse’s population at about 35,000, McKenna said the largest market he’s lived was Kelowna, British Columbia (166,000), where he attended a hockey academy upon first leaving home.

“I’ve kind of figured out how to live away from home,” McKenna said. “And yeah, being a smalltown kid, moving to a big city would be pretty cool.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roki Sasaki is finally becoming the pitcher in real life that the Los Angeles Dodgers first saw on video in Japan.

The 24-year-old right-hander didn’t allow a hit through 4 1/3 innings and had a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Sasaki notched his first career scoreless start after 18 previous starts. He threw 98 pitches, 72 for strikes, generating his second-best strike percentage of 73.5% in a start. He reached 100.4 mph.

“He went through some tough times and some doubts,” manager Dave Roberts said, “but he’s gotten to the other side.”

Roberts sent Sasaki back out for the seventh inning to see how the youngster would respond in a scoreless game. Sasaki retired the side, striking out two.

“He was on the attack, he didn’t run,” Roberts said. “That shows a lot of growth.”

Sasaki was expected to be the next big thing coming out of Nippon Professional Baseball. But he failed to crack the Dodgers’ starting rotation as a rookie. His sad face and teary eyes in his U.S. debut was shown on Japanese television, triggering some unflattering reaction on social media and around baseball.

“We all felt sorry for him,” Roberts recalled.

Sasaki’s poor body language on the mound tipped opposing hitters to a lack of confidence, too.

He then missed 4 1/2 months with shoulder issues before returning as the team’s closer during its postseason run to a second straight World Series.

But he arrived to spring training and walked 15 batters, again raising concerns about his ability to perform as a starter and shaking his confidence.

Over the last month, however, Sasaki has built consistency thanks to a harder splitter that touches 90 mph and complements his fastball and slider as well as improving his command.

“There is an adjustment with the ball that he had to make with his grip,” Roberts said. “You can see his demeanor on the mound. There’s just no more doubt and uncertainty.”

Sasaki lowered his ERA to 4.03 and he has a 1.48 ERA over his last four starts.

“I’m just doing small things all the time, and I just keep building on it,” he said through a translator.

The Dodgers beat the Angels on Freeman’s sixth career walkoff home run after both teams had three hits apiece.

“Roki has really turned the corner here and it’s fun to watch,” Freeman said, “especially after last year grinding, coming back as a bullpen guy. He just looks great out there.”

Freeman and catcher Will Smith are among a clubhouse full of teammates rooting for Sasaki to succeed on a team in which his fellow Japanese — two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — set high standards.

“You can see the care factor, the drive he’s got,” Smith said. “It’s good to see the benefits right now.”

Texas Tech’s appeal to the NCAA to have Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility reinstated has been denied, in a ruling that is separate from the transfer quarterback’s lawsuit against that same governing body.

A person with knowledge of the NCAA’s decision told The Associated Press on Friday night that the NCAA for the second time denied Texas Tech’s petition to restore the quarterback’s eligibility. He was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged gambling on sports, including on his own team while at Indiana.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP because there was no announcement about the appeal decision from either the NCAA or the quarterback’s current school.

That came while the NCAA and Sorsby were still waiting for a ruling from a Texas judge after the quarterback filed a lawsuit May 18 seeking a temporary injunction against the NCAA in hopes of playing this season for the Red Raiders after transferring from Cincinnati.

A two-hour hearing was held Monday in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. As of Friday, there still was no decision from Judge Ken Curry.

Texas Tech had said May 26 that it was appealing after the NCAA denied the school’s initial petition to have Sorsby’s eligibility reinstated.

University president Lawrence Schovanec at that time wrote in a letter to the Texas Tech community that the school felt “the NCAA’s ruling should be reversed or modified.”

The school had ruled Sorsby ineligible May 18, the same day he filed his lawsuit. Tech had to do that to be able to pursue a request for his reinstatement that it submitted to the NCAA the following day. That was denied May 22.

Before the Carolina Hurricanes made their comeback, before the Vegas Golden Knights needed a goal with 81 seconds left in regulation to tie it and before Seth Jarvis scored in overtime, the sound of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final was silence.

The same crowd that roared at the start of the series was stunned, with their beloved Hurricanes shut out through the first two periods for the first time since mid-January. They were fewer than 15 minutes away from a 2-0 hole that only five of 55 teams have overcome to hoist the Cup.

The topsy-turvy ride that followed ended with Carolina winning in emotional fashion and making this a competitive series between two of the best teams in the NHL. Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.

If it is anything like the first two, it is best to expect the unexpected the rest of the way.

“It’s obviously a new series, a five-game series now,” said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who leads the Hurricanes with three points so far in the final. “A lot of emotions throughout the games, too. For almost 50 minutes there it’s kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high. It’s a roller coaster for sure.”

This final is shaping up to be more like a seesaw, with wild momentum swings back and forth. This is the first Cup final in league history in which each of the first two games featured a multigoal comeback victory.

Carolina is now the first team in 82 years to win a game in the final when down by more than one goal within the final 10 minutes of regulation. That would also make Vegas — which fell behind by two goals in the opener — the first team since 1944 to blow such a lead.

“The sport of hockey is funny that way,” Golden Knights center William Karlsson said Friday. “I think that’s why we all love it. It can go either way at any times …. But it’s hockey. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s bound to happen.”

The Hurricanes after cruising through the first three rounds with 12 wins and just one loss met their match in Vegas, and that was evident in Game 1. What also became clear is that neither of team is going to get pushed around for an entire night, even if there are stretches of domination by one side or the other.

“It’s going to be hard to play your best game — that’s the point,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It would be great if you could do it for the whole 60 minutes. But it’s probably not going to be that way because they’re a very, very good team.”

Counterpart John Tortorella emphasized that again before he and his team flew home, insisting he likes where Vegas is at two games into its biggest challenge yet this postseason. The Golden Knights have stolen home-ice advantage and get to play the next two on The Strip, where Tortorella can better control matchups.

“There’s no difference,” Tortorella said. “We’re going to play. We know how to play. We know how we want to play.”

So do the Hurricanes, and it’s what they displayed at the end of Game 2. Logan Stankoven provided the spark, Mark Jankowski kept it going and Jordan Staal scored on a power play after Tortorella’s failed goaltender interference challenge became a difference-making moment.

Of course, the Golden Knights dominating for much of the first two periods and the start of the third showed why they’ve been such a buzzsaw since Tortorella took over in late March. Brind’Amour acknowledged the vibes around his team were better than they could have been if not for the turnaround, but neither team should expect to feel too good about itself for toon long in a series like this.

Players are embracing that as part of the fun.

“This is exciting,” Jarvis said. “This is what playoff hockey’s all about is tight games and momentum swings, and you never really know what’s going to happen next. I don’t think you can ask any more of a playoff series.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alison Lee seized a share of the lead at the 81st U.S. Women’s Open on Friday with a second-round 68 in her native Los Angeles area, joining Ruoning Yin at 4-under 138 atop a crowded leaderboard at Riviera.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda jumped into the hunt for her first Women’s Open title by shooting the day’s lowest round at 67, leaving her just two shots back after struggling Thursday.

Opening-round leader Jennifer Kupcho, Sei Young Kim and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez were in a group of six at 3-under 139, while Korda and three others were at 140.

The venerable course at this 100-year-old country club is hosting its first U.S. Women’s Open, and it remained unforgiving for the world’s best. Only two players managed a bogey-free round Friday — including China’s Yin, who semi-jokingly called Riviera “passive aggressive” despite being the only player in the field to shoot two sub-70 rounds so far.

“I love it,” Yin said. “I always say that the more difficult (the course), the better.”

Yin carded her second straight 69 in the same city where she earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2023, a couple of months before she won the Women’s PGA Championship. She tied for fourth at last year’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

Lee played under par for the second straight day at Riviera, highlighted by back-to-back birdies just before the turn. The new mother’s first two rounds are an extension of a strong start to the season that includes a third-place finish at the Mizuho Americas Open four weeks ago.

“To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool,” Lee said. I don’t want to get ahead of myself … but if you’d told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying.”

The 31-year-old Lee grew up in suburban Valencia and had a stellar junior career before playing at UCLA and embarking on her pro career. She is a two-time Solheim Cup participant, but she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour while managing just two top-10 finishes at 44 majors.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been very tough,” Lee said. “I’ve gone through a few stages, a few slumps, if you want to call it, in my career, even since I was like 15 years old. … no matter what I did, no matter how much I practiced, it just wasn’t going my way.”

Lee then took most of last year off for the birth of her son, Levi. While she says her sleep rhythms are regularly interrupted by her 13-month-old these days, her parents and extended family in Valencia have relieved some of the burden during the Open.

Levi was in attendance for Friday’s round, but Lee’s partner only brought him out to watch the 18th hole because the youngster has a tendency to get excited: He yelled “Ball!” during his mom’s backswing at The Chevron Championship earlier this year.

With family around her, Lee is finally having the moment she had long anticipated.

“I feel like I’ve definitely underachieved what I could have done out here on tour,” Lee said. “It’s definitely been really frustrating. I’m at a point now where I’ve truly accepted it, but like I said, that’s part of why I want to come back and play. I feel like I was so close so many times.”

Kim was one shot behind Kupcho after the opening round, and she was thrust into the lead early in the second despite shooting 1 over on the front nine. She bogeyed the 18th to drop her share of the lead in one of the day’s final groups.

Kupcho scuffled to a second-round 73 after carding the only 66 of the tournament so far on Thursday.

Among the players who missed the 36-hole cut were world No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim, three-time major champion Lydia Ko, five-time major champion Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie West, who largely left golf in 2023.

The 36-year-old Wie West returned to competition last month at the Mizuho Americas Open, but she isn’t currently planning to play beyond this U.S. Open.

She shot 7 over at Riviera — the former club of her late father-in-law, Lakers icon Jerry West — after using the final year of her exemption from winning the 2014 U.S. Open. Her husband, Jonnie West, was her caddie.

“Obviously, I would be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed,” Wie West said. “I would have loved to have made the cut today, but I had a blast, honestly, playing here at Riv. Such a special week to have played it, and to have family, friends, a lot of familiar faces coming out. It was a lot of fun. I hit some good shots, hit some good putts and kind of felt that feeling again, which is awesome.”

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — J.T. Poston stepped onto the putting green Friday at the Memorial just in time to feel the first gust of wind, knowing a tough course was about to get even harder. Part of him was eager to see how a new golf ball to help with the wind was going to perform. It’s safe to say he was pleased.

Poston had eight birdies in a round of 7-under 65, a score best measured by the fact he was nine shots better than the field average, enough for a one-shot lead over Ryan Gerard going into the weekend at Muirfield Village.

Poston was at 9-under 135, a score not many saw coming.

The quality of his round could be measured by the comments of some of his peers. The interview with Tommy Fleetwood began with a statement that it seemed tougher out there.

“Is that a question?” Fleetwood replied. “Yeah, we’ll expand on that. It was pretty brutal, actually.”

Justin Thomas hit a phenomenal flop shot from behind the 18th green and holed a 6-foot par putt to make the cut on the number.

“I can’t put into words how hard that was,” said Thomas, who did anyway. “That was the hardest round of golf that I can remember, major, non-major, it was just insane.”

It was all about the wind, not the strongest these players have ever felt (especially if they have been to Kapalua or Scotland) but Muirfield Village has so much trouble and so little room to play it safe that it became vexing.

That wasn’t the case for Poston, who decided last week to change to what he called the “left dash ball Titleist makes.”

“It’s supposed to help me a little bit in the wind,” Poston said. “So we felt like today was going to be a good test of that and it obviously performed really well. We had a couple shots that I felt like didn’t quite hit them perfect and it hung in there pretty well.”

Of course, there was a player hitting the shots, and in his case rolling the putts. So was it the golf ball or the putter?

“Both,” Poston said. “The ball got me there, the putter helped me get it in the hole.”

Only two of his eight birdie putts were inside 10 feet. Statistically, Poston picked up four shots on the field with his putting in the strokes gained category. He took 24 putts and the distance they covered was 134 feet. No matter which number, it was really good.

He might have been the only one happy to see wind.

“Yeah, sure,” Poston said with a laugh. “It’s hard to say I wasn’t when you shoot 65. I just knew it was going to play tough and the goal was to try and be patient and keep hitting the shots like I was hitting yesterday and it helps to get off to a great start, make a few nice, longish putts the first couple holes and I feel like I was just kind of off and running.”

Gerard was pleased with his 69, getting three birdies before the wind really started to get tough. And he clearly remembers when that happened.

“Seven fairway,” Gerard said. “I was spraying sunscreen and all of a sudden it started going all over the place. And my caddie was like, ‘Oh, I guess it’s windy now.’”

And it only got worse.

Scottie Scheffler hit a shank, said he felt like he was going to shoot 90 and came to life late with three birdies to salvage a 72. He was 10 shots behind in his bid for a third straight victory at the Memorial. Rory McIlroy had a double bogey and two bogeys over his last six holes for a 74. He also was 10 shots behind in his bid to win for the first time in 14 tries at Muirfield Village.

Sam Burns had another 69 and was three shots back, followed by Fleetwood (73).

Gerard, much like Scheffler, was happy with 69 considering he wasn’t entirely on top of his game. He spoke of “grimy up-and-downs” to stay in the game.

“I hit it in two hazards off the tee on par 5s on the back nine and hit both greens in regulation from 240-plus,” he said. “But it’s just kind of keeping yourself in the hole — it’s not easy — and allowing yourself to be positive.

“Mentally and physically this place is a monster, not only because it’s a big walk and I’m dealing with nine million allergies or whatever they’re putting out there,” he said. “So it’s a test of patience.”