Just a little stitious

The GIST: After two electric Conference Final series, the Stanley Cup Final is set, with a Canadian squad in the mix for the first time since 2021 and Florida’s finest four wins away from redemption. Ice, ice, baby.

Edmonton Oilers top Dallas Stars in six games to win Western Conference Final: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid made magic happen last night, opening the scoring in the first period of the Oilers’ 2–1 Game 6 win over the Stars and sending Edmonton to a long-awaited chance at Lord Stanley.

• The Oilers last competed for the Cup in 2006, when generational talent McDavid was just nine years old and The Devil Wears Prada was topping the box office. It may have taken a glacial pace, but the Oilers have finally made it back.

Florida Panthers return to Stanley Cup Final for second straight year: What a meow-ment for the reigning Eastern Conference champs, who eliminated the Presidents’ Trophy–winning NY Rangers with a 2–1 Game 6 win on Saturday. The Cats certainly learned their lesson from last year — let’s see if they can complete their revenge tour when the final begins later this week.

The GIST: We’re roughly one-fourth of the way into the WNBA season and women’s hoops is still the talk of the town, but this weekend’s conversation was dominated by a controversial hard foul on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. Let’s cut through the noise.

The foul: The play came in the third quarter of Saturday’s fiery 71–70 Fever win over the Chicago Sky. Chicago’s Chennedy Carter shouldered Clark away from the ball, knocking Clark to the floor. The play was not reviewed during the game and Carter was only issued an away-from-the-ball common foul.

• However, the league later reviewed the call and issued Carter a flagrant 1 yesterday. Given this was her first infraction of the season, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft will not be suspended, but she will accumulate points under the league’s flagrant tracking system.

• Meanwhile, the Sky’s Angel Reese was fined $1K for failing to speak to the media after the game.

The discourse: Saturday’s situation followed Clark’s previous comments on the physicality in the WNBA, in which she said she feels like she’s getting “hammered.” Her coach, Christie Sides, agrees and called the Carter foul “unacceptable,” while noting she’ll continue to send these plays to the league for review.

• Elsewhere, Carter took to social media after refusing to answer questions about the play in the postgame press conference.

• Beyond Saturday’s game, the physicality in the W has been on display all season long, notably when the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul on aforementioned Reese back on May 25th.

The bottom line: These plays understandably had the basketball community (and sports world at large) abuzz, but both Clark and Reese — two big name rookies drawing new eyeballs to the W — have remained committed to keeping the focus on the court. They got knocked down, but they get up again.

The GIST: Through rain delays and unusually late play, the Roland-Garros quarter-finals (QFs) are fast approaching, with half of the women’s and men’s singles spots clinched and the remaining eight to be awarded by the end of the day. Magnifique.

Women’s: No. 1 Iga Świątek and No. 3 Coco Gauff cruised through their respective fourth round matches in straight sets. The defending French Open champion, Świątek will take on No. 5 Markéta Vondroušovà tomorrow, while Gauff faces off against perennial bridesmaid No. 8 Ons Jabeur, who is still seeking her first major title.

• Meanwhile, 2024 Australian Open winner No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is battling No. 22 Emma Navarro early this morning for a QF spot of her own. Navarro upset fellow American No. 14 Madison Keys on Saturday, but she’ll have to dig deep to knock out Sabalenka, who hasn’t dropped a set all tourney.

Men’s: Reigning champ, No. 1 Novak Djokovic will need to stifle a yawn when he faces No. 23 Francisco Cerúndolo in fourth round play today at 10 a.m. ET. Djokovic rallied for a comeback five-set win in the wee hours of Sunday morning, finishing at 3 a.m. local time. Tired just thinking about it.

• Elsewhere, one can’t-miss QF is already set: tomorrow’s showdown between No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz ousted Tsitsipas from Roland-Garros last year, but Tsitsipas has been in top form this clay season.

Elite athletes, pulsing adrenaline, and nail-biting match-ups — it’s all going down at the upcoming US Open. Tickets go on sale today for one of tennis' biggest moments of the year.

• Top stars will go head-to-head in New York City in the final Grand Slam® tournament of the year. Massive stakes mean massive drama, including the chance for phenom Coco Gauff to upset the competition and win back-to-back US Open titles.

Be part of the action from August 26th to September 8th — secure your tickets starting at 9 a.m. ET today and prepare for an unforgettable end to your summer.