Normally, efforts in ranking prospects are considered to be slightly more difficult for when drafting outside the first or second pick, mainly because the kids earmarked in the preseason for the top two slots usually end up there on draft day. The same should ring true this year, as record-setting seasons from both American-born center Jack Hughes and Finnish sniper Kaapo Kakko — two neophytes designated as top-pick candidates for several years — have created a sizable gap between them and the rest of the elites for 2019....

The first major date on this summer’s calendar got off to a slow start, but the fireworks finally started flying on Day 2 between the surprise trade of Dougie Hamilton and the news John Tavares would indeed entertain pitches from other teams to officially begin the free agency period this week. Thinking strictly in terms of prospects, here are the report cards for all 31 teams from draft weekend....

A New Era in the Windy City When Joel Quenneville replaced Denis Savard behind the Chicago Blackhawks’ bench, the Winnipeg Jets were still the Atlanta Thrashers. The NHL was a much different place than it is today. The Blackhawks’ two generational stars – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane – were teenagers each in their second NHL season. The team was playing in front of miniscule crowds in a gigantic building, and there was no buzz surrounding the Windy City’s NHL team....

Eight teams have punched their ticket to the second round with not only a division crown on the line but also the aim of taking one step closer to finding out who will win the sports world’s greatest trophy. The remaining teams are a who’s who of NHL royalty. The Avalanche, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Lightning and Bruins were all in the top 10 in 2021 with the Islanders just on the outside looking in....

New York defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday night to continue their improbable run. Not expected to compete for a postseason spot this season — much less complete a sweep of the team that has won two of the last three Stanley Cups — the Islanders became the first team to sweep Pittsburgh out of the playoffs since the Blackhawks in 1972. “We have come a long way," Islanders captain Anders Lee said postgame....

After Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was cross-checked by Vegas’ Cody Eakin and fell awkwardly, San Jose capitalized on the five-minute major to score four goals in four minutes and take a lead in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. San Jose tied an NHL record for power-play goals in a single postseason frame, according to NHL Public Relations. With Pavelski’s blood barely scraped off the ice, Logan Couture scored the first goal....

Powered by a historic four-goal power play in the third period and a Barclay Goodrow game-winner in overtime, the Sharks overcame both deficits in a 5-4 victory. NHL PLAYOFFS 2019: Score, highlights from San Jose’s stunning Game 7 win With 1:41 remaining in the first overtime period, Goodrow took an Erik Karlsson pass and potted the game-winning goal to push San Jose into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs....

The chase for the 2019 Stanley Cup starts Wednesday, April 10, with a jam-packed slate of five games, starting at 7 p.m. ET when the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning, who tied the NHL record with 62 wins in the regular season, host the Blue Jackets. MORE: Watch NHL playoff games live & on demand with fuboTV (7-day trial) The action continues at 7:30 p.m. ET with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins against the upstart Barry Trotz-led Islanders on NBCSN....

Teams are beginning to separate themselves, but movement up and down the divisions is still fast and furious — and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are ridiculous, not much more to say to that. The Golden Globe nominees came out on Wednesday, so what better way to look at this week’s power ranking than by paying homage to the TV and movie landscape?...

The league announced on Monday that, while they’ve told players they can return to their homes outside of their team’s city, they hope to have training camps open by the beginning of May. One rumored option for the rest of the season, if and when the NHL returns, would give some teams an unexpected lifeline. According to Sport-Express writer Igor Eronko, the NHL is considering a modified 24-team playoff format, which would add eight more teams to the usual 16 that make the postseason....

Since mid-July, the Erik Karlsson trade-rumor mill was largely quiet. However, a tweet last week by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman linking the Senators captain to the Canucks brought it back to life. Friedman claimed the Canucks had stepped into the bidding to see if they were a fit, though Vancouver general manager Jim Benning subsequently denied his club had discussions regarding the Senators’ all-star defenseman. Iain MacIntyre also weighed in, pointing out Benning’s reluctance to part with youngsters such as Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson....

Niall Horan, Heartbreak Weather (Capitol Records) Niall Horan brings more energy to his latest album, the more explicitly pop-driven Heartbreak Weather, than he did to his first solo outing, 2017’s singer-songwriter-leaning Flicker. The former One Direction member’s sophomore effort brings glossier production to the sweet, simple songs that the singer’s been showcasing in his post-boy band career. “Nice to Meet Ya” and “No Judgement” are suave works of seduction, the former capturing the excitement of first meeting someone, with the latter being an intimate ode to hooking up with no strings attached....

Saban returned a positive test on Wednesday afternoon, but could be cleared in time to take charge of his team when Alabama hosts its SEC rival in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. SEC guidelines state that if an individual returns three consecutive negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and remain asymptomatic, they can be “released from isolation and medically cleared to return to athletics activities only.” The second two tests have to be returned within a 24-hour span....

Despite the (expected) lack of activity during the day, the Alabama football coach was still very busy. A reporter found that out the hard way during Saban’s National Signing Day news conference on Wednesday. “Today wasn’t a very busy day for you guys in terms of signatures coming in,” the reporter said to Saban. “Is that what you expected and how do you feel like you addressed your remaining needs?...

Coach Nick Sirianni has been a resounding success in his two seasons as Eagles head coach, taking a team that went 4-11-1 in Doug Pederson’s final season and leading it to back-to-back winning seasons. A blunt personality who does not shy away from the media, Sirianni has embraced Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has embraced him. After a 14-3 regular season, the Eagles sit just one win away from the Super Bowl....

MORE: Dumbest injuries in sports history According to TMZ, the party was held at Young’s pad in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles and he hosted a ton of his friends. When the fireworks portion of the party came up, the man known as Swaggy P decided it would be smart to hold the close-to-exploding mortar. Luckily for Young, his hand, which we can only assume is used “strictly for buckets,” wasn’t damaged in the act....

When asked Sunday night how the Lakers, currently on a three-game winning streak, will prepare for the two-loss Warriors Tuesday night, the man known as Swaggy P responded in the only way he knows how. MORE: Nick Young’s best quotes ever | Why you shouldn’t trash-talk Kobe “We just going to listen to some ‘Facts’ — you know, by Yeezus” he said after the game. “He jumped over Jumpman.”...

Under Armour — Maryland’s primary apparel provider — also supplies game balls, and several players in the Big Ten have criticized the balls for having a heavy feel and poor touch. MORE: CBB reset for football fans | These 16 teams can win it all Wisconsin junior forward Nigel Hayes took criticism of the ball to the next level, bringing in fundamental issues with NCAA structure as it relates to student-athletes....

Gernot Rohr’s powered in 11 goals during the qualifying series, but the former Everton star is worried over the absence of a prominent figure in the attacking setup. Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa, Odion Ighalo, Alex Iwobi, Junior Lokosa, Simeon Nwankwo, Victor Moses and Moses Simeon make up the attacking lineup of the Super Eagles’ 30-man provisional list. And Amokachi has declared that the three-time African kings need more than Changchun Yatai’s Ighalo to get the job done against Croatia, Iceland and Argentina....

Adeyemi added Salzburg’s third in the 81st minute away at the RZD Arena, finally killing off the contest after Anton Miranchuk had pulled one back for Lokomotiv two minutes beforehand following a first-half double from the visitors’ Mergim Berisha. In finding the net, Adeyemi becomes—at the age of 18 years and 318 days—the youngest player ever to score in the Champions League for RB Salzburg. His goal capped off an excellent outing for the Austrian champions, as they finally ended a run of five UCL games without a victory—losing four and drawing one match during that spell....