NHL:
In the NHL playoffs, Tampa Bay beat Montreal 4-1 to win the series 4-2 and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lightning will play the winner of tonight’s game in Madison Square Garden when the Rangers take on the Capitals in game 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Former NHL defenseman Steve Montador had a degenerative brain disease that's been linked to repeated blows to the head, according to researchers who autopsied his brain. The 35-year-old died in February. Montador suffered multiple concussions during his career with six NHL teams. His brain was donated to the Canadian Sports Concussion Project in Toronto for analysis. Montador's family said they plan to launch a lawsuit against the NHL. Montador had suffered from depression, erratic behavior and memory problems.
NBA:
In the NBA playoffs, Cleveland bested Chicago 106-101 to lead the series 3-2 and it was Houston over the Clippers 124-103, Los Angeles leads the series 3-2.
The NBA draft will be held at the home of the Brooklyn Nets on June 25th. The league has announced that Barclays Center in Brooklyn will host the draft for the third consecutive year. The NBA draft lottery will be held on May 19th in New York and broadcast on ESPN. It will determine the first 14 picks of the draft.
Head coach Monty Williams has been fired by the New Orleans Pelicans despite leading the team to 45 victories and its first playoff appearance in four years. The decision came only weeks after owner Tom Benson congratulated Williams and the entire basketball operations staff for "a job well done." Williams was 173-221 with two playoff appearances in five seasons with the franchise.
MLB:
In baseball in the American League, Tampa Bay doubled up the Yankees 4-2, Oakland bested Boston 9-2, Toronto topped Baltimore 10-2, Detroit edged Minnesota 2-1 in 10 innings, and it was Kansas City over Texas 7-6 in 10 innings.
In the National League, the Cubs bested the Mets 6-1, Cincinnati won against Atlanta 4-3, Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 7-2, Arizona blew out Washington 14-6, and it was the Dodgers over Miami 11-1.
In interleague play, the Angels beat Colorado 5-2 and Seattle won against San Diego 11-4.
NFL:
The lawyer who investigated the New England Patriots insists that he found direct evidence to show quarterback Tom Brady knew team employees were deflating footballs. Ted Wells said in a conference call with reporters today his findings would have been strong enough to convince a jury under the "preponderance of evidence" standard, which is used in many civil cases.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is faulting the NFL, saying it's failed to spend as much time investigating reports of domestic violence and sexual assault as it's spent investigating whether the New England Patriots and Tom Brady deflated footballs. Healey pointed to the decision to give Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice a two-game suspension after he knocked his now-wife unconscious in an elevator.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid says the National Football League is more concerned with air in footballs than the Washington Redskins' "racist" name. Reid spoke yesterday on the Senate floor. He's previously criticized Washington's name and engaged in a war of words with the club.
Horse Racing:
The Preakness is out for trainer Todd Pletcher who says he will not enter any of the four horses he was considering for Saturday's race at Pimlico Race Course. Materiality is expected to run next in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 after finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
Pletcher's other Preakness possibilities were Derby 10th-place finisher Carpe Diem, Competitive Edge and Stanford.
Hockey – World Championship:
Jack Eichel scored with 28 seconds left in overtime to give the U.S. a 5-4 victory over Slovakia at the ice hockey world championship. The win enabled the Americans to finish first in Group B with six wins and one loss. The young U.S. team will meet Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
NASCAR:
Kyle Busch will drive in NASCAR's All-Star Saturday at Charlotte, his first competition since he was seriously injured in a crash at Daytona nearly three months ago. Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a Feb. 21 wreck in the season-opening Xfinity Series race, crashing into a wall that was not protected by an energy-absorbing SAFER barrier at 90 mph.
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