We’re going to need more screens
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
Finally Friday!
The only thing that could make a spring weekend better? Some stellar sports, of course. Speaking of…
— LA Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, whose historic 12-year WNBA career will officially be honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena. Talk about a slam dunk.
🏒 Montréal Victoire take early Walter Cup Finals lead over Ottawa Charge
With just two seconds remaining in regulation (and Montréal star Laura Stacey helped off the ice), the Victoire’s Nicole Gosling leveled the score at 2–2 last night, forcing overtime (OT) in the face of a dominant Charge performance. Then as OT began, Stacey returned and ultimately assisted a quick game-winner off Abbey Roque’s face mask. Buckle up, Game 2 is tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
- In more pucktastic news, PWHL Hamilton and Las Vegas are officially official, with both cities joining Detroit as 2026-27 expansion squads. Your move, San Jose.
🏒 Colorado Avalanche rally from three-goal deficit to eliminate Minnesota Wild in five games
The last time the Avs won a playoff series on home ice was 2008, back when Flo Rida was all about boots with the fur. But that changed with Wednesday’s 3–2 OT win — just the second time Colorado’s reached the conference finals in the last eight years despite leading the league in wins during that stretch. And that’s on exorcizing demons.
- The Avs’ next opponent — the Vegas Golden Knights — ousted the Anaheim Ducks with last night’s 5–1 win. The Montreal Canadiens (up 3-2) will aim to do the same to the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET after securing a 6–3 victory yesterday.
- Off the ice, three Canadian clubs are plotting glow-ups: Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers fired their head coaches (Craig Berube and Kris Knoblauch, respectively), while the Vancouver Canucks named the beloved Sedin brothers as co-presidents.
🏀 NBA conference final tickets on the line ahead of tonight’s Game 6 double-header
The already-advanced NY Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder will both know their conference final foes before the weekend wraps. The Cleveland Cavaliers (up 3-2) used Wednesday’s 117–113 OT win to push the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to the brink of elimination. The Cavs can now secure their first conference final berth since 2018 tonight at 7 p.m. ET on home court.
- Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs (up 3-2) — led by the inimitable 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama — have a chance to tie a bow on their series vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET. If needed, both Game 7s would be on Sunday. High-stakes hoopla, loading.
NCAA softball
🎓🥎 Nothing soft about it
The GIST: The 64-team NCAA softball national championship tournament swings into action today with 16 double-elimination Regionals on deck. It’s all part of a massive moment for the sport before the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season begins next month. Batter up, baby.
📈 Parity on the rise in the college game: The natty tournament has historically seen top seeds dominate, with few upsets en route to the eight-team Women’s College World Series (WCWS). But that’s changed in recent years, inspiring the NCAA to adopt a seeding system aligned with the women’s soccer and volleyball tourneys.
- All to say, anything can happen on the road to Oklahoma City, which begins with this weekend’s double-elimination Regionals, continues with next weekend’s best-of-three Super Regionals, and culminates with the reason for the season: the WCWS.
👀 Storylines to watch: The rise in parity can be traced to a deepening talent pool, underscored by this year’s single-season home run record chase. Three players had a chance to eclipse the mark, but No. 2 UCLA’s Megan Grant got the job done, blasting 38 dingers (mere months after snagging an NCAA basketball title). Watch for the long ball to prevail this postseason.
- As for the defense, the circle is stacked with future AUSL talent: Keep an eye on 2026 No. 1 overall pick Karlyn “flamethrower” Pickens to lead No. 2 Tennessee and NIL darling, No. 2 pick NiJaree Canady, who hopes to take No. 3 Texas Tech back to the title game.
⛳ PGA: PGA Championship — Ongoing through Sunday — TSN
- Believe it or not, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has never led after day one of a major…until now. As one star tops the leaderboard, another is in a precarious position: No. 2 Rory McIlroy finished four over and will need a blistering second round to make the cut.
⚾ MLB: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers — Tonight at 6:45 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- This Rivalry Weekend matchup starts off with some serious heat: Jays hurler Trey Yesavage takes the mound tonight sporting a jaw-dropping 0.68 ERA. Go get ’em, kid.
🏀 WNBA: Toronto Tempo vs. LA Sparks — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — TSN
- Fresh off their first win in franchise history, the Tempo hit the road for their inaugural road trip. It’s a late one — good thing Canadians love women’s basketball almost as much as they love Marina Mabrey’s three-point shooting.
🎾 Italian Open: World No. 4 Coco Gauff vs. No. 10 Elina Svitolina — Tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET — TSN
- Gauff cruised into her second consecutive Italian Open final by defeating Sorana Cîrstea yesterday. The 22-year-old phenom will face Svitolina for the trophy, marking the first time these powerhouses battle on clay — a perfect appetizer ahead of Gauff’s French Open title defense.
⚽ NSL: Montreal Roses vs. Calgary Wild FC — Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET — TSN
- Montreal’s undefeated campaign rages on while Calgary is still searching for their first win of the season. Perhaps a little home-field advantage will help the Wild get the job done.
🐻 An ode to Bob Ross by the Chicago Bears — cheese grater included, of course
💚 It already smells like football season for the Seattle Seahawks
📺 The Atlanta Falcons’ take on the iconic SportsCenter commercials
🩵 Doppelgängers but the Tennessee Titans made it their schedule release
⚡ As always, the devil is in the details for the LA Chargers
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.