Sports
Crosby-Less Canadians Rally Past Finland To Punch Their Ticket To Gold Medal Game
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The Olympic men’s hockey semifinals got underway on Friday morning, and the opening course was a heavyweight clash between Canada and Finland.
Both the Canadians and Finns made it this far thanks to OT thrillers in the semi-finals, but for Team Canada, the win came at a cost. Captain Sidney Crosby was injured on a hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas and left the game early.
Canada’s Shea Theodore (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s second goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
Just a little before puck drop on Friday, it was announced that he would be out of the lineup against Finland.
This was the last news Canada needed against a very good Finnish team that plays way more physically than Finnish teams in Olymipcs past.
The Finns opened the scoring toward the end of a fast and physical opening frame with Mikko Rantanen lighting the lamp just seconds into a Finnish power play after Canada’s Sam Bennett got the gate for goaltender interference.
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros came up big multiple times as the Canadians got much more rubber on net than the Finns did.
Special teams continued to be a big story in the second as we got our first taste of the Crosby-less Canadian power play after Sebastian Aho was called for interference, but things went off the rails in a hurry.
Finland stunned Canada by managing to clear the puck out of their zone and spring Nashville’s Erik Haula for a shorthanded breakaway, which he buried to go up 2-0.
Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
ALYSSA LIU BREAKS TEAM USA’S 24-YEAR OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL DROUGHT IN WOMEN’S FIGURE SKATING
About ten minutes later, Finland’s Anton Lundell took a high-sticking penalty, and — would you believe? — special teams were the story once again, only this time it was in Canada’s favor.
Lundell’s Florida Panthers teammate Sam Reinhart deflected a Cale Makar shot from the point to get rid of that goose egg for the Canadians.
Canada continued to bring the pressure, and with just under ten minutes left in regulation, they were outshooting the Finns 29-14.
That pressure resulted in a Shea Theodore missile from the top of the circle finding the back of the net.
The Finns were unhappy about the contact that Brad Marchand made with Saros, but if you watch that again, the contact was clearly initiated by Finland’s Erik Haula in the crease.
Canada never took its foot off the gas after that, and that pressure certainly played a role in Finland’s Niko Mikkola taking a penalty for high-sticking Nathan MacKinnon with around two and a half minutes left in regulation.
Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with teammates after scoring Canada’s third goal during a men’s ice hockey semifinal game between Canada and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 20, 2026. (Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
And once again, special teams produced, with Nathan MacKinnon scoring the game-winner with just 35.2 seconds left in regulation.
The Finns challenged the goal, saying the Canadians had entered the zone offside — and boy, was it close; totally worth taking a swing at — but the call stood, and Team Canada was up 3-2.
That was how things ended, with the Canadians going on a 3-0 rally to cement their spot in the gold medal game on Sunday, where they’ll face the winner of Friday afternoon’s other semifinal game between Team USA and Slovakia.
As for the Finns, they still have some business to tend to as they’ll face the loser of that game in the bronze medal game on Saturday.
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Now the NBA playoffs are in the swing of things.
Let’s check out the odds for the second round of the playoffs, at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 11.
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EAST SECOND ROUND
No. 7 PHILADELPHIA vs. No. 3 NEW YORK
NYK wins 4-0
No. 4 CLEVELAND (+200) vs. No. 1 DETROIT (-250)
DET leads 2-1
GAME 4 — DET @ CLE (May 11)
Spread: Cavs -3.5
Moneyline: Pistons +140, Cavs -166
O/U: 213.5
What to know: This has been a weird series. Each team has yet to lose on its home court, and the games haven’t seen much domination on either side. Take Game 3 for example: Cleveland held Detroit to 18 points in the second quarter and took a 16-point lead into halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Pistons held the Cavs to 19 points, cutting that deficit to two heading into the fourth. But Cleveland put together its highest-scoring quarter of the game in the final frame to emerge with a seven-point win.
WEST SECOND ROUND
No. 4 LOS ANGELES (+7000) vs. No. 1 OKLAHOMA CITY (-20000)
OKC leads 3-0
GAME 4 — OKC @ LAL (May 11)
Spread: Thunder -11.5
Moneyline: Thunder -520, Lakers +390
O/U: 214.5
What to know: It appears the Lakers just don’t have the firepower to compete with the Thunder. OKC has won the first three games of the series by a combined 59 points (19.7 points per game), including a 23-point win in Game 3 in Los Angeles. And consider this: SGA is averaging just 21 points per game on 46% shooting. The Thunder are stacked, and sit at 7-0 in the postseason so far.
No. 6 MINNESOTA (+320) vs. No. 3 SAN ANTONIO (-390)
Tied 2-2
GAME 5 — MIN @ SAS (May 12)
Spread: Spurs -10.5
Moneyline: Spurs -410, Wolves +320
O/U: 218.5
What to know: We’ve got a series on our hands. Now tied at 2-2, both of these teams have won once at home and once on the other team’s home floor, with the Wolves winning a crucial Game 4 in Minnesota. But that wasn’t the story of the night. Victor Wembanyama was assessed a Flagrant 2 in the first half of Game 4, and was ejected from the game, after hitting Naz Reid with a vicious elbow to the head. He will play Game 5, but how chippy might things be after that?
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is in stable condition after being shot at a concert early Sunday morning in Mississippi, the university’s football program said in a statement Monday morning.
Hardy underwent surgery after sustaining a gunshot wound, according to the team, which added that a timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time.
“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans,” the team’s statement said. “We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support.”
According to ESPN, Hardy is alert and moving around Monday morning.
Details from the shooting are unclear.
A native of Oma, Miss., Hardy spent his freshman season at Louisiana-Monroe, where he rushed 257 times for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He transferred to Missouri last season and rushed 256 times for 1,649 yards (second among FBS players) and 16 touchdowns. In addition, Hardy earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award for college football’s top running back.
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The Indiana Pacers’ risky move backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw them lose their top pick altogether in a disastrous turn of events on Sunday afternoon.
Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 just one season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1% chance of having a top-four pick.
However, when they didn’t see their team chosen in the first four picks – Indiana also had a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to panic.
Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during a press conference to announce center Miles Turner’s contract extension at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 30, 2023. (Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports)
The reason? The Pacers included their first-round pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made it a top-four protected pick. That means, if the Pacers were chosen in the lottery as a top-four selection, they would be able to keep it.
But the Pacers were chosen as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers now own the selection in next month’s draft.
NBA LOTTERY CHAOS: WASHINGTON WIZARDS STRIKE GOLD, PACERS PAY FOR TANKING GAMBLE NIGHTMARE
As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard took full responsibility for the move, apologizing on social media.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” he wrote on X. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”
Signage is displayed during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, on May 10, 2026. (Melissa Tamez/NBAE/Getty Images)
The Pacers were viewed as a team that were actively tanking despite the NBA’s attempt to crack down on such a season, with the lottery being one way of that. And it clearly worked this time around.
Pritchard was trying to be transparent and honest with the Pacers fan base, but people were quick to jump in the comments to make their thoughts, and gripes, known.
“You lose Myles Turner and add Zubac,” one X user began. “You lose [Benedict] Mathurin and the number 5 pick with absolutely nothing in return. This is why fans are upset, for a center who not even a top 5 center in the NBA. Who trades their future away for Ivan [sic] Zubac???”
Another X user called this a “generational draft,” and couldn’t fathom the Pacers won’t be picking from a deep class.
“If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded away a top 5 pick for Ivica Zubac in the middle of a tanking season I would be beyond devastated,” a fellow X user wrote.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shoots around on the court before an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis on April 7, 2026. (Doug McSchooler/AP)
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The Pacers were without their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season long after he suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana still has key members of that team returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.
However, this 2026 draft class is quite the spectacle, with many believing it to be deep considering the talent of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.
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