Forget trying to predict the Stanley Cup Final. The Carolina-Vegas series seems to be changing on a period-to-period basis. The Hurricanes beat the Golden Knights last night to even the series, 2-2, and our Andrew Greif breaks it all down below.

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Also, tonight is Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. We’ll have two correspondents on the ground and a live blog running all night, so come follow along.

If that weren’t enough, the World Cup starts tomorrow! Heads up: We’ll be live-blogging essentially every day, giving you real-time analysis of all the games. Maybe it’d be easier if you just bookmarked the NBC News sports homepage.

Stanley Cup Final

Four games into what has been a chaotic, unpredictable Stanley Cup Final, the only consistent takeaway is that no lead is safe.

For a fourth consecutive game, a two-goal lead disappeared after Carolina took a 2-0 edge, only for Las Vegas to roar back and eventually tie the score at 3-3. But this series is now tied 2-2 after the Hurricanes regained their composure to score the final two goals — the go-ahead one by Jordan Staal as he was splayed out onto his stomach — and win 5-3.

This matchup has been so wild that every game seems to send sportswriters searching through the record books for precedent. Here was yesterday’s: Staal is now the first player since 1982 to score at least one goal in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, per The Associated Press.

Carolina earned the win, but it also created a question after benching goaltender Frederik Andersen in favor of Brandon Bussi. Those two had traded minutes during the regular season, only for Andersen to start every postseason game until yesterday. Andersen was said to need rest, but Bussi made 18 saves. At least for the Hurricanes, it’s good to have options in the net in a series where offense has ruled.

World Cup Countdown

Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Uruguay’s Federico Valverde.

Federico Valverde is one of the best midfielders in the world and captain at Real Madrid, but he enters the World Cup during a tumultuous time in his club career.

Los Blancos have finished second in La Liga two seasons in a row, and tensions on the team spilled over in May, when Valverde and teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni got into a physical altercation during training, resulting in Valverde needing stitches for a cut to the head.

The 27-year-old midfielder is taking the incident in stride, though, as he prepares to lead Uruguay through the World Cup.

“Sometimes you have to go through these small obstacles in football and in life to learn, grow, and mature,” Valverde said when arriving in Uruguay for training, per beIN Sports. “This experience will help me become a better captain in the coming years.”

The task at hand for Valverde now is to lead a Uruguayan team that may not have the striking power of yesteryear but can suffocate teams defensively. Uruguay allowed only one goal in its final six qualifying matches for the World Cup.

Valverde is the unquestioned star of the team and will be playing in his second World Cup in the middle of his prime. He is, to borrow a basketball term, a two-way player. His control and pace allow him to consistently win balls in the middle of the pitch and push his team forward, easing pressure on his defense.

Uruguay will need all these things after a disappointing showing in 2022, when the country couldn’t advance beyond the group stage. Valverde is hoping he can capture the magic of the 2010 squad, which finished fourth.

“We grew up watching that team and that image of Uruguay’s glory in 2010,” he said. “We would love to match it and make the country proud once again.”

Yesterday’s entry was Canada’s Alphonso Davies. Read about him here.

What We’re Watching

Madison Square Garden was electric for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. Tonight’s Game 4 will surely be high theater once again. Can the New York Knicks hold down home court? What will the crowd look like this time? Will Victor Wembanyama continue his villain turn at MSG?

We’ll be tracking all these storylines and more on our live blog. Come hang with us!

All times are Eastern:

• 8:30 p.m.: San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks, on ABC
• 10 p.m.: Los Angeles Sparks vs. Seattle Storm, on USA Network

That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.