In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights held a 2-0 lead entering the third period and seemed poised to take control of this series. Then Carolina scored three unanswered goals and another in overtime to tie the series 1-1. Our Andrew Greif breaks it all down.

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Also, Sweden’s Viktor Gyökeres is our World Cup spotlight of the day, and our Sahil Kapur previews this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. A reminder, too: We’re live-blogging Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight, so get comfy and log on for our analysis and updates.

Stanley Cup Final

Two games into the Stanley Cup Final, we have just one question. Can this be a best of nine?

The first two games of this 1-1 series between Carolina and Las Vegas have been so unpredictable and featured so many leads lost and regained that a seven-game series doesn’t feel like enough. Not after Vegas stormed back from two goals down to win Game 1 on the road, only for Carolina to win Game 2 last night, 4-3, in overtime.

It was the Hurricanes’ fourth overtime win this postseason, and it allowed them to escape a 2-0 series hole that only one team — the 1966 Canadiens — has ever come back from to win the Stanley Cup.

To pull off the comeback, the Hurricanes scored three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead, thanks in part to an ill-advised challenge by the Golden Knights. When it failed, the Hurricanes were given a one-man advantage, and they took advantage with a go-ahead goal with four minutes remaining in regulation.

The arena in Carolina was raucous — until Las Vegas forced a tie with only 81 seconds left in regulation. In overtime, Carolina’s Seth Jarvis scored the game-winning goal to send the series to Las Vegas tied up.

The Golden Knights lost the game, their series lead and potentially key defenseman Brayden McNabb after he took a puck to the face on an 87 mph shot that was partially deflected by his helmet visor but still appeared to hit underneath it on the bridge of his nose. He later went to a local hospital, and his status for Saturday’s Game 3 remains unclear.

World Cup Countdown

Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Sweden’s Viktor Gyökeres.

When Sweden forward Viktor Gyökeres scores a goal, he celebrates by interlocking his fingers and holding his hands over his face, up to his eyes, as if he were wearing a mask. It makes him look something like Hannibal Lecter or the Batman villain Bane.

Gyökeres has not revealed the origin of the celebration. But it seems fitting: Gyökeres tortures opposing defenses.

In his early 20s, Gyökeres came into his own playing for Coventry City in the second-tier English league. When he moved to Sporting CP in Portugal in 2023, he blossomed into one of the most prolific goal-scorers in Europe. Over the next two seasons, he scored 68 goals in 66 matches.

Gyökeres finally got called up to the big leagues in 2025, when Arsenal acquired him in a deal reportedly worth about $85 million. In the Premier League, Gyökeres has faced better defenses and more scrutiny about his play, and he’s kept scoring.

He’s netted 14 goals across 36 Premiere League matches for the Gunners, plus five goals in 13 Champions League matches, as he helped Arsenal reach the final.

But in the final, the biggest match of the season, Arsenal decided to bring Gyökeres off the bench. He came on in the 66th minute, after Paris Saint-Germain had tied the game 1-1. Arsenal couldn’t score the rest of the way, and the game went to penalties. Gyökeres converted his chance, but Arsenal lost the shootout 4-3.

Sweden has never won the World Cup and hasn’t made many deep runs. In 1994, the last time the tournament was held on American soil, the Swedes reached the semifinals. That was their best finish since 1958, when they reached the final. If Sweden has any hope of making noise in this World Cup, Gyökeres will have to do his best Bane impression.

Yesterday’s entry was Mexico’s Gilberto Mora. Read about him here.

Monaco Grand Prix

Formula 1 races in Monaco this weekend, the glitziest Grand Prix on the calendar, where the new generation of cars will navigate the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo.

There is intrigue about whether the smaller cars and the new “boost” and overtake modes will allow for more overtaking on this track.

For teams other than Mercedes, it’s also a rare opportunity to snap the five-race winning streak between George Russell (1) and Kimi Antonelli (4).

That’s because the track is less power-sensitive — an area where Mercedes has been supreme — and rewards other elements of car performance.

Russell will be eager to cut into Antonelli’s 43-point championship lead.

One driver to watch is home hero Charles Leclerc, who just signed a contract extension with Ferrari to continue driving for the team over “the coming seasons.”

Leclerc will want his next chapter at Ferrari to be better than the last seven years, which have been filled with frustration. It’s hard to think of a better way to begin that than by winning this race on streets where he grew up.

And what about McLaren? They’ve been on the brink of a breakthrough lately. Reigning world champ Lando Norris won this race last year after a flawless weekend.

What We’re Reading

Curaçao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, and our Andrew Greif dives into how it did it.

Yankees star Aaron Judge is out indefinitely with a rib stress fracture.

Team USA’s loudest fans have been pushed to the upper deck at the World Cup.

St. Louis will be hosting the 2028 Olympic marathon trials.

What We’re Watching

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was a slugfest, and Jalen Brunson made enough heroic shots in the fourth quarter for the New York Knicks to win. How will Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs respond?

This might be a must-win game for the Spurs. If the Knicks win and go up 2-0, as the series shifts to Madison Square Garden, we could be in for a short series.

As a reminder, we’re live-blogging the game tonight, so come hang with us!

All times are Eastern:

• 8:15 p.m.: Cleveland Guardians vs. Texas Rangers, on Apple TV
• 8:30 p.m.: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs, on ABC

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