Pro Sports News

1. Takeaways From Baltimore Ravens' 2024 Schedule Release  BaltimoreRavens.com
2. 2024 Chiefs Single-Game Tickets Set to Go On Sale Thursday  chiefs.com
3. Travis Kelce: I like playing potential top teams early  NBC Sports
4. Kansas City Chiefs 2024 schedule release leaks tracker  Arrowhead Pride
5. Staff Reactions: Ravens 2024 regular season schedule released  Baltimore Beatdown

NEW YORK — ESPN’s broadcast of the Connecticut Sun’s game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had the highest viewership for a WNBA game on the network.

The Sun’s 92-71 win over the Fever in Clark’s WNBA debut on the league’s opening night on Tuesday drew an average of 2.1 million viewers on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+, including a high of 2.3 million viewers between 7:45 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. That topped ESPN’s previous mark of nearly 1.5 million viewers for a Phoenix Mercury-Connecticut Sun game on May 22, 2004, in Diana Taurasi’s rookie season.

The second game between Phoenix and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces averaged 464,000 viewers, with the two games averaging 1.28 million — a 192% increase over the league’s average last year for broadcasts on ESPN.

Clark set the NCAA all-time scoring record at Iowa last season and she was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which her Hawkeyes lost to unbeaten South Carolina. Clark’s arrival to the WNBA has already been a big boost for the league. The WNBA draft had record viewership, and three teams have already moved their games to bigger arenas to keep up with the demand for tickets to watch her play.

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2. Thunder-Mavericks: 5 takeaways as Luka Doncic delivers in pivotal Game 5  NBA.com
3. Doncic triple-double, Dallas defense spark 104-92 win in Oklahoma City to go up 3-2  Yahoo Sports
4. Thunder vs. Mavericks odds, score prediction, time: 2024 NBA playoff picks, Game 5 best bets from proven model  CBS Sports
5. Mavericks vs. Thunder: Predictions, odds for Western Conference Semifinals Game 5  USA TODAY

One of the most active and entertaining times of the NFL off-season is upon us as the NFL released its full schedule for all 32 teams on Wednesday night.

Teams hurry to post creative, often viral, schedule release videos while fans begin mapping out their team’s path to a Lombardi trophy.

Whether it’s knocking helmets against a division rival or facing an unfamiliar foe with new motives — like a star QB taking on his former team — the 18-week campaign is chock-full of enticing matchups.

Here’s one game from each week to keep your eyes throughout the 2024-25 NFL season.

Week 1 – Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (TNF)

The matchup to watch in Week 1 is the season-opening game between the Ravens and Chiefs. It’s a rematch of last year’s AFC title game that took a game-winning field goal for Kansas City to advance to the Super Bowl. The last two league MVPs in Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson still lead both squads, so we don’t need to overthink Week 1. It’ll be a heavyweight bout.

Week 2 – Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

Russell Wilson returns to the Mile High City in Week 2 after a tumultuous two seasons was capped off by an unceremonious exit. Wilson was acquired by the Broncos in 2022 and immediately signed to a five-year, $245 million extension. But after back-to-back losing seasons, and a 13-21 record, Denver released the former Super Bowl champion.

It was a cost-cutting maneuver by the Broncos before Wilson’s massive extension was set to kick in, the same reason why they benched the QB in Week 16 to avoid contract guarantees. With no love lost between the two sides, it’ll be interesting to see how personal Wilson takes the matchup.

Week 3 – Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys

As cross-conference opponents, the two teams have only played each other six times, with Baltimore dominating the series 5-1. However, Dak Prescott and Jackson have yet to face off, so it’ll be interesting to see what the QBs have in store for the early-season matchup.

Week 4 – Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens (SNF)

AFC powerhouses led by two of the top quarterbacks Josh Allen and Jackson, the primetime matchup has the makings of an instant classic. Jackson leads the regular season series 2-1, but it’s been close, as the last two games were decided by less than a touchdown each.

Meanwhile, Allen has the edge in their lone playoff contest, winning 17-3 in the divisional round back in 2021.

Week 5 – Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears

The Bears are a franchise that’s been tortured by the fact they’ve never really had a No. 1 quarterback. In the same draft class they could’ve selected Patrick Mahomes, they opted for Mitch Trubisky.

Week 5 could be Chicago’s first opportunity to be on the other side of the QB “what if” scenarios. Carolina traded their 2023 draft pick to move up and select Bryce Young a season ago, subsequently handing over superstar prospect Caleb Williams. If the USC product can come out and shine like most expect him to, it could be the Bears’ turn to finally get the last laugh…at the Panthers’ expense.

Week 6 – Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (MNF)

Last season we were robbed of Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen facing off as division rivals for the first time as the former tore his Achilles moments into their Week 1 matchup.

The Jets went on to win that game in overtime thanks to a thrilling punt return but it didn’t erase the fact that NFL fans lost out on a marquee QB duel. Hopefully, we get to see it happen this year as the AFC East rivals showdown in Week 6.

Week 7 – Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

A Super Bowl rematch is always an intriguing matchup, but even more so when it’s between two teams that went to overtime to settle things.

The Chiefs won 25-22 in that game to capture their third Super Bowl in five seasons, two of which came at the expense of the 49ers.

Week 8 – Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders

It’ll be a battle between the top two picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Often when quarterbacks are taken one after the other, especially at the top of the draft, people can’t help but link the two players’ careers together.

Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will be going head-to-head for the first time in the NFL for this Week 8 matchup, and fans will certainly be comparing the two every snap they take.

Week 9 – Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons

There may not be a matchup between more polarizing quarterbacks this season. Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins are two of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL and have three combined postseason wins to show for it through their eight and 12 seasons, respectively. Both have had immense success in the regular season while facing the same kind of scrutiny for their playoff failures.

Falcons fans will also enter this game hoping that Cousins can help them get some revenge against the Cowboys. The last two times these teams faced off, Dallas won both contests in two different, but equally crushing outcomes. In 2021 the Cowboys won by 40 points and a year before that, the Falcons blew a 20-point lead to lose 40-39.

Week 10 – Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

The AFC North rivals will be battling to assert dominance in the division and a win could be the difference in a post-season spot come January.

It’ll also be interesting to see if Joe Burrow can finally find some success against the Ravens. The former No. 1 overall pick is 1-4 against Jackson, with Baltimore sweeping the season series in 2023. If the Bengals want to remain a factor in the AFC picture they have to start by reclaiming top spot in their division.

Week 11 – Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills

The Chiefs and Bills have been powerhouses in the AFC for half a decade now and the matchup always makes for massive intrigue. Even if Buffalo hasn’t been able to figure out Kansas City in the playoffs, they find ways to make the regular season interesting, like their 20-17 win last year. Week 11 is also the only time the teams would meet barring a postseason showdown, so it ought to be a game football fans tune in for.

There may also be a special guest in attendance. Taylor Swift will be performing in Toronto for the weekend but doesn’t have a show on Sunday should she choose to make the short trip to Buffalo to support her partner, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Week 12 – Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers 

After winning a National Championship with Michigan, Jim Harbaugh was lured back to the NFL by the Chargers. His return to the professional ranks means an inevitable matchup with older brother John and the Ravens.

The two notably became the first brothers to coach against each other in a Super Bowl in 2012 when John’s Ravens took down Jim’s 49ers. The Harbaughs have only faced off twice in the NFL with John winning both times, so it’s safe to say Jim will be itching to get into the win column against his big brother.

Week 13 – San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills (SNF)

Two teams consistently towards the top of their divisions, and conferences, but have yet to put the right pieces together for a championship. Regardless of their post-season demons, a matchup between two juggernauts who haven’t faced off since 2020, when Nick Mullens was taking snaps for the 49ers, should make for a stellar primetime game.

Week 14 – Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

Cousins will be making his return to Minnesota in Week 14 after spending six seasons with the Vikings. He made three Pro Bowls with the team through two winning seasons and a 1-4 playoff record.

He threw for over 4,000 yards in four of his six years in Minnesota and many considered the 35-year-old the top free-agent QB despite coming off an Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely. The Falcons clearly weren’t dissuaded by age or health concerns as they signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal this offseason.

Both teams had unique but subtlety connected offseasons. Both signed veteran QBs, Minnesota had to because Atlanta poached their snap taker, and both still drafted a quarterback in the first. We’ll see how all of it manifests for their Week 14 face-off.

Week 15 – Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (TNF)

The division rivals will meet for a primetime matchup and the NFC West is notorious for upsets. Both teams ought to be competitive this year barring injuries, so a late-season contest could include major playoff implications.

Week 16 – Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs 

There has yet to be a team to dethrone Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Bills and Ravens have tried with no success, and the Bengals did it one season but that momentum vanished in quick succession.

C.J. Stroud and the Texans look like the latest up-and-comer in the AFC and with veteran additions like Stefon Diggs on offence and Danielle Hunter on defence, they could be poised to be the team to knock off Kansas City finally. At the very least, the Week 16 matchup should give fans an idea of how close the Texans are to joining the top teams in the conference.

Week 17 – Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers (MNF)

It may get lost in the shuffle between a slate of Christmas Day games, but Detroit vs. San Francisco still looks like a marquee matchup worth tuning into.

The Lions and 49ers will face off in a rematch of last year’s nail-biting NFC championship game. Detroit led that contest by 17 points at halftime before crumbling in the second half and losing 34-31, costing them a trip to their first Super Bowl.

Week 18 – Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

This end-of-season matchup may seem inconsequential if you’re a general NFL fan. But to the people of Indianapolis, a season-finale against AFC South rival Jacksonville brings back painful memories they’re hoping to wash away this year.

With an opportunity to make the playoffs with a victory in 2021, the nine-win Colts, led by Carson Wentz, lost to the two-win Jaguars and missed their chance. Since that infamous defeat, they’ve yet to make it back to the playoffs and have lost three consecutive season finales.

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Mischief Theatre’s Jonathan Sayer on being the Ryan Reynolds of the Northern Premier League.

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The London Knights are headed to the Memorial Cup.

The Knights punched their ticket when they won the Ontario Hockey League championship on Wednesday after completing a sweep of the Oshawa Generals with a 7-1 win.

It’s the fifth OHL championship for the Knights, as they also won in 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2016.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan once again led the way with a goal and three assists in Wednesday’s win. Cowan finished the OHL playoffs with 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 18 games.

He was named playoff MVP and became the first OHL player to win both regular season and post-season MVP since Mitch Marner did it in 2016, also with the Knights.

“It’s an unreal feeling,” Cowan said in an on-ice interview with the OHL. “Couldn’t have done it without any of these boys. Very proud of this team. It’s a great feeling. I’m kind of speechless right now.”

Sam Dickinson, Ruslan Gazizov and Denver Barkey and finished with a goal and two assists, and William Nicholl provided the rest of the offence for London. 

Michael Simpson had 25 saves.

Calum Ritchie scored the lone goal for Oshawa, which got 23 saves from Jacob Oster.

The Knights join the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs, WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors and host Saginaw Spirit as qualifiers for the CHL’s championship tournament.

“Like everyone says, the job’s not finished. We’re ready for Saginaw. We’re going to enjoy this for now and get ready next week,” Cowan said.

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Packers schedule 2024: NFL releases opponents, dates, times, TV info  Packers NewsView Full Coverage on Google News

1. Chargers Poke Fun At Steelers In Creative Schedule Release Video  Steelers Depot
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3. Where to watch NFL schedule release 2024: Time, TV info, international and Christmas games  USA TODAY
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1. Celtics fend off Cavs, return to Eastern Conference finals  ESPN
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4. Celtics vs. Cavaliers score, takeaways: Boston eliminates Cleveland, heads back to Eastern Conference finals  CBS Sports
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3. Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut is most-watched game in two decades  Yahoo Sports
4. How many points did Caitlin Clark score? What No. 1 pick did in WNBA debut  USA TODAY
5. Connecticut Sun rout Indiana Fever to spoil Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut  Fox News

VANCOUVER — We have burned through servers and stocked the clouds with predictions, observations, and general hockey bulls—, er, rhetoric, trying to get at what separates the Edmonton Oilers from the Vancouver Canucks.

Or vice versa, of course.

And how much of this does the Canucks fan and Oilers fan agree on? Almost nothing, except for this:

The one undeniable, non-negotiable, completely unarguable advantage the Oilers took into this series is playoff experience.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

And when does that advantage begin to play out?

Right now.

“Every series, you learn how small the margins are. And you can’t give the other team anything because there’s not much to give, right?” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman, who learned how not to win a playoff series as a Toronto Maple Leaf and has a 4-2 record as an Oiler.

“It’s taking advantage of every little thing as the series goes on. Teams get more tired, there are more mistakes made, and you have to be the team that takes advantage.”

This is Edmonton’s seventh playoff series in the past three springs. The Oilers have come from behind and won, and they’ve played from ahead and lost. They’ve been down 3-2 and come back, and they’ve had Vegas right where they wanted them, and failed to close the deal.

That bold decision to start Calvin Pickard in Game 4? It doesn’t get made if this team had not stuck with Stuart Skinner a year ago rather than give Jack Campbell a start, and then watched Skinner’s game erode.

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Head coach Kris Knoblauch admitted as much, even though he wasn’t even part of the organization last spring.

“Just talking to a lot of people on staff, getting a feel from the players, but mostly the assistant coaches,” Knoblauch said. “Ken Holland … just everybody within the organization.”

Everybody who has lived this before.

“I gather as much information as I can,” he said. “Calvin came out and played really well. It looks like a great decision when the player comes out and performs.”

The Canucks, meanwhile, have played two playoff series since the bubble playoffs of 2020, that artificial, non-travel, empty-building tournament that resembled the actual NHL playoffs about as much as my golf swing resembles that of the smooth Dan Murphy.

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Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse are all in the high-50s of playoff games played. Mattias Ekholm has 96.

J.T. Miller — who is playing like the horse we expected to see — is at 88 playoff games played, but the Canucks core of Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes have just 27 games, combined. Only 10 of those came outside the bubble and were all played in the last month.

For Pius Suter and Filip Hronek, two of head coach Rick Tocchet’s “five, six or seven passengers,” this disappointing spring is their maiden playoff voyage in the NHL.

This doesn’t mean a player such as Pettersson or Hronek can’t figure out how to discover the game Tocchet is waiting to see. But they haven’t been through it before, and if you saw Pettersson’s press conference on Wednesday, he did not sound like a man with a solution.

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Nor did he sound like a Leon Draisaitl, who plays hurt, plays hard and produces unfailingly, building his reputation as some kind of German Mark Messier.

“He’s a gamer. He just wants to win,” said Hyman. “More than anything, he elevates his game at this time of the year because this is the time that matters, the time of year where you can win something important.

“Leon is the ultimate playoff performer because when the stakes are high, he finds a way to elevate his game, no matter how he’s feeling.”

We’ve reached that pivotal time in a series where everyone knows their opponent inside out. Where, if you are winning the individual battle, both guys know why. And if you’re losing it, everybody also knows why, too.

The swings have been massive, from a Canucks comeback in Game 1 that set the template for a stellar series, to a Game 4 comeback that lasted all of 62 seconds. Edmonton won Game 2 without ever holding a regulation lead, while the Canucks likely played better in a Game 2 loss than they did in a Game 3 win.

The playoffs, they can be a puzzling place.

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“You can play a phenomenal game and you can lose,” Hyman said. “You don’t score. You run into a hot goalie. There’s a bad bounce, and it’s in your net. You lose 1-0 or 5-4, and you played a great game. The way that good teams win these series is, they don’t let those games affect them.

“Being calm, being able to ride the roller coaster. … Making sure that you’re able to reset and refocus is so important at this time of year. Because you can’t get caught up in the moment.”

These are the swings that leave mature teams unfazed.

Edmonton is a mature team. They’ve been here.

Vancouver has not.

Now, starting on Thursday night, is when we find out how big that gap truly is.

Or if it is a gap at all.

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VANCOUVER — Good news: the Vancouver Canucks passenger list is shorter than coach Rick Tocchet first reported.

The morning after saying the National Hockey League team had five-to-seven “passengers” in its 3-2 playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Tocchet acknowledged Wednesday that he “might be off by a couple.”

So, there may be as few as three freeloaders. Or as many as nine, but that can’t possibly be true or this team that wasn’t expected to even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs wouldn’t have Connor McDavid and the Oilers squirming amid a 2-2 series tie in the second round of the tournament.

Game 5 is Thursday at Rogers Arena.

Most of Wednesday was occupied on the West Coast by guessing which players were on the passenger list that Tocchet mentioned in his raw and honest post-game press conference in Edmonton, where the resilient Canucks overcame a two-goal, third-period deficit only to blow it with a series of mistakes in the final minute that allowed Oiler Evan Bouchard to score with 38.1 seconds remaining.

“We need five or six guys to get going here,” Tocchet told surprised reporters after Game 4. “I mean, it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Some guys, I don’t know if they thought it was the playoffs. We can’t play with 12 guys. We’ve got to figure it out quick.”

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2: Canucks vs. Oilers

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Full coverage

Although he didn’t name names, Tocchet confirmed in Edmonton — it was hardly a revelation — that $92.8-million star Elias Pettersson is one of the Canucks that must get going if Vancouver is to extend its magical season beyond this series.

It was encouraging on Wednesday that Pettersson, who typically relishes media interaction like most folks enjoy tax audits, was one of two Vancouver players who sat before reporters on an off-day for the Canucks. Quiet but amiable Pius Suter was the other.

This was more good news for the Canucks because the first step in fixing a problem is to admit you have a problem. And Pettersson, who has one goal and four points in 10 playoff games, knows he has a problem.

“It was hard getting to sleep last night,” Pettersson conceded. 

He added: “I want to play my best hockey every game. I mean, just going through a little adversity. I’m trying to play well (but) it’s not going my way. And then, at the end of the day, what can I do? Just try to play the next game better. I can’t dwell on bad games or not my best performance (in) previous games.”

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With Tocchet sticking with his in-form top two forward lines, Pettersson has been centring the third line, and his wingers on Tuesday were Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev. Mikheyev has one goal in 60 games, and Lafferty three goals (and five points) in 46 games. Lafferty and Mikheyev are definitely on the passenger manifest.

Although Pettersson, 25, is also struggling on the power play and has done nothing during sporadic shifts with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, a five-on-five goal from Pettersson now and then would be more likely with better wingers.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “Maybe it could help, but also, at the end of the day, I can only focus on what I can do. And, obviously, I want to be better. I want to be the difference-maker. It hasn’t gone, obviously, the way I want it to be. But at the end of the day, I can’t dwell on it too much. We have a game tomorrow, I’m going to try to do my best, and that’s where my head’s at.”

Where was his head after Tocchet’s stinging criticism?

“I think he sends a message to the group that we all need to be better,” Pettersson said. “And mostly myself, I know I can be better. I’m trying out there. Maybe (it is) not going the best way right now, but I’m trying. I want to win.”

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Tocchet’s message was extraordinary, at least for its timing. 

Although the Canucks have already surpassed what anybody forecast them to achieve this season, Tocchet, who won Stanley Cups as an unyielding player and assistant coach, understands the opportunity the Canucks have right now, in these playoffs. This week. 

Half his players had never logged an NHL playoff game in front of fans before this spring, and Tocchet is trying to get them to understand what is at stake.

“This team, when I got here (16 months ago), I remember talking that they were tired of losing,” Tocchet explained to reporters on Wednesday. “They were tired of the years and years (of losing). And it’s right there. So, I’m trying to make them understand it’s there — taste it. Like, you’ve got to do whatever you’ve got to do to get there. We’ve really come together as a group knowing that this team has always bounced back. All year. We show up.

“They’re a close-knit … team, and they want to know. They want to know if they’re playing good or playing bad. And it’s an honest group. I mean, J.T. Miller texted me today, you know, ‘Sorry.’ This guy’s been unreal for me. One play or two plays (in Game 4) doesn’t define (him). He’s been a monster for us. He’ll be a monster for us next game. That’s the way we work around here. We’re going to be ready to play Game 5. We’ve got great fans. It’s going to be a fun game to play and we’ve got to embrace it. I guess my message: It’s there. Don’t regret in the summer, ‘I wish I had played a little bit harder or would have blocked that shot’ or whatever the deal is. It’s there for us.”

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It’s only the timing of Tocchet’s public challenge to his team — during the Canucks’ most important playoff run in 13 years, in the emotional aftermath of another impressive comeback that fell just short of another miracle win — that is surprising.

He hadn’t previously uttered the “passenger” list, but has said numerous times this season that certain players or groups of players needed to elevate their game.

“If I’m going to say a guy’s playing great, which I say a lot … if you’re having a couple of tough nights and I feel that you need to get going, that’s the way it is,” he said. “I know the narrative that some guys, well, you tune out. I disagree with that. But I’m not going to change. And I don’t think saying three or four guys had a tough night is a bad thing.

“Why sugar-coat it? Oh, everything’s fine? It’s fine that it’s 2-2. And I think we’ve played well in this playoffs (but) we’ve had our moments where we haven’t. And a part of that is this team needs 21 guys going. It can’t be 12. We all know that. That’s just the bottom line.”

ICE CHIPS: Tocchet reiterated he will make lineup changes for Game 5, and name-dropped Vasily Podkolzin and Arshdeep Bains as forwards who might play. Certainly, defenceman Carson Soucy will return after his one-game suspension for cross-checking McDavid in the face at the end of Game 3.

Tocchet wouldn’t even dismiss the unrealistic suggestion that top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the 19-year-old winger who scored one goal in six American Hockey League games after coming over from Sweden this spring, could be thrown into the Stanley Cup cauldron on Thursday. 

“I told you guys when I took the job, ‘I’m swinging the bat,’” Tocchet said. “Like, I’m not scared. You can’t play safe if you want to win. You’ve got to go for it.”

More from Sportsnet

Rick Tocchet: Canucks’ Thatcher Demko has ‘improved immensely’

Analyzing Elias Pettersson’s Game 4 performance, Rick Tocchet’s comments

It’s finally here!

With the full 2024 slate of NFL games finally available, every team dropped a video or thread or something in between to promote their schedule for the upcoming season.

For those unclear about what a schedule release video even is, here’s a little refresher, courtesy of the New York Giants.

It’s become a marquee day on the NFL calendar, and though it’s not the play of the field at the centre of attention, it could be called the social media Super Bowl.

Viral moments have become common, with teams like the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans making waves with some hilarious or ridiculously creative videos. Teams also get the trash talk started early, with a perfect chance to take shots at division rivals and upcoming opponents.

Now, let’s get into it. Here are some of the highlights from the best day of NFL action in mid-May:

Starting it off with a throwback to the mid-2010s and a little bout of nostalgia for all those reminiscing about the days of Vine.

The Jacksonville Jaguars dug through the annals of internet history to pull out some perfectly topical vines to pair with their opponents this season.

The Washington Commanders were unfortunately beaten to the punch on this one though.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns also took the meme approach, but clearly prefer fine art over cinema. Shots were absolutely fired at AFC North rivals in the process.

The Bengals did the same, drawing inspiration from Spongebob…

While others drew inspiration from … LeBron James?

And Pop Tarts?

And the Chargers weren’t done there. For their formal release, the Chargers, well-known for their clever drops, took it to the virtual world for this year’s promo.

So did the Falcons, but instead brought it back to the streets for theirs.

The Titans played it safe and went back to ol’ reliable, re-doing last year’s hilarious idea to ask random people what each team’s logo is.

The Eagles also asked their fans but took a slightly different approach, perhaps one more suited to Philly fans as a whole.

The Panthers, meanwhile, proved that athletes and artists aren’t mutually exclusive.

While the Colts channelled that Renaissance man energy as well but in a different way.