The Tampa Bay Lightning added one of the top defensemen on the free-agent market Wednesday, signing John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract.

The deal carries an $8.5 million cap hit for Carlson, who reached the open market after a brief negotiating window with the Carolina Hurricanes did not lead to a contract. Carolina acquired Carlson’s rights from the Anaheim Ducks on June 27 for defenseman Kyle Masters and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick, but the sides were unable to complete a deal before free agency opened July 1.

Carlson, 36, spent last season with the Washington Capitals and Ducks, finishing with 14 goals and 60 points in 71 games while averaging 23:10 of ice time. Anaheim acquired him from Washington at the trade deadline, and Carlson added six assists in 12 playoff games as the Ducks reached the second round.

The signing provides Tampa Bay with a veteran right-shot defenseman who has a long history of high-level production and heavy ice time. Carlson is coming off an eight-year, $64 million contract that he signed after winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

Selected by Washington with the No. 27 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Carlson recorded 170 goals and 615 assists across 1,159 regular-season games with the Capitals (2009-26) and Ducks. He was a major part of Washington’s Cup run, producing five goals and 20 points in 24 playoff games.

–Field Level Media

The San Francisco Giants finally broke through against the Arizona Diamondbacks after eight previous failures Wednesday night, riding home runs from Heliot Ramos and Victor Bericoto to a 6-4 victory in Phoenix.

Trevor McDonald (3-6) threw six shutout innings for the Giants, who had dropped the first eight matchups with the Diamondbacks this season, including five in a row in Phoenix.

Arizona starter Zac Gallen (3-8) matched zeroes with McDonald until Ramos launched his first pitch of the fifth inning over the fence in center field.

Jung Hoo Lee followed with a single, and Bericoto then made it 3-0 with a bomb to left-center field.

The only homers of the game were Nos. 6 for Ramos and 4 for Bericoto.

The Giants busted the game open in a three-run sixth, with the runs produced by a Ramos triple and singles by Lee and Drew Cavanaugh.

Gallen was pulled two outs into the sixth, charged with all six Giants runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out four.

McDonald was lifted after retiring 18 of the 19 batters he faced through six innings. He struck out five.

Arizona’s only hit against the right-hander came when Ketel Marte led off the fourth with a single. He stole second and third, but was stranded there.

The Diamondbacks made things interesting in the eighth against the Giants’ third pitcher, Ryan Walker. Pavin Smith drove in one run with a single, Marte plated two with a double that included a throwing error by Giants shortstop Christian Koss, and Corbin closed the gap to 6-4 with an RBI infield out.

With the bases empty, Gabriel Moreno singled and reached third on a second throwing error by Koss before Dylan Smith struck out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as the potential tying run.

Caleb Kilian breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.

Ramos, Bericoto, Lee and Cavanaugh all had two hits for the Giants, who out-hit the hosts 11-7.

Despite seeing his run of four straight games with a home run end, Marte had a double and a single for Arizona.

–Field Level Media

As the U.S. go deeper into the World Cup, they are confronting rising levels of adversity.

After the United States breezed through Paraguay and Australia by a combined 6-1 score, the critics wondered how the players would respond when the pressure mounted.

The team got its first challenge in the group-stage finale when a makeshift lineup devoid of most of the starters fell behind 2-1 to Turkey, the first time the U.S. trailed. The Americans responded by scoring the equalizer, only to lose in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time.

That was nothing compared to what happened Wednesday in the round of 32 at Santa Clara, Calif.

The U.S. went down a player, more specifically leading scorer Folarin Balogun, who was sent off in the 64th minute for his challenge gone awry that resulted in his right foot landing on the right ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.

The hosts were ahead at the time on Balogun’s goal, but the way they finished the 2-0 victory bodes well before they face Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday in Seattle — even though Balogun will be suspended for that match.

When given opportunities to attack, the 10-man U.S. didn’t go conservative, and they were able to turn a negative into a positive when Malik Tillman iced the match with a free kick in the 82nd minute.

It was a riveting moment, but it doesn’t hide the fact that the best U.S. threat won’t be in uniform Monday against a Belgium side that overcame their own hardship to rally for a 3-2 extra-time win against Senegal on Wednesday.

Balogun not only has three goals, but he has had two more called back for being offside, an indication that he finds the pockets of space and can score from anywhere at any time. In other words, there is no one else like him on the U.S. squad.

So, how does coach Mauricio Pochettino try to replace him? He could simply insert Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright and keep the same formation and approach or maybe tinker with pushing midfielder Weston McKennie higher and bringing in an offensive-minded midfielder such as Gio Reyna.

Whatever he does, Pochettino can take comfort in the fact that Christian Pulisic went 87 minutes and is fully recovered (?) from a left calf injury that limited him to 77 minutes in the group stage.

Pulisic’s freedom to roam the left flank is due in part to Balogun attracting attention with his runs through the center of the pitch. Without Balogun’s presence, the U.S. will need to be creative in getting touches for Pulisic.

That aside, the match could come down to a battle of wills. Belgium pulled off a miraculous comeback after trailing by two in the 86th minute.

“We respect every opponent we come up against, but we all have full belief in what each of us is capable of and the fight that we can show and talent we have, the work we put in and that we’re prepared for the situation,” U.S. defender Antonee Robinson said. “So hopefully everyone else has that belief in us, and we can keep going and make it a special summer.”

Belgium will not wilt, so it’s up to the U.S. to exceed their willpower. Fortunately, Pochettino has created a culture of belief, and the motto “Why not us?” may be stamped on the head of every 8-year-old soccer player if the team keeps on winning.

It won’t be easy, and sure, Balogun’s absence may be the difference that gives Belgium the edge, but the players are confident that they can do wondrous things as a group. It’s the Pochettino way.

“I think that’s been the message from the start, really, is, ‘Why not us?'” Robinson said. “I mean, we’ve seen time and time again in this tournament now that there’s big upsets out there. There’s teams who people thought would still be in who have gone home already, and we don’t take anything for granted.”

Insightful words exemplifying a maturing team.

–Craig Merz, Field Level Media