Sports
Carolina Hurricanes or Vegas Golden Knights? Key Factors That Will Decide Stanley Cup
May 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) shoots the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images The Stanley Cup Final matchup is set: The Beasts from the East will face the Pillow Fight (Pacific) Division champs.
In a matchup that follows absolutely dominant victories in the conference finals, the Carolina Hurricanes will face the Vegas Golden Knights in a series that kicks off on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Oddsmakers have the Hurricanes as favorites, and they do have home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series, but this could be a down-to-the-wire clash.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why both teams can come out on top.
Why Carolina will win:
• Team play. There are myriad reasons the Hurricanes have lost only once en route to the finals. So many come down to how well they are coached and how well they execute. Carolina may not boast the biggest stars, but they are collectively such a dominating club. In simplest terms, they out-shoot and out-chance their opponents because of their relentless play and ability to find and exploit opponents’ weaknesses.
• Defensively, they are the best team in the league right now, by a country mile. Through their 13 playoff games, the Hurricanes have surrendered only 21 goals, and one of them was with their net empty. And once clubs actually generate shots, goaltender Frederik Andersen has been amazing, having posted a 1.41 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. He allowed more than two goals in only one outing.
• Improved talent. Among the reasons Carolina petered out in past playoff runs was a lack of offensive touch. Basically, the top players were unable to put them over the hump and the supporting cast could not take the load. This club, however, has benefited from the development of young players Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake and additions such as Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman K’Andre Miller. As a result, there is not just one line to shut down.
Why Vegas will win:
May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) celebrates scoring against Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) during the first period in game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images • Championship experience. This the third trip to the finals in only the franchise’s ninth season, and there are still players from the misfit club that made it this far in the 2017-18 inaugural campaign that shockingly lost out in the finals. There are 13 players still on the team from the Cup-winning squad of 2023. That experience goes a long way when the Stanley Cup is on the line.
• Better special teams. As much as these clubs have flexed their offensive skills, their defensive play is the foundation of their success. Do not expect too many high-scoring affairs, and that means power-play prowess can be the difference. Carolina has been outstanding on the penalty kill so far (a 92.5 percent kill rate), but Vegas is not far back at 87.5 per cent. The big difference is the power play. While Carolina has struggled with the man-advantage (12.5 percent: 7-for-56), Vegas has been consistently strong (23.9 percent: 11-for-46). The Golden Knights also have scored four short-handed goals, three by Brett Howden.
• Offensively, Vegas has more depth actually producing. When you think of the Golden Knights, the names that likely first come to mind are Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, and they are all delivering as expected. However, the leading goal scorers are Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev, who both have 10 goals, more than anybody on the Hurricanes roster. Also, the Golden Knights have received more offensive contributions from their defense corps.
Sports
Report: Bulls coach search includes BYU's Kevin Young
Mar 3, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young works the sideline against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images The rebuilding Chicago Bulls reportedly have expressed interest in BYU head coach Kevin Young for their head coaching vacancy.
ESPN reported Friday that “early conversations” with Young are part of a wide net being cast to replace Billy Donovan, who stepped down on April 21 after six seasons.
Chicago also parted ways last month with executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. The Bulls finished 31-51 this season and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.
Young, 44, has guided BYU to a combined 49-22 record with two NCAA Tournament appearances since being hired in April 2024 after Mark Pope left to coach Kentucky.
The Cougars reached the Sweet 16 and finished No. 13 in the final poll in Young’s first season in Provo. They were ranked as high as No. 7 last season.
Young was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns (2020-24) before taking over at BYU, including three seasons as the associate head coach. He was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2016-20 and has been the head coach of multiple teams in the NBA G League.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in Macau
Jan 24, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Sean O’Malley (red gloves) fights Song Yadong (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images China’s Song Yadong forced Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo to tap out, giving Song the victory in the bantamweight main event on Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Macau.
Song (23-9-1) locked Figueiredo, 38, in a guillotine choke to force the submission at 4:42 of the second round, handing two-time flyweight champion Figueiredo (25-7-1) his second straight loss and fourth in his last five fights.
It was the first fight on home soil since 2018 for Song, 28, who was coming off a loss by unanimous decision against Sean O’Malley at UFC 324 in January in Las Vegas.
Alonzo Menifield defeated China’s Zhang Mingyang by KO/TKO at 4:15 of the first round in a light heavyweight bout.
Heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich of Russia punched out Brazil’s Tallison Teixeira just 39 seconds into their fight.
Japanese bantamweight Kai Asakura also scored a first-round KO/TKO against Cameron Smotherman.
Other winners included Jake Matthews (welterweight) and Cody Haddon (bantamweight) of Australia; Luis Felipe Dias (middleweight) and Jose Henrique (welterweight) of Brazil; Japan’s Rei Tsuruya (bantamweight); Peru’s Rodrigo Vera (featherweight). Angela Hill and Brazil’s Jaqueline Amorim won their women’s strawweight fights.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Veteran D Tim Ream to captain U.S. at World Cup
Sep 6, 2025; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; US Men’s National Team defender Tim Ream (13) in action during the second half against South Korea at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Tim Ream will captain the U.S. men’s national team at the upcoming World Cup.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino awarded the armband to the 38-year-old Charlotte FC defender on Saturday.
“I am so grateful he is with us — he is a great captain not only (on the) field but more importantly off the field. He has the experience and capacity to be the leader we want,” Pochettino said.
Ream has earned 80 caps with the USMNT since 2010 and started all four matches for the 2022 World Cup squad captained by Tyler Adams in Qatar.
“This is more than a dream come true,” said Ream, who is set to become the oldest American to play in a World Cup. “It’s the highest honor for me.”
The U.S. squad is currently ranked 16th in the world and is in Group D for the World Cup in North America, opening play June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., before matches against Australia (June 19 in Seattle) and Turkey (June 25 in Inglewood, Calif.).
The Americans’ final tune-up friendlies are against Senegal (Sunday in Charlotte) and Germany (June 6 in Chicago).
Professionally, Ream is in his third season with Charlotte and fourth in the MLS. He has two goals and three assists in 105 regular-season matches (102 starts) with the New York Red Bulls (2011) and Charlotte (2024-26). He also played in England for Bolton Wanderers (2012-15) and Fulham (2015-24).
–Field Level Media
Report: Bulls coach search includes BYU's Kevin Young
Song Yadong submits Deiveson Figueiredo in Macau
