The Sportsletter - Let the May-Hem Begin

BY JEFF YODER

MAY 2, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back,

A busy weekend of NFL Draft coverage and NBA first-round wrap-ups bring us into the month of May where plenty of seasonal changes await. It's NHL postseason time before the summer fun begins with the Kentucky Derby, WNBA, Indy 500 and much more. Let the May-hem commence...

Letter Rip!

NHL

Let the May-Hem Begin! 🏒

Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images

Let’s Drop the Puck on the NHL Postseason

The NHL regular season is a wrap and the playoffs are coming. A record-setting year could bring a wild feel to the ice for the postseason after eight 100-point teams in the Eastern Conference and 13 total. Eight players finished with 100-point seasons, and all eight are in the playoffs. It’s time to drop the puck on the playoffs — the chase for the Stanley Cup is on!

Presidents’ Trophy: Florida Panthers (122 points)

Players With 100-Point Seasons

Connor McDavid (EDM): 123 points

Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA): 115 points

Johnny Gaudreau (CAL): 115 points

Leon Draisaitl (EDM): 110 points

Kirill Kaprizov (MIN): 108 points

Auston Matthews (TOR): 106 points

Steven Stamkos (TBL): 106 points

Matthew Tkachuk (CAL): 104 points

NHL Playoff Bracket

Western Conference

#1 Avalanche vs. WC2 Predators

#2 Wild vs. #3 Blues

#1 Flames vs. WC1 Stars

#2 Oilers vs. #3 Kings

Eastern Conference

#1 Panthers vs. WC2 Capitals

#2 Maple Leafs vs. #3 Lightning

#1 Hurricanes vs. WC1 Bruins

#2 Rangers vs. #3 Penguins

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 1: Bruins at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET)

Gm 1: Lightning at Maple Leafs (7:30 pm ET)

Gm 1: Blues at Wild (9:30 pm ET)

Gm 1: Kings at Oilers (10:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

Video: Best of the 2021-22 NHL Regular Season

NHL: The Conn Smythe Favorite (Postseason MVP) for Each Playoff Team

CBS Sports: 2022 NHL Playoffs: Burning Questions for Each Stanley Cup Contender

NBA PLAYOFFS

Round 2 Tip-Off

Photo: Adam Glanzman / Getty Images

NBA Playoffs Advance to Round 2 With Game 1 Sunday Stunners

The NBA playoff field is down to eight teams, and the Round 2 series are officially underway. A pair of Game 1s on Sunday got the action started with the 3-seeds topping the 2-seeds. A Giannis triple double and a Warriors escape tipped off the second round for the road teams. Here are the highlights:

Gm 1: Bucks def. Celtics (101-89)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks made light work of the Celtics in Game 1 by holding Boston to just 89 points — their lowest scoring night since December 29. Antetokounmpo (24-13-12) had a triple double, and he appears to be imposing his will on the undersized Boston lineup. The Bucks hammered Boston in fast-break points (28-8), and Game 1 goes to the defending champs. MIL Leads Series (1-0)

Gm 1: Warriors def. Grizzlies (117-116)

After the Grizzlies survived the Timberwolves to win their first playoff series since 2015, their reward was the red-hot Warriors. A near triple double from Ja Morant (34-10-9) sparked the Grizz on a night where they led for much of the game, but the Jordan Poole show continued for Golden State. While Steph Curry (24) and Klay Thompson (15) combined to hit eight 3s, Poole dropped 31 points off the bench. Both teams went back and forth down the stretch until Thompson hit a 3 with 36 seconds left for the lead. Morant got a look at a game-winner, but missed the contested layup. Dubs take Game 1. GSW Leads Series (1-0)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 1: 76ers at Heat (7:30 pm ET)

Gm 1: Mavericks at Suns (10:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: 76ers Joel Embiid to Miss First Two Games of Eastern Conference Semis With Facial Fracture

USA Today: Warriors’ Star Draymond Green Ejected From Game 1 on Questionable Flagrant Foul Call

NFL DRAFT

Winners & Losers of Draft Weekend

Photo: David Becker / Getty Images

The Top Hauls and Biggest Duds After All 7 Rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft

All 262 picks have been made and the 2022 NFL rookie class is officially here. After a historic first round lit up draft night with an unprecedented number of trades, rounds 2-7 brought plenty  of intrigue as well. Here are the biggest winners and losers of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Winners: Jets, Ravens & Eagles

Our three winners were apparent in Round 1, and they just kept getting steals. The Jets snagged three playmakers with their three first-round selections. The Ravens had two first-round picks that should be surefire studs before a steal in Round 2. And the Eagles made the big splash for WR A.J. Brown via trade alongside two great picks before finding Georgia LB Nakobe Dean who slid into the third round.

Other Notable Winners: Lions, Packers, Chiefs & Giants

Losers: 49ers, Patriots & Colts

Three teams did very little to move the needle over the weekend. And even though their selections weren’t necessarily poor grades, they just didn’t accomplish anything that will alter the trajectory of their franchise. The 49ers and Colts didn’t have a first-round selection, and their eventual picks didn’t wow anyone. The Patriots — and Bill Belichick — like to get their guys regardless of pick value, and they didn’t hesitate to make some reaches.

That’s a wrap on the 2022 NFL Draft coverage. Hopefully your team got their guy(s) and you can look to a brighter future in the season ahead. Here are a collection of links and storylines to relive all three days of draft mania…

Additional Storylines

NFL.com: Snap Grades for All 32 Teams (Including Every Pick for Each Team)

B/R: 2022 NFL Draft Grades for Every Team

ESPN: Best NFL Draft Value Picks & Steals for All 32 Teams

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Judge’s 2-HR Day Gives Yanks 9th Straight

The Yankees took the headline on a busy weekend at the diamonds with a Yankees sweep of the Royals behind Aaron Judge’s two-homer outing. New York has won a league-best nine straight to grab the best record in the majors after Month 1 (16-6).

⛳️ PGA: Rahm Masters Mexico Open

Jon Rahm (-17) went wire-to-wire to win the Mexico Open over the weekend despite watching his lead trimmed on Sunday. It was Rahm’s first win of the season as he held off Sunday challengers in Brandon Wu (-16), Tony Finau (-16) and Kurt Kitayama (-16).

⚽️ SOCCER: Real Madrid Capture LaLiga Crown

For the 35th time, Real Madrid are the champions of Spain as Los Blancos dominated Espanyol (4-0) on Saturday to clinch the LaLiga title. Rodrygo (2), Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema tallied the goals. Madrid also has a shot at more glory with the team still alive in Champions League action. They face Man. City later this weekend.

🥊 BOXING: Taylor-Serrano Lives Up to the Hype

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano made boxing history on Saturday night in front of a packed Madison Square Garden. What was billed as the biggest women’s fight of all-time lived up to the hype. Taylor won the instant classic by split decision (97-93, 96-93, 94-96).

📰 THE HEADLINES

• 76ers Joel Embiid to Miss First Two Games of Eastern Conference Semis With Facial Fracture (CBS Sports)
• Bears Release Former Super Bowl Winning Quarterback Nick Foles After No Trade Suitors (ESPN)
• Odell Beckham Jr. Apologizes for Tweeting False Deebo Samuel Trade Rumors (Yahoo! Sports)
• New Orleans Saints Making ‘Aggressive Push’ to Sign Tyrann Mathieu (Sports Illustrated) 
• Angels Shohei Ohtani Exits With Groin Injury Against White Sox (Bleacher Report)
• NASCAR Cup Series Race at Dover Postponed to Monday Due to Rain (NBC Sports)

Support The Sportsletter Team 

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

Did Someone Forward You This Email? Subscribe Here
Feedback? Contact Our Editor: Jeff@TheSportsletter.com
Not Loving The Letter? Unsubscribe
Follow us on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Copyright © 2022 The Sportsletter
717 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103