About last night
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Wednesday!
And happy International Tea Day — grab a cuppa (or your beverage of choice) while we spill on today’s piping hot sports news.
— Legendary Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight, announcing that the 2026 Milan Olympics will be her fifth and final Games. Enjoying every moment.
Playoffs
🏆 About last night
The GIST: There’s no season quite like the postseason, especially after last night’s triple-header of Game 1s in the PWHL, NHL, and NBA. The stakes couldn’t be higher — let’s dive in.
🔥 Ottawa Charge take Game 1 in overtime (OT): Charge forward Emily Clark found the back of the net just three minutes into OT, securing a hard-fought 2–1 Game 1 dub over the Minnesota Frost last night. Ottawa — specifically netminder Gwyneth Philips — have been dominant on home ice during the franchise’s first-ever postseason, winning all three games at TD Place.
- The best-of-five series continues from Canada’s capital tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET, with the Charge looking to deFrost Minnesota once more. But it won’t be easy, especially considering the top four playoff point scorers, including friend of The GIST Taylor Heise, wear purple.
🐱 Florida Panthers weather the Carolina Hurricanes: Ultimately, the only stat that matters in hockey is goals — good news for Florida, who had fewer shots, power plays, and faceoff wins than the Canes, but still skated away with a lopsided 5–2 win on the road. Expect an extra spicy Game 2 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET as the Canes try to avoid repeating history.
- And there’s more hockey where that came from: The puck drops on the Western Conference finals tonight at 8 p.m. ET, with the (completely healthy) Dallas Stars skating for revenge after falling in six games to the Connor McDavid–led Edmonton Oilers this time last year.
⛈️ Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines: From picking pockets to dropping dimes, the MVP candidate did it all for OKC last night, recording a 31-point, nine-assist masterpiece to top the Minnesota Timberwolves 114–88. Unexpectedly quiet (for him)? Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, who’ll need to match SGA’s energy in tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 2.
- Tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Eastern Conference finals showdown between the NY Knicks and Indiana Pacers is a blast from the past. After last year’s injury-riddled conference semis, this decades-old rivalry is ready to catch fire again. Something about those 90s trends.
🏀 New season, new record — Saturday’s matchup between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky averaged 2.7M viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season game in 25 years.
🏒 The PWHL’s first-ever expansion draft rules have arrived ahead of next month’s event. The deets? Each Original Six team can protect only three of their players, and each team will lose at least four players. Wild.
🎓⛳ It may be graduation season, but a few NCAA spring sports are still going strong. Arkansas junior Maria José Marin won the individual NCAA women’s golf championship on Monday, while defending champs No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 Northwestern will compete in today’s national team championship. Fore!
🎓🥎 After a historically stunning Regional round, the 16-team NCAA softball Super Regionals tee off tomorrow, featuring eight best-of-three series to decide the eight-team Women’s College World Series field. Shine bright like a diamond.
🇺🇸⚽ The No. 1 USWNT is heading back to training camp and released an updated roster yesterday ahead of two upcoming international friendlies against No. 17 China (May 31st in Minnesota) and No. 40 Jamaica (June 3rd in Missouri).
- One notable first-time addition? Longtime Kansas City Current midfielder and celly icon Lo’eau LaBonta, who has played exceptionally well in the NWSL this season, already scoring three goals for the league’s top team.
🏈 The NFL’s officially going to the Olympics. Team owners approved a proposal yesterday allowing players to compete in flag football when the sport makes its debut at LA 2028.
- And that’s not the only proposal on the docket: The Green Bay Packers submitted a revised plan to ban the tush push, a tactic synonymous with the defending Super Bowl champ Philadelphia Eagles. Stay tuned.
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🪽 Dallas Wings vs. 🐱 Minnesota Lynx — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass
- On the heels of a career-best performance, rookie Wings phenom and Minnesotan Paige Bueckers is returning to her old stomping grounds for a rematch against the inimitable Napheesa Collier and the Lynx. Never back down, never what?
🔮 Washington Mystics vs. ⚔️ Golden State Valkyries — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass
- As the expansion team Valkyries fight to find their footing, the new-look ’Stics are thriving, starting the season with a pair of dubs behind explosive production from their top two draft picks, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. Pop on those shades.
💜 LA Sparks vs. 🪐 Phoenix Mercury — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass
- The Mercury are not in retrograde thanks to the new dynamic duo in the desert: Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas combined for 47 points in Phoenix’s season-opener and are hooping for a repeat performance against a red-hot Kelsey Plum and the Sparks.
Together With Lazarus Naturals
💪 Exercising more this spring? Take it from Lazarus Naturals — no matter how tired your muscles are, it’s not easy to let your brain rest. If you’re looking for a way to enhance your relaxation, try incorporating Lazarus Naturals CBD sleep collection into your zzz routine.
- Our fave? The Sleep Gummies, perfect for taking the edge off so you can fall asleep and stay asleep. Best of all, you can take 20% off with code GIST20. Unwind with a little help from Lazarus Naturals.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🦴 How to keep your dog healthy
With one of Nom Nom’s six vet-developed, nutrient-rich meals made with real food, not filler. Treat your canine companion to fresh, flavorful food with 50% off your first subscription order, then use those savings to buy them another squeaky toy to destroy.*
👀 What to check out
“The Future of Sports,” our research report in partnership with Barbarian, highlighting the rising trends in women’s sports and deep-diving on the forces driving the evolving landscape. It’s always a beautiful day to level the playing field.
📆 What to check out
The Baltimore Ravens' Severance-inspired schedule drop. The crossover we didn't know we needed.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Woof woof.Question of the Day
As you read, the NBA conference finals are officially underway — which championship matchup would you most like to see?
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