NFL Draft’s stunning tumble continues, plus the NHL’s surprising villain

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On the Prowl: The NHL’s playoff villain is whomst?

The Florida Panthers have become what they set out to destroy. The Panthers’ road to their first Stanley Cup win last June was long and full of disappointments, many of the latest at the hands of their Floridian rivals, the Lightning. Tampa Bay’s 2021 Cup win, its second in a row and third of the century, had included a first-round triumph over the Panthers. That was the first time the two met in the playoffs, which was mainly because the Panthers were almost never in the playoffs before then.

Now, the Panthers aren’t just the reigning champs. I declare them the unambiguous casual fan’s villains of these hockey playoffs. The historically woebegone Florida Panthers have the trophy the rest of North America wants, and as they tussle with Tampa Bay for the fourth time in five playoffs, it is the Lightning who seem like the sympathetic side to root for.

Florida leads 2-0 ahead of today’s Game 3, starting at 1 p.m. ET on TBS. How did the Panthers reach this treachery? I say it’s three things:

• Florida nearly completed an all-time collapse in last year’s final, letting a 3-0 series lead to the Oilers slip away before rebounding to swipe Canada’s long-awaited Stanley Cup. That leaves a bit of that getting-away-with-it stench on them. Haters will hate.
• The Panthers have their very own Tkachuk brother: Matthew, a chippy-maybe-dirty star. It’s been a while since the 27-year-old served a suspension for poking an opposing goalie in the eye, at least. But Tkachuk is really good, and although he missed the last 25 games of the regular season after getting hurt in the 4 Nations Face-Off — an event he and brother Brady highlighted by getting into fights with Canadian players — he returned for Game 1 and scored two goals. Villainous, yes, but a baller.
• The Panthers swung a trade deadline deal for Brad Marchand, his generation’s defining very good and very dirty star. (Don’t just take it from me, but from his fellow players.) Marchand, 36, is years removed from doing his most infamous dirt, but he was Tkachuk before Tkachuk — a point that was evident as far back as three years ago. The Panthers are building a collection of deeply annoying talent.

I was wondering if it was just me feeling this way. Fortunately, Sean McIndoe ranked the Panthers dead last on his list of playoff teams by rootability, confirming all my priors. All my apologies to the delightful and sportsmanlike Finnish center Aleksander Barkov.

If the Panthers make another deep run, I predict many hockey fans will be ready to march on Sunrise, Fla., to stop them. They’ll just have to first establish where that is. (Directly across the street from a mall about 40 miles north of South Beach, if you wondered.)

News to Know

Shedeur’s stunning slide

Shedeur Sanders entered the draft as a potential top-three pick. Now, against all odds, the Colorado quarterback son of Deion Sanders will be a day-three pick. The freefall down the NFL Draft board continued during last night’s rounds. A quick recap of the latest:

• Louisville’s Tyler Shough, a late draft riser, became the third quarterback to hear his name called, by the Saints at pick No. 40. Shough is talented, but he’s a 25-year-old with injury concerns.
  
• More than 50 picks later, the Seahawks made Alabama’s volatile Jalen Milroe this year’s QB4. An interesting fit as a developmental piece.
  
• The Browns at pick No. 94 seemed like Sanders’ last chance to go in the third round. Instead, Cleveland took … the 5-11 Dillon Gabriel from Oregon? A great college quarterback, but Gabriel simply doesn’t project as an NFL starter.

Before the draft, Dane Brugler predicted Sanders would slide, but the extent of the slide is a massive and complex shocker. Day three commences at noon today. Sanders, of course, headlines Dane’s updated best available list. In the meantime, we have grades on every pick from Rounds 2 and 3 here.

Buckets and brawls

Five NBA and NHL teams entered last night trailing 2-0 in their respective series. All five avoided falling into 3-0 holes. Let’s start on the hardwood:

• The Bucks finally got in the win column against the Pacers. Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo did a little bit of everything. But it was Gary Trent Jr.’s nine (!) 3s and 37 points that led Milwaukee’s comeback.
• Jayson Tatum returned for Boston, but Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 62 of Orlando’s 95 points to win Game 3. Celtics-Magic is as physical of a first-round series as you will see.

Speaking of physicality, playoff hockey! The Canadiens and Capitals got into it as the second period came to a close, with Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson spilling into the benches in the middle of the brawl. Wilson poked some fun at the Canadiens after the skirmish:

Unfortunately for Wilson and Washington, it was virtually all Montreal from that point on. Alex Ovechkin tied things up shortly after the teams came back out for the third period … and then the Canadiens scored three unanswered. The Capitals still lead the series 2-1.

Elsewhere on the ice, the Devils picked up a double-overtime winner from Šimon Nemec to trim their series deficit against the Canes to 2-1. Meanwhile, the Oilers trailed the Kings 4-3 in the third period until Edmonton scored two goals in a span of 10 seconds. Connor McDavid’s squad is suddenly very much alive.

Eight more games of playoff action today. Onward:

More news:

What to Watch

📺 MLB: Blue Jays at Yankees

1:05 p.m. ET on MLB Network or MLB.TV (free) 

As the NFL Draft continues, here’s a nice pitching matchup for a mostly suspenseful sports Saturday: Kevin Gausman for the Jays, Max Fried for the Yanks. Fried carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning last weekend, sort of, before the official scorer took it away.

📺 NBA: Rockets at Warriors, Game 3

8:30 p.m. ET on ABC

The Warriors seized home-court advantage by winning in Game 1, as the rare No. 7 seed to be favored in a series against a No. 2. But the Rockets struck back nicely Wednesday and really gave Steph Curry a ruckus. This series is shaping up like a brutal physical test.

📺 NHL: Stars at Avalanche, Game 4

9:30 p.m. ET on TBS

The Stars lead 2-1 in one on the strength of two overtime wins in a row. The Avs got an awesome emotional boost from the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog in Game 3, after a three-year injury absence. It’s an amazing comeback story, and it will get cooler if the Avs can get a bounce or two and strap in for a long series.

Get tickets to games like these here.

Pulse Picks

The Athletic’s weekly sports news quiz. 

Tillamook’s “campfire peanut butter cup” ice cream. It’s marshmallow-flavored with peanut butter and chocolate. They only release it a couple times a year, and it’s out now. — Levi Weaver

Richard Deitsch’s nine takeaways on the TV coverage of Round 1 of the NFL Draft. 

Just in time for the Kentucky Derby, Netflix dropped a new sports docuseries, “Race for the Crown,” following last year’s Triple Crown hopefuls (including the 2024 Derby winner!). Could be an episode or two shorter, IMO, but a great deep-dive into the glamorous and grueling world of horse racing — right when everyone will be talking about it! — Hannah Vanbiber

If you haven’t read it yet, read this story by Sam Blum about the Angels’ sketchy move to schedule night games on “getaway days.” The players’ quotes are something. – Alex Kirshner 

“Everybody’s Live” with John Mulaney. Very fun, very unhinged, very L.A. This week’s episode with Conan O’Brien, Ayo Edebiri and Tina Fey focuses on dinosaurs and Christmas, which somehow undersells it. — Alex Iniguez

NFL Draft picks got a chance to pick their own walkout songs. Here’s why each song is a perfect fit for the respective athlete.

Reformer pilates — I love the 45-minute classes vs. having to dedicate an hour-plus block, and my mom recently started and swears she’s gotten taller! — Jenna Winchell

Going to the beach in spring when it’s 75 degrees. Sure, the water is ice cold, but for someone with a fair complexion, I’ll take cold water in exchange for being able to exist outside for more than 30 seconds. — Chris Branch

Making multiple quesadillas at once on a sheet pan in the oven. — Torrey Hart

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our pick-by-pick grades for the first round of the NFL Draft. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Zak Keefer’s NFL Draft winners and losers file.

Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Top photo: Joel Auerbach / Getty Images)

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