Playoff thrillers in both NHL and NBA, plus the most interesting man in sports

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Gold Stars: More of these games, please We had another bevy of great playoff games last night. Space is tight, though, so we’re picking one game from both the NHL and NBA to earn a gold star. Let’s start on the ice: Carolina took a 2-0 series lead over Ottawa in what was nearly a historic NHL moment. The game itself was thrilling — a 3-2 double-overtime thriller, ended on Jordan Martinook’s wrister — but the context was even better. It nearly ended when Martinook was awarded a penalty shot in the first overtime after an offside call. No Stanley Cup playoff game has ended on a penalty shot. Senators goalie Linus Ullmark kept the fun fact intact, but couldn’t stop Martinook’s shot minutes later. • The Flyers cruised to a 2-0 lead against the Penguins with a 3-0 win. That series might be over • The Stars evened up their series with a bruising 4-2 win over the Wild. This version of Dallas is a contender • In the nightcap, Oilers outlasted the Ducks, 4-3, in what would’ve been the gold-star game if not for our double-OT winner above. Atlanta shocked New York in Madison Square Garden with a late comeback, tying their series 1-1 with a 107-106 win. CJ McCollum scored 32 points, and this was one of those games that felt like both a Hawks triumph and a Knicks collapse. New York led this game by as many as 14 points in the second half. Woof. • The Timberwolves pulled off their own road stunner in a 119-114 win over the Nuggets to even the series. This might be, as Zach Harper predicted for us before the playoffs started, the best first-round series. • The Cavaliers are up 2-0 after a convincing 115-105 win over the Raptors. Evan Mobley was awesome, as was James Harden. Might be time to file this one in the “Over” section, too More games tonight, of course. Onward: Hi (Again), My Name Is: The baseball guy is back Paul DePodesta is, bar none, one of the most interesting people in the history of modern pro sports, if only for his arc. Baseball to football and now back to baseball again to help run the Rockies, which is interesting enough. But as Brittany Ghiroli wrote today, the details are actually more compelling than that. • DePodesta, despite his stellar resume, has always been somewhat of an outcast at every stop. As he rose to fame in the “Moneyball” era — Jonah Hill’s character in the movie is based on him — he was decried as the analytics nerd by baseball traditionalists. When he made the leap to the NFL, he was lampooned as … the baseball guy. And now he’s back in the sport after a lifetime away. • DePodesta, 53, spent nearly 10 years as the Browns’ chief strategy officer, and preferred to stay behind the scenes despite his hire being high-profile. Brittany talked to multiple Cleveland employees from that period, and they indicated that had team leadership followed DePodesta’s system better, the Browns might be in a better spot today. The story is well worth your time today, and I also found insights into the Rockies’ current situation enlightening, too. OBJ back? Brown to NE? Odell Beckham Jr. had a workout and a physical with the Giants yesterday, sources told The Athletic, and a reunion in New York would be an incredible story. The Giants selected Beckham in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and Beckham made three Pro Bowls in his first three seasons in New York. Beckham, 33, also played for new Giants coach John Harbaugh in 2023 with the Ravens. Meanwhile, NFL executives still expect A.J. Brown to be a Patriot come June. Read that full update here. • Elsewhere on the NFL transaction wire: . Not bad for a guy who didn’t play college football. Also, Trent Williams is back in San Francisco on Crooks picks OSU Audi Crooks will transfer to Oklahoma State, she announced yesterday, after three stellar years at Iowa State. It’s a mild surprise, as the Cowgirls don’t have the national profile most assumed the portal’s top player would seek. Read more on her fit here. • Carlos Alcaraz said he won’t rush back from injury just to play in the French Open • NFL restricted access to contact info for draft prospects after last year’s prank call to Browns QB Shedeur Sanders • The Bucks appear to have a lead candidate to replace Doc Rivers: Taylor Jenkins • NBA Draft has been finalized after sorting through six tiebreakers. See it here • Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz will undergo a procedure to remove “loose bodies” in his elbow and is expected to return in the second half of the season. • PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said he is considering to welcome former LIV golfers back to the tour. Also, the tour • Boston Marathon saw back-to-back winners in the men’s and women’s races: John Korir, in a course record, and Sharon Lokedi. Yesterday’ssaw back-to-back winners in the men’s and women’s races:, in a course record, and It was a party , as Steve Buckley writes. 📺 MLB: Yankees at Red Sox 6:45 p.m. ET on TBS It’s always hard to resist the classic matchup. And while he won’t pitch until Thursday, I loved this story on how Boston-area product and Yankees phenom — what a title, right? — Cam Schlittler is handling the hometown hate. 📺 NHL: First round 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN2 Four hockey games tonight, one-upping their basketball brethren: Canadiens-Lightning (7 p.m.), Bruins-Sabres (7:30 p.m.), Mammoth-Golden Knights (9:30 p.m.) and Kings-Avalanche (10 p.m.). If I was picking a shift, I’d choose the early ones, especially since both Game 1s were scintillating. 📺 NBA: First round 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock Three more games this evening, also all Game 2s: Celtics-76ers (7 p.m.), Trail Blazers-Spurs (8 p.m.) and Rockets-Lakers (10:30 p.m.). The most important player across these three games is Kevin Durant, who will be a game-time decision for Houston. I almost feel bad for the Blazers, too, as their playoff appearance has been overshadowed by the saga of their new owner’s cheapness. Get tickets to games like these here. 📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, check out our other newsletters and connect with me on Instagram for more.