The Minnesota Wild tied the St. Louis Blues with 93 standings points Wednesday night when they beat the San Jose Sharks and the Blues lost to the Edmonton Oilers.

As a result, the Wild moved past the Blues into the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Part of that is because the Wild have played 79 games to the Blues’ 80, so Minnesota has the better points percentage.

But even if their points percentages were the same, the Wild still would have the edge because they hold the first tiebreaker of regulation wins.

Here are the NHL tiebreaker procedures and how they could affect NHL playoff races in the final week of the regular season:

What is the tiebreaker procedure for the NHL playoffs?

If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:

Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
Goal differential
Total goals

How tiebreakers could affect Central Division title race

The Central-leading Winnipeg Jets (110 points) lead the Dallas Stars by four points heading into Thursday’s crucial game in Dallas. Each team has four games left.

Winnipeg leads in regulation wins 42-41 so it will be important for Dallas to win Thursday’s game in regulation. The Jets hold the lead in ROW (52-48) and overall wins (53-50), so Dallas’ best chance to win the Central Division is to finish ahead of Winnipeg in regulation wins or in points.

How tiebreakers could affect Pacific Division race

The No. 2 Los Angeles Kings and No. 3 Oilers appear headed toward a fourth consecutive first-round meeting. Edmonton won the previous three. Los Angeles is 29-5-4 at home this season so it would like to hold on to the second spot and have home-ice advantage.

Los Angeles has a two-point edge, a game in hand and a 39-33 lead in regulation wins. That means Edmonton can’t win a tiebreaker and would have to finish ahead of the Kings in points to get home-ice advantage in the first round.

How tiebreakers could affect Atlantic Division title race

The No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs helped their cause with an overtime win against the No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, bumping their division lead to three points with four games left apiece. They’re tied in regulation wins at 39 and the Maple Leafs lead in ROW (47-43) and overall wins (48-45). The Lightning’s best chance for a division title is to finish ahead of Toronto in points or in regulation wins in the event of a tie.

How tiebreakers could affect Western Conference wild-card race

The Blues (trailing 33-31) can only tie the Wild in regulation wins. The Wild lead in ROW (40-39) and the teams are tied in overall wins at 43. It’s possible for St. Louis to pass Minnesota in points or in one of those categories and finish with the first wild-card seed.

If it goes to a fourth tiebreaker, the Wild would win because they are undefeated against the Blues this season.

How tiebreakers could affect Presidents’ Trophy race

The Jets (110 points), Washington Capitals (107), Stars (106) and Vegas Golden Knights (103) are still alive in the race for best regular-season record and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Vegas has the most regulation wins (43) but has only a slim chance of claiming the title. Washington and Winnipeg are tied at 42 regulation wins, but the Jets lead the Capitals in ROW (52-48) and overall wins (53-49)

On Monday night, Florida won the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship, with confetti raining down from the rafters on the Gators and “One Shining Moment” playing on the jumbotrons inside the Alamodome in San Antonio.

In just a few days, men’s college hockey will crown a champion of its own.

The 2025 Frozen Four begins this week, with four teams heading to St. Louis with dreams of a national championship that will remain intact for just one squad by the end of the weekend.

The field of remaining teams is evenly split between historic powers and relative upstarts. 

Reigning national champion Denver is aiming to cement itself as a dynasty with a third title in the past four years. Boston University, which has five NCAA championships in its storied history, is appearing in its third-consecutive Frozen Four and 25th all-time. Then there are Western Michigan and Penn State, both of which are in the Frozen Four for the first time ever. The Broncos are the lone remaining No. 1 seed in the tournament while the Nittany Lions’ run to the Frozen Four has come just 12 years after they made their return as an NCAA-sanctioned program.

Before the puck drops in the first game this week, here’s a closer look at the Frozen Four, including its schedule, TV channel, streaming options and more:

Frozen Four 2025 teams

Boston University (Toledo Regional)
Western Michigan (Fargo Regional)
Penn State (Allentown Regional)
Denver (Manchester Regional)

Though it has been bounced from the national semifinals in each of the past two seasons, Boston University is back in the Frozen Four after defeating Ohio State and Cornell. Western Michigan survived a double-overtime thriller in the regional semifinals against Minnesota State and held off UMass in the regional finals. Penn State throttled No. 1 seed Maine in the regional semifinals and outlasted UConn in overtime in the regional finals. Led by defenseman Zeev Buium, a Hobey Baker finalist, Denver is looking to win its Division I-leading 11th national title after knocking off No. 1 overall seed Boston College in the regional finals.

Frozen Four schedule

Here’s the schedule for the Frozen Four, which begins on Thursday:

All times Eastern.

Thursday, April 10

Western Michigan vs. Denver | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
Boston University vs. Penn State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)

Saturday, April 12

Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)

Frozen Four matchups

Here’s a look at the matchups for the 2025 Frozen Four:

No. 1 seed Western Michigan vs. No. 3 seed Denver
No. 2 seed Boston University vs. No. 4 seed Penn State

Watch the 2025 Frozen Four live with Fubo (free trial)

How to watch Frozen Four

TV channel: ESPN2
Live stream: ESPN App | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

The Frozen Four semifinals and championship game will air on ESPN2. John Buccigross (play-by-play) and Colby Cohen (analyst) will call the game while Quint Kessenich will serve as the rinkside reporter. 

Streaming options for the games include the ESPN App, ESPN+ — ESPN’s subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial for potential subscribers.

Where is the Frozen Four?

Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis)

The 2025 Frozen Four will be held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the home rink of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. It’s the first time since 2007 and the third time ever that St. Louis has played host to the event.

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Lionel Messi will make a trip to Vancouver after all, one year after skipping the longest trip in Major League Soccer. 

Messi and Inter Miami will play two matches against the Vancouver Whitecaps later this month in the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament. 

Inter Miami will visit Vancouver at BC Place on April 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET in the first leg of their semifinal. Inter Miami will host Vancouver in the second leg on April 30 at 8 p.m. at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

The first leg in Vancouver will be Messi’s first game in the Canadian city. 

Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets did not travel to Vancouver for a regular-season game last season on May 25, 2024. Inter Miami opted to rest their aging Barcelona trio, disappointing ticket-paying fans who attended the game. 

Messi turned in a vintage performance, scoring two goals with an assist in Inter Miami’s 3-1 win against Los Angeles FC, to advance 3-2 on aggregate score during the second leg of their quarterfinal on Wednesday night. 

Vancouver’s Tristian Blackmon scored the tie-breaking goal to help the Whitecaps advance past LIGA MX side Pumas in Mexico City late Wednesday night. Vancouver scored twice on the road, capitalizing on the away goals tiebreaker for the tournament despite the 3-all aggregate score during their quarterfinal.

Vancouver is unable to host the first leg against Inter Miami on an early date due to an AC/DC concert held at the venue on April 22, creating a little bit of a schedule jam for Inter Miami. 

Inter Miami is scheduled to host FC Dallas in a MLS regular-season match on April 26, two days after the first leg. It’s unclear whether MLS will adjust. 

Before the Champions Cup semifinal, Inter Miami will visit the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on Sunday, then face the Columbus Crew at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on April 19. 

Inter Miami and Vancouver’s semifinal will be played just six days apart, while the other semifinal between LIGA MX clubs Tigres UANL and Cruz Azul will be played eight days apart on April 23 and May 1. 

If Inter Miami advances past Vancouver in the semifinal, it’s possible it could host the June 1 Champions Cup final before participating in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. 

Inter Miami will play Egyptian side Al Ahly FC in the Club World Cup opening game on June 14 in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, face FC Porto on June 19 in Atlanta, and play Palmeiras on June 23 in Miami during the group stage of the FIFA tournament. 

The first round of the 2025 Masters has started, and there have been suggestions for improving the game. ESPN host Scott Van Pelt joined The Dan Patrick Show to preview the 89th edition of the tournament and discussed the potential introduction of a shot clock in golf.

“The bottom line is, yeah, golf would benefit greatly if there were sort of a clock that we knew when it started and when it hits zero, you get a warning and then you get a penalty,’ Van Pelt said. ‘Because the game does take a long time to get moving.’

Van Pelt discussed the new TGL golf league established by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, which took place at the SoFi Center. This custom-built, technology-enhanced venue is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and features a shot clock. So far, only one player has received a violation – Tiger Woods himself.

Despite the fact that there will not be a shot clock at this year’s Masters, here is how to watch so you don’t miss any of the action.

How to watch the 2025 Masters

Both CBS and ESPN will broadcast the tournament. CBS has announced that this year, the network will expand its coverage of the third and final round on CBS and Paramount+.

Dates: Thursday, April 10 – Sunday, April 13
Time: First tee on Thursday scheduled for 8 a.m. ET
Where: August National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia
TV: CBS, ESPN
Stream: Paramount+ and Fubo, which is offering a free trial subscription for new users.

Watch the 2025 Masters with Fubo (free trial)

The New Jersey Devils clinched the NHL’s 12th playoff berth on Wednesday, but no one new can join them Thursday.

There still is plenty of intrigue, though, in the 10-game schedule.

The Vegas Golden Knights can clinch the Pacific Division title, the Washington Capitals can clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference and the Carolina Hurricanes can clinch home-ice advantage in their first-round series against the Devils (see below).

The biggest game is the Winnipeg Jets visiting the Dallas Stars in a Central Division battle. Winnipeg leads Dallas by four points in the race for the division title and can extend that to five or six points or watch it drop to two points if Dallas wins in regulation.

Here’s a look at the NHL playoff picture through games of April 9:

Who’s in the NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators
Western Conference: Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings

Who can clinch Thursday?

The Capitals will clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference if they beat the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes will clinch the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division and home-ice advantage in their first-round series against the Devils if they get at least one point vs. the Capitals.
The Golden Knights will clinch the Pacific Division title if they beat the Kraken in regulation and the Kings lose to the Ducks in regulation.

NHL games today (Thursday, April 10)

Chicago at Boston, 7
Detroit at Florida, 7
Buffalo at Columbus, 7
Carolina at Washington, 7:30 | ESPN+ | Disney+ | Hulu
N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30
Winnipeg at Dallas, 8
Vancouver at Colorado, 9
Nashville at Utah, 9
Seattle at Vegas, 10
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25

(as of games April 9; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title; z-eliminated from postseason contention)

Metropolitan Division

y-Washington Capitals (107 points)
x-Carolina Hurricanes (96)
x-New Jersey Devils (89)

Atlantic Division

x-Toronto Maple Leafs (100)
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (97)
x-Florida Panthers (94)

Wild card

x-Ottawa Senators (90)
Montreal Canadiens (87)

Sitting outside playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (79), New York Islanders (79), Columbus Blue Jackets (79), New York Rangers (79), z-Buffalo Sabres (76), z-Pittsburgh Penguins (76), z-Philadelphia Flyers (73), z-Boston Bruins (73)

NHL Western Conference standings 2024-25

(as of games April 9; x-clinched playoff berth; z-eliminated from postseason contention)

Central Division

x-Winnipeg Jets (110)
x-Dallas Stars (106)
x-Colorado Avalanche (100)

Pacific Division

x-Vegas Golden Knights (103)
x-Los Angeles Kings (97)
Edmonton Oilers (95)

Wild card

Minnesota Wild (93)
St. Louis Blues (93)

Sitting outside playoff spot: Calgary Flames (88), z-Vancouver Canucks (85), z-Utah Hockey Club (84), z-Anaheim Ducks (78), z-Seattle Kraken (74), z-Nashville Predators (64), z-Chicago Blackhawks (54), z-San Jose Sharks (51)

NHL playoffs if they started today

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games on April 9:

Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card

Washington (M1) vs. Montreal (WC2)
Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (A3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. 

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games on April 9:

Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card

Winnipeg (C1) vs. St. Louis (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3)
Vegas (P1) vs. Minnesota (WC1)
Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.

What is the tiebreaker procedure for the NHL playoffs?

If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:

Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
Goal differential
Total goals

When does the NHL regular season end?

The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 17, with seven games.

When do the NHL playoffs start?

The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.

Ken Griffey Jr.’s passion for photography has taken him to Augusta National.

Griffey, who blasted 630 career home runs with one of the sweetest swings, was among a group of credentialed photographers at the Masters, snapping shots during the Honorary Starter ceremony. The Baseball Hall of Famer is covering the tournament for the first time.

Griffey has been seen snapping shots at many marquee sporting events, including the Super Bowl and World Series. He told USA TODAY Sports in 2024 that he picked up photography watching his kids play sports ‘because nobody bothers the photographer, really.’

Griffey played in the major leagues from 1999-2010 with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

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Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington D.C. will host Club World Cup games, and benefit from FIFA’s ‘legacy contributions’ intended to help build small community-focused pitches and leave an impact following this summer’s tournament.

‘This is a symbol and a sign that we want to do something for the community because one of the things that strikes me here in North America, and this has to change, is that there are not enough facilities to play soccer in the right environment,’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a press release. 

“So, to give something, to contribute in building something in the areas of the (host) cities … that is most needed, is something that we have to do. It is our responsibility and I hope that many will follow us in this.’

The 2025 Club World Cup begins with Lionel Messiand Inter Miami on center stage against Egyptian club Al Alhy on June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. 

The Club World Cup final will be July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The tournament features 32 of the best soccer club teams from around the world, with the winner taking home at least $125 million of a $1 billion prize pool to be awarded. 

Consider it a precursor to the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19, 2026. 

FIFA also announced last week its expectation that both tournaments will generate $47 billion in economic impact and provide 290,000 jobs in the country, with $62 billion in gross domestic product globally in the next two summers.