There was no third-period collapse this time.

Stuart Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers shut out the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 to earn a split in the first two games of the NHL Western Conference finals. For Skinner, the shutout was his third in five games since he was reinserted into the lineup following an injury to Calvin Pickard.

Skinner had lost his job in the first round after he was lit up by the Los Angeles Kings, but since his return, he has found his footing. He stopped all 24 shots he faced Friday night.

The Oilers held a 3-1 lead after two periods in Game 1 but wilted as Dallas kept converting on the power play. The Stars were 0-for-2 with the extra man in Game 2.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a power-play goal in the first period, and Brett Kulak and Connor Brown blew the game open with goals 1:13 apart in the second period.

Game 3 is Sunday afternoon in Edmonton (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Check out all the top moments from Game 2 of the Western Conference finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars:

Oilers vs. Stars highlights

Final: Oilers 3, Stars 0

STATS: Check out the full stats from Game 2 here.

Roope Hintz heads down the tunnel after Darnell Nurse slash

Roope Hintz, one of Dallas’ top forwards, was in considerable pain and had to be helped off the ice and into the locker room after he was slashed in the legs by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.

Nurse was assessed a penalty on the play, a two-minute minor after the play was reviewed.

Stars coach Peter DeBoer was clearly not happy about it only being a two-minute penalty:

Score update: Oilers 3, Stars 0

The Oilers strike again just 1:13 later and suddenly they’ve blown this one open.

Connor Brown got the latest goal, deflecting the puck in after a feed from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The Oilers take a 3-0 lead into the dressing room and will begin the third period with a little over a minute of power play time after Stars goalie Jake Oettinger picked up a delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass.

Edmonton took a two-goal lead into the locker room after two periods in Game 1, but wilted in the third. Can the Oilers avoid a collapse this time?

Score update: Oilers 2, Stars 0

What a great offensive effort from … Brett Kulak?!?

Indeed, the defenseman was the unlikely goal scorer for Edmonton, extending the Oilers’ lead with his first goal of the playoffs. Kulak’s first shot attempt was blocked after a nice setup from Connor McDavid, but Kulak stuck with it and put the follow-up shot past Jake Oettinger.

End of first period: Oilers 1, Stars 0

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play strike was the only goal of the first period.

Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner has stopped all 11 shots he’s faced, while counterpart Jake Oettinger has stopped nine of 10.

The Oilers did manage to kill off a Dallas power play, something they weren’t able to do in the third period of their Game 1 collapse. Edmonton will begin the second period with 1:31 of power play time after Stars defenseman Thomas Harley was called for holding at 19:29.

Oilers 1, Stars 0: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins opens scoring

Just like in Game 1, the Oilers are on the board first.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins cashes in with a tap-in on the power play at 5:51 of the first.

What time is Stars vs. Oilers Game 2?

Game 2 of the Oilers-Stars series will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in Dallas.

How to watch Stars vs. Oilers NHL playoff game: TV, stream

Time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. local
Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas)
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+, Fubo

Rookie Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings are off to a rough start this season, losing their first three games.

Bueckers has averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds to start the season. Arike Ogunbowale is leading the team at 15 points per game.

Rhyne Howard leads the Atlanta Dream, averaging 18.3 points per game. Allisha Gray averages 17.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Atlanta (1-2) remains without Jordin Canada, who has not played in the first three games this season. The two-time WNBA champion suffered a right knee injury during the preseason and isn’t expected back until next month.

Here’s how to watch the Wings-Dream game:

What time is Wings vs. Dream?

The Dallas Wings vs. Atlanta Dream game will tip off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 24 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

How to watch Wings vs. Dream game: TV, stream

Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia
TV: CBS Sports Network, Peachtree Sports Network (Georgia), KFAA (Dallas)
Stream: YouTube TV

Dallas Wings vs. Atlanta Dream odds

The Atlanta Dream are favored to beat the Dallas Wings, according to BetMGM.

Odds as of Saturday, May 24.

Spread: Dream (-7.5)
Moneyline: Dream (-285), Wings (+230)
Over/under: 169.5

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Ben Sheppard started growing his mustache on a whim after the Indiana Pacers drafted him with the No. 26 pick in 2023.

He was clean shaven as a college player at Belmont and stayed that way long enough to take all of the post-draft photos alongside fellow first-round pick Jarace Walker. Then he just started letting his facial hair grow.

By the start of NBA Summer League in 2023, he was showing some stubble, but eventually gave up on everything but the hair above his lip. By training camp he had a full-grown mustache.

‘At first I couldn’t grow any other facial hair except for a mustache,’ Sheppard said, ‘but I like how it looks on me.’

Sheppard, who scored six points and added an assist during Indiana’s Game 2 win over New York in the Eastern Conference finals Friday night, said his parents didn’t buy into his new look right away.

His parents, David and Susan, were not big fans and suggested he shave it. Ben was about to acquiesce, but then he saw a picture of them at their wedding and noticed that his father had a mustache that was almost exactly the same as his.

‘I just wanted to keep it after that,’ Sheppard said.

At that point David bought into the idea, Ben said, because what could he say? Susan was still more than skeptical but eventually had to surrender.

‘It probably took my mom a year to accept the fact that I have a mustache,’ Sheppard said. ‘But my dad likes everything that I do.’

It has since become the defining feature of Sheppard’s aesthetic as he’s settled into a rotation role as the Pacers’ high-energy, low-maintenance wing off the bench ‒ an ’80s style ‘stache sitting above a seemingly permanent smile.

‘I feel like it’s like a part of me now,’ Sheppard said, ‘so I’m keeping it for the time being.’

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Jaden McDaniels’ fourth-quarter flagrant hardly required a body language specialist. Two hands and a thrust is a shove, the universal sign for frustration — the most telling league wide symptom that the Thunder defense has seeped into the bloodstream. 

Other symptoms include but are not limited to: hands flailing or shoulders shrugging in the direction of Scott Foster, seeing six heads instead of the three-headed snake that OKC’s big 3 was on Thursday, a 118-103 Game 2 Thunder win, and a convincing two-game deficit in these NBA Western Conference finals. 

Through two games, the toxicity of the Thunder’s all-time defense has bubbled. Third quarters have come strapped in, delivered by lethal injection. The runs, crushing when they happen, feel inevitable for OKC, even so deep into these playoffs. 

They know it. They’ve weaponized it. 

“Our intensity and aggressiveness can wear on you,” veteran Alex Caruso said. “Whether you’re physically aware of it or mentally aware of it.

“By the time we bring in our second unit, first unit’s already pushing. And then you bring in me, Cason (Wallace), and keep one of the bigs out there. It’s like you have a whole new starting five defensively.”

The margin of error in this series is seemingly as small as it’s ever been vs. this Thunder squad. Thursday’s third quarter run was 25-6, a third quarter with all the same furiously forced turnovers. Strips from Minnesota’s helpless hands. 

Nothing tipped the building over quite like Wallace’s late quarter lob to Chet Holmgren, who leaped as if he swung from a branch in order to extend his frame and slam it home. 

Of all the things that the Wolves’ odds are hinged on, very little is swinging their way. It was meant to outrebound the Thunder; OKC’s 14-12 edge in second-chance points isn’t helpful. Not an exemplary ball control team entering the series, its best bet was to inch closer to the median; the Thunder leads the points-off-turnovers count 52-20 this series. 

Minnesota digested the Game 1 film and seemingly set out to force the Thunder into more jumpers. OKC attempted 12 more 3s (making just 27.3% of them), and notably depended on an abundance of midrange jumpers. 

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lives there, fully licensed. Jalen Williams has similar credentials, though he bordered on audacious Thursday. He was 10 of 14 on 2-pointers. The wrist snapped in all the right ways en route to 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. 

Between the barrage of jumpers, OKC still managed to torment Minnesota on the interior: 22 more points on 2s, and 16 more points in the paint on 69% shooting. 

The world is seeing just exactly how SGA and Williams live. 

Minnesota’s defensive intentions have mostly been pure, too. It played its zone with the conviction of a truck driver already five Modelos in. It still feels mighty in man coverage. Rudy Gobert still leaps toward the top of the arc when the finger is wagged at him. 

But the Thunder’s intentions have been sinister. 

They’ve trained their noses like airport canines for the aroma that came with the third quarter. You smell blood in the water, you follow the scent. In this case, that meant forcing Julius Randle turnovers and flipping Minnesota on its head. 

Through two wins, OKC is outscoring Minnesota by 28 points in the third quarter. Even when Minnesota threatened a 24-point lead, trimming it to 10 in the fourth, the Thunder budged about as far as Foster would on a coach’s challenge. 

Second halves versus the Thunder have become wastelands. It has these playoffs — and Denver specifically — to thank for that. Caruso admits that Game 1 of the West semifinals, as well as the late-February meltdown versus the Wolves, both float atop the memory bank at this juncture.

“I don’t know if we get the due credit we deserve for how we’ve learned and how we’ve grown as a team,” Caruso said. 

Stepping into Oklahoma City means being prepared for the blender. Nikola Jokic was. His hide even dulled the blade at times. He provided OKC a dilemma it hadn’t seen in the series before or since, a player needing the attention of at least two defenders at most times. 

Stellar outside shooting has long been wishful thinking for these Thunder during its postseason run. It hasn’t needed it, anyway. And Minnesota has yet to make OKC truly budge. To change Gilgeous-Alexander’s gravitation toward the line. To change the Thunder’s La-Z-Boy comfortability in running the Wolves’ pockets. 

McDaniels seemingly feels all of it. He’d have maybe flipped a table over. But Gilgeous-Alexander was right there. 

“Just wanted to foul him, for real,” McDaniels said postgame. “I wasn’t even mad. I just had fouls to use.” 

“That’s frustration,” Caruso said. “Like, that’s clear as day. That’s just him being frustrated. So yeah, for sure, being able to use that. I mean, playoffs are emotional ups and downs, and usually the team that can stay the most even keel throughout the series and playoffs has the upper hand.”

Lu Dort mostly seemed understanding of the sequence. Of McDaniels’ experience.

“It was a good foul,” Dort said when relayed McDaniels’ words, smirking through the giggles in the room.  

The expression of a man with empathy. 

Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. He can be reached at jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or on X at @joelxlorenzi.

The picture of the coveted Oklahoma City Eight of the NCAA softball tournament bracket is starting to become clearer.

Behind star pitcher NiJaree Canady, No. 12 Texas Tech on May 23 became the first team to advance to the Women’s College World Series. The Red Raiders upset No. 5 national seed Florida State in a clean two-game sweep.

There remain seven more tickets around the country to be claimed. Entering Saturday’s competition, several national seeds — No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Arkansas — find themselves on the cusp of elimination and upset, adding to the madness of the tournament.

All spots in the WCWS can be all locked up by the end of Saturday. No. 2 Oklahoma looks to punch its ticket to the WCWS for the ninth consecutive season, in which Patty Gasso’s Sooners will look to win their fifth straight national championship.

Action in Oklahoma City gets underway on Thursday, May 29 with a quadruple header of first-round games at Devon Park.

Here’s what you need to know about who is advancing to the Women’s College World Series, including a first look at the matchups in Oklahoma City and more:

Watch the Women’s College World Series live with Fubo (free trial)

Who’s in Women’s College World Series? Updated NCAA softball bracket

This section will be updated as teams secure their spot in the WCWS after winning their super regional

No. 5 Texas Tech (Won Tallahassee Super Regional)

Super Regional scores

Norman Super Regional

Game 1: No. 2 Oklahoma 3, No. 15 Alabama 0

Gainesville Super Regional

Game 1: No. 3 Florida 6, Georgia 1 (Florida leads 1-0)

Fayetteville Super Regional

Game 1: Ole Miss 9, No. 4 Arkansas 7 (Ole Miss leads 1-0)

Tallahassee Super Regional

Game 1: No. 12 Texas Tech 3, No. 5 Florida State 0 (Texas Tech leads 1-0)
Game 2: No. 12 Texas Tech 2, No. 5 Florida State 1 (Texas Tech wins)

Austin Super Regional

Game 1: No. 11 Clemson 7, No. 6 Texas 4 (Clemson leads 1-0)
Game 2: No. 6 Texas 7, No. 11 Clemson 5 (10 innings) (series tied 1-1)

Knoxville Super Regional

Game 1: Nebraska 5, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (Nebraska leads 1-0)

Greenville Super Regional

Game 1: No. 8 South Carolina 9, No. 9 UCLA 2 (South Carolina leads 1-0)

Eugene Super Regional

Game 1: No. 16 Oregon 3, Liberty 2 (8 innings) (Oregon leads 1-0)

When is the Women’s College World Series?

Women’s College World Series start date: Thursday, May 29
Women’s College World Series end date: Thursday, June 5/Friday, June 6

The Women’s College World Series will start on Thursday, May 29 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City and run through either Thursday, June 5 or Friday, June 6, depending on whether the WCWS championship series needs the ‘if necessary’ Game 3 to be played or not.

Women’s College World Series schedule

Here’s a breakdown of the Thursday and Friday schedule for the 2025 WCWS, including first pitch times and TV information:

All times Eastern

Thursday, May 29

Game 1: Noon | ESPN
Game 2: 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Game 3: 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 4: 9 p.m. | ESPN2

Friday, May 30

Game 5: 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 6: 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

How to watch Women’s College World Series?

TV channels: ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU | ABC
Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

The entirety of the Women’s College World Series will be nationally televised across the ESPN family of networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ABC. Streaming options for the WCWS include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

When is the NCAA softball tournament?

Here’s the full 2025 NCAA softball tournament schedule:

Regionals: May 16-18
Super Regionals: May 22-25
Women’s College World Series: May 29-June 5/6

CHICAGO — It can take months, even multiple seasons, to determine whether a trade was worth it. Not so for the deal that sent Natasha Cloud to the New York Liberty in the offseason.

Two games in, it’s clear the Liberty are big winners. The rest of the league, not so much.

The addition of Cloud has made the Liberty even better. Which is a scary thought, considering they’re the defending WNBA champions and already had Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. But Cloud, with her size, versatility and ability to get to the rim, elevates New York’s offense while making the Liberty even more disruptive defensively.

“We’ve never really had someone quite like her,” coach Sandy Brondello said before Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Sky. “When you talk about shot profile and getting to the rim, we have someone now who can really get downhill.

“That certainly adds to what we’re trying to do,” Brondello added.

Cloud leads the Liberty in scoring (20 points) and assists (8.5) through the first two games, and is third in the WNBA in efficiency.

But what really stands out is that New York is shooting 51.5% from the floor and almost 42% from 3-point range while averaging 13 turnovers. The Liberty also lead the league in steals and blocks.

It is, admittedly, a small sample size, and one of New York’s victories was against the Sky, who very much remain a work in progress. But the Liberty opened the season with a thumping of A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces.

Cloud had 22 points in that one, including two consecutive three-point plays to spark an 8-0 run that broke the game open in the fourth quarter.

“Her home opener was great,” Stewart said. “Her energy is kind of contagious and infectious.”

Cloud makes no secret of how thrilled she is to be in New York. Drafted in the second round by the Mystics, she spent her first eight seasons in Washington. (She took the 2020 season off to advocate for social justice reform.) She won a title in 2019 and, in 2022, led the league in assists and was all-defensive first team.

She went to Phoenix as a free agent last year. But with Diana Taurasi retiring and the Mercury retooling, Cloud was shipped to the Connecticut Sun in February of this year.

The Sun are a perennial playoff contender, but the team has struggled to keep pace with the rest of the league in terms of facilities and amenities. Knowing Cloud had considered New York as a free agent previously and sensing an opportunity, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb spent weeks trying to wrest her away from the Sun.

“There was nowhere else that I wanted to be than New York,” said Cloud, who grew up in Philadelphia and played at Saint Joseph’s. “I called my agent and said, ‘If they’re ready for me, I’m really, really ready.’ So when I tell you I appreciate being here, there was a lot of work that went on behind the scenes.”

Cloud said she was grateful Jen Rizzotti and Morgan Tuck, the Sun’s president and GM, respectively, understood that she preferred to be in New York and didn’t try to stand in her way. Especially since the Sun had lost several key players in the off-season.

On March 16, Cloud was traded again, with the Liberty sending the Sun two first-round picks. Connecticut used the first of those to take Aneesah Morrow at No. 7 in the draft and will have the other for next year.

“I’m so happy to be where my feet are today. I’m with one of the top organizations, from off the court to on the court. With everything that happened in the off-season, to be where I am today, I’m just extremely grateful,” Cloud said.

The Liberty’s core is established — duh, they won a title last year — but Cloud quickly found her place within it. It helped that she was teammates with Sabrina Ionescu at Unrivaled, and Cloud fessed up that she’d tried to recruit Stewart to the Mystics.

But mostly it’s because Cloud knows her strengths and her role.

“The biggest thing for me was to just add something that was already a well-oiled machine. And how I do that is just being myself. I’m the dog of the team. I’m the energy,” said Cloud, who does tend to make the Energizer Bunny look like a sloth.

“I’m a big connecting piece,” she added. “They already had a really close environment and close chemistry, and I feel like I just kind of bear hug everybody in.”

It is, again, early. Really early. But if Cloud and the Liberty can be thriving this quickly, imagine what they’ll look like come September and October.

Or don’t if you’re a fan of another team.

‘I know my first game put high expectations,’ Cloud said. ‘I really am just trying to be better each day for this team.’

And in doing so, make the Liberty better.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media: @nrarmour.