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ð Five things to know Friday
- The Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket is set. The NHL regular season concluded last night with a few key results that finalized the playoff schedule. Everything was already set in stone in the Eastern Conference, but we now also know the matchups on the other side of the bracket. There will be no three-peat for the Panthers, and it would require a few upsets for a Canadian team to snap the nation's 32-year Stanley Cup drought. If you're just now starting to tune back into hockey, you might recognize a few Team USA stars from their Olympic gold medal run.
- Parker Messick came up just short of a historic no-hitter. The longest no-hitter drought in baseball lives on but only by the slimmest of margins. The Guardians last recorded a no-no in 1981, and it looked like they might get one from their standout rookie in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Orioles. Messick did not surrender a hit until the ninth inning when Leody Taveras punched a leadoff single. One batter later, that was the end of the line for the lefty Messick, whom Cade Smith relieved to close things out (but not before two inherited runners scored).
- The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and we have intel. CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones has been working the phones in advance of the draft. He opened up his notebook and unleashed a whole lot of juicy details on major draft storylines like the Jets' plans with the No. 2 pick, whether Ty Simpson will hear his name called in the first round and much more. Also, we ranked all 32 teams by how much power they wield in this year's draft and constructed the most frustrating mock draft possible for each fanbase.
- Cayden Boozer will return to Duke for his sophomore season. The transfer…