{"id":118228,"date":"2026-04-17T12:51:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/stanley-cup-playoffs-bracket-set-nba-playoffs-biggest-questions-college-football-spring-game-storylines\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T12:51:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:51:31","slug":"stanley-cup-playoffs-bracket-set-nba-playoffs-biggest-questions-college-football-spring-game-storylines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/stanley-cup-playoffs-bracket-set-nba-playoffs-biggest-questions-college-football-spring-game-storylines\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket set; NBA Playoffs biggest questions; college football spring game storylines"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. <\/em>You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfd2 Five things to know Friday <\/h2>\n
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  1. The Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket is set.<\/strong> 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<\/a>. 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\u00a032-year Stanley Cup drought<\/a>. If you’re just now starting to tune back into hockey, you might recognize a few Team USA stars<\/a> from their Olympic gold medal run.<\/li>\n
  2. Parker Messick came up just short of a historic no-hitter.<\/strong> The longest no-hitter drought in baseball lives on<\/a> 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).<\/li>\n
  3. The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and we have intel.<\/strong> 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<\/a> 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<\/a> by how much power they wield in this year’s draft and constructed the most frustrating mock draft possible<\/a> for each fanbase.<\/li>\n
  4. Cayden Boozer will return to Duke for his sophomore season.<\/strong> The transfer portal was an option for the Blue Devils’ rising guard after his brother, Cameron Boozer, declared for the NBA Draft, but the program announced that Boozer will play a second year<\/a> at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That’s a feather in Jon Scheyer’s cap in terms of talent retention, as Boozer would have undoubtedly been a hot commodity on the transfer market. On that note, we now have scouting reports for each of the top 30 transfers and rankings for the top 100 portal prospects<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. WrestleMania 42 gets underway tomorrow in Las Vegas.\u00a0<\/strong>The two-night event features eight championship matchups, including the highly anticipated bout between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE title. The world heavyweight championship is also on the line in a clash between CM Punk and Roman Reigns. Our wrestling experts made their predictions<\/a> for the biggest matches on the card.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \ud83e\udd14 Do not miss this: 10 burning questions for NBA Playoffs <\/h2>\n

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    Tonight’s play-in games will finalize the 16-team NBA Playoffs bracket, and once those last two matchups are locked in, we’ll start to get answers to some of the burning questions surrounding this postseason<\/a>. The most pressing uncertainty is, of course, who will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy come June. Can the Thunder<\/strong> become the first back-to-back champion since the Warriors<\/strong> in 2017 and 2018? <\/p>\n

    A handful of other narratives will define the road to the championship, too, and outside of which team will reign supreme, John Gonzalez mostly wants to know who has the hardest path to a title. He thinks it’s the Timberwolves<\/strong>. <\/p>\n