👋 Good morning!

What a start to the Stanley Cup Finals.

A rematch of last year’s championship series featuring one of the game’s all-time greats? Sweet. Add in an overtime finish to seal a two-goal comeback in Game One? Yep, this series is going to deliver.

That said, having watched just about every Blackhawks game since the 2009 Winter Classic, I’m inclined to say “been there, done that.” But last night’s action was terrific nonetheless.

And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of the Florida Panthers’ opportunity to repeat.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got it done in 2016 and 2017 to become the first organization to go back-to-back in the salary cap era, but it should’ve been the Blackhawks in 2014.

Thanks for nothing, (~~#BlackhawksLegend~~) Alec Martinez.

– Patrick Norton

It’s only minicamp, but…

Day 2 of the Bears’ mandatory minicamp gave us a glimpse at a big step forward for Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense. What stood out? A two-minute drill (really a 58-second drill) led by Williams that resulted in a last-second touchdown.

Ben Johnson agreed: “I would say the defense has gotten the better of the offense more often than not in all of those two-minute situations, whether it's end-of-half or end-of-game, so it was good to see the offense stack a few plays together. That's a very tough situation. I think it was 90-plus yards in under a minute with no timeouts, so it was cool to see them stack some plays.”
How it started: The drill began with an explosive boot from Tory Taylor that pinned the Williams and the offense at their own nine-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Williams rolled right as pressure in the pocket mounted before rocketing a pass to Olamide Zaccheaus for a near-30-yard gain.
How it ended: Williams found rookie running back Kyle Monangai in the flat for an easy six-yard score. The drive had its bumps and bruises, but the offense remained mindful of the clock, communicated well, and ultimately executed when push came to shove.

Through OTAs and Tuesday’s start to minicamp, we’d seen practices stopped to address and correct details like incorrect alignments, inefficient huddle sequences, and various other missteps on the offensive side of the ball.

But this drive didn’t include any of that. Instead, Williams and the offense were allowed to play. That didn’t silence Johnson, either. After a play that should’ve been blown dead for a practice sack as Williams waited too long for the field to open up, Johnson scolded the quarterback, shouting: “Faster.”

Timing is still the big thing holding Williams back through these team drills, but it’s noticeably come along in the past three weeks. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a work in progress that’s truly progressing.

I also found Monangai’s usage in the goal-to-go situation especially interesting. D’Andre Swift spent a good chunk of the drive with the first-team offense, but Monangai stepped in once the Bears got to the red zone. The surprise wasn’t Swift subbing out in that situation, but rather Roschon Johnson not having his number called. And sure enough, Monangai’s presence paid off.

GO DEEPER: My full breakdown from Day 2 of minicamp.

What happens in Vegas…🎰

BACK ON THE TV: A tentative deal has been reached between the Chicago Sports Network and Comcast to put CHSN on Xfinity’s “Ultimate Tier,” per NBC Chicago.

The Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox have been off the largest Chicagoland cable provider’s air since their joint network launched on October 1, 2024, replacing NBC Sports Chicago. The channel will launch on Xfinity beginning this Friday, according to the Sun-Times.

Great news for those of us with Xfinity who bought an antenna and haven’t been able to watch a full game for either of the three teams without significant pixelation and disruption.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Heading into Wednesday night, Jared Shuster had appeared in 11 games for the White Sox this season. The Sox’s record in those 11 games? 1-10. And the trend continued last night, with Shuster allowing four runs as the opener in a bullpen game.

The White Sox were able to tie it up on an Andrew Benintendi sac fly in the fifth, but Colt Keith's go-ahead double in the eighth inning to put the Tigers ahead, 5-4, was all former White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle needed to pick up his eighth save of the year.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: The good? Kyle Tucker was available off the bench despite being left out of the Cubs’ starting lineup the last two games as he recovers from a jammed ring finger. The bad? Tucker grounded out with the tying run on first to end the ballgame. The ugly? The absence of any run support for starter Matthew Boyd, who didn’t allow a Nationals baserunner until the sixth inning.

Boyd picked up the loss, allowing just two runs in 7.1 IP, while the Cubs were shut out for the third time this season.

The Cubs will deploy Drew Pomeranz as an opener in tomorrow’s rubber match.