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Deadspin | Resurgent Sharks, amid turnaround season, challenge Golden Knights

Deadspin | Resurgent Sharks, amid turnaround season, challenge Golden Knights

Jan 10, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates to the bench for a line change against the Dallas Stars during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Led by dynamic 19-year-old center Macklin Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks have been one of the top turnaround stories of the NHL season.

San Jose, which finished just 20-50-12 and with a league-worst 52 points last season, goes into its game on Sunday against visiting Vegas in third place in the Pacific Division with a 23-18-3 record and 49 points, just three points behind the first-place Golden Knights and two points behind second-place Edmonton.

The Sharks have won six of their last seven games, including back-to-back come-from-behind overtime victories at Los Angeles on Wednesday and over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. They appear to have a legitimate chance of making the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2019.

“We like playing good teams, and we like beating good teams, because we’re a good team,” forward Adam Gaudette said.

Now comes perhaps the biggest test of the season for San Jose.

The Golden Knights scored five first-period goals en route to a 7-2 victory over the Sharks in their last meeting on Dec. 23 in Las Vegas. They Knights’ point streak against the Sharks stands at 12 games.

Still, thanks to the play of Celebrini, who is third in the NHL in scoring behind only superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid with 70 points, and a three-game win streak, the Sharks are a confident group heading the Sunday contest.

“There’s a big belief in that dressing room right now that we can win hockey games, and we can play with the best of them,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “That’s the biggest thing we’re seeing now, is belief.”

The Sharks twice overcame two-goal deficits against Dallas, which is tied with the Minnesota Wild for the second-most points (61) in the league. Tyler Toffoli won it with a one-timer from the high slot 1:58 into overtime. Celebrini picked up his third assist on the play.

“Even going into the third period (trailing 3-2), you felt like we were going to win the hockey game,” Warsofsky said. “That was the expectation … and we went out and did that.”

Asked if the Sharks could carry the momentum into Vegas game, Warsofsky replied simply, “I hope so.”

The Golden Knights also bring in a three-game winning streak and come in off a 4-2 win over visiting St. Louis on Saturday night.

Mark Stone sealed the win for Vegas with a long empty-netter to tie the team record with a goal in his seventh straight game, Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist in his 700th career game, and Shea Theodore scored what proved to be the game-winner in his first game back since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 13.

“It’s always nice to score, and to get one your first game back is something that I’m going to try to build on,” Theodore said.

Theodore roofed a wrist shot from the middle of the right circle over the left shoulder of St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington.

“Liked his game,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said of Theodore. “We’re a way better team when he’s in the lineup. He’s a world-class player. It’s good to have him back.”

-Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Resurgent #Sharks #turnaround #season #challenge #Golden #Knights

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said demand ​for tickets to the 2026 World Cup ‌had reached unprecedented levels, with 500 ​million requests already recorded ⁠for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“You’ve heard, there ‌were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup,” ‌Infantino said at the FIFA ‌Congress ⁠on Thursday. “We had 500 million ⁠ticket requests — 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had ​50 million ‌ticket requests. Here, 500 million.”

Infantino said FIFA had already sold the vast majority of tickets released so far.

“We’ve ‌sold 100 per cent of the inventory ​that we’ve put on the market, which is, more or ⁠less, 90% of the global inventory so far,” he said. “And of course, we ‌are always putting tickets on the market.”

Ticketing has emerged as a sensitive issue in the build-up to the tournament, with concerns raised about affordability and access for local ‌fans.

“There are expensive tickets, yes, but there ​are also affordable tickets,” Infantino added.

Football’s global governing body is expected ⁠to continue releasing batches of tickets ⁠in phases, a strategy designed to manage demand while maximising revenue ‌for what is set to be the most lucrative World Cup ​in history.

Published on May 01, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #million #tickets #requested #Infantino">FIFA World Cup 2026 — More than 500 million tickets requested for WC: Infantino  FIFA President Gianni Infantino said demand ​for tickets to the 2026 World Cup ‌had reached unprecedented levels, with 500 ​million requests already recorded ⁠for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.“You’ve heard, there ‌were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup,” ‌Infantino said at the FIFA ‌Congress ⁠on Thursday. “We had 500 million ⁠ticket requests — 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had ​50 million ‌ticket requests. Here, 500 million.”Infantino said FIFA had already sold the vast majority of tickets released so far.“We’ve ‌sold 100 per cent of the inventory ​that we’ve put on the market, which is, more or ⁠less, 90% of the global inventory so far,” he said. “And of course, we ‌are always putting tickets on the market.”Ticketing has emerged as a sensitive issue in the build-up to the tournament, with concerns raised about affordability and access for local ‌fans.“There are expensive tickets, yes, but there ​are also affordable tickets,” Infantino added.Football’s global governing body is expected ⁠to continue releasing batches of tickets ⁠in phases, a strategy designed to manage demand while maximising revenue ‌for what is set to be the most lucrative World Cup ​in history.Published on May 01, 2026  #FIFA #World #Cup #million #tickets #requested #Infantino

Deadspin | FaZe Clan slip into BLAST Rivals Spring playoffs  Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images   FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.  Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.  In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.  The 0,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.  All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive 5,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.  On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.  Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.  Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.  Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.  France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.  Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.  The remaining schedule:  Quarterfinals, Friday  –GamerLegion vs. Astralis  –G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan  Semifinals, Saturday  –Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner  –Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner  Final, Sunday   –Semifinal winners  BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings  Group A  1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18  2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1  3. Astralis, 1-1, -1  4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18  Group B  1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20  2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9  3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5  4. FURIA, 0-2, -16  BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool  1. 5,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens  2. ,000  3-4. ,000  5-6. ,000  7-8. ,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #FaZe #Clan #slip #BLAST #Rivals #Spring #playoffsNov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.

Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.

In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.

The $350,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.

All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive $125,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.

On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.

Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.

Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.

Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.

France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.

Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.

The remaining schedule:

Quarterfinals, Friday

–GamerLegion vs. Astralis

–G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan

Semifinals, Saturday

–Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner

–Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner


Final, Sunday

–Semifinal winners

BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings

Group A

1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18

2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1

3. Astralis, 1-1, -1

4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18

Group B

1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20

2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9

3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5

4. FURIA, 0-2, -16

BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool

1. $125,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens

2. $75,000

3-4. $40,000

5-6. $25,000

7-8. $10,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #FaZe #Clan #slip #BLAST #Rivals #Spring #playoffs">Deadspin | FaZe Clan slip into BLAST Rivals Spring playoffs  Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images   FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.  Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.  In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.  The 0,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.  All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive 5,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.  On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.  Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.  Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.  Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.  France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.  Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.  The remaining schedule:  Quarterfinals, Friday  –GamerLegion vs. Astralis  –G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan  Semifinals, Saturday  –Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner  –Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner  Final, Sunday   –Semifinal winners  BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings  Group A  1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18  2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1  3. Astralis, 1-1, -1  4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18  Group B  1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20  2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9  3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5  4. FURIA, 0-2, -16  BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool  1. 5,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens  2. ,000  3-4. ,000  5-6. ,000  7-8. ,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #FaZe #Clan #slip #BLAST #Rivals #Spring #playoffs

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