The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Jeff Roberson/Associated Press The second round of the NHL playoffs is fully underway after Friday's pair of Game 1 matchups. The St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks all opened their second-round series with wins. The Blues and Bruins will look to carry over that momentum into Game 2 on Saturday. St. Louis and Boston opened their respective series at home, and both will have home-ice advantage for their second games of the second round. That gives them the opportunity to quickly build 2-0 leads and take control of their series. Saturday Schedule Game 2: Dallas at St. Louis, 3 p.m., NBC Game 2: Columbus at Boston, 8 p.m., NBC Video Play Button Videos you might like Games can be streamed live on NBC Sports Live. All times ET. Saturday Picks Dallas over St. Louis Game 1 showed why this should be a close series, with the Blues pulling out a 3-2 win. The Stars scored with less than three minutes to go to trim their deficit to one goal, but the Blues held on. Although Game 2 will also be in St. Louis, Dallas will win to even the series at 1-1. After dropping the opening game, the Stars know what they need to do better to prevent the Blues from notching another win in Game 2. "When they get going and when they get moving and when they have the puck down low, it's tough to contain them," Dallas center Andrew Cogliano said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "When we get opportunities to pin them, get bodies on them and separate them from the puck down low, it could be important for us." In the past 10 seasons, the only time the Stars made it to the second round of the playoffs was 2016, when they lost a seven-game series to the Blues. Expect another close series after Dallas ties it up Saturday afternoon. Boston over Columbus Charles Krupa/Associated Press Two days after the Bruins sealed their first-round series victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, they then pulled out an overtime win to open their second-round series against the Blue Jackets. Momentum seems to be on Boston's side, and it will continue to play well as it takes a 2-0 series lead against Columbus on Saturday night. Bruins center Charlie Coyle scored two goals in the Game 1 victory, including the game-winner, and he will look to again lead Boston to victory. "You just try to stay in the moment, really," Coyle said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "Especially playoff time. You always say you can't get too high, can't get too low, even if you really want to. It's hard to contain yourself sometimes. You just keep a level head." The Blue Jackets may have swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, but the Bruins are the better team in this series, and that will show over the next several games.<doc-sep>Josie Lepe/Associated Press Eight teams remain in the NHL playoffs, four will advance to the conference finals and only one will win the Stanley Cup. It's been an exciting postseason, and there should be more thrilling action over the next month-plus—especially if these second-round series go six or seven games, like five first-round series did, including three that went the full distance. Here's a look at all four second-round series, followed by a closer look at Sunday's pair of Game 2 matchups. 2nd-Round Standings, Schedule Eastern Conference Boston vs. Columbus (Tied at 1) Game 1: Boston 3, Columbus 2 (OT) Game 2: Columbus 3, Boston 2 (2OT) Game 3: Boston at Columbus, Tuesday at 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 4: Boston at Columbus, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Video Play Button Videos you might like Game 5: Columbus at Boston, Saturday at 7:15 p.m., NBC Game 6: Boston at Columbus, May 6 at TBD* Game 7: Columbus at Boston, May 8 at TBD* N.Y. Islanders vs. Carolina (Carolina leads 1-0) Game 1: Carolina 1, New York 0 (OT) Game 2: Carolina at New York, Sunday at 3 p.m., NBC Game 3: New York at Carolina, Wednesday at 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 4: New York at Carolina, Friday at 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 5: Carolina at New York, May 5 at TBD* Game 6: New York at Carolina, May 7 at TBD* Game 7: Carolina at New York, May 8 at TBD* Western Conference San Jose vs. Colorado (San Jose leads 1-0) Game 1: San Jose 5, Colorado 2 Game 2: Colorado at San Jose, Sunday at 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 3: San Jose at Colorado, Tuesday at 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 4: San Jose at Colorado, Thursday at 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 5: Colorado at San Jose, Saturday at TBD* Game 6: San Jose at Colorado, May 6 at TBD* Game 7: Colorado at San Jose, May 8 at TBD* St. Louis vs. Dallas (Tied at 1) Game 1: St. Louis 3, Dallas 2 Game 2: Dallas 4, St. Louis 2 Game 3: St. Louis at Dallas, Monday at 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 4: St. Louis at Dallas, Wednesday at 9:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 5: Dallas at St. Louis, Friday at 9:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 6: St. Louis at Dallas, May 5 at TBD* Game 7: Dallas at St. Louis, May 7 at TBD* *If necessary. All times ET. Sunday Preview Julio Cortez/Associated Press It didn't matter that the Carolina Hurricanes had only one full day of rest when they traveled to New York for their Game 1 matchup against the Islanders on Friday. After the teams went scoreless in regulation, Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal a little more than four minutes into overtime. If Carolina wins Game 2 on the road, it will be in a great spot when the series moves to its home ice for Games 3 and 4. The Hurricanes are building off the momentum from a seven-game series win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in the first round. With so little rest before Game 1, Carolina was glad to win it early in the first overtime period. "These games, under the circumstances, with the rest factor for us, I think you want it to end quick one way or the other," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN.com). "You just didn't want this to drag on again because that's really going to have effects later on. Obviously happy with the win, but happy that it didn't really drag on." Sunday's second game sees the San Jose Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche. Like Carolina, San Jose played a seven-game series in the first round, and it had only two full days to rest following its Game 7 win over the Vegas Golden Knights heading into Game 1 against Colorado. The Sharks didn't look tired in that victory, though, as they used three second-period goals to notch a 5-2 win. "We just outworked them, I think," San Jose forward Kevin Labanc said, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN.com). "We were winning our battles in the O-zone and in the D-zone, so we just got to stick with it and keep that momentum going for us in the second game."<doc-sep>For the second time in the first round of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, a No. 1 seed suffered a fatal blow from a No. 8 seed on Friday night, with the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames falling victim to the Colorado Avalanche. On Saturday, as NHL postseason action continues, there were more upsets in the works. The Dallas Stars picked up their second straight win with a strong performance on Saturday afternoon in Nashville, giving them a chance to close out the series next week in their own building. The St. Louis Blues certainly didn't enter the playoff picture as overlooked as the Avs or Columbus Blue Jackets, who had their own first-round stunner vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they built on an improbable second-half turnaround by ousting the Jets in their opening round series with a Game 6 win on Saturday night. The Capitals and Hurricanes also got back on ice and it was once again a story of home ice advantage. The Capitals routed the Canes by a 6-0 margin to take a 3-2 series lead back to Carolina. The home team has won every game in this series so far. Be sure to keep it locked right here at CBS Sports for updates throughout the weekend. NHL playoff schedule for Saturday, April 20 NHL playoff schedule for Sunday, April 21 Game 6: Bruins at Maple Leafs (TOR leads 3-2), 3 p.m. ET, NBC Game 6: Sharks at Golden Knights (VGK leads 3-2), 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN Capitals pour it on Saturday's NHL nightcap is a relentless blowout, as the Capitals just keep taking it to the Hurricanes on home ice in Washington. After Tom Wilson kicked off the third period with a power-play goal, Nic Dowd got his first tally of the playoffs with a silky move on a penalty shot. Then, Alex Ovechkin added a power-play goal of his own just two seconds into a man-advantage about halfway through the period. That strike (Ovechkin's third of the playoffs) made it 6-0 Washington. Oh no, Dougie The Capitals are still in command of Game 5 against the Hurricanes, and they've got a 3-0 lead heading into the final period. The third Washington goal came with a lot of help from Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who decided to put on the brakes during a race to a loose puck, allowing Alexander Ovechkin to set up Brett Connolly. It appears Hamilton thought the play would be ruled an icing, but ... yikes. Not a great look when you're trying to mount a comeback in a crucial game. He'll want that one back. Jets have late push, but it's not enough The Jets are done. After the Blues jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Winnipeg made a late push in the third period and at least gave us an interesting finish. They scored two goals in the final frame and Bryan Little cut the deficit to one with 38 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late for the Jets. As a result, the Blues are moving on. Caps grab early lead After losing two straight in Carolina, the Capitals came out with a fantastic first period of Game 5 in Washington. Nicklas Backstrom gave the Caps an early lead on the power play when he buried his own rebound through the five-hole of Petr Mrazek. That goal is very good news for the Capitals, as the team that has scored first has won each of the four previous games in this series. Mayday, mayday The Jets ... do not look good. In the third period in St. Louis, the Blues lead 3-0 and Jaden Schwartz has all three goals, giving him the last four in the series. He's become a monster. Meanwhile, Winnipeg came into the period with just six shots on net through the first 40 minutes of action, registering just one shot in the entire second period. Not exactly the level of play you want with your season on the line. They've got one more period to get it together or else they'll be hitting the golf course soon. Another quick start How many times have we seen a goal within the first 90 seconds of play during these playoffs? The answer: A lot. And we got another example on Saturday night when the Blues got on the board just 23 seconds into their Game 6 matchup against the Jets. It was Jaden Schwartz who got credit for the tally as he buried a rolling puck in the crease behind Connor Hellebuyck. That's certainly not the start the Jets were looking for as they look to keep their season alive on the road, but the Blues are looking to end this thing without having to play a do-or-die Game 7. Dallas heads home with a chance to advance We've already had a few upsets in the first round of the playoffs, so what's one more? After a shaky start on Saturday, the Stars finished strong and wrapped up a 5-3 win in Nashville to push the Predators to the brink of elimination. Dallas will head back home leading the series 3-2, giving them a chance to close out the series in their own building and bounce the Predators from the playoffs after just one round. Seguin line taking over for Dallas The Stars' top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alex Radulov dominated for Dallas in the second period of this game. Just 40 seconds in, Seguin found Radulov with a phenomenal pass that allowed Dallas to take a 2-1 lead. Seven minutes later, Benn made a strong play to win a battle in the corner, shrugging off Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis before setting up Radulov with a great no-look centering pass. Finally, Benn and Seguin connected on a goal as they furiously pushed play coast-to-coast. Ryan Johansen added a goal for the Preds, but it was almost all Dallas -- specifically one line -- doing work in the middle frame. Rocco rolls The Nashville Predators got off to the start they were looking for on Saturday afternoon.<doc-sep>
John Locher/Associated Press Only three games remain in the first round of the NHL playoffs, and for six teams, the stakes will be the highest they've been all season. Three Game 7 matchups will wrap up the opening round of the postseason, with two taking place Tuesday night and one on Wednesday. Only one second-round playoff series has been set—the Dallas Stars vs. the St. Louis Blues—so there is still quite a bit of uncertainty as to which matchups fans will see in the next round. Remaining First-Round Schedule (All Times ET) Tuesday Game 7: Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 7: Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network Wednesday Game 7: Carolina at Washington, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Video Play Button Videos you might like Second-Round Matchups Eastern Conference Columbus vs. Winner of Boston-Toronto series N.Y. Islanders vs. Winner of Washington-Carolina series Western Conference Dallas vs. St. Louis Colorado vs. Winner of San Jose-Vegas series Tuesday Preview Michael Dwyer/Associated Press The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks will all look to avoid having their season end on Tuesday night. But only two will move on to the next round. First, the Maple Leafs and Bruins will play Game 7 of their series in Boston. Toronto and Boston have alternated wins through the first six games, with the Maple Leafs winning Games 1, 3 and 5. However, the Bruins forced Game 7 by notching a 4-2 victory in Game 6 in Toronto. The Maple Leafs and Bruins played seven-game series in the opening round of the playoffs in 2013 and 2018, and Boston won both times. However, Toronto isn't worried about history repeating. "I'm not a big believer of living in the past," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I don't carry a lot of stuff around from the past at all. The bottom line is we've got a one-game series against these guys and we like each other, we like our group, we like hanging around together, we want to be together. The only way you get to be together is if you play good and execute and win." And Boston isn't overly confident despite its past success against Toronto on this stage. "No, to be honest, probably the only thing is home ice," Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "But they've already won twice there. It's one of those things where you try to forget the past whether it's this series or last year's series." The Golden Knights had a commanding 3-1 lead over the Sharks after winning Games 2, 3 and 4, but San Jose battled back. The Sharks won Game 5 at home, then they went to Las Vegas and forced a Game 7 by notching a 2-1 double-overtime win in Game 6. "We have to [put it behind us]," Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "It's the playoffs, right? You win, you lose, you put it behind quickly and get ready for the next one." This is the first playoff series to go seven games in Golden Knights history. Last year, in their inaugural season, they won each series in the first three rounds of the playoffs, with only one going to six games. Defense may be the key for the Sharks to avoid elimination, as they are 35-0 in games in which they've allowed two or fewer goals this season.