The Stars beat the Kraken, 2-1, on Monday night to set up the most southern final four the NHL has ever seen.

• East: Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes (starts Thursday)
• West: Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights (starts Friday)

State of play: This is the first time in NHL history that all four conference finalists are based in Sun Belt states. The closest prior instance came in 2020 when three teams met that criteria (Stars, Golden Knights, Lightning) while playing in the Edmonton bubble.

By the numbers: Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami and Raleigh are not exactly the first four cities that come to mind when you think "ice hockey." To wit, they combined for 1.3 inches of snow this past winter, notes The Ringer's Michael Baumann.

The big picture: This could be a ratings nightmare for the NHL, which had Boston, Los Angeles, Toronto, three New York-area teams and hockey-obsessed Minnesota in the field when the playoffs began.

Yes, but: It's not all bad news for the league, which will get to shine a spotlight on two of its most impressive warm-weather franchises.

• The Golden Knights have enjoyed incredible success in their first six seasons, which has helped them cultivate a passionate local fan base and become a destination for tourists. The result: Vegas led the NHL in average attendance by capacity (103%) this season.
• The Hurricanes have made five straight playoff appearances, and fans have responded by coming out in droves. Carolina drew more total fans (800,566) this season than every team except Montreal, and PNC Arena is dubbed "The Loudest House in the NHL" for a reason.

The bottom line: For the 29th straight postseason, a team from Canada — the birthplace of modern hockey — will not lift the Stanley Cup. Instead, it will be a team from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, where hockey was a foreign language not so long ago.

The NBA draft lottery is tonight, when one lucky team will win the No. 1 pick and the right to draft Victor Wembanyama — the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write.

State of play: The Pistons, Spurs and Rockets have the best chance (14%) of landing the 19-year-old French prodigy who stands 7-foot-4, has an 8-foot wingspan, shoots like Kevin Durant and defends like Rudy Gobert.

The big picture: The following seven players are, in our humble opinion, the most hyped of the draft lottery era (since 1985). From Ewing to Wembanyama, each reflected the era in which they were selected.

• Patrick Ewing (1985): The four-year center out of Georgetown was the prize of the inaugural lottery at a time when back-to-the-basket bigs reigned supreme.
• Shaquille O'Neal (1992): Another center, albeit a less traditional one, even Shaq spent three years in college despite averaging 28 and 15 as a sophomore at LSU.
• Tim Duncan (1996): The greatest power forward who ever lived played a full four years at Wake Forest when that was still viewed as a positive.
• LeBron (2003): "The Chosen One" was the crown jewel of the prep-to-pro era. Two years later, the NBA prohibited teams from drafting high schoolers.
• Anthony Davis (2012): While he wasn't the first one-and-done player to go No. 1, he was perhaps the first to do so without a hint of debate after leading Kentucky to a national title.
• Zion Williamson (2019): He was the face of the social media age, gaining fame for his viral dunks in high school before becoming must-see TV at Duke.
• Wembanyama (2023): The do-it-all Frenchman is representative of a league increasingly defined by international talent and positionless basketball.

Between the lines: While Americans typically spend a year or years watching future No. 1 picks on their TV screens, most have seen very little of Wembanyama.

• That has added to his mystique, keeping the focus on his undeniable physical traits and unicorn-like status rather than his game-to-game performance with the Metropolitans 92.
• And while most fans haven't watched him play many games, they've seen him on social media: He was the eighth-most viewed player on NBA social channels this season — while playing in France.

Go deeper: Everybody wants Wembanyama (NYT)

Could MLB's pitch clock be leading to more blown saves?

By the numbers: Through the first quarter of the season, save conversions have dropped to 61.4% from 67.8% at a similar point last season, AP notes.

• The average over the past decade is 65.1%, with a high of 70% in 2015 and a low of 61% during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
• Reminder: Pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base, and they're limited to two disengagements (pickoff attempt, stepping off the rubber, etc.) per at-bat.

What they're saying: "Whenever relievers are coming in, it's mostly a stressful situation," Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano told AP. "It was nice before when you did have those extra few seconds."

• "I think back-end relievers, guys that have closed in the past, I think that's been the biggest adjustment for them, just because they can't reset," added Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
• "There's so much adrenaline, the moment's so big at that point."

🏈 Peacock exclusive: Peacock has landed the first-ever exclusive livestreamed NFL playoff game, the NFL and NBCUniversal announced Monday. The Peacock exclusive wild card game will be in primetime on Jan. 13. WSJ reports that it's a one-year deal for roughly $110 million.

🐎 Another death: Rio Moon, a 3-year-old colt, died Sunday after a race at Churchill Downs, becoming the eighth horse fatality in recent weeks at the famed Louisville track.

⚾️ So close: Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in the Padres' 4-0 win over the Royals on Monday. It's the third time the 31-year-old has taken a no-hitter into at least the eighth inning, but he's yet to complete one.

🏈 Raiola to Athens: QB Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, committed to Georgia on Monday. The 6-foot-3 Phoenix native originally announced his commitment to Ohio State last May before de-committing in December.

One-and-one free throws — and the unique pressure that comes with shooting them late in a basketball game — are set to disappear from the high school ranks.

Driving the news: The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) on Monday announced major changes to boys and girls basketball rules regarding free throws and fouls. Starting next season, there will be no more one-and-ones or a "double bonus."

• Old rule: Teams were awarded a one-and-one "bonus" when their opponent committed seven fouls in a half, and they received a two-shot "double bonus" once their opponent reached 10 fouls in a half.
• New rule: Teams will be awarded a two-shot "bonus" on the fifth team foul of each quarter, and the fouls will reset after every quarter.

Context: This is the same rule used in women's college basketball, which adopted it in 2015 when it moved from 20-minute halves to 10-minute quarters. Men's college basketball still has one-and-ones; the NBA does not.

What they're saying: "The rules committee studied data that showed higher injury rates on rebounding situations and saw this as an opportunity to reduce opportunities for rough play during rebounds," the NFHS said in a release.

• "I think it's really going to benefit the better teams," one high school boys coach told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "You can't just foul to foul and hope they miss the front end of a one-and-one."
• "If you're a team that's able to pressure the basketball and have a little depth, the resetting of the fouls at the end of each quarter is going to be to your advantage, for sure," added a high school girls coach.

Veteran QB Matt Ryan is joining CBS Sports as an NFL analyst, the network announced Monday.

What he's saying: The 37-year-old Ryan stopped short of saying he's done playing football, ending his announcement tweet with a disclaimer: "P.S. — this is not a retirement post."

Between the lines: Even if he was finished playing in the NFL, Ryan has "12 million reasons to say he's not retired," writes Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio:

When the Colts traded for Ryan last year, they knew they would owe him $12 million this year. They cut him in March to avoid having another $17 million shift from injury guarantee to full guarantee. But it's not free money. Ryan technically has an obligation to seek NFL employment, and to not refuse reasonable opportunities to play. If he announces "I'm out," the Colts could — in theory — try to not pay him.

There's no reason to think the Colts would do it. But the smart move for Ryan is to keep the door open, especially when it's obvious that no one is going to be walking through it. Ryan is done. He knows it. We know it. Last year, it became clear.

The big picture: If this is indeed the end for Ryan, he'll finish his NFL career ranked seventh all-time in passing yards (62,792) and ninth in TD passes (381). He won league MVP in 2016, became a fixture in Atlanta and nearly led the Falcons to their first Super Bowl. Nearly.

Go deeper: Matt Ryan and the excruciating distance between very good and great (Seth Wickersham, ESPN)

BARCELONA — Nearly 80,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona on Monday to celebrate LaLiga titles for the Barça men and women. The men's team clinched their 27th league title on Sunday, while the women's team had secured their eighth title weeks ago.

LAS VEGAS — Three more sleeps until the WNBA returns. The league's 27th season begins Friday, with all 12 teams in action over the weekend.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rory McIlroy signs autographs for fans during a practice round on Monday ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship. The second major of the year tees off Thursday at 122-year-old Oak Hill Country Club.

CHARLOTTE — It didn't take Bryan Battle long to bring his hometown to its feet on Saturday, delivering a powerful knockout just 14 seconds into the first round of his bout at UFC Charlotte.

The Nuggets host the Lakers tonight (8:30pm ET, ESPN) in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

• Flashback: These two teams met in the 2020 West finals in the Disney bubble, with the Lakers winning in five games en route to the title.
• The big picture: The Lakers have 10 more NBA Finals appearances (32) than any other team; the Nuggets are one of six active franchises who've never reached the Finals.

More to watch:

• ⚽️ Champions League: Inter Milan (up 2-0) vs. AC Milan (3pm, Paramount+) … Semifinal, second leg.
• 🏀 NBA: Draft lottery (8pm, ESPN)
• ⚾️ MLB: Cubs at Astros (8:10pm, TBS) … Justin Steele (6-0, 1.82 ERA) vs. Cristian Javier (3-1, 3.47)
• 🎾 Tennis: Italian Open (1pm, Tennis)

Victor Wembanyama is set to become just the third international player (who didn't play in college) to be drafted No. 1 overall this century.

• Question: Who are the other two?
• Hint: Both are also 7-footers.

Answer at the bottom.

With the Oilers and Maple Leafs both losing this weekend, Canada's 30-year Stanley Cup drought continues.

Wild stat: The Canadian Football League has crowned an American champion (1995 Baltimore Stallions) more recently than the NHL has crowned a Canadian champion (1993 Canadiens).

• The CFL briefly expanded to the U.S. but hasn't had an American team since 1995.
• The NHL has seven Canadian teams.