In naming a 42-man training squad for the World Cup on Tuesday Gregor Townsend officially launched squad-picking season.

Squad-picking is a pursuit that will inflict many in the coming months. The stricken find themselves incapable of getting through a day without scribbling down the names of the 31 men they think will board the plane for Japan before starting an argument in their own head and ripping up their list and starting again.

It's a Groundhog Day for geeks, with this scribbler firmly in the ranks. Surveys suggest that each victim gets through hundreds of different versions of the squad before they eventually come out of their trance-like state.

Townsend is the only one who has to do it for real and that process has now started. The provisional squad has been named with room for two more - a lock (Richie Gray would be the favourite) and, most probably, a wing (Lee Jones may be the one in the frame if he can prove his fitness).

The 44 will be whittled down to 31, which will take some doing. It's fair to say that of all of Scotland's World Cup squads since the tournament began back in 1987, this one demands more debate than any other and, as a consequence, will be the toughest of all to pick.

How does the numbers game add up?

A natural starting point in all of this is whether Townsend intends to go with a split of 18 forwards and 13 backs or, as Vern Cotter did four years ago, 17 forwards and 14 backs. The former would give him the option of an extra prop or an extra back-five player in the pack at the expense, perhaps, of a wing.

If Townsend knows which way he's going to go then he's not letting on. In reality, he must be open-minded. There's a long way to go, but right now, there's arguably 26 guys who can be considered close to certainties barring any mishap between now and 3 September, the day of Townsend's announcement.

That still leaves a lot of talking points. Jamie Bhatti and Gordon Reid are in a fight to be the fifth prop. With Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist virtually on the plane there will be one more out-and-out second row chosen (Gray senior and Ben Toolis are in competition there) with a fourth man picked as a second-row with the capacity to cover back-row. Four years ago that job fell to Tim Swinson. The 2019 version looks like Sam Skinner.

The back-row is where the main conundrums exist. John Barclay, Hamish Watson and Ryan Wilson will travel, but that only leaves two, possibly three, more slots, depending on how Townsend wants to cut it.

If it's only two positions up for grabs you have Jamie Ritchie, Magnus Bradbury, Blade Thomson, Josh Strauss, Gary Graham and Matt Fagerson competing for them. Thomson is the unknown at Test level. The Scarlet is only now making his comeback following a prolonged period out with concussion. He's got the game to force his way in. Ritchie was outstanding in the Six Nations. Strauss has the grunt. Fagerson is fast improving. Graham is the outsider of the lot, but he has a belligerence about him that gives him a chance of causing a surprise.

That's a decent set of options for Townsend. At half-back, things are straightforward. Duncan Weir is playing the best stuff of his life with Worcester but he needs an injury to Finn Russell or Adam Hastings to make it. The only question at nine will be on match day. Does Greig Laidlaw start ahead of Ali Price? If not, does the captaincy revert to Stuart McInally or Barclay? George Horne will be in Japan as the third nine with the livewire capability of pushing the other two all the way.

Tinker with Taylor?

Townsend listed nine centres that have not made his squad. That's an illustration of how brutal the selection was and will be again when he has to reduce the numbers further. Duncan Taylor hasn't played rugby all season and hasn't worn the Scotland jersey for almost two years because of a catalogue of injuries. If he didn't have bad luck he'd have no luck at all.

You might call him the forgotten man, but Townsend hasn't forgotten. Taylor, fit and firing, is massively important to the coach - and Townsend makes no secret of that. Taylor can play 12, 13, on the wing and at full-back. He's the very definition of versatility and his presence would mean that Townsend can play around with his numbers knowing that he has a guy who can don most jerseys in the backline and deliver in each one.

Of all the intriguing questions the one of most significance and spin-off impact surrounds Taylor and his attempted journey back to rugby. He returns to light training this week. Those opening warm-up games in August will be the making or breaking of him.

Sam Johnson has to be a shoo-in. Huw Jones, too. If Taylor makes it, there will be a maximum of one more centre with a battalion of contenders. Pete Horne, Nick Grigg and Chris Harris are firm favourites of the coach, but Northampton's Rory Hutchinson has the appearance of a bolter every time you see him. This is not going to be easy.

Four wings made it in 2015. Four might make it again, but this is where the Taylor Factor comes into play again. If Taylor travels then Townsend might get away with picking just three wings while adding another forward. Darcy Graham has shot himself into the must-pick category. Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour are the other two. Both can play 15 if pushed. Blair Kinghorn ought to make it, but he's by no means a banker for inclusion.

In the selection process the more that Townsend's brain is fried the better. The wider squad assembles next month. In the relative blink of an eye 31 of them will be in Japan.

Of the five nominees for European player of the year, two of them - props Mako Vunipola and Tadhg Furlong - are widely thought to be the best in the world in their positions.

Another two - the Ireland hooker Sean Cronin and centre Garry Ringrose - are also established current internationals, and destined to feature in the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

The one anomaly in the quintet is Saracens full-back Alex Goode, last capped by England back in 2016, and repeatedly considered surplus to requirements by current national team boss Eddie Jones.

Unlike former English winners of the award in Nick Abendanon (2015), Steffon Armitage (2014) and Jonny Wilkinson (2013) - who were all playing in France at the time - Goode is eligible for England selection. He just isn't being picked.

"He continues to knock out big performances, all the time," Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall says.

"Especially in the big games he has been sensational. He's been such an important player for Saracens over the last 10 years."

So with that in mind, if someone fresh to the game witnessed one of Goode's performances, and then found out he was in international exile, surely they would be staggered?

"I think so," adds McCall.

"He's certainly played well enough to deserve [England selection], but that is someone else's choice.

"It is [Eddie Jones'] prerogative.

"But if you are going to pick players based on performance - especially in bigger matches, rather than run-of-the-mill Premiership matches - and every time there has been a semi-final or final he produces the goods, then he does have a big-match temperament."

A trip to the Saracens training base a matter of days away from their huge Champions Cup final against Leinster leaves you in no doubt how highly Goode is valued by his club, if not his country.

"His ability to read the game is second to none, and I have never seen a guy make so many breaks with a brick wall in front of him," adds scrum-half Ben Spencer.

"His nickname is 'The Spider', because his legs deceive everyone and he makes breaks everywhere - I don't know how he does it.

"He's a brilliant player, and has been phenomenal for us for years now. Hopefully he can bring a bit of magic on Saturday."

At 5'11" and around 90 kgs, Goode is not the biggest or the strongest, nor can he be labelled an out-and-out speedster in the Anthony Watson or Elliot Daly mould.

It is thought his pace, or lack of it, has counted against him in the eyes of the England head coach.

But according to McCall, Goode has made constant developments in those areas, combining a physical improvement with an innate skill and understanding of the game.

As well as excelling at full-back, Goode has also played fly-half regularly this season, and pulled the strings with class in the European quarter-final thrashing of Glasgow.

"He sees the game very clearly, and sees the game early," explains McCall.

"He is two steps ahead of most people and he anticipates things but he has also worked really hard physically, and I think he is quicker than he has ever been.

"There was a criticism of him five or six years ago that he doesn't have out-and-out wheels - and maybe he doesn't compared to the speedsters in the Premiership - but he is quick, and his hunger to get better in those areas has really paid dividends."

Goode himself says he has "kept pushing his speed and strength", but does he think he is a better player than the one that made his England debut in 2012, or the one that made a solitary appearance under Jones in 2016, the last of his 21 international caps?

"I don't think I was a bad player then, but you learn from experiences and try and layer on different areas of the game," he says.

"I would like to think I am constantly trying to improve, so maybe I have got better."

With a place in Jones' World Cup squad looking highly unlikely at this stage, Goode is philosophical about his England snub, preferring to focus on his achievements at Saracens, where he has played all his career.

Saturday's final in Newcastle will be an eighth final out of a possible eleven for Premiership champions.

"I would obviously love to play for England, and it was an amazing feeling running out for your country," he reflects.

"But I have been here for 13 years and I love representing the club. It is a pretty special place."

And while he says it is "lovely" to be in the mix to be named the best player in Europe, Goode insists the respect of his team-mates is what matters most.

Regaining the European title from an outstanding Leinster outfit would also eclipse any personal triumph.

"I would bite your hand off to get a victory over the weekend over any individual accolade - that has always been the way at Saracens," he says.

"When you start playing in finals, you are nervous a few weeks out but you learn to relish them and enjoy them.

"You are playing in front of a packed crowd, against the best players in the world, and really testing yourself with your best mates.

"You have got to enjoy that."

CONCORD, N.C. — After rain spoiled recent events at Jacksonville Speedway and Tri-State Speedway, the two races have found new dates this season on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule.

Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 25. The event will start as an entirely new show. Tri-State Speedway, in Haubstadt, Ind., has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 13.

“We’re pleased we were able to work with the track promoters to find new dates for these events in the busy World of Outlaws schedule,” said Carlton Reimers, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Director. “We’re not alone this year in dealing with Mother Nature, but we thank our tracks, competitors and fans for keeping a positive outlook.”

Fans who attended the canceled Jacksonville Speedway race should continue to hold on to their wristband and tickets from the event. Also, Aaron Reutzel’s Qualifying time of 10.028 seconds set at Jacksonville Speedway before the event was rained out will stand as the track record.

Patrick Maroon's goal at 5:50 of the second overtime pushed the St. Louis Blues past the Dallas Stars -- and into the Western Conference finals -- with a historic 2-1 win in Game 7 of their second-round series Tuesday night in St. Louis.

It was the third series this postseason to go to a Game 7 overtime, marking the first time that has happened in Stanley Cup playoffs history.

Vince Dunn gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 13:30 of the first period. Stars winger Mats Zuccarello tied it with an unassisted goal just 2:25 later.

That the teams went so long without scoring can be attributed to Dallas goalie Ben Bishop's stellar play at one end and his team's ineffective offense at the other end (just four shots on goal in the second and third periods combined). The Blues peppered Bishop with 54 shots in the game, making him just the fifth goalie in history to face 50 or more shots in a Game 7.

Both Carolina and San Jose advanced in the first round by winning a Game 7 in overtime, the Hurricanes over the Washington Capitals and the Sharks over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Hurricanes swept the New York Islanders in the second round to move on to the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Bruins, starting Thursday night in Boston. The Sharks will be looking for more Game 7 magic when they play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

As each NHL team is eliminated from the postseason, we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, three keys to its offseason, and impact prospects for 2019-20, concluding by offering a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

Perhaps the Dallas Stars' biggest problem this season was their inability to score goals. They scored the third-fewest goals in the league (2.55 per game), as only the hapless Kings and Ducks were worse. That mostly wasn't an issue in the playoffs, as they scored 35 through 13 games (2.69 per game) and saw breakout performances from secondary scorers like Roope Hintz (five goals) and Jason Dickinson (three). Trade deadline acquisition Mats Zuccarello provided the offensive spark that the Stars were looking for too, with 10 points in the playoffs.

Dallas made it all the way to a Game 7 of the second round series, which to be honest, was probably a fair preseason expectation for this team. The team was adjusting to its third coach in as many years, and there were going to be growing pains to a different style. It even occurred during the season; the team wanted to have a quick, aggressive offense, but they turned into a methodical defensive team. It didn't help that superstars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin didn't get off to the best start -- which we heard about, unfortunately, in a profanity-filled rant by the team's CEO around Christmastime. Seguin especially picked things up as the season went on, and the team certainly looked like it had found its stride during the first-round win over the Nashville Predators.

Stars coach Jim Montgomery is a big "process" guy, and shortly after he was hired, ESPN asked the former college coach what would be a success in Year 1. "Success is going to be having the right energy and people believing in the process that we're going to instill." Montgomery said last May. "We're going to have a team identity, and success is going to be the players understanding and valuing that process like I do. If that happens, making the playoffs and everything else is going to come with it."

What's better than a Game 7? A Game 7 decided in overtime. What's better than that? What the St. Louis Blues did on Tuesday: defeating the Dallas Stars in double overtime for an improbable berth in the Western Conference finals, and doing so off the stick of St. Louis area native Patrick Maroon, no less.

Here's a recap of last night's action (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for tonight, in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

Jump ahead: Last night's game | Three stars
Play of the night | Today's game | Social post of the day

About last night ...

Game 7: St. Louis Blues 2, Dallas Stars 1 (2OT) (Blues win the series 4-3)

Much has been said about the Blues' incredible turnaround, going from last place at the start of January to ... here. We now have two teams in the conference finals that were 300-1 (Blues) and 100-1 (Hurricanes) to win the Stanley Cup at points during the regular season. With his team stalled offensively, Stars goaltender Ben Bishop needed to stand on his head, and he did up until the bitter end. Through two periods, the Blues had 52 shot attempts to the Stars' 22.

Since neither team could break through, this one needed to be decided in double overtime, and Patrick Maroon played the part of hometown hero. This is the third Game 7 in these playoffs to be determined in overtime, which is now an NHL record.

Three stars

1. Patrick Maroon, LW, St. Louis Blues. Prior to Maroon, the only previous player to score an OT winner in a Game 7 in or near his hometown was Yvon Lambert in 1979 (Montreal vs. Boston). Lambert was born in Drummondville, Quebec, close to Montreal.

2. Ben Bishop, G, Dallas Stars. One of the biggest reasons this game got to double overtime? The Stars goalie. He was spectacular, making 52 saves. It felt like nobody was going to beat Bishop on Tuesday.

3. Robert Thomas, RW, St. Louis Blues. Two assists and an overall sensational night from the 19-year-old, who became the first teenager with multiple points in a Game 7 since the Canucks' Trevor Linden on April 15, 1989 vs. Calgary.

Play of the night

Now this is how you draw a penalty.

Robert Thomas is unreal with the puck, and his ability to keep it just led Dallas to take a penalty out of desperation. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/WTXwaGSIEm

- St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 8, 2019

Dud of the night

The Dallas Stars were an offensively challenged team in the regular season who seemed to fix their woes in the playoffs. They reverted to old ways Tuesday night.

The Stars tied the game with 4:05 left in the first period. Since then the shots are 25-2 for the Blues.

- Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) May 8, 2019

On the schedule

Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks, Game 7, 9 p.m. ET (series tied 3-3)

All signs point to Sharks captain Joe Pavelski returning for Game 7. That's huge for San Jose, which has been without him for the whole series following his injury in Game 7 of the first round. They've compensated with a strong bounce-back goaltending performance from Martin Jones. Colorado, which has arrived ahead of schedule, can make its first Western Conference finals since 2002 .The Avalanche's top line hasn't totally been on the past few games, and the team will look to them for a big Game 7; Nathan MacKinnon feels particularly due for another big moment.

Social post of the day

Patrick Maroon's son after his father scored the OT winner.

I'm not crying, you are. pic.twitter.com/wf8zE8aHv0

- Leah Kessel (@leahflame) May 8, 2019

Maroon took less money and term to sign with his hometown team this summer, and be with his son more often.

Quotable

"That's kinda been the story of the season. When our backs are against the wall we play our best and find a way to fight through it." -- Blues winger Robert Thomas.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has labelled Trent Alexander-Arnold's quick-thinking corner routine which led to the all-important fourth goal in the 4-0 win against Barcelona a "genius moment."

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, Liverpool had a mountain to climb at Anfield, but had matched that scoreline before the hour mark.

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And, with 11 minutes remaining until extra-time and the Barcelona players having switched off from a corner, Alexander-Arnold spotted Divock Origi unmarked and played in a low ball to the Belgium international, who clipped it into the roof of the net to send Liverpool into a second successive final.

"We all know you need luck in this situation, or a genius moment like Trent Alexander-Arnold [for the fourth goal]," Klopp said after the match. "I saw the ball flying into the net and I had no idea who took the corner and who scored because it was too quick for me.

"Now I saw it back and it's just incredibly smart, two players connected -- in this moment it was enough. My God, genius."

Origi had given Liverpool a 1-0 lead at half-time on the night before Georginio Wijnaldum -- who came on as a replacement for the injured Andrew Robertson at the break -- scored two in two minutes to level the score on aggregate.

And Origi scored the fourth which means Liverpool will face either Tottenham or Ajax in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.

Kieron Pollard will turn out for Trinbago Knight Riders, his "home side", for the 2019 edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

Pollard, one of West Indies' premier short-format allrounders, has never played for the Trinidad and Tobago franchise in the CPL so far, neither in its earlier Red Steel avatar nor the revamped Knight Riders. He spent five seasons with Barbados Tridents and the last one with St Lucia Stars.

This time, for the tournament running from September 4 to October 12, Pollard will be Knight Riders' marquee player.

"We are delighted to welcome Pollard back home and it's great to continue our efforts to bring as many Trini boys home as possible," Venky Mysore, the team director, said in a statement. "I can't wait for the reaction of the fans when Pollard takes the field at our opening game on 4 September."

Pollard - who will turn 32 on May 12, the same day on which he will be in the mix for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019 final - will be hoping to then return home and try to help Trinbago Knight Riders add to the three CPL titles they have won to date, in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Pollard has, however, tasted glory at the CPL in the past, having led Tridents to the title in 2014.

He is the most experienced T20 player in the world, having played 474 matches so far - 59 of them internationals and the rest in leagues around the world - scoring 9,275 runs and taking 261 wickets.

The remainder of the squad will be selected at the players' draft, to be held on May 22.

Kedar Jadhav's IPL may have come to a premature end because of a shoulder injury, but his World Cup spot is likely to remain intact. ESPNcricinfo understands that the Indian selection committee, led by MSK Prasad, has been told that Jadhav's injury might not be as serious as was earlier feared.

With the ICC's playing conditions for the World Cup allowing teams to make changes to their preliminary squads of 15 until May 23, it is believed that Prasad's panel will wait till as close as possible to the Indian team's departure before naming a replacement for Jadhav, if they are forced to.

Last Sunday, playing in Chennai Super Kings' final league match in the IPL, against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali, Jadhav hurt his left shoulder while fielding in the deep. He left the field immediately and did not return.

It was understood at the time that Jadhav's IPL was likely over, and on Tuesday evening, Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the news to the host broadcaster on the sidelines of his team's Qualifier 1 face-off against Mumbai Indians, which they lost.

"Well, he is out for us, and then it is just about being accurate with that assessment," Fleming said. "He was going through the scans and working with Patrick Farhart (the Indian team physiotherapist), so there's obviously one eye now on the World Cup and getting him fit.

"But from our point of view, he is certainly out of the tournament."

The selection panel is understood to have received an update from Farhart, which indicates that Jadhav is likely to be fully fit before the Indian squad departs for the World Cup on May 22. India play their first match at the World Cup on June 5, against South Africa.

In case Jadhav can't make the trip, the selectors will pick a replacement from the standby list of five players: Rishabh Pant, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel, Navdeep Saini and Ishant Sharma. Incidentally, Saini is also part of the quartet of fast bowlers who will travel with the squad to the World Cup to function as net bowlers, the other three being Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.

It was only five overs, split over two short spells, but Mitchell Starc's first bowl in the middle in three months was enough to get the Australia camp very excited at the prospect of him finding the form that had made him the Player of the Tournament at the 2015 World Cup.

Starc, who had been sidelined since the end of the Sri Lanka Test series in early February with a pectoral muscle injury, claimed 2 for 14 from five rapid overs against the New Zealand XI in the second of the three practice matches at Allan Border Field. He burst through Hamish Rutherford in the opening over to send him back for a first-ball duck, then speared a toe-crushing yorker past a well-set George Worker at the start of his second spell.

Starc decamped to the sidelines shortly after, and the difference in the attack was palpable as the New Zealand batsmen made merry against Kane Richardson, Sean Abbott and Michael Neser. The Australians have brought their own speed guns with them to these matches and Starc was pushing the needle up to leave his team-mates in the shade.

"I was sitting near the speed gun and it was pretty quick - 148kph one of them - and the rest of us were about 135, so I was asking Dene Hills [one of the team performance analysts] to push it up for us," Richardson said, on the day he was added to the World Cup squad as a replacement for Jhye Richardson. "And they only lost three wickets, two of them to him. It was pretty exciting to see him back hitting the stumps.

"It was a trump card to have at that last World Cup, sitting back and watching that was pretty amazing, so if we can get Mitch back to that sort of form - and that looked like it, to be honest - if he's swinging the ball at pace, he'll take wickets and make everyone's job easier."

New Zealand batsman Will Young, who has scored 190 runs across the first two matches in Brisbane, spoke with wide eyes about facing Starc. "It did feel that quick, I left one off a length and it just kept rising and I was like, 'Woah, that's steep' and then it went for four byes over the keeper," he said.

Starc was under pressure for large stretches of the 2018-19 season as Test success became hard to come by, before he finished in style with a ten-wicket haul against Sri Lanka in Canberra. There is a limited sample size on which to judge his recent one-day returns because since the 2017 Champions Trophy, due to a mixture of injury and resting, he has only played seven ODIs, taking 11 wickets at 37.36 with an economy of over a run-a-ball.

With Jhye Richardson now having joined Josh Hazlewood on the list of bowlers missing the World Cup, the onus will be on Starc and Pat Cummins to propel Australia's pace attack. Kane Richardson will be part of the support cast that is hoping to follow in their slip stream.

"Having guys like that around and following them my role will be completely different because they are a different breed of bowler," Richardson said. "That's the beauty of our attack, having blokes who can play different roles. It would be nice if I play and I come on with them 4 for 20 after Mitch and Pat are done, but if we can get them firing it makes everyone's job, including mine, much easier."