BARGNANA, Italy — After a heartbreaking early retirement from the lead on Saturday, Florian Venturi took his No. 32 Go Fas Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a dominant victory in the second ELITE 2 Division race of the NASCAR GP Italy Sunday at Autodromo di Franciacorta.

The 18-year-old Frenchman led all 24 laps of the race, grabbing his second NASCAR Whelen Euro Series win, the first of 2019 with a 15-second lead on the rest of the field.

Starting from the pole, Venturi immediately took off and constantly gained ground, perfectly capitalizing on a strong pace and his fresher General Tire tires.

“It’s very good for the team and myself,” said Venturi. “I wanted to win so bad. I’m so happy to get this win today after yesterday’s setback. Now I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch. I like the British track and I won my first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race over there.”

As he did in the season opener at Valencia, Andre Castro took the second spot on the podium after having to retire from the lead on Saturday, continuing on his roller-coaster first part of the season.

“We’ve got the same result as we’ve got at Valencia,” said Castro. “My first win is just around the corner and I really want it. Second place is always good for the championship. If we keep getting on the podium and we get rid of the bad luck, we will be in the championship game.”

Lasse Sorensen, who grabbed his first NWES win in his first ever Euro NASCAR race on Saturday, finished third by passing Giorgio Maggi on lap 22. The Dexwet-df1 Racing driver put up another promising performance on the 2.5-kilometer long Italian track.

“It was a great first NWES weekend,” said Sorensen. “Yesterday’s win was fantastic. I had to take care of the car a little bit in the end but I’m satisfied with the podium in this second race. I had some nice really battles during this race. I think Giorgio struggled a bit on the brakes, so I was able to pass him. It was a great race.”

Maggi was fourth, missing the podium for just one spot. The Hendriks Motorsport driver will keep the championship lead after the NASCAR GP Italy over Vittorio Ghirelli, who rounded out the top five in the second ELITE 2 Division race.

Myatt Snider finished sixth ahead of Sorensen’s teammate Justin Kunz, NWES veteran Bert Longin, Advait Deodhar and Claudio Cappelli who closed the top 10.

Kaapo Kakko scored a hat trick to lift Finland to a 4-2 victory over host Slovakia at the ice hockey world championship Saturday.

Kakko, who led Finland with two goals in an upset 3-1 win over Canada on Friday, netted his first with 3 minutes, 49 seconds to go in the first period for a 2-1 lead. Martin Marincin equalized for Slovakia in the second before Kakko scored midway through the third in Group A play in Kosice. He added his third into an empty net with 15 seconds remaining.

The 18-year-old Kakko is considered a possible first pick in June's NHL draft.

Finland next plays the United States on Monday.

In Group B in Bratislava, Filip Hronek and Michael Frolik had two goals and an assist each for the Czech Republic on the way to a 7-2 rout of Norway. The Czechs kept a perfect record at the tournament after beating defending champion Sweden 5-2 on Friday.

Earlier, Germany star forward Leon Draisaitl scored a goal in a 3-1 victory over Britain in a return for the British team to the world hockey championship after 25 years.

It took the Germans almost 40 minutes to beat goaltender Ben Bowns. Moritz Seider scored the opening goal with 39 seconds remaining in the middle period in Group A.

Mike Hammond scored an unassisted tying goal early in the final period, exploiting Draisaitl's blunder behind his own goal, the first goal for Britain in the top division since 1994.

The goals from Yasin Ehliz on a power play and another by Draisaitl settled the game midway through the final frame.

In Group B, Latvia rallied from a goal down to top Austria 5-2.

Earlier Saturday, Kevin Fiala scored a hat trick and added an assist as Switzerland thrashed Italy 9-0 in its first game.

It was Switzerland's biggest victory over Italy at the worlds.

Last year's finalist, Switzerland, didn't waste time and took control with four goals in the opening period in the Group B game.

Fiala opened the scoring with a backhand on a breakaway 77 seconds in, followed by Gregory Hofmann, Lino Martschini and Vincent Praplan.

Fiala added his second in the second period and completed his hat trick on a power play in the third.

Simon Moser, Romain Loeffel and Nico Hischier also scored.

Goaltender Reto Berra stopped 19 shots for the shutout.

In Group A, Frederik Storm scored the winner for Denmark to prevail over France 5-4 in a penalty shootout.

SAN JOSE -- St. Louis Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington has been credited with helping save their season, and he earned a Calder Trophy nomination for leading the team from last in the conference to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

But he can't save everything. Not when the team in front of him is making more turnovers than an apple orchard. Not when the San Jose Sharks were allowed as many high-percentage scoring chances as they had in their 6-3 win on Saturday.

For that, the Blues are sorry.

"He made a bunch of great saves tonight, and we hung him out to dry," forward Robert Thomas said of Binnington, who made 19 saves in the loss.

"He's far from the issue," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "Those goals going in are on us, not him."

The Blues had 11 turnovers in the game, and four of the Sharks' goals were the result of gaffes from St. Louis defensemen. Timo Meier overpowered and pickpocketed Pietrangelo for the Sharks' first goal, scored by Couture on an odd-man rush. Their third goal by Kevin Labanc came after a turnover by defenseman Joel Edmundson. Their fourth goal occurred after a turnover by Colton Parayko, forced by Couture, and Meier scored on a partial breakaway.

"We were hard on pucks in certain areas. On our forecheck, we were good. We were able to outmuscle them," Couture said, noting that Meier in particular was "a bull" out there.

For that, the Blues defensemen were sorry.

"It was more so us [than them]. We can be better. A couple of bad bounces, but again, we can be better," Pietrangelo said. "We can move the puck a little bit quicker. Be more efficient. Make the play that's in front of us. Their forwards are strong defensively. We just have to find a way behind them."

Coach Craig Berube said the gifts that were wrapped for the Sharks' offense weren't just from his defensemen. The support for them wasn't there, he said, and that's what led to mistakes.

"We were too spread out. In playoff time, you have to have numbers around the puck. You have to have puck support. We didn't have enough support. Couldn't make enough 10-foot passes," he said. "We didn't manage the puck very well. And they check well."

For that, the Blues forwards were sorry.

"I wouldn't throw it all on the D. When they don't have any options, it's hard for them to make a play. For us forwards, we have to find better lanes and give them more outs," Thomas said.

There are silver linings for the Blues. They scored three goals on Martin Jones. There was an uptick in their attack and responsibility with the puck in the third period. And let's face it: The Sharks have done this before, winning their previous Game 1s on home ice by a combined score of 10-4 before losing Game 2s to the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.

"That wasn't how we wanted to play. We know we have to be better, we have to work harder for each other. That wasn't our best tonight," forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "We gotta go back to work and make some adjustments."

KOSICE, Slovakia -- The United States rebounded from an upset loss to Slovakia in the opening game at the ice hockey world championship by routing France 7-1 on Sunday.

After losing 4-1 to the host, the U.S. was not ready for another upset. Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Frank Vatrano added one in less than two minutes to set the pace early in the opening period for the U.S. to take command in the Group A game in Kosice.

Colin White also had two goals while Patrick Kane, who captained the Americans to the bronze medal at last year's worlds in Denmark, scored his first goal in Slovakia and added an assist.

Chris Kreider added one for the U.S. while Anthony Rech had a consolation goal for France.

The U.S. next faces Finland on Monday.

In the Group B game in Bratislava, star-studded Russia recorded its second straight win after blanking Austria 5-0. Evgenii Dadonov led Russia with two goals for the second consecutive game, and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist. Alexandar Georgiev made 15 saves for the shutout.

Later on Sunday, Canada faces Britain while Denmark plays Germany in Group A. Two-time defending champion Sweden takes on Italy and Switzerland meets Latvia in Group B.

The home teams have now won both Game 1s of the conference final round, as the San Jose Sharks looked dominant in their 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Here's what happened in the NHL last night (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for today, 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 1: San Jose Sharks 6, St. Louis Blues 3 (Sharks lead series, 1-0)

This one came way too easy for the Sharks. Both teams were coming off Game 7 wins, but the Sharks were playing at a different speed than the Blues, whether it was pressuring St. Louis players into turnovers or pouncing on offensive chances in the attacking zone. Logan Couture, Gustav Nyquist and Timo Meier continued their dominant play, Couture and Meier finished with two goals and an assist apiece. Kevin Labanc and Joe Pavelski -- on a 5-on-3 power play -- were the other goal scorers.

The Blues got tallies from Joel Edmundson, Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak, but otherwise turned the puck over too much (12 giveaways) while hanging Jordan Binnington "out to dry" according to forward Robert Thomas.

Three stars

1. Logan Couture, C, San Jose Sharks. Couture has the NHL postseason lead in goals (11) and points (17) after his three-point night in Game 1. This is just the third time in Sharks franchise history they've had a player reach 10 goals in a single postseason, and Couture has been that player twice.

2. Timo Meier, RW, San Jose Sharks. Meier was the complete package for the Sharks in Game 1. He used his defense and his physicality to overpower the Blues for a turnover that led to San Jose's first goal. He used his speed and stick handling to score their fourth goal on a partial breakaway. He had a little luck on his fifth goal, bouncing the puck off of defenseman Vince Dunn's skate. (He said he was aiming for Binnington.)

3. Ryan O'Reilly, C, St. Louis Blues. The center's second-period goal, on which he collected the puck and deked around Martin Jones to tuck it home, broke an eight-game goal drought for a player who had 28 of them in the regular season.

Play of the night

6:34PM #TimoTime>#PlayoffMode>pic.twitter.com/hGwfal8jFS - x - San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 12, 2019

Sometimes one goal can tell the story. The Blues giving the puck away on a Sharks' defensive play and then a San Jose forward, Meier in this case, making a great move to beat Jordan Binnington as his skaters let him down ... yeah, that's pretty much the epitome of Game 1.

Dud of the night

The Blues' parade of turnovers was a combination of sloppy puck management by the defense, poor puck support by the forwards and, to give credit where its due, terrific pressure from a tenacious Sharks team. Or as Blues coach Craig Berube put it: "We were too spread out. In playoff time, you have to have numbers around the puck. You have to have puck support. We didn't have enough support. Couldn't make enough 10-foot passes," he said. "We didn't manage the puck very well. And they check well."

On the schedule

Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins, Game 2, 3 p.m. ET (Bruins lead series, 1-0)

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour would like you to read beyond the box score. "You look at the score and you're like, 'Wow, that was not good,'" he said of his team's 5-2 loss to the Bruins in Game 1. "A large chunk of that game was really positive for us. Really, a small fraction that wasn't very good. At the end of the day, it's 1-0 them, right? So, you move on."

So what has to change? The Hurricanes have to stay out of the penalty box against the best power play of the postseason (30 percent!), for one. On the other side, Boston gets defenseman Charlie McAvoy back after his one-game suspension.

Social post of the day

Nate Pavelski and Jagger Burns stealing the show from their dads. �� #PlayoffMode>pic.twitter.com/ZeIH5d9zIY - x - San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 12, 2019

Nate Pavelski and Jagger Burns get their Fortnite emotes going during Game 1. I had a conversation with Nate about Fortnite in the Sharks' locker room during the Avalanche series, as we're both aficionados, and it was at that moment I realized that every time I meet my demise in that game, it's probably at the hands of a 9-year-old.

Quotable

"He was a bull." -- Logan Couture on Timo Meier's performance in Game 1.

Robin van Persie says he wants to end his playing days with dignity on Sunday when he hangs up his boots after an 18-year career.

"The goal was go out with honour because football is my passion," the 35-year-old told Dutch media on Saturday before he plays his last game for Feyenoord against ADO Den Haag in Rotterdam.

Van Persie's 50 goals in 102 appearances make him the top goalscorer for the Netherlands national team and his club achievements include winning the FA Cup with Arsenal and the Premier League with Manchester United. He also played in Turkey before returning to his first professional club to see out his career, making the decision to retire one year ago already.

"I'm glad I made that choice already because I've had a whole year to get mentally prepared for retirement. If I had only taken the decision a few weeks ago, it would have been difficult to let it sink it in such a short period of time," he told a news conference.

Sunday was due to be the last round of the Dutch season before a change in fixtures, to accommodate Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League, saw a round move to next Wednesday. But Van Persie plans to finish in front of family and friends at the Feyenoord Stadium.

After, he says he wants to find something to do in the game but not coaching.

"To become a coach means stress," he added. "If you do it the way Pep Guardiola does, you're busy with football day and night. And after three defeats, you are the head of Jut [a reference to an infamous 19th century Dutch murderer whose head was kept in a jar and was long on display in an anatomical museum.]

"Look at how Marco van Basten was treated as a coach. The magic disappeared. It's a hard business and first I'm getting away for a while."

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been named the Premier League Player of the Season.

Netherlands international Van Dijk has helped Liverpool, second in the table with one game remaining, to keep 20 clean sheets -- the best defensive record in the top division.

He won the award ahead of Anfield teammates Mohamed Salah -- who won last season -- and Sadio Mane, as well as Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling and Chelsea's Eden Hazard.

Congratulations, @VirgilvDijk! ?

VVD is the 2018/19 @premierleague Player of the Season. ?? pic.twitter.com/TeB2n7MZ57

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 12, 2019

The centre-back, who has missed only 35 minutes of league action this season and scored four goals, was chosen by votes from the 20 Premier League captains, a panel of experts and fans.

- Kuper: How Van Dijk became Liverpool's leader

Last month, Van Dijk, who joined Liverpool from Southampton for £75 million last January, won the PFA Player of the Year award.

The 27-year-old became the second consecutive Liverpool player to win the award after Salah was crowned Player of the Year 12 months ago.

He was the first defender to win it since Chelsea centre-back John Terry in 2005.

Colorado tied the Major League Soccer record for worst start to a season as the Rapids lost 3-2 to Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Commerce City, Colo.

The Rapids are 0-9-2 and have lost eight straight to equal Real Salt Lake's 11-match winless start in 2007 (0-5-6).

Real Salt Lake (4-6-1) squandered a 2-0 lead before Sam Johnson made it 3-2 in the 53rd minute. The advantage held six minutes later when Andrew Putna saved a Kei Kamara penalty.

The Rapids had a goal by Lalas Abubakar ruled offside in the 93rd minute.

Albert Rusnak and Corey Baird also scored for RSL. Kellyn Acosta and Danny Wilson had the Colorado goals.

Rusnak converted from the spot in the 25th minute for RSL after video review was used to call a foul on Sebastian Anderson for his challenge on Sebastian Saucedo.

RSL increased the lead to 2-0 in the 27th on the goal by Baird.

In the 33rd minute, Real Salt Lake defender Justen Glad was red-carded for his tackle of Jonathan Lewis, but the card was rescinded and Glad was issued a yellow card after video review.

The Rapids made it 2-1 in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Lewis, acquired Tuesday in a trade with New York City FC, sent a ball lateral that Glad couldn't clear. Acosta ran onto the loose ball for the shot from 15 yards.

Colorado tied it 2-2 in the 47th minute when Wilson scored after a headed shot by Sam Nicholson off a corner kick hit the post.

RSL responded when Johnson converted a pass to the middle of the box by Damir Kreilach for the 3-2 lead that was in jeopardy when Donny Toia fouled Nicholson, but Putna had no trouble with Kamara's soft penalty try down the middle.

Real Salt Lake hosts Toronto FC on May 18. The Rapids play at the LA Galaxy on May 19.