NAPLES, Maine – After sitting dormant for nearly a decade, officials from the Pro All Stars Series and Lanier Raceplex announced Monday that asphalt stock car racing will return to North Georgia later this year.

The PASS Super Late Models will headline the PASS National Championship season finale on Nov. 15-16 at the track formerly known as Lanier National Speedway.

Details regarding the race, along with support divisions, will be announced in the coming days.

A practice day for all divisions competing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15, while additional practice, qualifying, and all features will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16. Sunday, November 17 will be reserved as a rain date if needed.

“This is something we have been working on for a very long time,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry.  “We plan to announce more details soon but wanted to let drivers and fans know as soon as possible that stock car racing will be returning to Lanier in 2019 so they can make their plans to join us.”

Now entering its 12th season, the PASS National Championship will bring drivers together from all over North America to compete this Fall at Lanier Raceplex.  In addition to the grandstands being open, Lanier’s famed trackside parking will be available to the fans for this event.

The track was repaved and all infield buildings were torn down at Lanier Raceplex as the facility was transformed to host drifting events and Go-Kart racing for the public. All race cars will be pitted outside the track so fans will be able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the action from any vantage point at the speedway

When PASS began sanctioning super late model races in the south, Lanier was one of the first tracks to come on board to host an event.  Georgia native Jason Hogan won the first PASS race there in 2006, while Maine’s Corey Williams took the checkered flag the final time PASS held a race at Lanier in 2007.

After two serious incidents in consecutive playoff series against the Boston Bruins, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has decided it doesn't want Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri facing the Bruins again this postseason.

The NHL suspended Kadri for the remainder of the first-round series between Toronto and Boston after his cross-check to the face of Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk in Game 2 on Saturday. That means a maximum five-game ban for Kadri. Game 3 of the series is Monday night, with the Bruins and Leafs tied at 1-all.

Kadri was suspended three games in the 2018 first-round playoff series between the clubs for charging and delivering a blow to the head of Boston forward Tommy Wingels. The NHL cited a similar cross-checking incident involving Kadri and the Detroit Red Wings' Luke Glendening in 2016 that also earned the Leafs center a suspension.

The latest incident occurred at 14:01 of the third period Saturday. DeBrusk delivered a hard hit on Toronto's Patrick Marleau, crushing him against the stanchion at the players' bench. As DeBrusk stood near the boards, Kadri skated over to avenge his teammate -- and perhaps gain a measure of revenge for himself for a questionable DeBrusk hit earlier in the game -- and cross-checked DeBrusk high with his stick, knocking him to the ice.

Kadri was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for cross-checking. DeBrusk didn't return to the game but was due to play in Game 3 for the Bruins.

"This was not a hockey play. Instead, it's a player retaliating against his opponent, using his stick as a weapon for forceful and direct head contact," the Department of Player Safety said in a release.

Kadri has the right to appeal through the NHL Players' Association to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. However, since the suspension is for fewer than six games, he is ineligible to eventually take his case to a neutral arbitrator in an effort to get it reduced.

Kadri had 16 goals and 28 assists in 73 games for the Leafs this season, following consecutive seasons of 32 goals. He plays a valuable third-line role for Toronto.

"Instinctively, Nas wears his emotions on his sleeve and cares about the group in this room. You can see where the emotions got to him, sticking up for a teammate. It's obvious the result wasn't what he intended," Toronto center John Tavares said. "Nas is a big part of our team. He brings so many elements that are key. It's obviously not ideal at playoff time, but with the intensity of these games, anything can happen."

As this is his fifth suspension in his 561-game NHL career, Kadri is still having difficulty controlling his impulses while playing on the edge.

"I think the edge for anybody is a little different. But anytime you put yourself in a situation where someone else gets to decide your future? Probably not a good thing," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said.

San Jose star center Joe Thornton has been suspended for Game 4 of the Sharks' series against Vegas for an illegal check to the head of Golden Knights forward Tomas Nosek in Game 3, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has announced.

In the second period of Saturday night's 6-3 win for the Golden Knights, Nosek played the puck in his defensive zone while skating toward the back of the Vegas net. Thornton was skating toward Nosek and delivered "a direct shoulder into Nosek's head," according to the NHL.

While the Knights player was slightly crouched, he didn't change the position of his body before Thornton delivered the hit. The NHL argued that Thornton could have delivered a full check through Nosek's shoulder rather than his head.

Thornton earned a minor penalty for the hit at 16:54 of the second period. His last suspension came during the 2010-11 season.

After Game 3, Thornton defended his hit on Nosek. "Honestly, I thought I barely touched him. He came right back. It's just one of those plays. I think my son hits me like that six times a day, it's just a weird position he put himself in. That's all," Thornton said.

Ryan Reaves, Nosek's teammate, disagreed with that assessment on Monday. "I've got a buddy with a grandpa who's going through the same thing. He can't see very well because he's getting old. Needs glasses. If he gets suspended, he's going to have a hard time seeing from the press box," he told the Las Vegas Sun.

Thornton, 39, had 16 goals and 35 assists in 73 games this season despite his lowest average ice time (15:33) since 1998-99, his second year in the NHL. He has a goal and two assists in the three games of this series, skating on the Sharks' third line.

The Golden Knights lead their series 2-1; Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Defenseman Jacob Bryson is skipping his senior season at Providence after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Bryson will report to Buffalo's AHL affiliate in Rochester after signing an amateur tryout contract. That means his NHL contract won't kick in until next season.

The Sabres selected Bryson in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.

The signing announcement Monday comes after Providence's season ended with a 4-1 loss to eventual national champion Minnesota Duluth in the Frozen Four semifinals held in Buffalo last Thursday. Bryson was the Friars' team captain and finished his junior season with four goals and a career-high 28 points in 42 games.

Listed at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds, the 21-year-old Bryson finished with 11 goals and 73 points in 121 career games.

Look, we know what many of you were up to last night. Arya. Daenerys. Viserion. Winterfell.

So as a public service, here's what happened in the NHL last night (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+), and what to watch for tonight, in the latest edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily:

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

About last night ...

Game 3: New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (Islanders lead series 3-0). The Islanders have a formula for this series, and it's a formula that has pushed the Penguins to the brink of elimination. It begins with a style of play that's not winning any beauty contests but is effective. As Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said, "there's not a lot of risk associated with the Islanders." That manifested itself in yet another sterling defensive effort, as Robin Lehner stopped 25 shots and Penguins star Sidney Crosby was held off the score sheet for the third straight game (and was a minus-3). It continues with perhaps the most opportunistic offense in the playoffs, crushing the momentum of the Penguins at every turn. To wit: The Penguins took a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the first period; by the 14:24 mark, the Islanders had goals from Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson (62 seconds apart) to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. On Tuesday, they'll attempt to do to Crosby what no team in the NHL has done to him: sweep him in the first round.

Game 3: Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 (Blue Jackets lead series 3-0). Here's a quick history lesson about this series. It's the first time the Jackets have won three games in the same postseason. It's the first time the 2018-19 Lightning failed to score multiple goals in consecutive games. It's the fifth time in the 100-plus years of NHL postseason competition that a team that led the regular season in points found itself down 3-0 in a first-round playoff series, the last one being the 2012 Vancouver Canucks, who lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. In fact, none of these previous four teams rallied to win their series. The Lightning were without Victor Hedman (injured), Nikita Kucherov (suspended) and Steven Stamkos' offensive impact (invisible). They finally looked like themselves during a flurry of offensive chances in the third period, but Sergei Bobrovsky passed the test with 30 saves. With another power-play goal, the Jackets are now 4-for-8 for the series; the Lightning, who had the best power play and kill in the regular season, are 0-for-5 and didn't have a man advantage in Game 3.

Game 3: Winnipeg Jets 6, St. Louis Blues 3 (Blues lead series 2-1). The Jets relocated their offense in a must-win Game 3, scoring in bunches against rookie goalie Jordan Binnington (23 saves) and the Blues. Kevin Hayes, Patrik Laine (his third goal) and Kyle Connor scored in the second period just 4:01 apart to make it 3-1. After Vladimir Tarasenko scored his first of the playoffs to cut the lead, Brandon Tanev and Dustin Byfuglien scored goals 3:41 apart to all but put the game away. Kudos to Paul Maurice for his line tinkering, including a reunion of the TLC line of Tanev, Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp. Binnington, meanwhile, hadn't given up more than four goals in a game this season until this tilt. All eyes will be on the rookie to see how he responds in Game 4.

Game 3: Vegas Golden Knights 6, San Jose Sharks 3 (Golden Knights lead series 2-1). The other day, coach Gerard Gallant was asked about his second line of Paul Stastny, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. "When did you declare them our second line?" he asked, earning chuckles. Since Stone arrived at the trade deadline, few trios in the NHL have matched the firepower of this Vegas line, and they owned Game 3: Stone had a hat trick and two assists, Stastny had two goals and three assists and Pacioretty had a goal and an assist. The line gave the Knights a lead just 16 seconds into the game and a 4-1 lead after two periods. Neither Marc-Andre Fleury nor Martin Jones put up good numbers in this brutally physical game between these newly minted rivals -- but Jones followed being pulled in Game 2 with an .850 save percentage in Game 3. Not great.

Three Stars

1. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights. His hat trick was the first of the 2019 playoffs, the first in Golden Knights postseason history and his first in the past 414 regular-season or postseason games. He was absolutely incredible, with his usual defensive panache (four takeaways) and his underrated playmaking (like his feed to set up Stastny's goal) also grabbing the spotlight.

2. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets. He didn't have much action for about 40 minutes, but Bob was the difference in the third period when Tampa found its offense, stopping 16 of 17 shots. "We have a really good goalie. I thought he stood really big in those 10 to 12 minutes there when they cranked it up," said coach John Tortorella.

3. Robin Lehner, New York Islanders. Like Bobrovsky, he was the beneficiary of the great defense being played in front of him, but he also did some heavy lifting in stopping all 18 shots he faced after the first period. One of the best stories of the postseason adds another chapter.

Play of the night

Evander Kane and Ryan Reaves finally fight after chirping all night pic.twitter.com/Rla9W0ktX4 - Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 15, 2019

While we'd normally showcase some display of offensive artistry, an athletic save or a quirky play in this space, the play of the night had to be the boiling over of the Evander Kane vs. Ryan Reaves feud in a late-game fight. While Kane sought to show the Sharks won't go down without a fight, that vibe was counteracted by the T-Mobile Arena game operations crew playing "Baby Shark (Do Do Do Do Do)" after it was over. Which was savage.

Dud of the night

Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby. With their teams in critical Game 3 battles, neither of these superstars posted a point on Sunday, remaining 0-for-the-playoffs. The Lightning needed something from their captain with Nikita Kucherov suspended and Victor Hedman out with an injury, but he was a minus-2 with no shots on goal. Crosby had three shots on goal ... and was a minus-3 in the Islanders' win.

What's on the schedule

Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 3, 7 p.m. ET. Series tied 1-1.

The Leafs should learn the fate of center Nazem Kadri before the game, as he appears in person before the NHL Department of Player Safety to answer for his hit on Jake DeBrusk in Game 2. DeBrusk and defenseman Torey Krug are "day-to-day," according to the team.

Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes, Game 3, 7 p.m. ET. Capitals lead 2-0.

The "Bunch of Jerks" return to Raleigh for the first playoff home game for the Hurricanes since May 26, 2009. To put that in perspective: Their most recent postseason home game was played three days before Pixar's "Up" debuted in theaters. It sounds like coach Rod Brind'Amour, despite two straight losses, intends to stick with goalie Petr Mrazek.

Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars, Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET. Series tied 1-1.

Craig Smith's OT goal in Game 2 evened this series, in what coach Peter Laviolette called a more "complete" game for the Preds than Game 1. The Stars gave up 43 shots in Game 2 and only generated 23 for the game -- including 14 at even strength. They need to make greater use of their opportunities.

Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche, Game 3, 10 p.m. ET. Series tied 1-1.

UMass star Cale Makar quickly signed with the Avalanche after his college season ended. Will we see the outstanding young defenseman in Game 3? The underdog Avs knotted the series in overtime in Game 2. The Flames are looking for a faster start and to "be the more desperate team" in Game 3, according to coach Bill Peters. He also feels that going on the road will be healthy for his younger players: "It might be a little easier for the younger players to go on the road and play and not worry about entertainment value."

Social post of the day

What's a Vegas wedding without some Golden Knights vows? �� pic.twitter.com/RDvOPWltXj - x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 14, 2019

The Golden Knights did a very Vegas thing before Game 3, having couples get married or renew their vows in front of the arena. They promised to give each other, ahem, a "Fleury" of kisses.

Quotable

This angle clearly shows exactly how bad of a hit that @SanJoseSharks veteran Joe Thornton imposed on @GoldenKnights>

This should at least at the very minimum be a single game suspension, but honestly, this one could cost him two or more. #VegasBorn>#SJSharks>pic.twitter.com/E7uANejKyf - Vegas Desert Sports (@VDesertSports) April 15, 2019

"Honestly, I thought I barely touched him. He came right back. It's just one of those plays. I think my son hits me like that six times a day, it's just a weird position he put himself in. That's all." -- San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton on his hit to the head of Tomas Nosek that earned him a two-minute minor for checking to the head. Could it earn something more from the NHL Department of Player Safety? (Via Sin Bin)