Much like his fellow ’90s country stars Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, Tim McGraw continues to draw crowds. About 14,000 folks showed up Saturday night to see McGraw’s concert at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

The difference, though, is that not only does McGraw still score radio hits, he’s never really taken a substantial break in the 30 years since he released his breakthrough single “Indian Outlaw.”

As such, he played his two most recent singles — “Standing Room Only” and “One Bad Habit” — and earned the same gleeful response as everything else in the show. “Indian Outlaw” didn’t make the cut, but over the course of 20 songs, McGraw revisited key moments from throughout his career.

McGraw, who turns 57 on May 1, opened with 2012’s “Truck Yeah,” a kind of dumb novelty song from a guy who typically avoids them. But the song’s sonic swagger made for an energetic taster for the well-paced show.

It also served as a reminder of the strength of McGraw’s top-notch band, the Dancehall Doctors. Three of the eight players are guitarists and they’re occasionally joined on the six string by multi-instrumentalist Jeff McMahon and McGraw himself to create a real wall of sound. At one point, McGraw called them “the best band you’re ever going to hear” and while that’s stretching it, the Dancehall Doctors easily stand among the finest in country music.

From there, McGraw hit the ’90s (“Just to See You Smile,” “I Like It, I Love It”), ’00s (“Red Rag Top,” his cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”) and ’10s (“Felt Good on My Lips,” “Shotgun Rider”). He ran through a truncated version of his 2004 Nelly collaboration “Over and Over” and sang with (a prerecorded) Taylor Swift on 2013’s “Highway Don’t Care.”

For his encore, McGraw showed his tender side, which probably has plenty to do with his longevity. After 2001’s “The Cowboy in Me,” he played his two biggest hits, 2016’s “Humble and Kind” and 2004’s “Live Like You Were Dying.” When he wrapped the former, he had the crowd sing back the chorus a cappella: “Let yourself feel the pride but always stay humble and kind.”

It was tough at times to hear McGraw’s voice, which was too low in the mix. Beyond that, though, he turned in a solidly entertaining show that suggests he’s still got plenty of terrific years ahead of him.

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OTTAWA, Ontario >> From start to finish, Emerance Maschmeyer was Ottawa’s best player making 35 saves in a 4-0 win over Minnesota on Saturday night.

Captain Brianne Jenner registered a hat trick, while Ashton Bell scored the other goal for Ottawa (8-0-6-6).

Nicole Hensley made 18 saves for Minnesota (8-4-3-6), which had won all four previous games against Ottawa.

The win allowed Ottawa to take a two-point lead over Boston for the fourth and final playoff spot making Wednesday’s matchup between the two that much more critical.

Minnesota’s best chance to get back in the game came early in the third when they had a 24-second, two-player advantage, but were unable to capitalize on it or the ensuing power play.

Jenner made it rain hats scoring her third at 15:39 of the third period.

A solid second period allowed Ottawa to extend its lead to 3-0.

Jenner scored her second of the game at 4:07. Minnesota’s Maggie Flaherty fell behind the net allowing Emily Clark to jump on the puck and feed Jenner out front.

Midway through the period Ottawa broke in on a 2-on-1 with Tereza Vanisova making a great pass under Flaherty’s stick to Bell who scored into the open side.

Despite being outplayed for much of the period Ottawa came out of the first with a 1-0 lead.

Maschmeyer made a number of big saves to bail out her teammates who struggled to keep up with Minnesota. Ottawa didn’t register its first shot until 10:07.

The home team caught a break when Hensley went to play the puck behind the net and it took a weird bounce off the boards between her feet bouncing out front leaving a wide-open net for Jenner to score her sixth of the season at 17:14.

Seventeen players from the two teams represented their countries at the recent 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica, New York.

UP NEXT

Minnesota: Hosts Boston on April 27.

Ottawa: Hosts Boston on Wednesday.

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Anthony Edwards had already established himself as a playoff performer in his first two trips to the postseason.

He was electric in Minnesota’s first-round loss to Memphis in 2022.

He was unstoppable in Minnesota’s first-round loss to Denver in 2023.

And he was everything Minnesota needed and more in its Game 1 victory over Phoenix on Saturday at Target Center .

The legend only grows with each passing playoff appearance. Saturday was another masterpiece. Phoenix, as it has done all season, threw the kitchen sink at Edwards with multiple different defenders.

The look flustered Edwards during the regular season, and did again early in Game 1. The guard accounted for all four of Minnesota’s first-quarter turnovers. But you can’t keep the all-star down forever — not on the biggest stages, where he always seems to meander his way into the spotlight.

His 15 minutes of fame — which to Phoenix probably felt more like five hours of fury — came in the second half Saturday. Per usual for Edwards, it started in the third. First, he’d attack the rim, then hit a couple mid-range jumpers. Then the triples began to rain down one after another, like haymakers delivered directly to Phoenix’s jaw.

After a triple that put Minnesota up 16 with 50 seconds to play in the quarter, Edwards started talking relentlessly into the ear of Kevin Durant as the two made their way down the floor.

“I think everybody knows that’s my favorite player of all time,” Edwards said. “So that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life, for sure.”

All Durant could do was smile. No hate. Game recognize game. And, at this point, Edwards has made it very clear he’s on the level of many of the game’s current elite talents.

He proves it every time he steps onto the floor in a big moment. Edwards finished with 18 points in the third quarter flurry that resulted in Minnesota essentially putting the game on ice.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to step back. Because in the moment you’re so locked in on so many things. But at one point in time, you’re just like, ‘What is going on?’ ” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “Like, that’s the common theme when you’re playing with Ant. One minute, you’re lifting out of the corner to give him an outlet, and it’s off the backboard, and he dunks it. He’s just spectacular. He’s a great player.

“The things that he does are special. And I know he wants to win. So, when you see him in those zones, it’s just Ant trying to win. He’s a determined, confident guy. It’s pretty amazing to watch the way he plays. And, in moments like that, you see his confidence grow, and a lot of guys would shy away from that. He’s not one of them.”

“When you watch Ant, you’re seeing some things that you’ve never seen before,” Naz Reid said. “It’s kind of crazy.”

What’s crazier is Minnesota can so squarely rely on a 22-year-old guard to seize such stages on a consistent basis. Phoenix has Durant, Devin Booker and Brad Beal? No worries, because the Wolves have Anthony Edwards — and that often does feel like enough.

“I mean, he’s our guy,” Rudy Gobert said. “Like I said, I don’t see him as a 22-year-old. He’s our guy.”

And, if he keeps doing what he did Saturday — the guard finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists — and Minnesota keeps winning because of it, he’ll soon be known around the league simply as *the guy.*

Injuries

Kyle Anderson left the first half of Saturday’s game with a hip injury and did not return. Monte Morris stepped into the rotation for Anderson, playing nine minutes.

Phoenix guard Grayson Allen suffered a sprained ankle. X-rays on the ankle were negative, but his status for Game 2 is up in the air as the Suns await to see how he responds to treatment

AP appearance

Among the celebrities attending Saturday’s contest was none other than former Vikings great running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson sat courtside, and was also present in Minnesota’s locker room after the game. The back talked to a number of Wolves players, even giving Naz Reid a brief postgame pep talk.

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After it was thoroughly dismantled in three regular season meetings by Phoenix, the Timberwolves returned the favor when it mattered most.

Minnesota sent a major message to open the series en route to a 120-95 Game 1 victory at Target Center.

Suddenly, the series looks a lot more like advantage Wolves than the tossup it was originally viewed to be. Game 2 of the first-round series is Tuesday in Minneapolis.

What a shift in feelings from a week prior, when the Suns nuked Minnesota on the same floor in the regular season finale, forcing the Wolves into a first-round date with one of the hotter teams in the NBA — no pun intended.

A week ago, Minnesota didn’t seem to have an answer for Phoenix’s plethora of perimeter scorers. Conversations centered on ways in which Minnesota could go smaller to better match up with Phoenix.

But that was far from the case Saturday. Size was very much Minnesota’s ally. Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 rebounds on a day where the Wolves out-rebounded Phoenix 52-28 and scored 52 points in the paint to the Suns’ 34.

That was the thing Minnesota could hang its hat on throughout the day, and utilized it to maintain a healthy advantage capable of enduring any mini-Phoenix run. The Wolves led by 10 at the break.

And then the Anthony Edwards show came to life.

The 22-year-old all-star has always been a primetime performer who’s shined in the playoffs. Saturday was no different. Phoenix had trimmed Minnesota’s advantage to four midway through the third frame when Edwards delivered one of his patented third quarter explosions.

This time, he scored 18 in the quarter with a number of big-time hits. After one of the biggest ones at the end of the third, Edwards started talking all kinds of smack to Kevin Durant — who he’s noted on many occasions has always been his favorite NBA player.

All Durant could do was smile and laugh.

Edwards finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The Wolves truly blew the doors off the contest over a stretch spanning the late in the third quarter and early in the fourth when Edwards, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker put on a 3-point barrage. The trio combined to make 7 of 9 attempts in a span that saw Minnesota’s advantage balloon from 13 to 25.

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