{allcanada} Byram, McLeod score to revive Sabres power play in 4-2 win over Montreal in 2nd round playoff opener

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored on consecutive power-play opportunities in reviving Buffalo’s anemic special-teams unit, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night.

Josh Doan and Jordan Greenway also scored for Buffalo making its first second-round appearance since 2007, and first overall in 15 years. Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and improved to 4-1 since taking over the starting duties in Game 3 of Buffalo’s opening-round opponent Boston.

Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach scored for Montreal, which appeared slow to find its legs three days after defeating Tampa Bay in Game 7 of its first-round series. Jakub Dobes finished with 12 saves, and allowed four goals after allowing a combined two in splitting Games 6 and 7 against the Lightning.

Montreal has yet to win consecutive playoff games this postseason, and was coming off a series in which all seven games were decided by one goal, including four in overtime.

Buffalo hosts Game 2 on Friday night, before the series shifts to Montreal on Sunday.

The Sabres were the more rested team in having four days off since beating Boston 4-1 in Game 6 on Friday.

Doan opened the scoring 4:31 in by converting Zach Benson’s pass to cap a 2-on-1 after Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson fell and turned over the puck in front of his bench.

McLeod made it 2-0 by converting Benson’s pass through the crease on Buffalo’s second power-play opportunity 13:26 into the first period. Byram scored on the next opportunity by snapping in a shot from between the circles to put Buffalo up 4-1 midway through the second period.

Byram’s goal was his fourth, matching the Sabres’ franchise playoff record for defensemen, joining Mike Ramsey (1988), Jason Woolley and Alexei Zhitnik, who both scored four in 1999.

Buffalo converted 2-of-3 power-play chances in breathing new life into a unit that went 1 of 24 against Boston. The Sabres' 4.2% conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978.

And Buffalo’s man-advantage woes carried over from the final seven regular-season games in which the team went 0 for 22.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin’s status bears monitoring after he limped off favoring his right leg with under three minutes left after blocking Jake Evans’ shot. Dahlin briefly went up the tunnel, before returning to the bench, but did not see any further ice time.

Dach scored the game’s highlight goal, cutting Buffalo’s lead to 4-2 with 3:29 left in the second. Driving up the right wing, Dach’s centering pass was blocked by Lyon’s stick. The puck caromed back to Dach who, while falling, was able to lift the puck over the goalie’s glove.

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{allcanada} Cirelli, Nelson, Suzuki named Selke Trophy finalists

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Anthony Cirelli, Brock Nelson and Nick Suzuki were named finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy on Wednesday.

The winner of the award, which is given annually to the forward voted best to excel in the defensive aspects of the game and the NHL as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, will be announced at a later date.

Cirelli had 52 points (23 goals, 29 assists) in 71 games for the Tampa Bay Lighting last season and had a career-best plus-38 rating. The center led the team with 1,075 face-offs, winning 48.2 percent, and helped the Lightning finish second in the NHL with a plus-57 goal differential. He averaged 17:19 of ice time per game, including 2:38 short-handed, second on the team and best among Lightning forwards. The Lightning also took 55.7 percent of all shot attempts (SAT%)  when he was on the ice at 5-on-5.

Cirelli helped the Lightning rank third on the power play in the regular season (82.6 percent) and finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 50-26-6 record. A finalist for the second straight season, Cirelli would be the first Lightning player to win the award.

Nelson had 65 points (33 goals, 32 assists) and averaged 19:39 of ice time playing in 81 games for the Colorado Avalanche this season. The center had 10 power-play goals and nine game-winning goals and an SAT percentage of 57.2 while also contributing defensively. He won 50.4 percent of his face-offs, finishing fourth in the NHL in face-offs taken (1,459), and averaged 1:51 per game short-handed to help Colorado lead the League with an 84.6 mark on the penalty kill. 

Nelson helped the Avalanche win the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the NHL (55-16-11) as well as the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL (197 excluding shootout goals), and finish first with a plus-99 goal differential.

A first-time finalist, he would be the first Avalanche player to win the award.

Suzuki, who has not missed a game in his seven-season NHL career, led the Montreal Canadiens with an NHL career-best 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) in 82 games, also topping the team in power-play points (43) and plus-minus rating (plus-37). The center was sixth in the NHL with 1,449 face-offs taken, winning 50.4 percent, and averaged 20:49 of ice time per game, tops among Montreal forwards.

He helped Montreal finish third in the Atlantic Division with a 48-21-10 record and 106 points, their most wins and points since the 2014-15 season. Suzuki would be the first Canadiens player to win the award since Guy Carbonneau in 1991-92.

“I feel that he’s always tried to play to that identity,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “To finally get recognized at this level, I know we’re very excited for him. I know it’s an honor for him.”

Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers has won the award each of the past two seasons.

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{allcanada} CPL champions Atletico Ottawa upsets Toronto FC in Canadian Championship

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TORONTO — The visiting Atlético Ottawa, the reigning Canadian Premier League champions, scored a major upset Tuesday night by defeating Toronto FC 3-1, knocking the MLS side out of the 2026 Telus Canadian Championship.

It was only the second match TFC had lost to a CPL club in the domestic competition.

Ottawa will now face the winner between FC Supra du Quebec (CPL) and Woodbridge Strikers (League1 Ontario) in the quarterfinal stage, a two-leg home-and-away series. Those games are scheduled for July.

The Telus Canadian Championship is the nation’s top tournament, featuring 15 clubs — including three clubs from MLS, eight from the CPL and four from Premier Soccer Leagues Canada — competing for the Voyageurs Cup. The winner qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the elite club competition in the region.

Ottawa scored three unanswered goals in the second half at BMO Field, all from Atlético forward Ballou Tabla.

Tabla drew even for Ottawa in the 71st minute when he snuck a shot past TFC goaltender Luka Gavran. Ten minutes later, he scored the go-ahead goal off a breakaway. Tabla made it a hat-trick in extra time when he scored on a penalty shot.

In the first half, TFC opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Canadian forward DeAndre Kerr took a feed from Derrick Etienne Jr. and slipped the ball past Ottawa’s goaltender Tristan Crampton for his first goal of the season.

Hit hard by injuries of late, TFC used Tuesday’s match to give experience to some of its young talent. With regulars such as Josh Sargent and Richie Laryea out of the starting lineup, TFC announced it had signed Toronto FC II defenders Reid Fisher and Jackson Gilman, midfielders Antone Bossenberry and Fletcher Bank and forward Jahmarie Nolan to short-term agreements. All but Bank were in the starting lineup.

TFC had been looking to add to its nation-leading eight Canadian Championship titles. The club hasn’t won since the pandemic-shortened edition in 2020 (which was completed in June 2022). No CPL team has ever won the Voyageurs Cup.

The Vancouver Whitecaps are defending champions and received a bye into the quarterfinal round.

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{allcanada} Williamson’s go-ahead single in eighth inning lifts Rays past Blue Jays

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ben Williamson drove in the winning run with a single after Yandy Díaz tied it with an RBI single and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday night for the their fifth straight victory.

Tampa Bay won for the 11th time in 12 games and ran their winning streak at home to nine. They haven’t allowed more than three runs in 12 straight games, tying a team record set in 2013.

Jonathan Aranda had a one-out double off Tyler Rogers (1-2) to get the rally started. Díaz singled to tie it 3-3. He took second on Jake Fraley’s single before Williamson drove him in.

Drew Rasmussen threw 85 pitches and allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings for Tampa Bay. Hunter Bigge and Casey Legumina (1-1) each pitched a scoreless inning, and Cole Sulser added a perfect ninth for his second save this season. The Rays’ bullpen has surrendered one run in its last 30 innings.

Kevin Gausman gave up two runs on six hits in six innings for Toronto and left with a lead after throwing 96 pitches.

Kazuma Okamoto hit his 10th home run — a two-out, 409-foot solo shot to right-center field in the first to give Toronto the lead — and Andrés Giménez had an RBI single in the second to make it 2-0.

Aranda singled to center in the third to cut it to 2-1 with his league-high 29th RBI.

Fraley singled and later scored on Hunter Feduccia’s double-play grounder to tie it 2-2 in the fourth.

Giménez singled and stole second leading off the fifth. Toronto rookie Yohendrick Piñango had a two-out RBI single for a 3-2 lead.

Up next

Blue Jays LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.65 ERA) closes out the series Wednesday opposite Rays LHP Shane McClanahan (3-2, 3.10).

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