Sports
Sabres match comeback from ‘May Day’ in playoff return
Sandra Jeanneret, wife of legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret, banged the Sabres drum on Sunday before the team’s long-awaited playoff return in Buffalo.
It’s a tradition at Sabres games with the drum going to the beat of ‘Let’s Go Buffalo,’ which the crowd yells out afterward. Sandra was seen as the ideal choice to do the honours for the team’s first playoff game in 15 years.
Little did she know she was about to witness a feat not seen since her late husband delivered one of the most famous calls of his career.
The Sabres rallied from a 2-0 deficit after two periods to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 before a roaring crowd at KeyBank Center in Buffalo’s first playoff game in 15 years.
The multi-goal comeback in the third period marked the first time the Sabres have done that in a playoff win since April 24, 1993, when Brad May scored in overtime to complete a sweep of the same Bruins in the first round at Buffalo’s old Memorial Auditorium.
Rick Jeanneret, never short on enthusiasm, bellowed “May Day, May Day” after that goal.
That win gave the Sabres their first series victory in 10 years, setting up a series against the Canadiens, which Montreal would win 4-0.
Could some of history repeat itself? It’s possible, after the Sabres and Canadiens both won their series openers on Sunday. If they were to both win, they’d square off in the second round.
For now, though, Buffalo fans will celebrate an epic win, keyed by two goals from Tage Thompson and then the go-ahead goal by Mattias Samuelsson.
Jess Fishlock will retire at the end of the current NWSL season, her club Seattle Reign FC has confirmed.
The 39-year-old, who ended her international career with Wales last year, will bring her club career to a close when the season finishes, with Reign’s final regular-season game set for 1 November.
Fishlock has been with Seattle since the club’s first season in 2013 and is the only remaining player from that original squad. She has made 219 appearances in the NWSL and played a key role in the team’s success, helping them win three NWSL Shields to reach three championship finals. She was also named league MVP in 2021.
Speaking about her decision, Fishlock reflected on her time at the club.
“It’s hard to put into words what Seattle and this club mean to me.
“This is where I’ve grown, where I’ve fought, where I’ve experienced some of the best moments of my career.
“I’ll never take for granted the people, the fans and the city that have supported me through it all, and I’m going to give everything I have in this final season.”
Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore praised her impact on the club and the league.
“She is not only one of the best players in NWSL history, but one of the most influential figures our game has seen.”
Head coach Laura Harvey also spoke of her importance to the team.
“She has carried this club on her shoulders at times and has always done it with pride. Her impact on this team, this city and the sport as a whole is immeasurable.”
Fishlock leaves the game as one of Wales’ most decorated players, holding the records for most appearances and goals for her country, with 166 caps and 48 goals.
The Utah Mammoth’s second season has been filled with important firsts, and on Tuesday night in Vegas, they earned the best one yet: Their first-ever victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 3-2 triumph was a win befitting the Mammoth name — not just for its historic significance but for the first-round fate of the NHL’s newest team, which could’ve headed home down 2-0 but instead brings a 1-1 series to Salt Lake City.
After pledging more net drives and offensive-zone persistence following Sunday’s loss to Vegas, Utah put together a blueprint and stuck to it — perhaps no one more so than Dylan Guenther.
Utah’s leading goal-scorer didn’t look like himself in the series-opener, but he hit his stride in Game 2, and that confidence brought a spark to Utah’s offence. With about five minutes left in the second frame of what was at that point a 1-1 game, Guenther unleashed a lethal one-timer from the point to give the Mammoth the lead. Even though Vegas quickly responded, Guenther’s confidence stuck.
That was on full display as the game went on, as was his speed. He was the difference-maker on offence for Utah on the game-winning goal, blowing past Vegas’ defenders while driving to the net and starting a play that Logan Cooley finished. Guenther has hit his stride, and is well-positioned to be a real force as this series shifts to Utah.
Kings and Avalanche are playing chess
Through two games of this first-round series, that might just be the best way to describe this matchup. Colorado and L.A. finished the regular season separated by a whopping 31 points in the standings, but you wouldn’t know it by how things have played out thus far — two incredibly closely contested bouts with very little scoring. Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime victory for the Avalanche followed Sunday’s win by the same score in regulation.
Anyone who thought Game 1 was merely a feeling-out period for Colorado’s red-hot offence before exploding in a flurry of goals was sorely mistaken. The only explosion in this game was the panel of glass behind the Kings’ bench, which couldn’t withstand the rowdy fans. They certainly weren’t celebrating a goal — there were none to be found until the second half of the third period, when Artemi Panarin cashed in on the power play to finally break the stalemate. The Avalanche answered late to force overtime, where Nicolas Roy notched the game-winner.
The lack of goals wasn’t for lack of trying. Goalies Scott Wedgewood (24 saves) and Anton Forsberg (34) were sensational, the latter once again stumping Colorado’s biggest stars.
Despite what the series score says, the Kings are testing Colorado like few have managed this year, and it’s making for a fascinating series.
Kucherov’s game-tying goal snaps years-long skid
Lightning defenceman J.J. Moser was the overtime hero in Game 2, his first career playoff point ultimately serving as the difference between an 0-2 deficit and the clean slate of a best-of-five as the series shifts to Montreal.
But in many ways, you can point to Nikita Kucherov’s third-period marker as the most important goal of this series so far for the Lightning. Because in addition to evening things up late to force OT, it saw the star forward break free from a years-long playoff goal drought.
Prior to Tuesday night’s wrap-around marker, Kucherov had gone a whopping 16 post-season games without a goal. The dry spell dated back to 2023, when Kucherov potted one in the first period of Tampa Bay’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs… and then didn’t score again until Tuesday night. The lack of production has been among the handful of reasons for the Lightning’s three straight first-round exits. (Andrei Vasilevskiy’s struggles in net haven’t helped, nor did the fact two of those exits were at the hands of the Cup-winning Florida Panthers.)
Kucherov certainly hasn’t had any issues piling up goals in the regular season. Whether or not he can turn Tuesday’s skid-busting goal into any kind of momentum now that he’s no longer playing with a monkey on his back will be a storyline to follow as the series moves north.
Hagel’s the heart and soul of this Tampa Bay team
Brandon Hagel is built for playoff hockey, and we’re seeing that play out two games into Tampa Bay’s first-round series against Montreal. He tallied two goals in Game 1 on Sunday, including the game-tying marker to push for overtime, and opened the scoring Tuesday night en route to registering a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in Tampa Bay’s series-tying win.
Hagel was a driver not just on offence but in the rough stuff, too. And there was a lot of rough stuff Tuesday night, the Lightning clearly hell-bent on stirring the pot and causing chaos to rattle Montreal right from the get-go.
Was it the smartest strategy, considering how effective the Canadiens’ power-play has been this series? Maybe not. But it was certainly entertaining, as was Hagel’s brief bout of fisticuffs against Montreal’s Game 1 hero, Juraj Slafkovsky, in the second.
If Tampa Bay is to topple Montreal, they’ll need Hagel to continue to lead the way.
Buffalo’s spark sputters out, and a goalie question emerges
The hockey gods were with Buffalo on Sunday as the club pulled off a remarkable comeback in their first trip to the playoffs since 2011. On Tuesday, though, the Sabres were on their own. Bad luck struck in the second period when Morgan Geekie sent a harmless-looking backhand into Buffalo’s zone from beyond the blue line, the puck fooling Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and trickling into the net to stun not just the netminder and his team, but the crowd of Sabres faithful hoping for another thriller and instead witnessing something closer to a nightmare.
Luukkonen’s night ended early in the third period, after Viktor Arvidsson potted his second of the night, with Alex Lyon taking over in relief.
And yet, just when all the hope was sucked from the building, Bowen Byram’s goal injected a little spark. Peyton Krebs added to it soon after with another goal to come within two.
Could they really do it again? You could almost see the tidal wave of dreadful deja vu crash over the Bruins’ bench, but a well-timed timeout allowed the club to regain its composure and close out the win to even up the series.
It’s worth wondering, as the series now moves to Boston, whether the Sabres give Lyon the start in Game 3. While Tuesday’s loss should not be blamed on Luukkonen, this team clearly needs to try something new after back-to-back sluggish starts. Lyon, like Luukkonen, started 34 regular-season games for Buffalo this year. He’s played post-season hero against Boston before, albeit in a limited capacity, back in 2023.
LUCKNOW: Lucknow Super Giants have been feeling the heat in IPL this season. With just two wins from six games, LSG are just a spot above bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders in the points table. However, LSG’s bowling coach Bharat Arun doesn’t seem to be too concerned about their below par show and is hopeful of the team bouncing back in matches ahead. Excerpts from an interview Your team conceded more than 250 runs against Punjab Kings. What exactly went wrong for LSG? I will not read too much into that one game. Our bowling unit has done really well in the previous matches. Sometimes a game like that can happen. At certain stages, even the choice of balls may not have been ideal. But there is no major cause for concern because our bowlers are good enough to make a strong comeback. You would have seen in the earlier games that our bowlers executed our plans very well. These things can happen. Sport is also about failure and, more importantly, how strongly you respond to it. That defines the kind of sportsman you are. Did the lack of early wickets put too much pressure in the middle overs? We did get an early wicket, but after that their batters played very well. In the Powerplay, our choice of balls was not great, and that is something we can improve on. If you are bowling badly, that is a bigger problem. But if the issue is about making the right choices, that can certainly be corrected in the coming matches. You have not been able to capitalise on the home advantage. Are the conditions not suiting your attack? No, I don’t think that is the case. If you look at it, our bowling has been reasonably good at home. It is more a case of our batting being one good match away from really clicking. Even in the Punjab game, despite the loss, the positive was that our batters got close to 200. That is encouraging for us, and I’m sure the batting group would have taken confidence from that effort. How are you managing the overseas vs Indian bowler balance? Our bowling attack is predominantly Indian. In fact, apart from Anrich Nortje, who was injured and has gone back, we haven’t really had an overseas presence in the bowling group. But this is a very exciting Indian bowling unit, and we have a lot of belief in them. Which phase of the innings concerns you most right now: powerplay, middle overs, or death? I can’t reveal exactly what the data says right now, but we are aware of the areas we need to address. We have already reshuffled the bowling roles, and barring one game, it has worked quite well. So it is not a major concern for us at this stage. If the same PBKS batting lineup came at you tomorrow, what would you do differently from ball one? We would definitely work things out differently, but that is something you will see if and when we play them again.
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San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama was ruled out of Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers after he was placed in concussion protocol.
Wembanyama was out of sorts after hitting the court face first in the second quarter. The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year this season was fouled by Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, and Wembanyama was unable to brace his fall, as his jaw hit the hardwood and play stopped midway through the quarter.
After staying down on the court for some time, Wembanyama sat up in a seated position as coach Mitch Johnson called timeout to check on his big man.
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling to the court during the first half of Game Two of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on April 21, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Despite seeming dazed at first, Wembanyama was able to stand and ran into the tunnel to get further evaluation in the locker room. However, the Spurs announced that he wouldn’t return to the game due to protocol.
The Spurs, who won Game 1 of the First Round series, are looking to further their advantage in the best-of-seven matchup with the Blazers. But doing so without Wembanyama, who led the team with 35 points in the Game 1 victory, isn’t ideal for the Spurs.
SPURS REVEAL GREGG POPOVICH SUFFERED ‘MILD STROKE,’ EXPECTED TO MAKE FULL RECOVERY
But it’s hard not to look ahead for the team and fan base alike. Being in concussion protocol means having to hit all checkpoints in recovery before making a return to the court.
San Antonio is set to play in Portland for the first time in this series on Friday night, with a 10:30 p.m. tip-off for Game 3. Luckily for Wembanyama and the Spurs, that gives him some days to potentially check those boxes needed to play.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama reacts beside guard Dylan Harper after falling to the ground during the first half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on April 21, 2026. (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)
This is the Spurs’ first trip to the playoffs since 2019, and Wembanyama, an MVP finalist, played a large role in helping the team achieve regular-season success, enough so to earn the No. 2 overall seed in the Western Conference with a 62-20 record.
Wembanyama was also just named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, marking the first time anyone has been a unanimous winner as well as being the youngest to ever win the prestigious award.
The 7-foot-4 Frenchman earned all 100 first-place votes, while Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren finished with 76 second-place votes. Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson finished in third place when the ballots were tallied.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling during the first half of Game Two against the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on April 21, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Former Detroit Piston Ben Wallace came closest to a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in 2001–02, falling just four votes short in a 120-person panel.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and a league-high 3.1 blocks this season.
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A new rule from FIFA requiring women to be included on coaching staff in women’s competitions is being welcomed, but coaches say it must lead to real opportunities, not just a formality.
Under the rule, teams must have at least one female coach on staff, along with female officials and medical personnel on the bench. The aim is to increase representation, but many coaches believe more can be done.
As Chicago Stars assistant Mariana Cabral put it, “Gender does not determine the competence of a person… but because men are so overly represented in this situation, we need to help the women get into these positions.”
There is agreement that the rule could help open doors, especially at the international level, but concerns remain about how it will be applied. Some fear it could lead to teams simply filling positions to meet requirements rather than giving women meaningful roles.
“What matters most is it should not just be about making a rule, but about giving someone a real chance to work,” said Serbia head coach Lidija Stojkanovic.
Another issue raised is access. Coaching courses remain limited and expensive, making it harder for women to progress. Even with growing interest, spaces on top-level coaching licences are still oversubscribed, creating a bottleneck.
Former coach developer Manisha Tailor pointed out that change will not come from rules alone, saying there also needs to be clarity on how those opportunities are created and supported.
For many, the rule is a step forward, but only if it leads to real development and long-term change, not just a box being ticked.
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RC Lens qualified for their first French cup final since 1998 by defeating Toulouse (4-1) in a lopsided game.
Real Madrid beat Alavés 2–1 on matchday 33 of La Liga and retain a slim chance of winning the title. Chelsea suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat away to Brighton in the Premier League, their eighth consecutive loss. Monaco will have to go through a second play-in round to qualify for the EuroLeague play-offs.
LeBron James shone as the Los Angeles Lakers took charge of their NBA play-off series while Victor Wembanyama was concussed during a San Antonio defeat.
The Lakers were without leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), but 41-year-old James continued to show his class.
The 22-time All Star claimed 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lakers to a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Fellow veteran Kevin Durant returned for Houston after missing the opening game of the series and scored a team-high 23 points but turned the ball over nine times and claimed just three points after half-time.
The Lakers now lead 2-0 in the first round of the post-season, with the Rockets hosting the next two games in the best-of-seven series.
Wembanyama had scored five points for the San Antonio Spurs when he was injured midway through the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 7ft 4in France international, who has been named this season’s defensive player of the year, hit his face on the floor after being knocked off his feet during a drive to the basket.
The Spurs said he had entered the concussion protocol and would not return to the game. They confirmed after Portland’s 106-103 win that he had sustained a concussion.
Speaking to BBC Sport NI before the North West 200, Storm Stacey opens up about mental health, loss and the importance of racing.
Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Rookie Munetaka Murakami homered for the fourth straight game, Colson Montgomery went deep for the third straight and the Chicago White Sox slugged four homers in an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Murakami, Michael Vargas and Montgomery hit consecutive solo shots with two outs in the second inning to help stake Sean Burke (1-2) to a 7-0 lead.
Murakami, who has nine homers in 23 games, reached base four times, adding two infield singles and a walk. He singled and scored in a four-run first off Merrill Kelly (1-1).
Vargas homered for the second straight game, Montgomery and Sam Antonacci notched two hits and three RBIs apiece and Tristan Peters had three hits. The White Sox have won three of four and scored 33 runs over that span.
Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas had a three-run homer in the ninth to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games, the longest in the majors. Dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Vargas has hit in 18 straight. Alek Thomas had two hits, including his first homer of the season for the Diamondbacks, who had won 10 of 14.
The White Sox have 11 homers in their last three games and 14 in their last five.
Antonacci had a two-run inside-the-park homer in the ninth when his ground ball inside the bag at third appeared to be touched by the ball boy along the left field line. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not immediately attempt to field it as Antonacci circled the bases for his first career homer.
Burke gave up two runs on five hits in six innings in his first road victory since a 4-0 decision at Detroit on Sept. 28, 2024. He struck out three and walked one. Kelly gave up eight runs and 10 hits before leaving with one out in the fifth. He struck out five and walked three in his second start of the season after opening on the injured list.
The first four White Sox batters reached in the first. Andrew Benintendi singled, Murakami reached on an infield single, Vargas walked and Montgomery doubled in two. Everson Pereira hit a sacrifice fly and Antonacci tripled for a 4-0 lead.
Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery homered in the second for a 7-0 lead after 13 batters.
–Field Level Media
Delhi Capitals suffered a heavy 47-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2026 clash on Tuesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Batting first, SRH piled up a mammoth total of 242/2 in 20 overs, with opener Abhishek Sharma emerging as the chief architect of the innings. Facing just 68 deliveries, Abhishek remained unbeaten on a sensational 135, dismantling the DC bowling attack with ease. In reply, DC were restricted to 195/9 despite valiant efforts from Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi. Following the loss, DC opener and wicketkeeper KL Rahul has come under intense scrutiny for his sluggish knock of 37 off 23 balls.
Rahul’s innings, which included just one boundary and three sixes, failed to provide the momentum required in a steep chase, as DC managed only 59 runs in the powerplay. Former India opener Aakash Chopra was critical of Rahul’s approach, questioning his intent while chasing a daunting target of 243.
“I think the question needs to be asked. He faced 23 balls for the 37 runs he scored, but how many attacking shots did he actually play? In my humble opinion, when you’re chasing a 240-plus total and fail to capitalise on the powerplay, there’s a 99.5 percent chance you’re going to lose the match. It’s a mountain to climb anyway, but the intent felt missing. I didn’t feel they gave it everything they had while chasing such a massive total,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“He may have been carrying a niggle; it did seem like that. But once again, this is the same mistake LSG made the other day. If you don’t go all out and instead adopt a conservative approach while chasing such totals, you’re going to lose anyway. The question then is-did you give your best? Not enough, in my opinion,” he added.
Chopra also raised concerns about Rahul’s wicketkeeping, pointing out a crucial error behind the stumps that handed Abhishek Sharma a vital lifeline during the match.
“KL Rahul does keep wickets for India in the ODI setup as well, but let’s be very honest-he is a batter who keeps wickets, not the other way around. Most wicketkeepers are keepers first and then contribute with the bat,” Chopra said.
“Mistakes can happen to anyone, but when it’s KL Rahul, you do start questioning the overall value. If, as a keeper, you miss chances, it sometimes nullifies whatever contribution you make with the bat,” he concluded.
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