Ryan McLeod and defenseman Bowen Byram each converted on the power play to lift the host Buffalo Sabres to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round series.

Buffalo went 2-for-3 with the man advantage after going 1-for-46 on the power play over its previous 13 games.

By scoring his fourth goal, Byram matched the franchise record for most in a postseason by a defenseman set by Mike Ramsey (1983) and equaled by Jason Woolley (1999) and Alexei Zhitnik (1999).

McLeod and Josh Doan each collected a goal and an assist. Jordan Greenway also tallied and Alex Lyon made 26 saves for the Sabres, who host Game 2 on Friday.

Selke Trophy finalist Nick Suzuki scored a power-play goal, Kirby Dach also tallied and Jakub Dobes turned aside 12 shots for the Canadiens.

Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson hit the post in his bid to open the scoring early in the first period. He then lost his footing and the puck at his own blue line, leading to a 3-on-1 opportunity and Zach Benson feeding Doan on the doorstep for an easy conversion at 4:31 of the period.

McLeod converted from a sharp angle along the goal line to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead with 6:34 remaining in the first period.

Suzuki answered at left post to halve the deficit with 45 seconds to play in the first period, but Greenway regained the two-goal advantage at 3:32 of the second. He unleashed a shot from above the left circle that caromed off Dobes’ glove and into the net. Tyson Kozak drove to the net to provide a bit of a screen on the play.

The Sabres made it 4-1 at 9:01 of the second. McLeod knocked down a Canadiens’ clearing attempt, allowing Byram to collect the puck and use a screen from Doan to wrist a shot past Dobes.

Dach used a second effort to chip the puck from a sharp angle past Lyon to trim Montreal’s deficit to 4-2 with 3:29 remaining in the second period.

The Canadiens outshot the Sabres 11-1 in the third period, but could not get any closer.

–Field Level Media

Joe Gibbs Racing desired an earlier trial date for its lawsuit against Spire Motorsports and Chris Gabehart, while the defendants wanted a later trial date.

Neither side got what it wanted on Wednesday, as the judge presiding over the case split the difference and settled on a January start date, according to motorsport.com.

JGR is pursuing more than $8 million in damages due to allegations of misappropriation and tortuous interference by Gabehart, who left JGR to work for Spire.

JGR had been in pursuit of a November trial start, citing concerns about evidence and a desire to begin discovery as soon as possible. The defendants, in contrast, targeted next May, arguing that depositions could interfere with the current NASCAR season.

United States District Court Judge Susan C. Rodriguez of the Western District of North Carolina directed each party to “meet and confer and submit to the Court within 10 days a joint proposal as to pretrial deadlines as discussed,” indicating all parties are required to adhere to an agreed-upon schedule for all activities leading up to the trial date.

With Spire having a better-than-expected season after hiring Gabehart, JGR had filed an amendment to its original lawsuit earlier this week to address damages sustained through the use of “trade secrets.”

Spire driver Carson Hocevar is sitting in sixth after securing his first career NASCAR victory — and Spire’s first NASCAR win since 2019 — on April 26 at Talladega. Daniel Suarez, a new Spire driver this season, is in 14th in the standings. None of Spire’s three drivers last year finished in the top 20 of the standings.

“This sudden improvement in Spire’s Cup Series performance of course comes on the heels of Gabehart misappropriating JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and providing Spire the same or similar services he provided JGR in the last year,” the amended filing says.

The judge in the case has also granted partial expediency on the issue of discovery, providing faster access to certain phone records directly related to the nature of Gabehart’s relationships with JGR and Spire, according to the report.

–Field Level Media

Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd hurt his left meniscus while playing with his children at home on Wednesday morning and was placed on the 15-day injured list.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Boyd had an MRI that revealed the knee injury and the pitcher will require surgery. The move was retroactive to Monday.

“It’s kind of unexplainable,” Counsell said. “Kind of an innocent, going down to the ground and getting back up.

“He woke up this morning a healthy player,” the manager added. “He’s just trying to process it and get all the information from the doctors to figure out what’s next.”

Counsell said the timetable for Boyd’s return will be determined after the surgery, but the team expects him to play again this season.

Boyd, 35, was on the IL from April 2-21 because of a left biceps strain. He is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA, six walks and 31 strikeouts in 24 innings over five starts this season.

An All-Star for Chicago in 2025, Boyd is 62-78 with a 4.61 ERA in 218 career appearances (204) starts for the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), Detroit Tigers (2015-21, 2023), Seattle Mariners (2022), Cleveland Guardians (2024) and Cubs.

In a corresponding move, Chicago selected the contract of right-handed reliever Trent Thornton from Triple-A Iowa. They also designated lefty Charlie Barnes for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Thornton. Righty Yacksel Rios was sent outright to Iowa.

Thornton, 32, is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings over four games (one start) with Iowa this season. He has a career record of 14-19 with a 4.38 in seven seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays (2019-23) and Seattle Mariners (2023-25).

The Cubs already have starting pitchers Justin Steele (left elbow) and Cade Horton (right elbow) on the injured list.

–Field Level Media