Sports
Sabres post shootout win in chippy affair with Maple Leafs
Mar 14, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) looks to make a save on Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images Alex Tuch scored the decisive goal of a shootout Saturday night and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2.
The Sabres made two of their three shots in the shootout and the Maple Leafs misfired on both attempts.
Owen Power and Jack Quinn scored for the Sabres in regulation. Quinn also scored in the shootout for the Sabres, who have won nine of ten. Alex Lyon stopped 16 shots.
Dakota Joshua and Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost nine of ten. Joseph Woll made 31 saves and was the prime reason the game went to overtime.
Power started and finished the sequence that gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 2:01 of the first period. He lugged the puck out of the Sabres’ zone then moved into the slot to score on Zach Benson’s pass from behind the goal.
Lyon’s first stop of the game came on Wiliam Nylander’s breakaway at 5:15.
Joshua tied the game at 6:09 of the first with a blast from the slot after Buffalo defenseman Luke Schenn failed to clear the puck.
The Sabres continued to be careless with the puck and it allowed the Maple Leafs to generate chances during the middle part of a chippy first period. Toronto played with urgency in their first full game since a knee injury put Auston Matthews out for the season.
Domi, playing in his 800th game, gave Toronto the lead at 0:53 of the second period at the end of a 2-on-1 with William Nylander, who faked a shot from the right circle before passing.
Buffalo scored the tying goal on a power play at 11:21 of the second when Quinn’s shot from the left circle squeezed past Woll’s arm following Noah Ostlund’s no-look backhand pass. Michael Pezzetta was off for slashing. Buffalo had the better of the play for most of the second period but Woll was solid, making 11 saves.
The Sabres were dominant again for large stretches in the third period but failed to break through. Buffalo had a 10-2 edge in shots on goal in the final period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oilers, Predators out to improve positioning in playoff race
Mar 13, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Edmonton Oilers return home to host the Nashville Predators on Sunday, looking to move on from a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
“I think the first two periods, we were playing extremely well, and even in the third, we had some chances and a good push,” said Kasperi Kapanen, who opened the scoring.
“It sucks right now, but we just got to forget this one and move on.”
Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers as they jumped to a 2-0 lead. However, the Blues responded with three unanswered to steal the extra point.
Connor Ingram made 22 saves for Edmonton, which has dropped back-to-back games while clinging to the third seed in the Pacific Division.
“I don’t think it could have went much better for us in the first 40 minutes and in the third with a nice lead,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “(St. Louis) had a strong push, and it’s unfortunate that it could have been an outstanding road trip getting three out of the four, but losing and only getting one point in the last two games is disappointing for us.”
The Oilers, who are 16-11-4 on home ice, open a four-game homestand looking to improve on a 4-5-1 stretch.
McDavid entered Saturday with a league-leading 74 assists and 111 points and paces the Oilers with 37 goals through 67 games.
Ingram is 9-6-2 in 20 games, posting an .891 save percentage and a 2.79 goals-against average. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton’s other goalie, is 11-8-4 with an .891 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA in 23 games.
Edmonton was without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Friday night. The Oilers forward returned home for personal reasons and was replaced in the lineup by Max Jones.
Sunday is the teams’ third and final meeting. The Oilers picked up a 6-2 home win on Jan. 6. Seven days later, the Predators responded with a 4-3 home victory in overtime.
Nashville travels to Edmonton as part of a five-game road trip, looking to keep its Western Conference wild-card chase alive. The Predators, 3-4-3 over their last 10, trailed the Los Angeles Kings by two points for the final spot entering Saturday’s action.
The Predators have been off since Thursday night, when they surrendered a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks.
Tyson Jost scored a pair and Matthew Wood had the other for the Predators, who are 12-14-6 on the road. Juuse Saros made 24 saves.
Wood’s goal extended his career-high point streak to four games (four goals, one assist).
“Grateful to get a point. Probably didn’t deserve one,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “(Vancouver was) the better team from the puck drop, and it’s one of those nights for a group that we’re kind of hard to figure out. Obviously, it hurts blowing a two-goal lead late in the game, but we didn’t really deserve to be in the game.”
Steven Stamkos has a team-high 31 goals in 65 games, while Ryan O’Reilly paces the Predators with 39 assists and 61 points through 64 contests.
Saros is 23-19-7 with an .893 save percentage and a 3.15 GAA in 50 starts. He handled both previous games with the Oilers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Italy stays hot, dispenses Puerto Rico to advance to WBC semifinal
Mar 14, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Italy catcher JJ D’Orazio (28) and pitcher Greg Weissert (57) celebrate on the mound after the game against Puerto Rico during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Italy chased Puerto Rico starter Seth Lugo with four runs in the first inning en route to an 8-6 World Baseball Classic quarterfinal victory on Saturday afternoon in Houston.
The Italian team remained undefeated and advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal against the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal between Venezuela and Japan.
JJ D’Orazio drove in three runs and Andrew Fischer knocked in two for Italy, which erased an 1-0 deficit with four runs in the first and then pushed its lead to 8-2 with a four-run fourth. Dylan Delucia threw four scoreless innings in middle relief while Greg Weissert got the final five outs to earn his third save of the tournament.
Puerto Rico’s Willi Castro led off the game with a home run off Italy starter Sam Aldegheri (1-0), but Lugo (1-1) retired just one batter in the bottom of the first. He was pulled after allowing four runs, three hits and two walks.
Christian Vazquez poked a two-run single with one out in the eighth to cap a four-run inning and pull Puerto Rico within 8-6, but Weissert retired five of six batters with the tying run at the plate.
–Field Level Media
Sports
F1 officially cancels Bahrain, Saudi Arabia GPs due to Iran war
May 1, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Fans pose for a picture in front of the F1 logo in the team village ahead of the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Formula 1 officially canceled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for April because of safety concerns from the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was scheduled for April 12, while the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was set for April 19.
“While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April,” F1 said in a statement released Saturday.
Iran is accused of launching drone and missile attacks on both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in response to the Israel- and U.S.-led war on Iran.
Just a month ago, teams were conducting testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The races are not likely to be rescheduled at a later date, given the full F1 calendar, ESPN reported.
The decision to cancel the two races leaves F1 with a 22-race schedule and a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Oilers, Predators out to improve positioning in playoff race
Italy stays hot, dispenses Puerto Rico to advance to WBC semifinal
