Inter Miami passed their first test since the surprise departure of coach Javier Mascherano. As interim coach Guillermo Hoyos would attest, having Lionel Messi at his peak helps.

The Herons complete a two-game trip through the Rocky Mountains when they play Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in Sandy, Utah.

Messi scored on a penalty kick in the 18th minute and set up his own game-winner with a nifty run in the 79th minute of Miami’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids Saturday. The match was played at the Denver Broncos’ stadium before an audience of 75,824 fans.

That was the first outing for Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) since Mascherano announced his resignation, citing “personal reasons,” mere months after he guided the club to the MLS Cup title.

“The best coach in the world is on the pitch,” Hoyos said afterward. “We have the best player in history who changes the course of matches and a team that gave everything football-wise.”

Hoyos was Miami’s sporting director before stepping in for Mascherano. With the Herons now second in the Eastern Conference, it’s his task now to keep the club on a stable path.

“This result means a continuity of what was being done,” Hoyos said.

They’ll have a quick turnaround to face Real Salt Lake (5-1-1, 16 points), who’ve begun a three-game homestand with two-goal wins over Sporting Kansas City and San Diego FC.

Diego Luna scored within the first five minutes of each match and Sergi Solans potted three goals in that span. The high-powered offense was just what RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni wanted to see.

“We have to bring the fans into the game and be electric and front-footed,” Mastroeni said before the San Diego game. “Both (San Diego and Miami) offer opportunities in transition and we’ve improved drastically in that area.”

Neither RSL nor Miami has lost since dropping their respective season openers Feb. 21. They’ve each scored 16 goals on the year, Messi accounting for seven of Miami’s and Solans scoring five for RSL.

Messi’s co-star Luis Suarez could draw back in after not being utilized against Colorado.

Meanwhile, Miami forward Mateo Silvetti (hamstring) participated in practice Monday, per the Miami Herald, and his status for the match is up in the air. The 20-year-old has scored two goals.

–Field Level Media

The visiting Boston Bruins scored three second-period goals and held off a late Buffalo Sabres rally to post a 4-2 win on Tuesday and even their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series at one victory apiece.

Viktor Arvidsson scored in the last two periods, giving the Bruins 1-0 and 4-0 leads. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha also lit the lamp for Boston, which heads home for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

Jonathan Aspirot, Casey Mittelstadt and David Pastrnak each dished out two assists for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored as Buffalo climbed within 4-2 in the closing minutes.

Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on 19 shots before Alex Lyon entered in relief following Arvidsson’s second marker, which came just 16 seconds into the third period.

Buffalo had a 36-26 shot advantage, including 20-8 in the third period, but its power play went 0-for-5. Boston finished 1-for-6 on the man advantage.

The physical contest featured 47 penalty minutes for each team.

Following a scoreless opening period, the Bruins took over in the second, scoring on three of their 11 shots against Luukkonen.

Arvidsson broke the deadlock 4:54 into the middle frame, taking Aspirot’s lob pass in ahead of the defense and beating Luukkonen five-hole with a backhander from the left circle.

A gaffe by Luukkonen helped Boston double its lead with 3:31 left in the period, as Geekie’s high backhanded dump from the far side of center ice eluded him over the glove.

The Bruins’ power play got in on the action 1:41 later. After Geekie’s one-handed keep-in at the blue line extended the play, Zacha tipped in Pastrnak’s shot from the top of the right circle while stationed in the bumper position.

Arvidsson made it 4-0 early in the third, prompting Sabres coach Lindy Ruff to change goaltenders. Aspirot banked a long feed off the boards to set up the play, leading Arvidsson down the left wing to score on a 2-on-1 rush with Zacha.

The Sabres struck twice in a 1:14 span to make things interesting. Byram accepted Beck Malenstyn’s back pass for a wrister from the top of the right circle to break Swayman’s shutout bid with 6:06 left.

Krebs soon made it 4-2, batting down and scoring the rebound of a Rasmus Dahlin point shot that caromed off the post and back into the crease.

–Field Level Media

Shota Imanaga tossed seven stellar innings, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch each drove in two runs and the streaking Chicago Cubs posted a 7-4 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

Imanaga (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits, striking out one and walking one for the Cubs, who won their Major League-leading seventh straight game. Suzuki and Nico Hoerner each homered in the win.

Jesus Luzardo threw 4 2/3 innings for the Phillies, surrendering one run on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both homered for the Phillies, who saw their losing streak extend to seven.

In the fifth, Ian Happ walked and Suzuki singled to begin the frame. After Luzardo retired Carson Kelly and Busch, Orion Kerkering relieved the Philadelphia starter. Kerkering then walked Dansby Swanson to load the bases and followed with a run-scoring walk of Moises Ballesteros, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Kerkering escaped further trouble, retiring Pete Crow-Armstrong to end the inning.

Philadelphia evened the score in the sixth, as Schwarber connected on his eighth home run of the season — a 386-foot shot to right center.

Tanner Banks (0-1) replaced Kerkering in the bottom of the sixth. Hoerner led off the frame with a single and advanced to third on Happ’s one-out base hit. After Carson Kelly’s two-out walk loaded the bases, Busch drove in a pair with a single to center.

Against Philadelphia reliever Tim Mayza, Hoerner launched a one-out solo homer to push the lead to 4-1. After Alex Bregman’s walk, Suzuki hit his first homer of the season — a 441-footer that extended the margin to five.

Riley Martin replaced Imanaga in the eighth, allowing Schwarber’s two-out walk and Harper’s two-run homer, pulling the Phillies within three.

The Cubs scored their seventh run in the bottom of the eighth, as Philadelphia’s Jose Alvarado’s wild pitch prolonged the visitors’ pitching woes.

Chicago pitcher Jacob Webb allowed Adolis Garcia’s leadoff single in the ninth, before J.T. Realmuto reached on third baseman Scott Kingery’s throwing error. Alec Bohm’s sacrifice fly drove in Garcia, cutting the deficit to 7-4.

After Brandon Marsh’s single, Caleb Thielbar entered for the Cubs. Thielbar retired Edmundo Sosa and Trea Turner to seal the win, securing his second save of the year.

–Field Level Media