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Bruins look to regain 'mojo' against visiting Islanders

NHL: New York Islanders at Boston BruinsJan 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) and New York Islanders left wing Anthony Duclair (11) battle for the puck during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

After back-to-back overtime losses, the Boston Bruins look to bounce back when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday night to conclude a three-game homestand out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The Bruins entered Wednesday in a three-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, with the Columbus Blue Jackets holding a two-point lead for the final spot.

A crucial point slipped away Tuesday, though, as the Toronto Maple Leafs overcame 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to beat Boston 5-4 in overtime. Captain Brad Marchand knows such a letdown en route to a fourth straight loss (0-2-2) cannot happen given the current position in the standings.

“If we play like that every night, we’re going to win a lot of games,” Marchand said. “We can’t give points up right now, and we gave one away.”

There were, indeed, some encouraging signs despite the Toronto loss. The Bruins piled up 36 shots and scored multiple power-play goals for the second time in their last six games.

Interim coach Joe Sacco liked what he saw for most of the night.

“We were ready to play. I thought we had a great start to the game. For the first 40 minutes, I really liked what we were doing in the hockey game,” Sacco said. “If you give (a team like Toronto) a little bit of life … they start to push.”

Star winger David Pastrnak, who is coming off a two-goal, one-assist performance to move his NHL season-high point streak to 15 games, hopes that one win can help his team turn the tide.

“We’ve gotten two out of four points since the break, but haven’t got the W,” Pastrnak said. “We need to put some games together to get that mojo because it wasn’t a bad game on our side (on Tuesday).”

The Islanders arrive in Boston having lost a season-high four consecutive games in regulation, including a 5-1 home defeat to the rival Rangers on Tuesday. The loss dropped them five points back of the Bruins.

While Boston remains much closer to the hunt, hopes on Long Island are slimming as the regular season nears its final full month.

“At this point, the next game’s huge,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We’re kind of fighting for our life here, so we have to learn here and we have to be ready for the next one.”

The Islanders had netted three goals in three straight games prior to Tuesday. Alexander Romanov’s goal made it a 1-1 game in the first period, but it was not enough as the Rangers scored on five of their first 10 shots against Ilya Sorokin.

“It was not his best game. There (were) a few bad bounces, so I know he will bounce back,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “He’s a character person. … I know we can count on him, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

Roy delivered some good news leading into Thursday’s game, as defenseman Noah Dobson is expected to return from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury. With the Islanders’ top scorer from the back end returning, Scott Perunovich is expected to be the healthy scratch.

“What I want to see from (Dobson) is controlling the puck, jumping in the rush, defending well, doing things he’s been doing very well since he’s been here,” Roy said.

Forward Hudson Fasching (upper body) could also return, having practiced on a line with Kyle MacLean and Massachusetts native Marc Gatcomb on Wednesday. Fasching has not played since Jan. 5, when the Islanders earned a 5-4 overtime win in Boston.

–Field Level Media

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Martin Ojeda (3 goals), Orlando rally to snap Miami's unbeaten streak

MLS: Orlando City at Inter Miami CFMay 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Martín Ojeda (10) scores a goal as Inter Miami CF defender Maximiliano Falcón (37) follows on the play during the first half at Miami Freedom Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Martin Ojeda scored his second career MLS hat trick, Tyrese Spicer pounced for a winner in second-half stoppage time and visiting Orlando City rallied from three goals down to a historic 4-3 victory over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Saturday night.

Orlando (3-7-1, 10 points) became only the third team in MLS history to win a regular season match after going three goals behind, the first since the LA Galaxy in 2018. The unlikely comeback extended Miami’s wait for a first win in its recently opened Nu Stadium to at least a fifth match, after drawing the first three and losing to its Florida Derby rivals.

Messi had a goal and two assists for Miami (5-2-4, 19 points), which saw its 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions snapped. Telasco Segovia also scored and had two assists, Ian Fray scored the early goal and Luis Suarez also had two assists for the Herons.

But Ojeda outdueled his more famous Argentine countryman, leveling his third goal in the 79th minute from the penalty spot after referee Guido Gonzalez ruled Maximiliano Falcon had pushed down Iago Teodoro during an Orlando corner-kick sequence.

Ojeda hesitated to get Dayne St. Clair to lunge to the right, then finished to the left for a stunning equalizer that came 46 minutes after Messi had given Miami a three-goal lead.

Then in second-half stoppage time, Ojeda was present in a dummy capacity as Braian Ojeda played a throughball from deep in his own half for Spicer.

The halftime substitute finished hard and low through the legs of St. Clair to complete one of the most unlikely victories in MLS history.

Martin Ojeda’s first goal came in the 39th minute. Justin Ellis provided the final pass, but it was mostly Ojeda creating the shot himself, spinning to elude a defender and then unleashing a ferocious left-footed strike that beat Clair to the bottom-left corner.

The second came in the 68th after Adrian Marin’s impressive slaloming run up the left. The result was similar, this time Ojeda hitting the inside of the right post with a perfectly placed shot that left St. Clair rooted to the ground.

Miami harassed Orlando throughout the opening hour and quickly built a three-goal lead.

In the fourth minute, after the Herons failed to put away one dangerous chance, Messi recycled the ball on the left and laid it off for Segovia, whose cross picked out Fray’s head at the 6-yard box.

A Messi give-and-go with Suarez set up a tap-in for Sevogia in the 25th minute. And then Messi found the bottom-left corner from the edge of the penalty area in the 33rd.

–Field Level Media

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Dillon Dingler, Keider Montero guide Tigers past Rangers

MLB: Texas Rangers at Detroit TigersMay 2, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) celebrates at home plate with teammates Riley Greene (31) and Colt Keith (33) after hitting a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Dillon Dingler had a three-run home run and a double to spark the Detroit Tigers to a 5-1 home win against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

Keider Montero (2-2) gave up one run on five hits, walked two and struck out two in 6 2/3 innings as Detroit evened the three-game series.

Gleyber Torres had two hits and an RBI for the Tigers before leaving with left side tightness. Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a run and Wenceel Perez was 2-for-3 with a run and a walk.

Jake Burger hit a solo home run while Josh Smith and Josh Jung each had two hits for Texas.

Moments after Rangers right fielder Ezequiel Duran fielded Greene’s single and threw out Torres at the plate in the first, Dingler launched a homer that traveled 443 feet to left.

An inning later, Detroit took a 5-0 lead with a pair of two-out singles. Perez singled, stole second and scored on Kevin McGonigle’s grounder up the middle. McGonigle swiped second and came around to score on Torres’ bloop single to shallow right.

Montero gave up two walks in the third, but kept Texas off the board. In the fourth, Burger’s solo shot was the Rangers’ first hit and cut the Detroit lead to 5-1.

Duran and Smith posted back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth, but Montero induced a double play and a popout to escape the jam.

With one out in the eighth, the Rangers threatened with runners on second and third. Reliever Drew Anderson got Joc Pederson to ground out and struck out Burger. Anderson gave up two hits and struck out three in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (1-3) gave up five runs on six hits in two innings.

Torres exited the game in the third with what was reported as left-side tightness.

–Field Level Media

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Cardinals stave off Dodgers’ rally for 6th straight win

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis CardinalsMay 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Jordan Walker slugged a two-run homer among his two hits and Michael McGreevy tossed six scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.

McGreevy (2-2) allowed three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Ryne Stanek and lefty JoJo Romero each pitched a scoreless inning before the Dodgers scored two runs on four straight hits against righty Riley O’Brien in the ninth.

O’Brien recorded two quick outs before giving up back-to-back infield singles to Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez. Max Muncy and Andy Pages followed with RBI singles before O’Brien struck out pinch hitter Dalton Rushing for his ninth save.

Los Angeles lost its fourth straight game and has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last 11 games.

St. Louis took a 3-0 lead on four hits in the third inning. Ivan Herrera hit a leadoff double against Roki Sasaki (1-3) and scored on Alec Burleson’s double to right field.

Walker followed with a two-run blast to left field. The 372-foot shot was Walker’s 10th homer of the season and second in his last three games.

The Dodgers had plenty of early traffic on the basepaths against McGreevy, but they were held scoreless while hitting into four double plays in the first five innings.

Los Angeles put two runners on with one out in the second inning before Pages struck out and Hyeseong Kim grounded out.

The pattern continued in the third inning, when Alex Freeland hit a leadoff single and second baseman JJ Wetherholt started a double play with a diving catch on Shohei Ohtani’s liner.

Sasaki gave up three runs on five hits with two walks over six innings. He retired the final 10 batters he faced and threw a career-high 104 pitches.

Stanek replaced right-hander McGreevy to begin the seventh inning and retired two batters before Hernandez singled and Muncy walked. Both were stranded when Pages struck out.

The Dodgers were held without a home run for the fifth straight game and have hit a total of three homers in their past 11 games.

–Field Level Media

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