Sports
Gage Goncalves nets OT winner, Lightning push Canadiens to Game 7
Apr 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning center Gage Goncalves (93) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Gage Goncalves scored the overtime game-winning goal to give the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday and force Game 7 of their Stanley Cup playoff series.
The deciding game of their Eastern Conference first-round set will be Sunday in Tampa. That clash has quite the affair to top in entertainment value.
A thrilling Game 6 finally came to a close when Goncalves buried a loose puck amidst a scramble at 9:02 of overtime for his first career playoff overtime winner.
It came shortly after the Lightning killed a Montreal power play.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy had struggled to find his form during this series, but he delivered his best performance with 30 saves to post his eighth career playoff shutout.
Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes stopped 32 shots in a fantastic goaltending duel.
All six games have been decided by one goal. Both teams have won twice in overtime.
The series winner will face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the playoffs.
The lack of goals was not indicative of the action. Both clubs generated a litany of scoring chances in a back-and-forth clash.
Tampa came within a whisker of scoring first early in the second period when Corey Perry slipped a shot through Dobes’ legs, but Phillip Danault pulled the puck off the goal line behind his netminder.
Late in the second period, Vasilevskiy robbed Ivan Demidov with a pair of sprawling saves that had the Montreal forward looking skyward during a Canadiens power play. Danault was also stopped on a partial breakaway in the dying seconds of the frame.
Alexandre Texier, who scored the winning goal in Game 5, rang a shot off the post early in the third period moments before Jake Guentzel was stopped on a breakaway at the other end.
During Tampa’s ensuing power play, both Nikita Kucherov and Guentzel struck iron.
Dobes also stood tall during another Lightning third-period power play, capping it with a clutch stop on Brayden Point.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pistons escape 24-point hole vs. Magic, head home for Game 7
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the Detroit Pistons came back from a 24-point deficit to stun the host Orlando Magic 93-79 on Friday, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Tobias Harris racked up 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 14 points as Detroit won its second elimination game in a row. Cunningham, Harris and teammate Ausar Thompson each grabbed 10 rebounds.
The top-seeded Pistons began the fourth quarter on an 18-1 run to build an eight-point lead and ended up outscoring Orlando 55-19 in the second half. The eighth-seeded Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field during one stretch covering about 15 minutes in the second half.
Game 7 is Sunday in Detroit.
Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero each scored 17 points for Orlando, and Tristan da Silva added 10 points. Banchero, who posted 45 points in Game 5, shot 4-for-20 from the field. The Magic ended up 9-for-36 (25%) on 3-point attempts.
Detroit also was the No. 1 seed in 2003, when the Pistons rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Magic in the first round.
The Magic were held to 12 points over the first 19 minutes of the second half Friday as Detroit pulled ahead at 74-72 on a pair of Harris free throws with more than seven minutes to play.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer and two free throws on the next possession put the Pistons up 85-75 with less than four minutes to play. Robinson’s trey was the next basket as the lead grew.
The Pistons, down 22 at halftime, stormed back into the game by scoring 16 of the first 20 points of the second half. Detroit then went more than 4 1/2 minutes without scoring as Orlando built the margin to 71-54, but the Pistons closed the third quarter with an 8-0 spurt capped by a Robinson layup.
The Magic shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) in the third quarter, when they scored only 11 points.
Orlando appeared to take control in the second quarter and built a 60-38 halftime lead, with Bane hitting his first three 3-point attempts.
The Pistons made only 6 of 25 attempts from the floor (28.6%) in the second quarter.
Detroit shot 10-for-19 (52.6%) from the field in the first quarter to lead 26-25. The Magic began the second quarter on a 13-2 run, which ended with Anthony Black’s three-point play and Bane’s inside hoop.
After a Detroit timeout, the Magic kept pouring it on to build a 17-point lead.
Orlando forward Franz Wagner missed his second game in a row because of a calf injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jarren Duran, Jake Bennett help Red Sox knock off Astros
May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Jarren Duran hit a three-run home run and Jake Bennett pitched well in his major league debut to propel the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Houston Astros in the opener of their three-games series Friday night.
Bennett, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday to start in place of Garrett Crochet, allowed one run on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Crochet was placed on the injured list Wednesday with shoulder inflammation.
Boston received four scoreless innings from four relievers after Bennett (1-0) was pulled. Carlos Correa doubled against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth, but Chapman got Yordan Alvarez to ground out to second to end the game. Chapman earned his sixth save.
The victory ended Boston’s two-game losing streak, and its three-game home losing streak.
Correa had three hits, including his third home run of the season. Isaac Paredes and Yainer Diaz each had two hits for the Astros.
Houston starter Mike Burrows (1-4) took the loss. He surrendered three runs on eight hits in six innings.
Roman Anthony collected three of Boston’s 10 hits. Anthony hit a double and singled twice. Trevor Story was 2-for-4, and Marcelo Mayer collected a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
The Astros grabbed a 1-0 lead on Correa’s solo home run in the top of the third.
Boston took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the third. After Carlos Narvaez walked and Caleb Durbin singled, Duran drove in both runners when he hit his second home run of the season.
Houston had runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth, but Garrett Whitlock retired Cam Smith on a pop-up to first base.
The loss dropped Houston’s road record to 4-13.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lamenting lack of rest, LAFC face slumping San Diego FC
Apr 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Football Club forward Denis Bouanga (99) shoots during the second half against Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images Los Angeles FC have experienced dominating results on the field this season but coach Marc Dos Santos is not too happy with the MLS schedule-makers entering Saturday night’s road match at San Diego FC.
LAFC are coming off a big 2-1 victory over visiting Toluca FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals on Wednesday night. Los Angeles doesn’t have much time to prepare before it visits a rival that didn’t play a midweek match.
Dos Santos isn’t just fretting about this weekend assignment. He pointed out he has been frustrated with the schedule since late March.
LAFC played eight matches in April between MLS and Champions Cup play and has five more coming in the first 17 days of May.
“The schedule is a scandal. It’s a scandal,” Dos Santos told reporters. “I don’t understand why MLS … who is the genius in the meeting that says, ‘I have a good idea?’ At some point, it’s enough. Saturday we have to go to San Diego.”
Regardless, LAFC (6-2-2, 20 points) have been thriving and have outscored MLS opponents 17-6. In Champions Cup play, LAFC have outscored their foes 16-5 and are 5-0-2 entering the second semifinal leg at Toluca on May 6.
LAFC also get star forward Denis Bouanga back from a suspension for yellow-card accumulation. He has four goals and four assists in MLS play.
Last season, San Diego went 2-0 against LAFC during its stellar expansion campaign when it won the Western Conference.
Things are much different for San Diego FC (3-5-2, 11 points) this season. The club has lost five straight matches, is winless in its last seven MLS games (0-5-2) and eight overall, counting a loss to Toluca in the Champions Cup Round of 16.
Nobody associated with San Diego was expecting to be sitting in 11th place entering May.
“It’s been a tough period for San Diego FC, five losses in a row,” said San Diego star forward Anders Dreyer, who has five goals and four assists in MLS play. “It’s not what we wanted, but that’s the reality. That’s how it is and we can’t run from that.”
Last weekend, San Diego lost 2-1 to visiting Portland when the Timbers scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
San Diego coach Mikey Varas is hoping the turnaround begins Saturday.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for us to take the next step and get back on track,” Varas said. “We know we’re in a tough moment and haven’t been at our best. But we’re working very hard and doing everything possible to get back to it.”
–Field Level Media
Pistons escape 24-point hole vs. Magic, head home for Game 7
Jarren Duran, Jake Bennett help Red Sox knock off Astros
