The visiting Buffalo Sabres scored two first-period goals and never trailed en route to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday, clinching their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series in Game 6.

Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson built a 2-0 lead in the opening frame before Zach Benson and Josh Norris added insurance tallies in the third as Buffalo advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2007.

Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin each dished out two assists while Alex Lyon made 25 saves for the Sabres, who won all three games played in Boston in the series.

David Pastrnak scored the lone goal and Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 shots in Boston’s losing effort.

Buffalo finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while Boston never had a man advantage.

The Sabres needed just 3:25 to score on their first shot and take a 1-0 lead for the third consecutive game. Tuch was open at the top of the crease to net Dahlin’s centering pass from the left circle past a trailing Swayman.

After the game’s first power play ended, Lyon kept the momentum on Buffalo’s side with huge saves in the middle stages of the first period. Among them, Casey Mittelstadt had a break-in attempt and a follow-up after a Morgan Geekie feed sent him ahead of the defense.

Samuelsson made it 2-0 at 12:26 of the first, sending in a long shot from above the left circle through traffic. The puck sailed past Swayman’s blocker side.

Pastrnak got the second period off to an emphatic start for Boston at 1:54, helping to force a neutral-ice turnover before beating Lyon with a one-time shot off Pavel Zacha’s cross-ice pass on a 2-on-1 rush.

Neither side tallied for the rest of the period, including a stretch of nine-plus uninterrupted minutes. Swayman kept Boston’s deficit at 2-1 by denying close-range shots by Thompson and Bowen Byram during the extended sequence without a whistle.

Lyon made big saves against Geekie and Pastrnak to thwart Boston’s heavy pressure early in the third, helping to set the stage for Benson’s goal at 5:58.

Off a draw in Boston’s offensive zone, Josh Doan beat both Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy to a puck to start the goal-scoring play. While bracing for a hit in the left corner, Doan fired a pass to an open Benson in the slot, where Benson fired home a one-time goal.

Norris punctuated the series victory, hitting the empty net with 3:20 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Zack Wheeler logged six effective innings as the Philadelphia Phillies hung on for a 6-5 road victory against the Miami Marlins on Friday.

Bryson Stott hit a three-run homer for Philadelphia, which improved to 4-0 under interim manager Don Mattingly. Edmundo Sosa and Alec Bohm each added two hits and an RBI for the Phillies.

Wheeler (1-0), in his second start since missing more than eight months with a blood clot in his shoulder, allowed just a run and three hits. He walked two and struck out eight to earn his first win of the season.

Miami starter Eury Perez (2-3) was charged with two runs and four hits in five innings, walking two and striking out six. Otto Lopez had three hits and two RBIs to pace the Marlins’ offensive attack.

The Marlins trailed 6-4 in the ninth when Javier Sanoja drew a leadoff walk against Brad Keller. The right-hander rebounded to strike out the next two hitters – both on borderline calls – before Lopez drilled an RBI single to make it a one-run game. Kyle Stowers and Miami manager Clayton McCullough were ejected after Stowers was called out on strikes for the second out.

However, Keller induced Xavier Edwards into a game-ending flyout to record his first save of the season.

Miami jumped on Wheeler in the first inning, as back-to-back doubles by Lopez and Edwards staked the hosts to a 1-0 lead.

Philadelphia’s offense was quiet through the first three innings. However, the visitors were able to dent the scoreboard in the fourth, as Bohm delivered a two-out RBI single and Justin Crawford followed with a run-scoring double.

Wheeler ensured that Philadelphia maintained the lead, as he struck out a pair in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The right-hander retired the side 1-2-3 in the sixth to end his night after 94 pitches.

That set the stage for the Phillies’ four-run sixth. Bryce Harper’s one-out double began the rally. He came around to score on Sosa’s two-out single before Stott followed with a three-run homer to right-center off Cade Gibson, making it 6-1.

The Marlins clawed back with three runs in the eighth against the Phillies’ bullpen.

Miami’s first three hitters reached against Jonathan Bowlan, including a run-scoring infield hit by Lopez that made it 6-2. Two batters later, Liam Hicks’ sacrifice fly tacked on another run.

Philadelphia then turned to Jose Alvarado, who yielded an RBI single to Agustin Ramirez that brought the Marlins within 6-4.

–Field Level Media

Two weeks after playing to a draw, the Chicago Fire and visiting FC Cincinnati battle again on Saturday.

The 3-3 draw in Cincinnati on April 18 contributed to both teams’ ongoing unbeaten streaks in MLS play. FC Cincinnati (3-4-3, 12 points) are 1-0-3 in their last four regular-season matches, while the Fire are 4-0-1 in their last five.

Chicago (5-2-2, 17 points) did suffer a 2-1 home loss on Wednesday, when St. Louis City SC eliminated the Fire in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16.

The Fire held leads in all three of their losses in all competitions this season, and also led 3-1 through 78 minutes against Cincinnati before settling for the draw.

Midfielder Anton Saletros told On Tap Sports Net on Wednesday that the Fire are “very, very hungry” for Saturday’s rematch.

“We had the three points against Cincinnati and they slipped through our fingers. We are very eager to play at home again and to keep pushing,” Saletros said.

In regular-season play, the Fire have outscored opponents 11-2 at home while posting a 4-1-0 record. FC Cincinnati are winless on the road this season (0-3-2), but unbeaten (4-0-1) in their last five matches in Chicago.

Cincinnati is tied for fifth in the league with 19 goals, but the team’s 23 goals allowed are the fourth-highest total in MLS. Chicago is tied for 10th in goals scored (17) while allowing the sixth-fewest goals (eight) in the league.

The April 18 result gives FC Cincinnati confidence that they can handle the well-rounded Fire.

“It’s … looking at how do they gain advantages to put this really strong attacking group in positions to make plays, and that’s what our focus is,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “Hopefully our attack continues and hopefully our defending improves to limit their strengths.”

Nick Hagglund and Matt Miazga were in full training this week, and Noonan said the defenders could return from leg injuries Saturday.

Hugo Cuypers leads Chicago with eight goals and Kevin Denkey leads Cincinnati with six. Both strikers have scored a brace in each of their last two regular-season matches.

–Field Level Media