Sports
Sabres score 7 straight goals, force Game 7 vs. Canadiens
May 16, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Buffalo Sabres center Konsta Helenius (94) celebrates with his teammates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in game six of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Rasmus Dahlin tied a franchise postseason record with five points (one goal, four assists) and Tage Thompson posted one goal and three assists to pace the visiting Buffalo Sabres to a 8-3 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, forcing a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jack Quinn tallied twice in a three-point performance, Zach Benson and Jason Zucker both collected one goal and one assist, and Konsta Helenius and Zach Metsa added a goal apiece for the Sabres, who finished the game with seven unanswered goals.
“It’s unreal to win this game. Now we have a chance to advance,” Dahlin said postgame to Sportsnet. “The whole group stepped up and played an ‘A’ game. Every individual had their best game. That’s what we need.”
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves after starter Alex Lyon was pulled when he surrendered three goals on four shots.
It’s the first time since Game 3 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals that the Sabres won a playoff game after making a performance-based goalie change.
Game 7 will be Monday in Buffalo. The winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final.
“That’s why I play hockey. That’s what I want to do. I live for this,” Dahlin said.
“There’s no panic or anything. I think we’re all excited. Just more hockey for us,” Montreal’s Lane Hutson countered. “We don’t like it easy. We like the challenge. They brought their best and we’ve got to answer the bell.”
Jake Evans collected one goal and one assist, while Arber Xhekaj and Ivan Demidov each tallied once for the Canadiens.
Goalie Jakub Dobes was tagged for six goals on 33 shots before being pulled. Jacob Fowler stopped one of two shots in relief.
With his team trailing 3-2, Benson tied the clash when he cashed in a loose puck 60 seconds into the second period.
Things got away quickly there from Montreal, which took its first loss in franchise history in a potential series-clinching home playoff game it led by multiple goals.
Quinn’s power-play marker at 10:54 of the frame, his first career playoff goal, put Buffalo ahead, and Helenius made it a 5-3 count by finishing a 2-on-1 rush at 12:59 of the period.
“We’re up a goal in the second period and in a good spot and lost control of the game there,” Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said. “We were pushing in the third and they get that power-play goal that put it out of reach.”
Quinn added his second of the game midway through the third period, Thompson netted an empty-net goal and Metsa notched his first career playoff goal with a late power-play marker — Buffalo’s fourth of the game — to round out the scoring.
“I feel like every game’s had a lot of chaos to it, so I think we’re getting used to it,” Quinn said to Sportsnet postgame. “We knew we played well in the first (period) in stretches and just had to stick with it.”
It was a wasted opportunity for the Canadiens after holding a 3-2 lead at the first intermission. Buffalo tallied first when Dahlin converted the first shot 32 seconds into the clash, but Montreal responded with a trio of goals.
Xhekaj tied the game 68 seconds later on his team’s first shot for his first of the playoffs, Demidov put Montreal ahead on the power play at 8:12 and Evans added a short-handed goal at 10:14 to make it a 3-1 lead.
But Zucker sparked the Sabres with a power-play goal of his own at 13:56 of the wild frame and swung the pendulum the other direction.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Coveted 2027 TE Brock Williams commits to Texas
Libertyville tight end Brock Williams visits Ohio Stadium on the day of the Ohio State Buckeyes football game against UCLA on Nov. 15, 2025. Brock Williams, one of the top tight ends in the Class of 2027, committed to Texas on Friday.
He is listed as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite, ranked as the No. 4 tight end in the nation and the No. 79 recruit overall.
He had offers from 36 power-conference schools, as well as Notre Dame, and chose the Longhorns over Georgia and Ohio State.
ESPN considers him to be No. 2 at the position and No. 70 in the nation.
Williams, who is 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, plays at Libertyville (Ill.) High School.
As a junior in 2025, Williams made 44 catches for 596 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games. He also returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Resurgent St. Louis City make initial franchise visit to D.C. United
May 13, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis CITY SC defender Rafael Santos (20) is congratulated by head coach Yoann Damet after scoring against the Los Angeles Football Club in the first half at Energizer Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images It’s been three years since St. Louis City SC captured three straight MLS matches. But they’ve got a chance to accomplish the feat Saturday when facing host D.C. United.
After winning one of their first 10 league matches, St. Louis City (3-6-3, 12 points) have solidified their defense, surrendering just one goal during their two-match winning streak.
“When we need to defend low and be compact and not let guys get in behind us, I think we’ve been doing a really good job with that and against very good players,” center back Lukas MacNaughton said.
MacNaughton came to St. Louis this year after starting nine matches for D.C. United last season.
He and his new mates will try to keep tabs on D.C. United’s Tai Baribo (seven goals) and Louis Munteanu, who has four goals in last four matches.
D.C. United (4-5-4, 16 points) are coming off a 3-1 loss at home Wednesday night to the Chicago Fire, giving up all three goals in the second half. The defeat came after D.C. had fashioned a five-match unbeaten streak.
“We have to play better in the last 20 minutes,” D.C. coach Rene Weiler said. “After the second goal, some players didn’t give up, but their heads were down.”
St. Louis City made the most of their two shots on goal on Wednesday, cashing in on both in a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles FC. Tomas Totland and Rafael Santos each scored for the first time this season for St. Louis City.
The top threat for St. Louis City is German Marcel Harter (three goals, two assists).
St. Louis and D.C. have been busy lately. This will be the 10th match for each since April 4. The schedule gets even tougher next week for St. Louis City, who play Tuesday at home against Houston Dynamo FC.
“That’s what we need to assess going into the game Saturday is how much risk are we taking?” coach Yoann Damet said. “Are we taking a risk and how is it going to impact Tuesday, as well.”
The schedule puts extra pressure on depth-challenged D.C. United.
“With our squad, it’s really difficult to rotate,” Weiler said. “You need good players on the field, quality on the field. We don’t have a big squad.”
The two sides last met for the first and only time in 2024 and played to a 2-2 draw in St. Louis.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alex Smalley sets clubhouse lead, Chris Gotterup posts 65 at PGA
May 15, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Alex Smalley reacts on the fourth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Alex Smalley closed with a birdie to set the clubhouse lead at 4-under-par 136 on Friday, while Chris Gotterup and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama put themselves in contention at the PGA Championship halfway through the second round at Aronimink Golf Club.
Smalley, one of seven co-leaders after 18 holes, signed for a 1-under 69 at about 2:30 p.m. local time. He was tied with South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter and Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who were 1 under par early in their respective rounds.
The other first-round leaders playing this afternoon are Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.
Gotterup’s 5-under 65 was the best round of the tournament by two strokes. The native of nearby New Jersey burst onto the scene with last year’s Scottish Open title and third-place finish at the Open Championship before he won two events on the PGA Tour this winter.
Gotterup birdied Nos. 7, 8 and 9 at the end of his round to surge up the leaderboard.
“If you’re in the right spot you can make a putt, but it’s really hard to get it close,” Gotterup said of the scoring conditions. “I felt like I got it about as close as you could on 11 today, and I had 25 feet and — made a nice putt. But, yeah, I felt like I just was in a good spot for some of those putts.”
Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, is vying for his second major after a consistent tee-to-green day with four birdies and one bogey. He said his birdie at No. 7 was his favorite.
“My birdie putt hung on the lip for a while, and then the wind blew it in,” Matsuyama said. “So that was probably my best one.”
Smalley started the day at 3 under and was the first player to reach 5 under this week before squandering the cushion he’d built. He played the back nine — the more difficult half of the course — in 2 under par but proceeded to bogey Nos. 1, 2 and 3. He bounced back with a birdie at No. 4 before pitching his third shot at the par-5 ninth to 14 inches.
Australia’s Jason Day birdied the first two holes of his afternoon round to join the tie at 3 under.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler completed a 1-over round of 71 in more than 5 1/2 hours as sluggish pace of play became a prevailing topic of discussion around Aronimink.
Scheffler dropped to 2 under for the tournament, joining Cameron Young (67) and Justin Thomas (69) two shots behind the leaders.
Notable players with afternoon tee times include Xander Schauffele (2 under in the first round), Brooks Koepka (1 under), Jordan Spieth (1 under), Jon Rahm of Spain (1 under), Rickie Fowler (even), Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (4 over) and Bryson DeChambeau (6 over).
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Coveted 2027 TE Brock Williams commits to Texas
Resurgent St. Louis City make initial franchise visit to D.C. United
