標籤: Dominant

The Montreal Canadiens were in Buffalo on Friday night, hoping to tie the series with the Sabers before returning to Quebec.

It was one of the Habs’ best games of the playoffs, an impressive effort resulting in a comfortable 5–1 win.

The Sabers allowed more hits than the Canadiens, but it was a case of the home team chasing for most of the game.

In every metric that mattered, the Canadiens were the better team.

Let’s look at the highlights!

he is a boy

The Habs needed a strong start, a rare thing when examining their season, to avoid suffering another loss against a suffocating opponent.

Newfoundlander Alex Newhook scored his second goal of the playoffs less than two minutes into the first period, with assists from Caden Guhle and Lane Hutson. The latter, in particular, enjoyed an absolutely fantastic outing on Friday night.

Quick aim!

Alex Newhook tipped in a Guhle pass to make it 1-0. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Kju6PiXdEC

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 8 May 2026

Second

The Canadiens didn’t rest on their laurels and doubled their lead moments later when Mike Matheson’s excellent point shot found the back of the net.

All things considered, this was easily Montreal’s best time in the playoffs. They were effective at 5v5, as shown by their 7–0 advantage in high-danger scoring chances.

This might even be Montreal’s best time this season.

Make it 2-0!

Mike Matheson extended with a precise shot from the point #GoHabsGo lead! pic.twitter.com/tataTgmqIw

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 8 May 2026

Enlist you Newfoundlanders and follow me!

Newhook was not satisfied with his only goal.

He scored his third goal of the playoffs early in the second period, through a brilliant pass from veteran Jake Evans.

Given that Montreal’s first line has struggled to generate anything resembling the offense it did in the regular season, it must be said that Montreal’s depth players have done a great job of helping the Habs overcome a very difficult situation.

We also have to give full marks to Noah Dobson on this play, as he took a big hit to start the rush.

I am a boy!

Alex Newhook makes it 3-0 #GoHabsGo With his second goal of the game. pic.twitter.com/3OMQpD1Nmz

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 9 May 2026

dolly dagger

The Sabers ended Dobbs’ shutout bid, leading to Zach Benson taunting the Canadiens netminder in what can only be described as a desperate attempt to throw him off his game.

But Dobbs lives for that type of thing.

Benson adopted only Greece.

Dobbs was born in this.

Molded by.

He lives to chirp, and chirps to live.

It’s surprising, Or notBenson’s whizzing effort did little more than boost the Habs’ effort, not to mention a great goal by defenseman Alexandre Carrier to put his team up 4–1.

(editor’s Note:The tweet below erroneously mentions “Logan Thompson”. In fact, it was Sabers forward Tage Thompson.)

Alex Carrier makes it 4-1 #GoHabsGo After Logan Thompson’s fall.

All Canadians in this. pic.twitter.com/b31wIilax1

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 9 May 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday facing the Sabers at the Bell Center for Game 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Forget the wagon. The Buffalo Sabers are a freight train.

In Game 4 of their first-round playoff matchup at TD Garden, the Sabers posted a dominant 6–1 victory over the Boston Bruins to take a 3–1 series lead.

Buffalo scored four goals in the first period to take an unassailable 4–0 lead and defeated Boston 19–5.

Peyton Krebs opened the scoring at 15:43 on an assist from Alex Tuch in his second match of the playoffs. Josh Doane and Zack Benson quickly followed, with Doane scoring his first goal – assisted by Ryan McLeod and Bowen Byram – and Benson capitalizing on a Doane feed.

Byram ended the first period barrage at 5:36 with his third goal of the playoffs, set up by Owen Power and Jack Quinn.

Boston came out strongly in the second period, defeating the Sabers 10–4, but Alex Lyon stood tall in net for Buffalo, turning away every chance to preserve the shutout for 40 minutes.

The Sabers took the lead on the Bruins in the third period, when Beck Malensteen and Tuch scored Buffalo’s fifth and sixth goals a little more than a minute apart to increase the lead to 6–0.

Lyon nearly recorded a shutout before Sean Kuraly scored with 40 seconds remaining to make the game 6–1.

Tempers boiled over with a barrage of penalties in the final minutes: minor deductions on Benson and Hampus Lindholm, a heated exchange between David Pastrnak and Krebs.

But Nikita Zadorov showed the least composure, charged with a game misconduct and receiving a five-minute penalty for cross-checking Rasmus Dahlin.

Boston finished with 42 hits to Buffalo’s 23, but could not convert its physical advantage on offense.

Lyon earned first-star honors with 23 saves on 24 shots (.958 SV%). Byram and Tuch (each with a goal and an assist) were rounded out with three stars.

The Sabers and Bruins head back to Boston for Game 5, where Buffalo has a chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Nothing comes easy, and this season, the Eastern Conference has proven that. With 102 points in the standings, the Carolina Hurricanes became the first team in the East to clinch a playoff berth this season with a thrilling 5–1 win over their Metropolitan Division rival, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

They wasted no time in securing their spot in the postseason, as Logan Stankoven found himself on the hat trick clock before 10 minutes had passed. His first goal, just 2:27 minutes in, was a tip-in on K’Andre Miller’s shot, while with his second goal, he completed a loose transition left by Taylor Hall.

Moments later on the penalty kill, Alexander Nikishin – with help from the usual suspects, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho – got his first career NHL shorthanded goal. The scoreless score tied the Hurricanes with the Calgary Flames for most shorthanded goals this season with 11.

Down three-nil in the second frame, the Blue Jackets got on the board as Denton Matechuk put the puck through Frederik Andersen’s five-hole, but the Hurricanes reclaimed their breathing space just 13 seconds later thanks to a shot from the point by Jordan Martinook.

In the third period, the Blue Jackets power play was cut short. As the four-on-four hockey ended and the Hurricanes’ power play began, Shayne Gostisbier immediately contributed another goal by coming out of the penalty box, one-touching a pass from Aho and sending it to Andrei Svechnikov, who fired past Elvis Merzlikins from the right face-off circle – the final goal of the game.

‘The work will not stop now’

Throughout the match, the Hurricanes maintained the pace they boasted, and they allowed their offense to crush the Blue Jackets – dominating zone time and forcing Columbus to expend energy in their own zone. Carolina allowed only 10 shots on goal from the Blue Jackets, the fewest in franchise history for the Hurricanes.

“I think we had a huge start,” Stankoven said after the game. “We know a lot of these teams that are out here playing consistently are hungry for points and trying to get into the playoffs, so I think, mentally, we came prepared, and that’s been good for us.”

“I think our group is there, we don’t take the playoffs lightly – it’s very hard to fight and get to the playoffs. So, we’re really grateful, but the work doesn’t stop now.”

storm notes

Thursday’s game was the 1,400th game that Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal has played in his 20-season career. Of those, 968 have been played with Carolina, while 431 have been played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won a Stanley Cup. During the first period, he received a standing ovation from fans in the stands.

Nikishin’s shorthanded goal was his 30th point of the season, tying him with Jamie McBain for most points by a rookie defenseman in Hurricanes history, and placing him second in the franchise tally, just five points behind Brad Shaw.

In each of the eight seasons that Rod Brind’Amour has served as head coach, the Hurricanes have made one playoff appearance. Only the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have longer active streaks (although the Leafs are out of the hunt at the moment).

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

After losing six of their last seven games, the Vegas Golden Knights were in desperate need of a win. Pacific Division aside, the losing streak was doing nothing for morale. Thus, Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins was exactly what the doctor ordered.

As has been the case in the past few games, the Golden Knights started strong. In the first period, they created 13 scoring chances while limiting the Penguins to six.

The Golden Knights broke the ice first at 8:41. Brett Howden forced Parker Wotherspoon into a turnover, and Colton Sissons tipped the puck over to Brayden Bowman. Bowman caught the puck, danced around Wotherspoon, and found Sissons for a back-door tap-in.

“Once we get that first [goal]That was big,” Brayden Bowman said after the game.

The Golden Knights doubled their lead just 5:02 into the second period. Pavel Dorofeyev drove the puck deep into the zone, and Tomas Hertl kept the game alive in the back of the net. Brayden Bowman blocked Pittsburgh’s first clearing attempt, and Cayden Korczak blocked the second. Korczak found Dorofeyev on the goal line, and Dorofeyev beat Artur Silovs off the gloves.

Trailing 2–0, the Penguins began to apply pressure; He came on the board at 8:26 of the second minute. Rickard Rakell got the spot over Braden McNabb; Bryan Rust received a pass for a back-door tap-in.

In recent games, the Golden Knights have struggled to stop the bleeding. They had no such problems on Thursday and responded with an own goal just 54 seconds after Raquel tallied.

The Golden Knights restored their two-goal lead at 9:20 of the second game. Mitch Marner intercepted Connor Dewar’s passing attempt, entered the zone, and executed a turnover with Pavel Dorofeyev. He received the puck above the goal crease, waited for Arturs Silovs to be out and fired it home in midair.

“He had a bit of a shock there [in the second period]Brayden Bowman said. I thought we responded well. They score, and then guys go out there and get it right back. This is a huge thing for the morale on the bench. I mean, we were up.

The Penguins cut the Golden Knights’ lead to one at 16:22 of the second minute. Ryan Shea sent a stretch-pass up the ice to Anthony Mantha, who was moving into the Vegas zone. Mantha protected the puck, deflected off Brayden Bowman and found Ben Kindel for a back-door tap-in.

The strong third period has defined the 2026 Golden Knights; Thursday was no different. Despite falling behind 11-6, they did not allow any more goals. The Golden Knights remained strong defensively and controlled 74.43% of the expected goal share.

The Golden Knights once again took a two-goal lead just 4:35 into the third minute. After a Penguins foul, Pavel Dorofeyev fouled Ville Kauvinen with the puck. Dorofeyev passed it to Mitch Marner who entered the zone. Marner returned to Dorofeyev trailing in the slot, and the winger got home his second of the night.

The Golden Knights added insult to injury at 6:20 of the third minute. Shea Theodore sent a stretch pass to Ivan Barbashev at center ice. Barbashev entered the Penguins zone, cut to the middle of the ice, and passed the puck to Jack Eichel; Eichel stepped into the slot and beat Arturs Silovs.

Despite trailing by three goals, the Penguins pulled Arturs Silovs for an extra attacker with 7:39 remaining in regulation. The Golden Knights held them to five shots on goal and Adin Hill turned them away.

Hill finished the night with 24 saves on 26 shots, a .923 save percentage and a 2.53 GSAX.

After several attempts – including Adin Hill’s bid on goal by the goalkeeper – Brayden McNabb hit the empty net with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.

Captain Mark Stone returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games due to an upper body injury.

It is no coincidence that, in their first game, the players attributed their strong performance during the 6–2 victory to the energy on the bench.

The players credited the energy on the bench for their strong performance during the 6–2 win.

“We had some good energy tonight,” Braden Bowman said after the game. “I think that’s important when we’re playing our best. We’ve got good energy on the bench, and I think that carries over onto the ice.”

Hannah Kirkel is a beat writer who covers the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNote. She studied more about Hannah Kirkel

ATLANTA – At the end of a close game, sometimes you just need your star player to take the lead. Jalen Johnson, who has been a star for the Atlanta Hawks all year, came on late in the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 125-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

It started with a three-pointer midway through the fourth that gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game, eight points. Down the stretch, he drove past Kelly Oubre Jr. and dunked over him and Dominic Barlow.

Jalen taking over in the fourth 💥 pic.twitter.com/Yq3bMvDKC1

– Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) 8 March 2026

With less than two minutes left, Adem Bona became his next victim, as he went behind him and got to the rim to complete a one-handed dunk.

Jalen Johnson y’all pic.twitter.com/UbOitpTQPm

– Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) 8 March 2026

After every one of those shots, he made sure to let the crowd – and the 76ers – know that he kicked it up a notch. The younger generation can call it aura farming. Some people would even say that he was locked in that part. As for Johnson, he says this is nothing new for him, and it led to him finishing with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

“I feel like I’m always off,” Johnson told reporters after the game. “Obviously, when the pace is up, you come in and you’re running. There are a lot more emotions going on than at the beginning of the game. So maybe the emotional part of it feels more like a trap.”

Johnson has shown what he can do in these moments at the end of games. Whether it’s hitting a clutch jump shot, making the perfect pass, or outrunning the opposition, he knows how to break down defenses using his skills.

“He’s making the right play, and sometimes the right play is hitting Dyson a little bit [Daniels]. Sometimes it’s just coming to the rim. And sometimes when people are messing with you it takes your jumper. I think he did all those things, and he did them really skillfully. I think it’s one of his best games,” Quin Snyder said.

Even his colleagues were impressed by his work.

“It was amazing,” Nichelle Alexander-Walker said. “Just aggression, he played with determination. Going downhill, didn’t calm down. It was very timely and at a time when we needed it. He just kept rolling, and we were all behind him.”

The Hawks didn’t get off to a good start and had to prepare to get to that point. They surrendered 73 points and committed 19 turnovers in the first half. The second half was completely different, as they held the 76ers to 43 points and turned the ball over 10 times.

“It was about taking people out of their rhythm,” Alexander-Walker said. “We’ve worked up to this point to become a better team competitively and just defensively. I thought we took a step back in the first half, but then we made up for it quickly, and we were able to adjust right away.”

“It was a good halftime,” Johnson said. “Guys talked, and we knew we’d eventually get on our run. We came out of the gate, and we came out aggressive and swinging. We laid the tone in those first few minutes of the third quarter for how the rest of the game was going to be.”

Once the Hawks found their rhythm in the fourth, the ball was passed to Johnson and out of the way. Unfortunately, the 76ers didn’t get the memo.

“I just knew what to expect from them, being an aggressive defensive team, and I tried to match that as best I could and let things fall in there,” Johnson said.

With this win, the Hawks have won six games in a row, and have an opportunity to extend that streak next week with the Dallas Mavericks.

On Saturday night at UFC 326, two of the greatest fighters of their generation went head-to-head in the main event as Max Holloway put his UFC BMF belt on the line against Charles Oliveira. Despite being weakened, the Brazilian easily defeated the Hawaiian and won by a dominant decision.

Following his massive win, take a look at where “Du Bronx” ranks in our new UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

10. Tom Aspinall (15-3)

Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. It became official when MMA GOAT Jon Jones decided to step away from the sport earlier this year. The Englishman has defeated many of the best fighters in the division over the past three years and is the undisputed leader in the eyes of most UFC fans.

After definitively avenging the only defeat of his UFC career in the summer of 2024, he made his first defense of the undisputed title in October. Unfortunately, a nasty blow from opponent Cyril Game ended the UFC 321 main event after just a few minutes. An immediate rematch in early 2026 appears likely.

9. Charles Oliveira (36-11)

Charles Oliveria holds several UFC records and is considered one of the greatest Brazilian MMA fighters of all time. There’s a lot to like about his fighting style, and his resume is full of big wins. But age catches up with everyone, and it has taken its toll on “Du Bronx” over the years as he has split his last four fights.

Since he is so far out of the title pictures, the former lightweight king chose to go for the BMF title in March instead. At UFC 326, Oliveira had the best performance of his career, as he completely dominated fellow future Hall of Famer Max Holloway to win his second championship in the company.

8. Khamzat Chimaev (15-0)

Khamzat Chimaev has been an absolute destructive machine throughout his career. He has rarely faced serious resistance during his current UFC run. And that was the case at UFC 319 when he reached the top of the middleweight mountain and defeated Draculas du Plessis. Although it’s not always pretty, few fighters on the UFC roster are as impressive as “Borz.”

7. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6)

Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja had a long, difficult journey to become the UFC flyweight king. He toiled in the division for several years before finally winning a title fight at UFC 290. In his first opportunity to become champion, he performed well by scoring his second (3rd unofficial) victory over division king Brandon Moreno.

He has been a major champion since picking up a win over Brandon Royval and another win against Moreno. However, his reign came to an unfair end at UFC 323 when the fight had to be stopped early in Round 1 due to a non-contact injury to his elbow.

6. Merab Dvalishvili (21-4)

Merab Davlishvili is truly “The Machine”. His tenacity and wrestling have turned him into one of the best bantamweights on the planet. If there were any doubts after his 2024 win over Sean O’Malley, he silenced them with an even more decisive rematch victory at UFC 316.

Following that fight, the champ put his gold on the line against fan-favorite Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, and like his previous 13 fights, he dominated with his wrestling and cardio. He seems invincible at this time.

5.Petr Yan (20-5)

The three consecutive losses led many to wonder if Petr Yan’s days as a top five bantamweight were over. However, his recent wins over Yadon Song, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee helped rebuild his title contender status. Earning a title shot at UFC 323.

In a rematch with a man who had defeated him two years earlier, the Russian was the greatest version of himself as he decisively defeated Merab Dvalishvili to become a two-time bantamweight champion. “No Mercy” proved that he is fully back to being an elite fighter in the world.

4. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4)

Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, a move up in weight for a second title shot and the rise of Ilya Topuria led to “The Great” suffering three consecutive losses and speculation that his best days were behind him.

However, he has bounced back from those setbacks to establish his dominance at 145 pounds with back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes. Most recently appearing in front of his countrymen at UFC 325. Although he did not get the finish, he once again proved that he is a cut above the Brazilian native.

3. Alex Pereira (12-3)

Alex Pereira’s UFC story is legendary. After nine fights, he became a two-division champion and scored devastating victories over some of the best fighters of the era at middleweight and light heavyweight. The 38-year-old has been a revelation for the company and has connected with the MMA fanbase with a fighting approach similar to cage fighting icon Fedor Emelianenko.

After being on the wrong side of a disappointing decision loss in March, the Brazilian returned with a vengeance at UFC 320. He came out of the gate in his rematch with Magomed Ankalev and blew him away in a matter of minutes to regain his place at the top of the division.

2. Ilya Topuria (17-0)

Ilya Topuria will go down as one of the greatest featherweights of all time. But instead of further enhancing his 145-pound resume, “El Matador” moved to lightweight in search of history. Well, he achieved the feat in June by becoming just the 10th fighter to win gold in two divisions. Crushing former 155 pound champion Charles Oliveria and adding him to his hitlist of veterans.

1. Islam Makhachev (28-1)

Islam Makhachev has solidified his place as one of the greatest UFC lightweights of all time with his wins over Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice) and Charles Oliveira. Not only is he a dominant wrestler, but he has one of the most underrated standup games in the game.

At UFC 322, he made his mark in UFC history when he moved up in weight and became the latest fighter to win titles in two divisions, as he became the new welterweight king with a dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos