Canadiens win a playoff game like none other in NHL history, and it’s Game 7 to advance and meet Sabres originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Montreal Canadiens played 60 minutes of the grittiest hockey imaginable.

Along the way, they scored two goals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored one, and so that means the Habs are moving on.

It was Game 7 on Sunday night, and Montreal was 2-1 winners. They’ll play the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference semifinal starting on Wednesday.

And they needed every little bit of that grit.

MORE: Sabres’ storybook season is real, and Stanley Cup dreams are valid

On this night, the Canadiens fired just nine shots on goal.

It’s the fewest shots on goal in a playoff win in NHL history, according to Sportsnet.

Canadiens set a Stanley Cup Playoffs record for the fewest shots on goal in a win with 9#GoHabsGo

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 4, 2026

MORE: Sidney Crosby is a bad omen for Connor McDavid

That’s more than 100 years of NHL history that this had never been done.

Shoot, the Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than anyone. They’re right in the thick of lots of huge playoff moments. They had never done anything like this.

Even the goals were gritty. Nick Suzuki deflected a shot with a redirection into the net. And Alex Newhook banked one off the back of Andrei Vasilevsky from behind the goal.

These weren’t pretty plays. But on this night, they were winning plays.

MORE: Stanley Cup history for the Canadiens, year by year

A series of the young Canadiens against the upstart Sabres has the potential to be special.

And if not for an unprecedented victory, Montreal wouldn’t be moving on at all.

Tampa Bay had 20 more shots on goal. The Lightning fired puck after puck toward the net.

The Canadiens got two across the line, though, and that was one more than the Bolts had, and that’s the only number that matters.

More NHL news:

• The trade clock is ticking for Connor McDavid
• Sabres relish in Ryan Whitney’s prediction misfire
• Sidney Crosby hints at retirement plans
• Stars facing Jason Robertson contract dilemma
• Sabres’ fans show they can handle ‘O Canada’ with no microphone help

Browns WR KC Concepcion given big 2026 projection originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Cleveland Browns made their 2026 intentions clear in the NFL Draft, as the franchise’s first three selections were offensive players.

An offensive lineman and two receivers come to Todd Monken’s team, and one who is expected to be a big player straight away is KC Concepcion.

The first-round selection is expected to have a big role for whoever is the starting quarterback under Monken, but what can we expect from the big receiver?

Sports Illustrated’s Eva Geitheim has offered a projection, and Browns fans will like it. KC is projected to have 61 catches, 784 yards, and seven touchdowns.

“KC Concepcion should be an immediate contributor on a Browns’ offense that was lacking in weapons heading into this draft,” Geitheim wrote. “Concepcion will be competing for targets with Denzel Boston, who the Browns selected in the second round.” 

More:Analyst offers Rueben Bain Jr. Buccaneers rookie season projection

Browns need top draft picks to hit

Spencer Fano is slated to be a Day 1 starter, along with Concepcion and fellow receiver Denzel Boston. 

In truth, all three are going to have big roles to play for Monken, and the trio could carry the offensive hopes for 2026.

Granted, that isn’t ideal, but the Browns need an injection of hope and optimism, and who knows, they might be able to kickstart this new era of Browns football.

If KC can match Geitheim’s projection and has over 700 yards and 7 TDs, that will be a good season from the rookie. Can he do it? There’s no reason why not.

More NFL news:

• Browns’ Todd Monken offers superb perspective of QB battle
• Texans get C.J. Stroud contract advice from NFC executive
• Do Chiefs have unrealistic expectations for Mansoor Delane?
• Bills gain plaudits for underrated draft selection
• Chargers face huge long-term Akheem Mesidor decision

NCAA women’s lacrosse bracket 2026: Schedule, TV channels, live streams, scores for college championship originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The calendar flipping to May means it’s NCAA lacrosse time once again. 

Every year brings something new but the usual suspects lead the way in the 2026 women’s tournament. North Carolina, Northwestern, Maryland or Boston College has won every title but one since 2005 (the exception being James Madison in 2018), and the first three teams also lead the pre-tournament rankings this time. 

The Tar Heels defeated the Wildcats in last year’s final, but Northwestern handed UNC its only regular-season loss this year in an overtime thriller in Chapel Hill back in March. Are those two on a collision course once again or will another team break through? 

Here’s everything you need to know to watch this year’s tournament. 

NCAA women’s lacrosse bracket 2026

The bracket consists of 29 teams, with 15 automatic and 14 at-large selections. The top eight schools are seeded nationally and the top three receive first-round byes. 

This section will be filled in as seeds are announced. 

Where to watch NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament

• TV channels: ESPNU (quarterfinals, semifinals), ESPN (championship)
• Live streams:ESPN app, fubo

The 2026 NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament will air on multiple ESPN platforms, including the quarterfinals and semifinals on ESPNU and the championship game on ESPN.

All of those games will also be available to stream via fubo, which offers a free trial. Fans can also stream those games and every first- and second-round game with the ESPN app.

Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the ESPN app.

NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament schedule, scores 2026

Friday, May 8: First round

This section will be filled in once matchups and schedules are announced.

Sunday, May 10: Second round

This section will be filled in once matchups are announced.

Thursday, May 14: Quarterfinals

Matchup	Time (ET)	Watch
TBD vs. TBD	12 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo
TBD vs. TBD	2:30 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo
TBD vs. TBD	5 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo
TBD vs. TBD	7:30 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo

Friday, May 22: Semifinals

Semifinals and final will be played at Northwestern

Matchup	Time (ET)	Watch
TBD vs. TBD	3 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo
TBD vs. TBD	5:30 p.m.	ESPNU, ESPN app, fubo

Sunday, May 24: Championship

Matchup	Time (ET)	Watch
Semifinal winners	12 p.m.	ESPN, ESPN app, fubo

NCAA women’s lacrosse champions list

Here are the last 10 NCAA women’s lacrosse champions and runners-up. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Year	Champion	Runner-up
2025	North Carolina	Northwestern
2024	Boston College	Northwestern
2023	Northwestern	Boston College
2022	North Carolina	Boston College
2021	Boston College	Syracuse
2019	Maryland	Boston College
2018	James Madison	Boston College
2017	Maryland	Boston College
2016	North Carolina	Maryland
2015	Maryland	North Carolina

Aleksander Čeferin, during his appearance at THE FORUM, the event promoted by Atlético de Madrid and Apollo Sports Capital, warned about the importance of unity and institutional responsibility regarding the future of European football.

During the event held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, the president of UEFA asserted that all stakeholders, from clubs to leagues and unions like FIFPRO, must work as partners: “We are all associates, we are all partners. We live in the same ecosystem.” In this regard, he highlighted the positive attitude of leaders like Miguel Ángel Gil and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi in achieving common goals that will allow football to continue flourishing: “We have the same goal; we want football to flourish, to become better.”

On calendar saturation, Čeferin was emphatic in stating that the system has reached its capacity limit: “What I can say now is that we’re at the top. We can’t play any harder.” The leader pointed out that, although there are “selfish perspectives on the situation,” the solution will only come if the entire ecosystem unites: “I believe a decision is possible if the entire ecosystem comes together and we try to reach a solution.”

He also referred to the perception surrounding refereeing in professional football: “The club presidents don’t call me, but they do call other colleagues at UEFA. Nobody ever calls me to say that a penalty awarded to them wasn’t fair; it’s always the ones against them.” He added that UEFA is trying to “explain that the referee is the one who decides on the field and that the decisions must be very clear and quick.”

The UEFA president also highlighted the impact of social projects linked to football, emphasizing the work of the UEFA Foundation: “This is one of my greatest passions here, because we are truly doing some very good things.” He shared his visit to one of these projects: “I was in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, for example, where there are 80,000 refugees. And it’s striking to see the children who lost their parents in Syria, who have such a hard life. When they’re in the camp, they start to smile. They start to play, not just football; we also built basketball courts and funded judo.”

Finally, Čeferin emphasized the global dimension of these initiatives and their future projection: “Looking ahead, we have around 100 projects each year: 50% in Europe and 50% outside of Europe.”

THE FORUM is powered by Atlético de Madrid, Riyadh Air, and Apollo Sports Capital. More information at www.theforum.es.

Read More From Star

• Soccer’s Legendary Players and Powerful Leaders Set to Give Insight at Madrid Summit

This story Aleksander Čeferin at THE FORUM: “We Have the Same Goal — We Want Football to Flourish, to Become Better” first appeared on Star. Add Star as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It’s no longer just a crazy idea – Clay Holmes is a bona fide starting pitcher for the New York Mets.

After another stellar outing against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in which he went 6.2 innings while allowing one run on four hits and three walks in the Mets’ 5-1 win, Holmes is now 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA (0.98 WHIP) in seven starts. 

That’s more than simply a good beginning to the season, Holmes is pitching himself into the Cy Young award conversation and it’s time people everywhere took notice.

“It’s unbelievable,” said manager Carlos Mendoza about his right-hander’s performance. “We saw it again today. That first inning was a battle after the first couple of guys get on and he’s up to like 30-something pitches, [but] before you know it he’s able to get to those middle innings.

“[He] kept making pitches and for him to go back out for the seventh, he’s just on another level right now physically, mentally.”

It’s true, Sunday’s outing didn’t start out the best for Holmes who walked the first two batters he faced as part of a 27-pitch first inning. But after giving up a run four batters into the game, Holmes turned it on and settled in nicely, not only holding the Angels scoreless the rest of the way, but keeping his pitch count low enough to go deep into the game.

After the game, Mendoza marveled at the former reliever’s ascension into ace starting pitcher.

“The way he’s making adjustments in games, the way he’s using his pitches, trusting the defense when he needs to… overall from Clay, solid,” the skipper said.

Over his last three starts, Holmes has allowed three earned runs over 19.2 innings and has gone at least six innings in all of them. Twice already this season Holmes has pitched seven innings after achieving that just once in 2025.

Holmes’ 1.69 ERA is the fourth-lowest in the majors and his 42.2 innings pitched this season is top-10, wildly impressive for a guy who made the switch from reliever to starter just last year.

Holmes credits his success with the “confidence and trust” of his sinker, the pitch that made him so effective as a late-inning reliever in his career and why David Stearns believed he could make the transition to the rotation in the first place.

While the sinker is his bread and butter and the pitch he throws 49 percent of the time, according to Baseball Savant, Holmes knew he would have to expand his arsenal to more than just one pitch, which he did.

Mixing in a sweeper, changeup, cutter, curveball and four-seamer, Holmes has options up there. However, instead of shying away from his sinker this season and abandoning what makes him so special just because his role has changed, the right-hander has embraced who he is and is using it to his advantage.

“I think for me there’s kind of a comfort thing and I feel like – you know the trust with the sinker was always there, but I feel like, especially now I just feel like there’s a lot of confidence and trust with the sinker,” he said. “That’s who I was as a reliever and I knew that was who I would be as a starter, but I felt like I kinda had the confidence and the trust of the sinker and when I have that I feel like I’m able to pitch off of it and really feel like myself and pitch with some confidence.”

Now in his second year as a full-time starter, Holmes knows the ropes a bit more and rather than learning how to be a starting pitcher and focusing on superfluous things, he can dial it in on what kind of starter he wants to be.

So who does Holmes want to be? Someone who unapologetically throws his greatest weapon, the sinker, nearly half of the time.

“I knew I would have to expand the arsenal, it wouldn’t be all sinkers, but with that, I’m not gonna say distracted but you know there has to be some kind of widening of the arsenal and so there’s focus there,” he said. “And I think more than anything this year is just the confidence with the sinker, like I can still pitch off this and it’s more of a mentality thing, just kind of attacking with the sinker.

“That’s kind of what I had as a reliever and it’s not so much, okay let me get ahead with the sinker or kind of use it to set up something else, it’s like here’s the sinker. So I think just getting back to that mentality with it has kind of just helped the life and the finish to it and I think it’s just been helpful so far this year.”

When Anthony Volpe began his minor league rehab assignment on April 14th, it felt like a foregone conclusion that he has headed to the big league roster once he completed it. Fast-forward to today, and the organization has made the decision to go the other direction, activating him from the IL just to option him down to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Following today’s game, the Yankees returned INF Anthony Volpe from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 3, 2026

The move comes after days of speculation, as manager Aaron Boone was notably noncommittal on Volpe’s immediate future with his rehab assignment nearing the end. What was seen as his likely activation target in the start of this most recent homestand with the Orioles came and went without a word on his status, pushing the final decision into the weekend. Eventually, time ran out and the Yankees showed their hand, sending down their everyday shortstop since his arrival to the majors in 2023 in favor of keeping José Caballero as the starter.

Caballero’s play has been the biggest factor in this development, seeing as general manager Brian Cashman deemed Volpe’s return a near-automatic assumption right before Volpe’s rehab began, saying “that’s always been the plan.” Caballero was hitting for a paltry .384 OPS at the time of those comments, but has since gone on a heater raising his OPS to .719. His last 12 games he’s been particularly hot, hitting for a .302/.348/.535 triple slash (.883 OPS). Coming off of a season where he played most of the year hurt and consequently looked terrible, Volpe needed his competition to look unimpressive if he hoped to be handed the starting gig back, but that just hasn’t happened.

During his rehab assignment, Volpe played four games with Scranton and eight with Double-A Somerset, earning a .683 OPS with one homer and six RBI when combining his games across the two teams. Had he hit the ground on fire during his rehab, perhaps he still could’ve won out and retained his position, but the team’s last-minute decision indicates that they were waiting to see something from the 25-year-old that didn’t manifest in time for them to feel comfortable inserting him back in their lineup. Volpe will now have to work on his game in Triple-A in order to earn his playing time back, in what may prove to be his first real run through the level of competition. Volpe played just 22 games with Scranton at the end of the 2022 season before winning the starting job with the Yankees in spring training ahead of 2023, and had been with the team through the good times and hard times since.

Volpe’s future will also be impacted by the development of George Lombard Jr., the team’s top prospect who was also recently promoted to Triple-A after raking to start the year in Somerset. Lombard’s trajectory through the organization could see him make his MLB debut as early as the end of this season, with a decent shot at earning a role with the 2027 team. Lombard shifted over to third base to allow Volpe to play his natural position during his rehab, and the fastest track to the majors might see Lombard move around the infield should the team want to play him over Ryan McMahon or Jazz Chisholm Jr., but he’s already an elite defender and finding his bat in the upper levels of the minors. That’s reminiscent of how a young Anthony Volpe looked when he was the team’s top prospect and rising through the organization, but now he finds his security in the team’s future threatened in the short and long-term if he cannot tap into that nascent talent again.

Tomorrow’s series opener between the Mets and Rockies at Coors Field has been moved up from 8:40pm EDT to 5:40pm EDT. Adjust your viewing plans accordingly.

The change was made due to the expected inclement weather, with temperatures expected to reach a high of 70 around midday before diving into the 30s in the evening. This, paired with forecasted freezing rain, has resulted in an earlier start time, much like what the Mets did earlier in the year for some home games.

The team will face some weather whiplash after leaving Anaheim, where they took two of three from the Angels this weekend. At their lowest, temperatures during the series never dipped below 60 degrees. To contrast, Denver is expecting snow later in the week, which could potentially affect the later games in the series. For now, no further changes have been announced. The high temperatures for Tuesday and Wednesday’s games are not expected to eclipse 40 degrees.

The Mets announced that they will use an opener on Monday, with David Peterson serving as the bulk man for New York following his most recent ineffective outing. The Mets have not revealed who the opener will be, but he will be opposed by Rockies’ right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. Freddy Peralta and Christian Scott will pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, weather permitting.

Carson Benge is looking more and more comfortable at the big-league level with each passing day, and on Sunday afternoon he put together easily his most complete showing to this point. 

The youngster helped the Mets on both sides of the ball as they defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-1 to secure their first series win in nearly a month. 

Benge pieced together tremendous at-bats each of his first two times up, walking on six pitches in the top of the third and then eight pitches in the fourth.

The second one proved to be a big one, as the Mets took the lead just two pitches later when Mark Vientos crushed his first two-run homer of the day. 

Benge grounded out in the sixth but was able to do some damage of his own in the eighth, lining an RBI double down the right-field line to give New York an insurance run. 

Vientos followed that again with a two-run shot, putting this one away for good.

The 23-year-old wasn’t done there, though, as he made the best catch of his career to this point to rob Vaughn Grissom of extra-bases in the bottom of the ninth. 

Benge raced over to the right-field line before laying out full extension to somehow make the pulchritudinous play, as Gary Cohen described it on the SNY broadcast. 

“I was kind of surprised to tell you the least,” Benge said. “If I see a ball that I think I can get to, I’m going to go after it — I’m just glad that I was able to come down with that one there.”

“If that ball falls that’s a completely different inning,” Carlos Mendoza added. 

This is just the latest of what’s been a string of strong performances from the former first-round pick as he continues finding his footing at the big-league level. 

He’s now hitting .290 with three XBH’s, four RBI, and a .333 OBP over his last 10 games. 

“It just feels like a juiced baseball game now,” Benge said. “It kind of took me a while to get my feet settled and different things like that, but now I feel like I’m finding my groove and getting comfortable out there.”

“He can play,” Mendoza added.

OH WOW, CARSON BENGE! pic.twitter.com/I57Gf0Rkjw

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 3, 2026

Despite having one of the world’s best players in Nikola Jokić and benefiting from the best season of Jamal Murray’s career, the third-seeded Denver Nuggets saw their season end prematurely at the hands of the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves. 

This, at a bare minimum, raises questions. 

Jokić, needless to say, is a keeper. He’s not going anywhere, nor does he wish to. 

Murray, presumably, should also be safe given his season and his chemistry with Jokić, which is significant. 

But after that … oh boy. 

Christian Braun’s $125 million extension looks like a problem, unless he bounces back after a rough season. 

Peyton Watson is up for a new deal, but we’ve yet to see how influential he could be in a playoff context. 

Aaron Gordon is a tremendous fit, but his contract is increasing and he’s getting older. 

Sweeping changes likely aren’t needed, but the Nuggets shouldn’t close the door on considering them. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

2025-26 finish 

Record: 54-28, third in the Western Conference. Eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games. 

Highlight of the season 

The play of Jamal Murray, who made his first All-Star team. The championship-winning guard averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists in his career-best the season. 

If the Nuggets receive this type of annual production, that’s likely a good sign moving forward. 

Players signed for next season 

Nikola Jokić 

Jamal Murray 

Aaron Gordon 

Cam Johnson 

Christian Braun 

Zeke Nnaji 

Julian Strawther

DaRon Holmes

Key free agents

Peyton Watson (RFA) 

Spencer Jones (RFA) 

Bruce Brown (UFA) 

Projected salary

$201,396,723

Draft picks

Nos. 26 & 49

Draft focus: If the Nuggets want to save money by dumping some of their younger players, it’s crucial they refill the cupboard. They could use more guard play and another big man in case Jonas Valančiūnas doesn’t stick around. 

Roster-building tools

Virtually none. The Nuggets are extremely expensive and will likely find themselves far above the second apron. If anything, expect them to make some level of financially driven trades. 

Needs and goals

Whatever happened this season just can’t happen again, whether you want to blame chemistry issues or roster inadequacy. The Nuggets are in dire need of simply figuring things out and adding depth to get back to competing for another title. They’re too good to let the best years of Jokić’s career slip away, but the big man is often carrying too big of a load.