ATLANTA (AP) — CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.
After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square Garden, McCollum got the ball with his team trailing by a point. He came through again from 15 feet, finishing with 23 points.
The Hawks led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point lead in the first half. But New York rallied for a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining.
After Jalen Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points, rolled in a shot, Josh Hart missed a 3-pointer for the Knicks. New York got the offensive rebound, but couldn’t get off a shot ahead of the 24-second clock.
Kuminga had a huge night for the Hawks off the bench, finishing with 21 points.
OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21. It wasn’t enough for New York.
Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.
RAPTORS 126, CAVALIERS 104
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes set career playoff highs with 33 points and 11 assists, RJ Barrett added a career playoff-high 33 points and Toronto beat Cleveland, snapping a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavaliers.
Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the final quarter and Brandon Ingram added 12 as the Raptors cut Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.
Murray-Boyles is the first Raptors rookie to score 20 or more in a playoff game.
The Cavaliers matched the NBA postseason record for consecutive victories against a single opponent by winning Game 2 on Monday but couldn’t extend that run in Toronto.
James Harden scored 18 points while Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus all had 15.
TIMBERWOLVES 113, NUGGETS 96
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels and Minnesota flexed even more of their defensive muscle against flagging Denver, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series with a dominant 113-96 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night.
McDaniels had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu added 25 points and nine assists off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points and four steals for the surging Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting first quarter.
Jokic finished with a too-little-too-late 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were missing Aaron Gordon to a calf injury and all of the energy he provides from his starting power forward spot. Jamal Murray had 16 points on just 5-for-17 shooting.
Buffalo's switch to goalie Alex Lyon in net paid off as the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 for a 2-1 lead in their first round series.
Coach Lindy Ruff gave Lyon the start after he finished up a Game 2 loss. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had been pulled in that game after giving four goals on 19 shots, including a long flip shot from center ice.
Alex Lyon made 24 saves, giving up only the game's opening goal to Boston's Tanner Jeannot. Buffalo denied Viktor Arvidsson's penalty shot at 9:50 of the second period before scoring the game-tying goal just 1:08 later.
Noah Ostlund, an injury replacement for Josh Norris, drove down the left wing and slipped a pass from beyond the goal line to Bowen Byram in the right circle, where he knocked home a low wrister over Jeremy Swayman's glove.
Alex Tuch scored the winning goal, sliding down to the top of the left circle to snap a shot high on Swayman in the third period.
Ostlund scored an empty-netter.
Hurricanes take 3-0 series lead vs. Senators
Logan Stankoven scored for the third consecutive game and the Carolina Hurricanes put the Ottawa Senators on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win in Game 3.
Carolina leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and Game 4 is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes. Taylor Hall had two assists, and Frederik Andersen made 21 saves.
Drake Batherson scored his second goal of the series for the Senators, who have yet to have the lead at any point through three games. Linus Ullmark made 25 saves in the loss.
Carolina went 0-for-4 on the power play; Ottawa was 0-for-5 and is 0-for-12 for the series.
Stankoven opened the scoring, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 5:13 of the first period. Hall got his own rebound after a shot on the rush, circled behind the net and then passed across to Stankoven, who scored on a wrist shot from the left circle.
Brady Tkachuk got in alone against Andersen early in the second period, but his backhand attempt was stopped.
The Senators had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:28 midway through the second period but did not convert.
Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson left the game at 10:07 of the second period with an apparent injury after taking a shot off his left hand. He had earlier taken a shot to the head from Hall.
Batherson tied it 1-1 at 16:06 when he received Nick Cousins' pass in the slot, went to his backhand and lifted it in over Andersen's pad.
Blake put the Hurricanes back on top 2-1 at 17:29. K'Andre Miller received a pass at the point, skated down to the top of the left circle and passed down across to Blake, who scored past the diving Ullmark from the far post.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Ayo Dosunmu #13 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets during Round One Game Two of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Brad Underwood is hitting the road this week with two of his staffers.
But it’s not a recruiting trip.
Illinois’ head coach visited Minnesota on Thursday ahead of Game 3 of the NBA playoffs between the Timberwolves and Nuggets.
Underwood posted a photo of him with former Illini star Ayo Dosunmu and two Illini staffers (Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer).
May 13, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; A Yorkie named Prince is dressed up in Texas Rangers attire for Bark at the Park night before the game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Pittsburgh Pirates scored one run.
That’s more like it. After a few annoying losses here and there over the last couple of weeks, the Rangers came out tonight and did pretty much everything right as they finished off a series win over Pittsburgh in the first leg of the current homestand.
The Rangers had Jacob deGrom on the mound at The Shed and that usually works out pretty well.
Indeed, tonight was vintage deGrom as he allowed a single run on five hits and a walk with ten strikeouts in 5.2 innings of easy breezy dominance.
Meanwhile Evan Carter continued to make enemies of Pittsburgh with a two-run inside the park home run that gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Josh Jung keeps contributing as he kept his average back above .300 with a hit while also making a diving stop and throw to prevent the Pirates from converting on a bases loaded rally and keeping a final run off deGrom’s ledger.
Perhaps best of all there was Corey Seager demolishing one for a back-breaking three-run shot to finish off a four-run fourth inning during a two-hit night that hopefully catapults him out of an early slump.
The bullpen managed 3.1 more innings of scoreless ball, including a 10-pitch scoreless ninth from newest reliever Peyton Gray in his MLB debut.
The win also allows the Rangers to climb back above .500 and avoid slipping below the mark once again.
Player of the Game: I just can’t choose. My steak is too juicy, my lobster too buttery.
Up Next: The Rangers will don their new red TEJAS City Connect uniforms for the first time as they welcome the unhoused Athletics to Arlington for a three-game set. RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for Texas opposite RHP Luis Severino in a rematch of the series opener from West Sacramento from about ten days ago.
The Friday night first pitch in the series opener from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be telecast over-the-air via CW33.
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 23: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round One Game Three of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard for three quarters, but got run off the floor in the final frame. Their inability to control the ball and rough games from their star backcourt came back to bite them. As did the Toronto Raptors‘ inability to miss in the final frame. This all added up to a 126-104 loss in Game 3.
The Cavs still maintain a 2-1 lead in the series, but we could be heading for a much longer opening.
The first away game of a series is always a difficult test. If you’re going to win on the road, you have to be able to take punches and deliver counters at every turn. The Cavs did that throughout the first three quarters before finally giving in.
The Raptors went 12-17 from the floor and converted all five of their triples in the first quarter. That strong of a first quarter should’ve resulted in a double-digit lead after one, but six turnovers and an inability to keep the Cavs from going to the line kept Cleveland in the game as the Raptors were only up six after one.
Toronto pushed its advantage to 10 at the start of the second quarter before the Cavs rallied.
Max Strus jump-started what was a lifeless offense in the second quarter. He poured in 12 points on 3-5 shooting from deep in that frame to help turn the momentum. That hot shooting allowed the Cavs to momentarily reclaim the lead before both teams went into the break tied at 54.
Toronto once again threw the first punch in the second half. They used a 13-6 run to get a seven-point lead, but the Cavs once again clawed their way back. They forced a tie in the closing moments of the third before Scottie Barnes hit a contested jumper at the buzzer to give Toronto a slim 83-81 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Raptors made their first five threes of the game, and then canned six straight in the final quarter to turn what was a tight game into what quickly became a double-digit affair.
The Cavs folded from there.
The offense couldn’t buy a basket, and they weren’t able to provide any resistance on the other end. What was once a back-and-forth game quickly snowballed into a stress-free win for Toronto.
Toronto won the final quarter 43-23. They went 8-9 from three (88.9%) and 17-23 (73.9%) from the field overall. RJ Barrett was the catalyst in the final frame. He scored 16 of his 33 points on 6-6 shooting in the fourth quarter.
James Harden played his worst game in a Cavaliers uniform on Thursday evening. He struggled with Toronto’s rangy defense as he turned it over eight times.
Turnovers weren’t an issue for just Harden. The Cavs as a team gave it away 20 times, which led to 23 points going the other way.
Harden finished the game with 18 points on 5-13 shooting with four assists.
Donovan Mitchell couldn’t establish a scoring rhythm. He had 15 points on 7-16 shooting with three assists and three giveaways of his own.
Evan Mobley had a good game at the charity stripe (7-8) but struggled with his efficiency from the floor. He had 15 points on 4-13 shooting to go along with seven assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Strus added 15 bench points in the loss.
The Cavs executed their game plan against Barnes. They kept him from getting to the rim and forced him to settle for jumpers. The problem for the Cavs was that he made those shots.
Barnes went 7-8 from the midrange and 3-5 from three. This added up to an efficient 33 points on 11-17 shooting.
The Raptors didn’t shoot a high volume of threes, but they canned the ones they took. They went 14-23 (60.9%) from beyond the arc in the victory.
Toronto will look to tie the series at two apiece as they host the Cavs for Game 4 on Sunday. Tip-off is at 1 PM.
The 10-8 victory, which came on the heels of the news that Francisco Lindor would likely be out months with a left calf strain, featured a brutal start from Christian Scott, a blown four-run lead in the eighth, a bizarre bullpen mix-up and then nearly another Devin Williams catastrophe in the ninth.
But the Mets put up enough runs, got enough solid innings from some unlikely relievers before Bo Bichette delivered a go-ahead double in the eighth and then Williams righted himself to finish it.
“It was good to get some wins [and] remember what that feels like,” said Bichette, who had a three-run double in the eighth after Huascar Brazobán allowed a game-tying grand slam in the top of the inning to Ryan Jeffers.
“It was a crazy game,’’ manager Carlos Mendoza said.
It came after they ended their longest streak in more than two decades Wednesday.
Bo Bichette belts the game-winning three-run double in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 10-8 win over the Twins on April 23, 2026 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Scott, making his first start since 2024 Tommy John surgery, retired just four batters and walked five before his early exit.
He walked five, hit one and was pulled in the second inning.
By then, the Mets had a 3-1 lead, courtesy of Brett Baty’s three-run homer in the bottom of the first, his first of the season.
New York Mets’ Brett Baty (7) and Bo Bichette (19) celebrate the win against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field, Thursday, April 23, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The lineup scored three unearned runs off Minnesota’s Joe Ryan in the second and Tobias Myers settled the game down with 2 ¹/₃ solid innings in relief of Scott — who will likely stay in the rotation because the entire staff is in tatters.
David Peterson, banished to the pen after three consecutive poor outings, was solid, allowing just one run in 3 ¹/₃ innings.
But Craig Kimbrel struggled before Brazobán gave up the game-tying homer to Jeffers.
The Mets recovered in the bottom of the inning.
Brett Baty celebrates with teammates after belting a three-run homer in the first inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
It started with a Baty leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt by Tyrone Taylor and a single from Marcus Semien.
Ronny Mauricio popped out to center and Tommy Pham — pinch hitting for Carson Benge — drew a walk before Bichette just missed a grand slam of his own, with the ball hitting near the top of the wall.
The drama was only building.
Brazobán jogged back onto the field to start the ninth and crossed the foul line, mistakenly believing he was still in the game, while Williams was coming in from the bullpen.
Ryan Jeffers (27) accepts the congratulations from teammates after belting a grand slam in the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Brazobán had to face a batter and recorded the first out before Williams entered and struck out Luke Keaschall then struggled again.
Williams gave up a single to Brooks Lee, who took second on defensive indifference and scored on Tristan Gray’s base hit.
Mets killer Byron Buxton then ripped a double to left to send Gray to third.
Williams recovered and struck out Trevor Larnach to end it.
As they try to put the franchise’s longest skid since 2002 behind them, and deal with the indefinite loss of Lindor, the Mets managed to knock Joe Ryan around for seven runs — four earned in five innings.
Carson Benge flips his bat after belting a solo homer in the fourth inning of the Mets’ win over the Twins. AP
The victory gave the Mets their first series win since they took three out of four from the Giants nearly three weeks ago. Now they have the Rockies and Nationals coming into Citi Field.
“Winning games in the big leagues is really hard,” Bichette said. “Good teams fight, no matter the ebbs and flows.”
Despite the win — which the Mets will take any way they come these days — the return of Scott was discouraging.
The 26-year-old right-hander had pitched well in his previous two starts with Triple-A Syracuse, but had no command Thursday.
And while they managed to hold on to beat the Twins, the bullpen is a bit of a mess, as they try to keep Peterson and Sean Manaea stretched out to be options in the rotation — as well as Myers — but they need them to get innings in relief.
“They’ve been saving us,’’ Mendoza said of the trio.
How long that can continue is anyone’s guess, but Thursday, they survived another day.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) celebrates after hitting a three-run double during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It wasn’t pretty, but the Mets managed to win another game, topping the Twins in their series finale 10-8. Christian Scott was poor and the bullpen coughed a lead up late, but the Mets offense – largely dormant for the past three weeks – finally woke up and scored enough to cover for the poor night on the mound.
The aforementioned Scott got the start, making his 2026 debut and his first major league appearance since July of 2024. He struck out the first batter he faced, then managed to walk four of the next five batters, forcing in a run. It didn’t get much better in the second either; a walk, a balk, and a hit batter ended his night after only 1.1 innings.
Against Joe Ryan, one of the more underrated starters in the game, you’d likely expect that to be the end of it with the way things have been going for the Mets. But no, tonight was different. Brett Baty got Ryan for a three-run home run in the bottom of the first, his first homer of the year. A couple of doubles led to another run in the bottom of the second, and two more came home after a passed ball on a strikeout extended the inning. The Twins got one run back in the fourth, but the Mets immediately responded with a solo shot from Carson Benge, giving them a 7-2 lead after four.
Nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets though. Tristan Gray homered off of David Peterson out of the bullpen in the sixth, making it 7-3. Then, the real disaster in the eighth. Craig Kimbrel entered and had nothing, loading the bases with two outs. Huascar Brazoban, Carlos Mendoza’s security blanket, was brought in to put out the fire. Instead, he surrendered a game-tying grand slam to Ryan Jeffers. Yup.
If anything, it’s fitting that the Mets were burned for making what was clearly the wrong transaction prior to the game. Yes, Craig Kimbrel is a future hall of famer. Yes, he has a shiny ERA so far as a Met. No, he is not currently a better pitcher than Austin Warren, and that’s immediately obvious to anyone who can visually or statically evaluate a pitcher. Optioning the superior arm in deference to a veteran who doesn’t have it anymore is simply bad process.
Mercifully (for us at least), this game didn’t go like so many others in this streak. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, bringing Bo Bichette to the plate. Bichette entered the game with a .220/.255/.390 line and the worst strikeout rate since his rookie season. He finally came through though, launching a ball that missed being a grand slam of his own by inches and which gave the Mets a 10-7 lead.
But again, nothing is easy for the 2026 Mets. Huascar Brazoban ran back out to the mound for the ninth, only he wasn’t meant to; Devin Williams was supposed to come in. But because Brazoban crossed the foul line, he needed to face at least one batter. (This whole incident is a huge indictment of the manager, as if we’ve not had enough of those recently.)
That’s okay though, Brazoban got the first out and Williams entered, and even struck out the first batter he faced. Then he allowed a single. Then another single. Then a double. Suddenly, the tying run was in scoring position, and it sure felt like yet another disaster was pending. But no, Williams bounced back to strike out Trevor Larnach and finally close out the 10-8 win.
The Mets are now 9-16 and perhaps are back on track, though losing Francisco Lindor earlier in the day for an extended period is not going to help (Ronny Mauricio did not look good at short today). They’ll start a 3-game series with the Rockies tomorrow with Freddy Peralta squaring off against Michael Lorenzen.
Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +44% WPA Big Mets loser: Huascar Brazoban, -32% WPA Mets pitchers: -29% WPA Mets hitters: +79% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Bo Bichette hits a three-run double in the eighth, +34.2% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Ryan Jeffers hits a grand slam in the eighth, -36.5% WPA
OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 23: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after a goal during the first period against the Ottawa Senators in Game Three of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on April 23, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake-Taylor Hall line continued their dominance of the series, both Power Plays looked more like they were stuck in black out conditions, and the Carolina Hurricanes showed their playoff experience by entering a hostile road arena and silencing it by defeating the Ottawa Senators 2-1. Carolina now holds a 3-0 lead in the best of seven series.
As expected, the Ottawa crowd was loud, trying to lift the Senators in the first few minutes and establish a tone as their home team entered the series down 0-2. The Senators would go on to follow up on this tone and out hit the Hurricanes 17-9 in the period, but it was clear that the Hurricanes expected the rush and weathered it well. Then just a scant five minutes in, the center-of-the-sun hot Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the third straight game.
The play showed why the Canes traded for Taylor Hall last season. A year plus later, he’s found his spot and two line mates who seem to just feed off him, and vice-versa. Hall entered the zone alone, and had the space to throw a shot on Linus Ullmark. Ullmark made the shot, but the rebound bounced back to Hall who sped by, went behind the net, and fed a beautiful pass to an open Stankoven who immediately fired to get it past the goalie for a 1-0 lead.
The period had a chance to really get away from Ottawa after that, as the Senators would three penalties—two in the offensive zone. The Canes power play, however, fizzled as it went 0-3 and really didn’t have that many great shots on Ullmark. Frederick Andersen—starting his third game in a row—was sharp and while the shots were nearly even at 10-8, the Canes entered the locker room with the one goal lead.
In the second, the Hurricanes evened out the penalty disparity and then some. Carolina would have to kill off four penalties in the first eleven minutes, including 1:28 of a five-on-three. It was an alarming break down of discipline with checks to the head, too many men, a trip, and a hook that were all so clear that the officials had no choice but to call them. Yet, the penalty kill rose up to knock off each one including the 5-on-3. By the end of the final segment of the fourth penalty the home fans were quiet.
It felt then that the next goal would be scored by the Canes, but much like the first period, the team that had all the Power Plays saw their only goal come at even strength. The puck entered at the blue line and Jalen Chatfield was able to get it across, but against the wall Jordan Martinook would bat the puck back in. Even though some of the Senators were in the zone, with Martinook being the one to push the puck in the play was onside and created a two-on-one with Nick Cousins and Drake Batherson. Cousins skated in and got the puck past a diving Jaccob Slavin over to Batherson, and Batherson beat Andersen to knot the score at one.
The Hurricanes wouldn’t be deterred and not even 90 seconds later Carolina retook the lead thanks not only to the Stankoven line but one of the sickest plays you’ll see from another summer acquisition, K’Andre Miller. On zone entry, Taylor Hall was able to draw multiple Senators over to him against the wall, Miller skated on the other side toward the goal and Hall was able to feed it to him. Miller played it like he was going to put a shot on Ullmark and at the last second threaded a pass over to an open Jackson Bake, who banged it in to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.
Carolina would end the period having to kill another penalty as Jordan Martinook committed another clear infraction, but they would also end the period outshooting Ottawa 10-7 despite giving up five penalties and 1:22 of a 5-on-3.
The Power Play struggles for both teams continued in third as the Senators weren’t able to convert on the end of their advantage, and then Carolina had perhaps their worst power play later in the period when Brady Tkachuk was called for a major penalty that was reduced to a minor on review. All it managed to accomplish was melting two minutes off the clock, but by that point in the third the Senators were completely worn down. What didn’t help was the injury to yet another key defenseman. Jake Sanderson took the Hall check to the head, and then later on took a puck off his hand. After that incident, he never returned.
For perhaps the first time all series, neither goalie let in a goal that they would look at and say they should have stopped. Stankoven’s and Jackson’s goals came off great passes from players that are known shooters and Ullmark had to take them seriously. Anderson’s lone goal he allowed was on a two on one rush that would have required a miraculous save. Both goalies kept their teams in it with Ullmark making 25 saves, and Andersen making 21.
The key for the Canes’ win could be spotted in the faceoff dot. After being dominated the first two games, Brind’Amour apparently worked the team hard over the last couple of days because for the first time they won the faceoff matchup 54.1% to 45.9%. They were led by Sebastian Aho going 63.6% while Jordan Staal went 53.1%.
After the extended break there won’t be much of a rest before the next game. Ottawa will look to avoid the sweep on Saturday at 3 PM. There’s no doubt it’ll still be Ullmark in net for the Senators but once again it appears Ottawa will have to shuffle their pairings. The question will be between Carolina’s pipes as Andersen still hasn’t done anything to deserve being pulled but the short turnaround may see Rod Brind’Amour get Brandon Bussi a game to give the Dane some extra time. We may not know for sure until Saturday.
Bo Bichette, brought to New York in part because of his clutch hitting expertise, delivered in an enormous spot Thursday night at Citi Field. He smacked a three-run double in the eighth inning after the Mets had squandered a huge lead.
Bichette’s hit lifted the Mets to a wild 10-8 victory over Minnesota in their first game without the injured Francisco Lindor. The Mets had built early advantages of 6-1 and 7-2 before the Twins rallied for a 7-7 tie in the top of the eighth.
The Mets, who ended a 12-game losing streak on Wednesday, now have a modest winning streak -- two in a row. The Mets (9-16) took two-of-three from Minnesota, giving them their third series win of the season.
Here are the main takeaways:
-Christian Scott started for the Mets, his first outing in the majors since 2024 elbow surgery. The good part? He didn’t give up a hit. That’s it, though. The righty was wilder than he’s ever been in the majors -- was he too amped for his return? -- and did not make it out of the second inning, even with the Mets ahead at the time.
Scott delivered just 1.1 innings and allowed one run, forcing in a run with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. Scott, who had not walked more than two hitters in any of his first nine starts in the majors, faced 10 batters Thursday and walked five. He also hit a batter and balked. In the first inning, he threw 33 pitches alone and only 13 were strikes. He had three straight walks in the frame and fell behind, 3-0, to the final batter of the inning before getting to 3-2 and inducing a fly ball. Scott walked Brooks Lee on four pitches to start the second inning and, one out later, balked him over and then plunked Byron Buxton, which ended the night for Scott. Overall, Scott threw 43 pitches and only 18 were strikes.
-Tobias Myers relieved Scott and threw 2.1 innings, allowing only an unearned run, which scored after Ronny Mauricio -- Lindor’s replacement at shortstop -- bungled a grounder in the fourth. Myers struck out three and walked none. David Peterson cleaned up the fourth and then had a five-pitch fifth inning, helped by a nice 1-4-3 double play. In all, Peterson threw 3.1 innings of relief and allowed one run and four hits while striking out two and walking one. The lone run Peterson gave up came on a solo home run by Tristan Gray.
-Things went sideways for the Mets in the eighth inning, even though they were up, 7-3. Craig Kimbrel got two outs in the frame, but also allowed two hits and a walk, which brought the tying run to the plate. The Mets brought in Huascar Brazobán to face Ryan Jeffers and Jeffers hammered a grand slam to left field, knotting the score at 7-7. Entering the appearance, Brazobán had not allowed a single run in 10.2 innings of work this season. Three of the runs that scored on Jeffers’ blow were charged to Kimbrel and one to Brazobán.
-There was an odd moment in the ninth. Between innings, Devin Williams started coming in from the bullpen, but Brazobán emerged from the dugout and headed toward the mound, a moment of Met confusion. Because Brazobán crossed the foul line, he had to at least face the first batter of the inning. He got the first out and then Williams came in.
-When Williams arrived, his recent troubles continued. He got one out, but then gave up three consecutive hits. That brought in one run and trimmed the Mets' lead to 10-8 and meant that Williams had to face Trevor Larnach with the tying runs in scoring position. Ultimately, though, Williams struck out Larnach swinging on an “airbender” changeup to end the game.
-The Mets entered the game with the worst offense in the majors by runs per game, averaging only 3.25. Brett Baty got nearly that many with one cut against Minnesota ace Joe Ryan with a three-run homer in the first inning and several other Mets contributed important hits, too. Baty’s homer was huge, considering the Twins had jumped to a 1-0 lead on Scott’s wildness. The blow was Baty’s first homer of the season and came on the first pitch he saw. It was measured at 414 feet and clocked at 107.1 miles per hour off the bat. It was Baty’s first extra-base hit since April 8.
Carson Benge smashed his second homer of the season, a 105.7-mph scorcher to right, and added his second double, too. The homer was Benge’s first since Opening Day. Luis Robert hammered an RBI double in the second. Marcus Semien had two hits, including a double. Juan Soto, playing in his second game back from a calf injury, was 0-for-3 but walked twice. The Mets were 5-for-13 overall with runners in scoring position.
MVP of the game
Bichette, obviously. He took a .325 career average with runners in scoring position into the game, but had been hitting only .174 in such situations as a Met. His bases-clearing double off Anthony Banda, which struck the wall in left-center, was his third hit of the night and one of the biggest hits of the season for the Mets, snapping a 7-7 tie. Bichette celebrated with several cathartic fist pumps after reaching second.
Smokies outfielder Andy Garriola (22) runs to first base during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and the Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 21, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jordan Wicks went 2.2 innings in a rehab assignment and gave up no runs. He did allow five hits, all singles, and walked one. Wicks struck out two. He threw 43 pitches, of which 26 were strikes.
Ty Blach pitched the next 5.1 innings and got the loss after giving up an RBI double to Francisco Urbaez in the fifth inning. Blach gave up five hits in addition to the one run. He walked one and struck out one.
Iowa had just three hits today. Second baseman Pedro Ramírez was 1 for 3 with a walk. Right fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with a walk.
Grant Kipp has been on a roll to start the year, but today he got tagged for the loss after giving up five runs on six hits over five innings. Three of those runs came on a three-run home run in the second inning. Kipp struck out seven and walked four.
Frankie Scalzo Jr. tossed two scoreless innings in his season debut. Scalzo allowed two hits and issued two walks while striking out two.
DH Andy Garriola was most of the Smokies offense as he smacked two home runs tonight. The first one came with the bases empty in the third inning and the second one was with a man on in the fifth. Garriola went 2 for 3 with a walk.
Cole Reynolds started for South Bend and was a little wild. He allowed two runs on just two hits over 3.2 innings, but he walked five and struck out six. He also hit two batters.
The win went to Nate Williams, who relieved Reynolds in the fourth inning and was promptly greeted with a three-run home run. But he settled down after that and allowed just one run (of his own) on one hit over 1.1 innings. He struck out three and walked one.
JP Wheat was also wild in relief. He faced five batters in the fifth inning and retired just one of them, but got out of the inning because of a pitch that got away that ended up throwing out the batter trying to score from third; and then he induced a 4-6-3 double play. Wheat threw two innings and allowed one run on two hits, five walks and two wild pitches. He struck out one. But hey, he was sitting 100 to 101 on the radar gun.
Third baseman Matt Halbach had a triple-double tonight in that he doubled three times. Halbach was 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Right fielder Kade Snell hit his first professional home run in the top of the ninth inning with the bases empty. Snell was 1 for 3 with a walk.
First baseman Cameron Sisneros was 2 for 5 with a double. He also scored twice and drove in two.
Left fielder Reginald Preciado went 2 for 4 with a walk and a double.
Here are back-to-back doubles by Halbach and Sisneros and an RBI single by Drew Bowser.
Pelicans starter Kevin Camacho was activated off the injured list and didn’t make it out of the first inning in his season debut. Camacho allowed four runs on one hit and four walks over two-thirds of an inning. An error by catcher Jairo Diaz meant that only one of the four runs was earned. Camacho struck out one.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 3 with a triple and a run scored.
Apr 23, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Minnesota Twins pinch hitter Ryan Jeffers (27) hits a grand slam home run during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
There were Twins littered on the bases all night, but as has been the case this series, they just couldn’t seem to find the one key hit to put up a crooked number. Until Ryan Jeffers came up with the bases juiced. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Making his first start after two years away recovering from a torn UCL, Mets SP Christian Scott had no feel for any of his pitches. Scott walked four Twins in the first frame, including Austin Martin which drove in the opening run of the game, but Minnesota couldn’t find the hit they needed to knock out New York’s starter. A walk, a balk, and a HBP to start the second inning ultimately did in Scott without allowing a hit.
Also unfortunate: Joe Ryan. The Twins’ ace did not have his best stuff tonight, repeatedly leaving pitches down the middle of the plate. Three of the first four players he faced reached base, highlighted (or lowlighted, in our case) by Brett Baty’s three-run blast to put the Mets right back on top.
Ryan did allow three more runs in the second inning, but all of those were unearned after a dropped strike three from Ryan Jeffers prolonged the inning. A solo homer from rookie outfielder Carson Benge was the final run added to Ryan’s tally, but he was clearly fighting it all night.
Despite all the aforementioned baserunners, the Twins were only able to scrape across two runs in the middle innings while rookie pitcher Andrew Morris pitched a couple scoreless frames to keep Minnesota in striking distance. And boy, did Ryan Jeffers strike it well. Bases juiced, two outs, tying run at the plate. Take it away, Cory Provus.
Game tied at 7, Morris came back out after retiring six straight Mets, but like in his previous outing, was just left out there one inning too many. New York went single, sac bunt, single, to put runners at the corners with one out. A short fly from Ronny Mauricio kept the score tied with two outs, but manager Derek Shelton turned to Anthony Banda to get the final out of the frame.
And Banda, it should be noted, is bad. He walked pinch hitter Tommy Pham, who hasn’t been a good hitter in half a decade. Then the Mets got some heroics of their own with big offseason acquisition Bo Bichette delivering a bases-clearing, three run double to suck the remaining life out of the Twins.
Down to their final strike in three separate ABs, Brooks Lee, Tristan Gray, and Byron Buxton all delivered two-out hits in the 9th to put Buxton on second as the tying run, but closer Devin Williams got Trevor Larnach swinging to secure the Mets’ second win in the past two weeks.
The bullpen is the biggest weakness on this team and it has shown for the past week, blowing late leads in four of the last five ballgames. There are potential reinforcements on the way with Kody Funderburk returning from paternity leave. Additionally, Travis Adams and David Festa are beginning rehab assignments, but neither of those pitchers is a proven relief option despite some internal optimism within the organization. If the Twins can hover around .500 until the trade deadline, there will be plenty of options to find relief help then, but we have a long way to go until July.
STUDS
Austin Martin: 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Brooks Lee: 3-4, 3 R, 1 BB
Tristan Gray: 2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
Ryan Jeffers: GRAND SALAMI
DUDS
Joe Ryan: 5 IP, 7 H, 7 R (4 earned), 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Andrew Morris in his third inning (the first 2 were very good!)
Anthony Banda: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, allowed three game-winning runs to score
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 24: The Buffalo Sabres celebrate the third-period goal against the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 24, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** | NHLI via Getty Images
When the Bruins bounced back to win Game 2 and even this first round series, they did it by taking their opportunities on offense and limiting the self-inflicted wounds on defense.
In Game 3, they seemed to revert to some of the same bad habits that plagued them down the stretch in the regular season: inability to take care of the puck in their own zone and an inability to capitalize on the scoring chances that presented themselves.
Ultimately, those issues sank the B’s, as Buffalo took Game 3 by a 3-1 score and now leads the best-of-seven series two games to one.
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead early in the second period, only for Buffalo to respond seven minutes later.
Alex Tuch then scored four minutes into the third period to give the Sabres the lead, followed by an empty-netter from Noah Ostlund to seal the deal.
Tanner Jeannot scored the lone goal for the Bruins, while Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves in defeat.
The Bruins had plenty of chances to tie the game late, including two separate power plays in the last eight minutes of the third period.
Ultimately, they failed to cash in, due to some timely saves by Alex Lyon and some missed opportunities for the Bruins.
Jeannot started the scoring with a wrist shot through traffic, beating Lyon to make it 1-0 Bruins 3:26 into the second period.
That was it for scoring, with Ostlund’s empty-netter coming with 1:24 left in the third.
Bruins lose, 3-1.
Game notes
This was a very frustrating game to watch from a Bruins perspective, as they seemed to struggle to really get anything going on offense all night. Lyon deserves credit for making some stops here and there, but this wasn’t a game stolen by the opposing goalie. Instead, it was a game where the Bruins simply couldn’t generate any real offense, compounded by some equally frustrating play in their own zone.
The officials appeared to miss a clear elbow to the head by Tuch on Mason Lohrei a few seconds before Tuch’s go-ahead goal. It came on a “reverse hit,” and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a penalty called on a player with possession of the puck like that, but it was one of those “accidentally on purpose” plays that Tuch got away with.
Lohrei had himself a rough night in general, appearing to fight the puck pretty much every time he went back to retrieve it behind his own net. It’s probably a little harsh to single out Lohrei when none of the Bruins defensemen covered themselves in glory tonight, but his mistakes were notable.
The B’s were let down in a big way by their power play tonight, going 0-for-4 — and that included going 0-for-2 in the last eight minutes of the third period. Down a goal, playoff game on home ice…you need something from your power play, and it simply didn’t deliver for the Bruins.
Buffalo actually did the Bruins one better and went 0-for-5 on the power play, though one of those was an afterthought “power play” with nine seconds left in the game, so I’m not sure that counts.
While Lyon didn’t stand on his head for the Sabres, he deserves credit for coming up huge for Buffalo by stopping a Viktor Arvidsson penalty shot midway through the second period. Arvidsson was slashed by Rasmus Dahlin and awarded a penalty shot, but Lyon turned it aside. The Sabres tied the game 68 seconds later.
That Arvidsson miss was one of several missed opportunities on the night for the Bruins. A third period one-timer from Morgan Geekie, shot directly into Lyon in the middle of the net, comes to mind, as do a few other looks late in the game.
The Bruins were boosted by their second line and by David Pastrnak’s performance in Game 2, but those players were unable to make an impact in Game 2. I’m not sure if it’s part of the book on Lyon, but Pastrnak seemed determined to go five-hole at every opportunity. Elias Lindholm didn’t land a shot on net, and neither did Casey Mittelstadt. Geekie only had two. In fact, the Bruins were credited with 25 shots on net, and Zacha, Pastrnak, and Arvidsson recorded 14 of them.
Lindy Ruff deserves credit for pulling the right lever by inserting Noah Ostlund into the lineup, as the rookie assisted Tuch’s goal and scored the empty-netter. Not bad for your first-ever NHL playoff game.
While they brought some good energy in Games 1 and 2, Marco Sturm may have some thoughts about his third line heading into Game 4. Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, and James Hagens combined for just a single shot on goal, and Hagens only got three shifts in the third period. This isn’t to suggest that the third line has been the Bruins’ biggest problem, just that it might be the easiest one for Sturm to shake up.
So…there you have it: missed opportunities + own-zone miscues is, generally speaking, not a great recipe for a good result.
Still, 2 games to 1. No real reason to panic.
These two teams will now enjoy two full days between games, with Game 4 slated for Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
BOSTON (AP) — Bowen Byram scored a minute after Boston missed a penalty shot, and Alex Tuch broke a third-period tie to help Buffalo come from behind and beat the Bruins 3-1 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Alex Lyon stopped 24 shots in his first start of the postseason and the Sabres, who snapped an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought by winning the Atlantic Division, regained home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Boston, with the Bruins needing a win to assure themselves of another home game.
Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves, and Tanner Jeannot scored early in the second period for the Bruins as they opened the scoring for the third straight game.
Boston had a chance to go up 2-0 when Mattias Samuelsson’s stick broke right in front of the Buffalo net, for a turnover that gave Viktor Arvidsson an open lane on the net. Rasmus Dahlin took him down, leading to a penalty shot.
But Arvidsson shot wide.
About a minute later, Byram one-timed a shot past Swayman to tie it. Tuch made it 2-1 when he grabbed a loose puck and fired it past a screened goalie, and Noah Ostlund added an empty-netter with 84 seconds left.
HURRICANES 2, SENATORS 1
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jackson Blake broke a tie late in the second period, Frederik Andersen made 21 saves and Carolina beat Ottawa to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
The top team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, the Hurricanes can wrap up the series Saturday in Ottawa.
Logan Stankoven also scored for Carolina, and Taylor Hall had two assists.
Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa, and Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 23: Og Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks reacts after dunking against the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter of game three of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs at State Farm Arena on April 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Maybe the Knicks (1-2) had no business winning this game against the Hawks (2-1). After sleepwalking through a miserable first quarter and falling behind by 18 in the second, they entered halftime down by eight, matched Atlanta’s thirty points in the third quarter, and finally seemed interested in victory late in the fourth quarter. Too little, too late. They finally managed to grab a three-point lead with a minute left, but they were fittingly outdone by CJ McCollum and yet another turnover during the final possession. Final score: 109-108.
In Game Three of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks won the paint (56 points to 40) and held their own on the glass (46-45), but it didn’t matter—they lost the game on efficiency. Atlanta shot better (45%-43%), hit threes at a much higher clip (39% to 29%), and turned New York’s 18 turnovers into easy points. Karl-Anthony Towns did his part, scoring 21 points and 17 rebounds, with a team-high +22 plus-minus; and Brunson logged 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting.
But there are plenty of candidates for scapegoat of the game, from the coach (once again taking too long to get Brunson and KAT working together effectively); Mikal Bridges tried three shots and scored zero points; Mitchell Robinson was a -18 in his 11 minutes, grabbing just four boards; and Josh Hart scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting. Look at all this red:
Funky, clunky start. Through the first six minutes of this contest, the Birds made four of ten field goal attempts, while the Bockers made four of 12. The Knicks briefly held the lead, but promptly fell behind 13-9 by the midway point. Miles McBride (15 PTS, 5-10 3PT, 31 MIN) and Mitchell Robinson were the first substitutions. There was no improvement to report.
The visitors looked clueless—nay, feckless—shooting around 25% while watching the home team pad their lead. Only two of their players (Anunoby and Brunson) scored in the period (seriously); Karl-Anthony Towns had attempted one shot (and missed); and the team had committed five turnovers already. They attempted zero free throws until around 1:30, when Jalen Brunson stepped to the line. Not only did they appear unable to work together, but they seemed rather apathetic about it, too.
Meanwhile, the Hawks clicked into the next gear. They pushed their lead to 11 with around two minutes on the clock and finished the quarter with a 24-9 run. They were beating New York on the boards and moving the ball expertly, assisting on 10 of their 12 made field goals. Off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga (21 PTS, 28 MIN) was a perfect 4-of-4 with 10 points at the quarter’s end. On the other hand, New York couldn’t buy a three-pointer, missing 10 of their 12 attempts. Our heroes scored only 15 points in the final 12 minutes on Monday. Picking up where they left off—which is, in the mud—they managed just 21 in the first quarter. When the bell rang, the good guys were trailing 33-21.
Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson (8 PTS, 4-11 FG, 17 MIN) reported for duty to start the second quarter, but New York’s bench continued to be outscored by Atlanta’s. Encouraging sign: with Brunson taking a blow, Towns finally got on the board with a driving dunk, and after he cashed in two more close-range buckets, the deficit had been cut from 15 to 10 around the middle period. The big fella had made 4-of-5 from the field, while Brunson had shot 5-of-11.
Out of a timeout, McCollum hit a 15-foot turnaround jumper, then Onyeka Okongwu (9 PTS, 7 RBS) stole a Bridges pass for a pick-six, and so much for the momentum. Stan Van Gundy’s yapped about how he would just run pick-and-roll with Towns and Brunson, and we hoped he was sitting close enough for Mike Brown to hear him. With New York shooting 13% (2-of-15) from deep and CJ McCollum (23 PTS, 8-19 FG) operating at another level, the hole reached an ugly 18 points. Edkamlive said it after the game, but it’s just as apt to insert here: “This team is not serious people.”
From there, Towns, Clarkson, and McBride all combined for a 9-0 run, while the Hawks missed five shots. Thanks to their efforts—especially Clarkson—New York was only trailing 58-50 heading into intermission.
After a lackluster first quarter, New York finished the half with better interior numbers. They had won the points in the paint, 32-16, and the glass 24-22. The problem was all in the shooting. Atlanta shot nearly twice as well from three (44% to 21%) and lived at the line (16 attempts to New York’s 5). McCollum, shooting a tidy 6-of-10, led all scorers with 16. Brunson had 13 for the visitors, while Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges had combined to shoot 0-of-6 for no points.
The Knicks scored first out of halftime (a driving dunk by KAT), but then allowed Atlanta to rattled off an 11-2 run. Barely two minutes had passed and Brown needed a timeout to discuss all the things they probably should have discussed in the locker room. The coach replaced Bridges (a team-worst -22) with McBride, and unusual early substitution but the desperate situation called for a touch of inventiveness.
Deuce wasn’t the answer, though, and it came as no great surprise, given that the guy’s only shot 22% in the series so far. Van Gundy was right. The path to taking command of this match-up would be forged by Brunson and Towns. To wit: With Towns and Brunson stepping forward into prominent roles, an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to four.
Quin Snyder’s response was to dial up plays for Nickeil Alexander-Walker (14 PTS, 4-12 FG) and Jalen Johnson (24 PTS, 10 RBS, 8 AST), who pushed the lead to nine again with a triple and drives to the cupl, respectively. Brown decided to go small, subbing in Hart for Towns and going small, making Anunoby the tallest Knick in the fray.
Back-to-back turnovers by Brunson and McBride cost them. Down by 13 again, Brown sent Towns back in for Clarkson around the two minute mark. Since only KAT, Brunson, and Anunoby scored anything in the third period, it was a no-brainer to get Karl back in there. When the quarter finished, both teams had scored 30 points. Hawks up, 88-80.
Into the final frame, the Knicks continued to have opportunities, but blew them with one-and-dones and turnovers. Rather than uniting to mount a rally, their disjointed play continued, and they sat 10 points down with a scant nine minutes left. Brown prefers to let Brunson rest early in the quarter, but sent Captain Clutch back in, hoping to ignite something. McBride hit a triple, Johnson did the same, and the two teams continued to cancel each other out.
Brown also elected to glue Bridges to the bench in the fourth, putting his chips on McBride instead. When McBride swished his second trey of the quarter, our heroes were finally within four points again. Seven minutes left.
The clouds were parting in Georgia, and a sliver of sunlight was peeking through. With four minutes left, Towns was stuffed by Johnson, but Anunoby chased down the loose ball and heaved from the corner to make it 101-99.
Yet again, CJ McCollum hit a midrange dagger, but OG responded with another triple, then McBride hit one, and it was tied at 105 with a little over a minute left. Towns blocked a McCollum reverse drive, and Cap cooked at the other end with an and-one drive. Knicks finally lead, 108-105, with under one minute left.
Towns blocked Johnson at the other end, but the Hawk managed a put-back to make it a one-point game with 53 seconds to go. Coming out of Quin Snyder’s time out, McCollum burned just three seconds to sink a 15-footer. The Peaches were ahead again by one. 12.5 seconds.
For the final possession, Bridges was back in to inbound the ball, but he couldn’t reach Brunson. When it finally did, he drove into a double-team along the baseline. Cap tried to pass the rock to Hart trailing in the paint, but it caught Josh off-guard, Kuminga chased it down, and that was the ballgame, 109-108.
For the second straight game the Knicks choke on the final possession and lose.
With their 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 3, the Carolina Hurricanes now have a commanding 3-0 series lead. With this, the Hurricanes need just one more win to advance to the second round.
Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall has been one of the reasons behind the Hurricanes great start to the playoffs, as he is on fire right now for the Metropolitan Division club.
In three playoff games so far this spring with the Hurricanes, Hall has recorded one goal, four assists, and five points. This included him recording two assists in Game 3 for the Canes.
Hall also put together a very strong performance for the Hurricanes in Game 2, as he scored a goal and recorded an assist. With this, there is no question that the former Blackhawks forward is making a real impact for the Hurricanes early on this series.
Seeing Hall having a strong start to the playoffs is not necessarily surprising, as he showed this season with the Hurricanes that he can still be a solid offensive contributor at this point in his career. In 80 games this season with Carolina, the former Blackhawks forward had 18 goals, 30 assists, and 48 points.
In 56 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks, Hall had 11 goals, 17 assists, and 28 points.
