Sean O'Leary

With the young star catcher out, the Mets will be seeing a downgrade at catcher in his absence. By Sean O'Leary

The Red Sox took a big blow on Saturday, losing their first baseman to what could be a long-term injury. By Sean O'Leary

The Buffalo Sabres are bringing back Lindy Ruff for a second tour of duty as head coach, the team announced Monday. More to come.

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has no regrets about starting Linus Ullmark in Monday's Game 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After keeping it a secret until warmup, Montgomery made the switch after Jeremy Swayman shined in a Game 1 victory, sticking to the rotating strategy the club employed throughout the regular season. "No second guesses," Montgomery said, per Boston's Conor Ryan. "He was terrific. He made multiple big-time saves, and it's a strength of our team. Both of them played really well. We only scored two goals."Ullmark stopped 30 of 33 shots in the loss. Last season's Vezina Trophy winner entered the postseason with a .915 save percentage in 40 appearances in 2023-24."There are some things to clean up, definitely. But it's a long series," Ullmark said. "Now it's all about recharging. The sun will come up tomorrow as well. We go to Toronto, and then duke it out once again."Swayman made 35 saves in a convincing 5-1 Bruins victory in Game 1. The 25-year-old was near flawless against the Maple Leafs during the regular season, posting a 3-0 record with only four goals against.Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday night.

Up 2-0 in their opening-round series, the New York Rangers find themselves in the same position they were in last year but are confident the result will be different this time around."New team identity," defenseman K'Andre Miller said when asked what's changed about this year's club, according to NHL's Dan Rosen.New York stormed to a 2-0 lead in its first-round clash with the New Jersey Devils last spring before losing the next three contests and, ultimately, the series in seven games.The collapse led to the club replacing head coach Gerard Gallant with Peter Laviolette. The Rangers have an easier matchup on paper this year after winning the Presidents' Trophy, drawing the 91-point Washington Capitals in Round 1 after taking on the 112-point Devils in 2023.Despite the advantageous situation, star blue-liner Adam Fox said New York knows not to take its opponent lightly as the series shifts to D.C. for Games 3 and 4."Definitely, you know you're not going to get anything easy," Fox said. "You win those two games last year, especially on the road, you think you can breathe easy coming home, but in playoffs, it's never like that. I think especially, now going on the road, we know we're stepping into a tough environment, and we'll be ready for that. I don't think we're expecting anything to come easy, especially on the road, especially with a desperate team over there."The Rangers cruised to a 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 and squeaked out a 4-3 win in Game 2. The series resumes Friday night.

It looks like an offseason flyer is paying off early in the season for the Braves. By Sean O'Leary

The Florida Panthers are on the verge of advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. More to come.

Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander spoke to the media Friday for the first time since the playoffs started but didn't provide any information about what's kept him out of the lineup for the opening three games."Look, that's just personal, so I'm not going to get into that," Nylander told reporters, including Sportsnet's Luke Fox.He added: "It is what it is. There's nothing to really stress about. You can't force yourself back in, so I'll be ready when I'm ready."Nylander's absence is reportedly due to a severe migraine that prompted Toronto's medical staff to test him for a concussion. The 27-year-old played in all 82 games for the Maple Leafs this season but was a surprise omission from the Game 1 lineup against the Boston Bruins and hasn't played since.He's been skating throughout the series and was a full participant in Friday's practice on a line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok, per Fox. Toronto has yet to confirm if Nylander will play in Game 4."Looked great to me on the ice," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. Nylander's possible return Saturday would be a big boost for a struggling Maple Leafs attack that's managed only five goals in the series. He notched a career-high 98 points this season and has 40 points in 50 playoff contests with Toronto."I mean, the games are crazy to watch from home," Nylander said. "I've never been so nervous in my life."The Maple Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the first-round series and will look to snap a five-game losing streak in home playoff games on Saturday.

Most of the attention of the winter went towards Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and where those two Japanese superstars would land.

Since 2017, the Astros have been inevitable. They've made the ALCS every year since, including winning two World Series.