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With exhausted bullpens following Saturday’s six-hour, 39-minute, 13-inning marathon game, the pressure is on the Rays’ Shane McClanahan and the Pirates’ Mitch Keller to deliver strong starts on Sunday afternoon in the finale of their three-game series in Pittsburgh. The Rays used eight relievers and the Pirates used six relievers in a game officially of four hours and 12 minutes that was delayed an additional two hours and 27 minutes by inclement weather, and ended with an 8-7 win for Tampa Bay. Now, McClanahan (1-1, 3.95 ERA), who last Tuesday picked up his first win since June 16, 2023, will try to make it eight wins in their past nine games for the Rays. McClanahan gave up two earned runs

The Phoenix Suns come into their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with some momentum after knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the play-in finale Friday to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder haven’t played in a week heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of the series in Oklahoma City. After letting a big lead slip away in the play-in opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns bounced back with a 111-96 home win over the Warriors. Jalen Green was one of the biggest factors in Phoenix advancing, with 36 points in Friday’s victory. “They’re going to come in, play hard, play their game, but I think if we bring the same energy

The Boston Bruins have won 11 Stanley Cup playoff rounds since the last time the Buffalo Sabres made the postseason. That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm oozing with confidence heading into Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night in Buffalo. “We know how we have to play, we’re going to be ready to go,” Sturm said Friday. “We’re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart, but we’re going to go after them.” Buffalo forward Josh Doan said on Saturday that those comments have been seen and heard by the Sabres, who will play their first postseason game since April 26, 2011. “At the end

The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet in the postseason for the first time since 2021 and this matchup will come under much different circumstances. Game 1 in the first-round series is set for Sunday at Tampa, Fla. Holding the Atlantic Division’s second spot, the Lightning clinched home-ice advantage Tuesday night when the third-place Canadiens lost 4-2 in their regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Flyers. Tampa Bay right winger Nikita Kucherov produced 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, falling eight short of Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, who produced 138 points while playing in all 82 matches for the Edmonton Oilers. In a season that may produce a second Vezina Trophy, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy