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Following a Tuesday road victory, the Boston Bruins have snatched the home-ice advantage away from the Buffalo Sabres in their Eastern Conference first-round series. That means the intense playoff feeling is alive and well as the scene shifts to Boston on Thursday night for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series. “I feel like it was nasty from the first shift, from the first game,” Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov said after Tuesday’s physical battle which featured 94 penalty minutes, including 72 in the third period alone. “It’s playoff emotions and intensity. It’s always going to be up there.” First-year Bruins coach Marco Sturm was not completely dissatisfied with his team’s Game 1 performance, outside of Buffalo’s third-period rally to snag a

CJ McCollum is filling the exact role the Atlanta Hawks had in mind when they acquired him in January. The veteran is not only scoring plenty of points, but he’s also providing an experienced presence for a young team. McCollum scored 32 points on Tuesday to spark Atlanta’s fourth-quarter comeback and 107-106 road win against the New York Knicks. The best-of-seven first-round series is tied 1-1 and shifts to Atlanta on Thursday for Game 3. “I really liked CJ’s leadership as much as the shot making,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “CJ’s leadership was really good with the ball in his hands.” The Knicks had been 40-1 in the postseason since the advent of the shot clock in 1954-55 when

Real Sociedad returns to league play on Wednesday night for a Matchday 33 meeting with Getafe at Reale Arena in San Sebastián. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. local time. The table makes this one easy to care about. Real Sociedad starts the night seventh on 42 points through 31 league matches, with Getafe eighth on 41, so this is a direct fight in the European race rather than just another midweek fixture. There is another layer here, and it matters. Real Sociedad is coming off a draining Copa del Rey final win over Atlético Madrid that went 120 minutes before penalties, and the emotional swing after lifting a trophy is real even when the quality gap says otherwise. The

Atletico Madrid head to Estadio Martínez Valero on Wednesday, April 22, for a LaLiga Matchweek 33 match that carries very different pressure for each side. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. local time in Elche. Atletico sit fourth on 57 points and are close to locking down their Champions League place, while Elche C.F are 18th on 32 points and still deep in the relegation fight. That tension is what makes this game interesting. Elche have won two of their last three league matches and have made Martínez Valero a real survival weapon, while Atletico come in after losing the Copa del Rey final and are rotating heavily with an Arsenal semifinal just ahead. The market has reacted to that