NHL: Six more teams opened their postseasons Thursday night, with both of the higher seeds in the Eastern Conference losing their games. Brian Gionta was the only player to score in Game 1 of the Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins opening-round playoff series. With the help of Gionta's two goals, the sixth-seeded Canadiens upset the third-seeded Bruins 2-0. ... The Buffalo Sabres, the seventh seed in the East, defeated the second-seeded Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 to win the first game in that series. Ryan Miller had 35 saves for Buffalo, recording only his second career postseason shutout. ... Iin the Western Conference playoffs, the No. 2 seed San Jose Sharks needed overtime to defeat the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Kings 3-2.
MLB: Cliff Lee threw a three-hit shutout Thursday, striking out 12 batters and leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. Lee faced only 30 hitters, just three above the minimum. The Phillies have now won 15 of their last 16 regular-season series, dating back to 2010. ... Johnny Damon hit a two-run walk-off home run in the 10th to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins, giving the Rays their first home win of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Damon became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off two-run homer with five different teams (Royals, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Rays). Following the game, Minnesota skipper Ron Gardenhire said that catcher Joe Mauer is headed to the 15-day disabled list due to weakness in his legs.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum announced that he is donating $25,000 to the fund of Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who was attacked outside Dodger Stadium in March. The money will assist with the 42-year-old paramedic's medical fees and expenses.
Golf: Kevin Na set a new record Thursday for the worst score on a par-4 hole in PGA Tour history, scoring a 16 on the ninth hole at the Texas Open. Na, who is ranked 64th in the world, did manage to finish the round with an 80, after shooting a 3 under on the back nine.
Men's college basketball: A couple more players revealed Thursday that they intend to enter the NBA draft. Kansas freshman guard Josh Selby announced that he plans to follow in the footsteps of Markieff and Marcus Morris and leave the Jayhawks program to go pro. San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard said he will forgo his last two years of eligibility and enter the draft. With Leonard's departure, the Aztecs have now lost four starters from the most successful team in school history.
