WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Kyle Connor's one-timer with 1:36 remaining in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie, and the No. 1 seed Winnipeg Jets survived a Game 1 scare -- and some shaky goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck -- to post a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues in the opener of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Connor also contributed a pair of assists and captain Adam Lowry capped the victory with an empty-netter with 53 seconds left, much to the delight of the "whiteout" full house of 15,225 fans at the Canada Life Centre.

"There were some emotional swings. Obviously, we didn't get off to the start we wanted," Lowry said during his postgame bench interview, aired on the arena's jumbotron. "But what an incredible third period, what an incredible atmosphere. And we're real happy with the result."

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday in Winnipeg, and the home team knows it will need a more complete effort in their own zone if it is to gain a 2-0 series lead. Hellebuyck made 14 saves en route to the win, but in allowing three goals in the first two periods, he finished with a concerning .824 save percentage.

But Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Jaret Anderson-Dolan also scored for the Jets, who won the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best regular-season record (56-22-4). With his three points, Scheifele became the Jets' all-time leader in playoff points with 41.

"It's obviously really cool," Scheifele said of the record. "To do it in front of the fans tonight was pretty special. That was a fun game to be a part of."

Jordan Kyrou gave the Blues a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal early in the second period, but Winnipeg's top-line winger Alex Iafallo tied it at 9:18 of the third.

Robert Thomas also scored on the power play for St. Louis. Oskar Sundqvist added one at even strength and Justin Faulk had two assists.

Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots for St. Louis, which grabbed the Western Conference's final wild-card spot with a final-game victory.

St. Louis outshot the Jets 9-7 in the opening period, and dished out 32 hits to Winnipeg's 14, as the teams hit the locker room tied at 2-2.

The Blues came out of the first intermission and used the power play for Kyrou's goal at 1:13 and a 3-2 lead. It extended his season-ending point streak to four goals and two assists in four games.

"Overall, I thought it was a really good hockey game, but we are going to grow and we are going to get better," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "That's what we're going to have to do. ... We've got a lot of young guys playing in their first game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That's why I know we will get better."

Winnipeg couldn't capitalize on its early third-period man advantage but came close when Binnington denied Connor on a one-timer.

After Lowry's goal, players paired up for some fighting with 19 seconds left after a regular-season series that Winnipeg won 3-1.

"That's playoff hockey," Hellebuyck said. "You have to play 'till the last minute, the last second. You know, it was a lot of fun, the guys were buzzing out there. I didn't get a whole lot of action in the third. But it was really fun to watch and be a part of it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DALLAS -- Nathan MacKinnon had a part in both of Colorado's strange goals in the second period before adding an empty-netter late as the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 in the opener of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Saturday night.

MacKinnon scored on a shot that deflected off Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, and knuckled past goalie Jake Oettinger late in the second period. That came during an extended power play, a double minor against the Stars after he took a high stick to the face.

That came after MacKinnon's assist midway through the second period on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen, who was following his initial shot and falling down after a collision in front of the net when the puck ricocheted off his lower left leg into the top corner of the net. The play was reviewed and officials ruled that there was no kicking motion by Lehkonen while tumbling to the ice with Mavrik Bourque.

There wasn't much Oettinger could do on either of those goals as the Stars lost Game 1 in their eighth consecutive series in the NHL playoffs since 2022. They are 0-7 in series openers under coach Pete DeBoer, six of those coming at home.

Devon Toews gave Colorado a 3-1 lead with 7:04 left. MacKinnon's empty-net tally for his 50th career playoff goal came with 3:08 left, 11 seconds before Charlie Coyle scored.

This series-opening loss for the Stars came after they finished the regular season on an 0-5-2 stretch that included four losses at home after being 28-5-3 before that.

Game 2 is Monday night in Dallas, before the series shifts to Denver.

Mackenzie Blackwood, one of 11 players who have seen action since being acquired through Colorado's eight in-season trades, stopped 23 shots.

Those deals included the Avalanche trading Mikko Rantanen on Jan. 24 to Carolina in the East, He played only 13 games before a deadline deal March 7 sent him back to the Central Division with the Stars and included a $96 million, eight-year contract extension.

Rantanen, who had 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 playoff games for the Avalanche had three shots and one block over 18 minutes in his postseason debut with the Stars.

Oettinger had 19 saves, three when Colorado had a two-man advantage in the first period when Cale Makar drew two tripping penalties only 36 seconds apart from each other.

Roope Hintz, who had the penalty against MacKinnon, got the Stars to 2-1 on his goal with 13:15 left in the game, just before the end of a power play and about a minute after DeBoer called a timeout.

Coach Jared Bednar got his 50th playoff win with the Avs - in his 82nd postseason game, equal to a full regular season. That broke a tie with Bob Hartley for the most wins by a coach in franchise history. Both won Stanley Cups - Bednar in 2022, and Hartley in 2001.

BOULDER, Colo. -- Deion Sanders didn't get a chance to fully enjoy the moment as his son, Shedeur, and his just-like-a-son, Travis Hunter, had their jerseys retired Saturday before the spring game.

The Colorado coach had too many other obligations -- checking out his new QBs, watching special teams and making sure the product was entertaining for a national television audience tuning in.

He was appreciative of the moment, though, even if the jersey retirement has rankled some former Colorado players and fans.

"I looked in both of their eyes -- I know [Shedeur and Travis] were pleased, they were thankful, and they were proud," Deion Sanders said. "That means a lot to me.

"The time frame, nobody's going to be happy with. Somebody's always going have something to say. But the way we are right now, we are a now generation. ... those guys deserve what they deserve right now. So I'm proud of them."

It was one of the last times that Hunter and Shedeur Sanders will team up on the turf at Folsom Field. Standing at midfield, they watched their retired jersey numbers -- No. 2 for Sanders, No. 12 for Hunter -- unveiled on the east face of the stadium.

This kicked off a busy week for Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner, and Sanders, the Johnny Unitas Award winner as college football's top QB. Both are expected to be high draft picks when the NFL draft starts on Thursday.

Once the retired ceremony concluded, the Buffaloes got down to the business of football.

Namely, finding a successor for Shedeur Sanders.

It figures to be a two-QB race between Kaidon Salter, a transfer from Liberty, and Julian "JuJu" Lewis, the five-star recruit who arrived on campus last fall to get an early start.

Lewis was the first to take the field and there were early jitters. He mixed the pass with the run, which will be a familiar sight as Colorado emphasizes the ground game this season now that the younger Sanders is gone. The Buffaloes brought in Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as the running backs coach to provide a spark.

"He's still a young man," Deion Sanders said of Lewis. "We don't care about the age and the stage, though."

Salter showed a veteran's poise when it was his turn. The dual-threat QB threw for 56 TDs at Liberty and ran for 21 scores.

"I fell in love with the offense," Salter said of why he chose Colorado. "We have a fully loaded staff here that knows what it takes to get to the next level."

Shedeur Sanders sauntered along the sideline, taking in the action of his heirs apparent, Lewis and Salter. Looking on as well was Hunter.

Sanders and Hunter became the fifth and sixth players in Colorado's 135-year history to have their jerseys retired.

At halftime, the Buffaloes announced the late coach Bill McCartney would be honored next season with a statue. McCartney, who led the program to its only football national championship in 1990, died in January at 84.

Deion Sanders said he only wishes the tribute came earlier.

"Why are we waiting? Wouldn't (McCartney) have wanted him to see (it), to be involved in it, to feel it, to feel the love, the respect, the appreciation? Why'd we wait?" asked Sanders, who plans to honor McCartney next fall by donning a similar hat and jacket as the Hall of Fame coach used to wear. "Everything we get is right now. We want something, we order it off Amazon -- right now. We're not a ... waiting generation no more. That's over. That's a wrap on that. Everybody in here is impatient. You download stuff right now, putting it out as I speak. Let's stop.

"I'm sad because I wanted him to see that. He can't see that."

Bring on Syracuse?

The attendance was announced at 20,430 fans, which was down from the previous two spring games. Sanders thinks the NCAA nixing a plan to play Syracuse hurt ticket sales. Still, he wants to see more seats filled.

"We do have a tremendous fan base, but we need a little more support when it comes to whatever we do inside the stadium," Sanders said. "We should be packing it like it's a game."

Walk-on honored

Walk-on safety Ben Finneseth was awarded a scholarship by Sanders.

"As soon as I put my head in his shoulder, I said, 'Thank you for believing in me.' Because he's believed in me since Day 1," Finneseth said. "I can't thank everyone enough for giving me the opportunity."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- The young, upstart Detroit Pistons, who had more than tripled their regular-season win total and were seeking their first playoff win in 17 years, seemingly had little else to prove in Saturday's first-round opener.

They had shown to be up to the task of defending All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson, who had started an ice-cold 2-for-13 from the field. Detroit looked fully in rhythm on offense and was shooting better than 50% from deep through three quarters to lead by eight heading into the fourth.

But all of it -- the defense on Brunson, the Pistons' offensive rhythm and just about everything else -- came crashing down for Detroit at Madison Square Garden in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks, whose pressure defense forced a pair of turnovers to open the final period, turned the momentum quickly and embarked on a 21-0 run over a four-and-a-half-minute span to run away with the contest 123-112 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

That fateful fourth quarter began on the wrong foot for the Pistons, who got whistled for a five-second violation when trying to inbound the ball on the first play of the period after Knicks guard Cameron Payne unexpectedly applied pressure in the backcourt.

If that wasn't bad enough, Detroit committed a 24-second shot clock violation on the following possession. And talented second-year wing Ausar Thompson blew a breakaway dunk in embarrassing fashion about a minute after that.

The mistakes opened the door for the Knicks -- who to that point had been kept afloat by OG Anunoby's offense -- to begin making up ground.

"Things turned really, really quickly," Brunson said, acknowledging that the Pistons' five-second violation felt like the catalyst. "I think we were just connected in the way we were getting stops out there. The way we played defensively was key for us."

As all of that was happening, the Knicks and their fans were tapping into the momentum they had generated from the Pistons' turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns (23 points, 11 rebounds, four steals) scored five quick points immediately after Detroit's miscues. Payne, who forced the initial violation, was solid in the fourth, scoring 11 of his 14 during the period.

And Brunson, arguably the NBA's best closer this season with a league-best 52 baskets in the clutch, found a comfort zone after returning from what looked like an ankle tweak to take over in the final period.

Brunson, who recently missed nearly a month of action due to a right ankle injury, left the game and bench area briefly. He appeared to be hobbling after tweaking it during a play late in the third. When he returned, he had switched from the lime green sneakers he had to an off-white pair. Coincidence or not, he shot 5-for-7 for 12 points and had three assists in the fourth.

He downplayed any potential injury and denied that the shoe change was in any way responsible for his late-game turnaround. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Brunson might have had another form of help, though. "I think he grabbed his cape," Thibodeau said with a smile.

Understandably, the Pistons -- who haven't won a playoff game since 2008 and saw their playoff losing skid extend to 15 games -- weren't smiling in their postgame interviews. Coach JB Bickerstaff also sounded concerned about the status of backup big man and enforcer Isaiah Stewart, who left the game with an apparent knee injury and didn't return.

But Detroit wasn't all doom and gloom about the defeat, necessarily.

After a rough start, Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham settled into something of a rhythm midway through the game to finish with 21 points and 12 assists to go with his six turnovers.

Veteran wing Tobias Harris, who had a 22-point first half Saturday after having gone scoreless in an elimination game against the Knicks last season with the Sixers, stated the obvious following the contest. For as ugly as the meltdown was, Game 1 was ultimately just one game.

"For the majority of it, we did a really good job staying composed out there," Harris said of the Pistons, who beat the Knicks three times in four outings during the regular season. "It's just one game of a series. Playoff basketball is about how you respond. [How you respond] is one of the biggest things in this league. I'm excited to see how we respond."

LOS ANGELES -- Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame Luka Doncic's 37-point Lakers playoff debut for a 117-95 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the first-round series opener for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who weathered Doncic's 16-point first quarter in front of a roaring L.A. crowd.

Minnesota then took control with a 38-20 second quarter and poured it on after halftime, showcasing its veteran poise and playoff experience. Julius Randle and Edwards hit four 3-pointers apiece as the Timberwolves made a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers on 42 attempts -- with many of those shots taken without a defender in sight.

LeBron James had 19 points to begin his 18th NBA postseason, but the third-seeded Lakers were overwhelmed by the Wolves' shotmaking and playoff poise. The 22-point loss is tied for Lakers' largest margin of defeat in a Game 1 home loss in franchise history. It was also the largest loss in Game 1 of the first round by a James team in his career.

While Los Angeles is still searching for chemistry after acquiring Doncic two months ago, Minnesota is eager to improve on last season's run to the Western Conference finals.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

"It means Game 1," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. "We know it's going to be a long series. Like, we're not, you know, we're not under any assumption that it's going to be this type of game on Game 2. It'll be a completely different game.

"We got a lot left, a lot of meat on the bone out there a lot of things. I know we can do better."

One day after the Dallas Mavericks' season ended in the play-In tournament, Doncic produced the 11th-highest scoring playoff game of his career -- and it wasn't nearly enough, thanks to the Timberwolves' prolific team effort.

Reid has a history of standout road performances against the Lakers, and he led the Wolves' rally in the middle quarters. Minnesota went ahead by 26 in the third quarter.

Los Angeles finally rallied in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 12 points on a barrage from Doncic, but Minnesota comfortably held on for its 18th win in its past 22 games.

The Lakers opened a playoff series at home with a full building for the first time since 2012 -- but they got that home-court advantage by the smallest margin. Los Angeles won 50 games, while the Timberwolves won 49 in the tight Western Conference.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.

The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are underway, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

All season long, the Western Conference standings were in constant flux, and Saturday's games hinted at what should be some dramatic first-round matchups. The No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets rallied to an overtime win over the 5-seed LA Clippers to take Game 1, thanks to some late-game heroics by Russell Westbrook. In the late game, the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves pounced on the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers as Anthony Edwards got the best of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Sunday's matchups will see MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder welcome Ja Morant and the 8-seed Memphis Grizzlies. Following that game, the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets -- one of the season's most improved teams -- will begin their clash with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors.

Here's what stood out from Saturday's results as we get you ready for Sunday's games.

Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers

More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

(Timberwolves lead series, 1-0)

Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95

What we learned in Game 1:
The Lakers organization geared up for Game 1 by distributing a hype video with their postseason motto "Unleash Joy." The video, in the Lakers' words, was meant to tip off their "2025 Playoff Run." The anticipation for a deep playoff push was understandable, considering how well L.A. played after trading for Luka Doncic and securing the No. 3 seed in the West.

And the way Saturday started, with Doncic personally outscoring Minnesota with 14 points as L.A. went up 20-12 early in the first, that story was seemingly going to plan. But nobody in L.A.'s marketing department considered that the Wolves, who lost to Doncic in the conference finals a year ago, would become the main characters.

"We know not many people are picking us," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said pregame. "I think our guys have leaned into that a little bit."

After Doncic's initial flourish, the Wolves took control in the second and third quarters, leading by as many as 27 points as they owned the boards (44-38) and spread out the Lakers' defense by making the extra pass to open shooters (hitting a franchise postseason record 21-of-42 from 3). The run-up to this series focused on Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves on one side and Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the other. However, Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid combined for 48 points on 19-for-25 shooting to completely outperform L.A.'s role players and put the Wolves in the driver's seat.

Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers (Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch in Game 2:
Lakers starting center Jaxson Hayes played only eight minutes, with coach JJ Redick opting for Jarred Vanderbilt at the 5 and using his activity (and some of his extracurricular efforts to get under the Wolves players' skin) to try to make a dent in the monstrous deficit, getting as close as 12. Redick will have a decision to make regarding whether he will want to give Hayes a second look -- that starting group was 10-3 in the regular season -- or make his first chess move of the series going small from the start, ceding the size disadvantage.

-- Dave McMenamin

(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers
(Nuggets lead series, 1-0)

Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)

What we learned in Game 1:
Denver can take a punch -- literally. Nikola Jokic got hit in the face by an errant Derrick Jones Jr. forearm, picked up a technical foul for arguing the non-call and somehow rallied the Nuggets back from a 15-point deficit to win this game in overtime. Russell Westbrook was incredible on the glass with clutch offensive rebounds, putbacks and even a key 3-pointer down the stretch. It was his first career go-ahead 3 inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in his playoff career. Jamal Murray shook off a poor first half to finish with two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon had six of the Nuggets' 14 points in overtime to seal the win.

The Clippers will wonder what would have happened if James Harden wasn't in foul trouble for most of the game. He was brilliant for the team but the Nuggets survived with grit and might just have rediscovered their championship swagger after a tumultuous final week of the regular season.

Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch in Game 2:
Both teams looked gassed by the end of this slugfest and have just one day to recover before Game 2 on Monday. The Clippers probably would have won this easily if they'd been tighter with the ball. They gave up 29 points off 20 turnovers Saturday. The only Clippers who should get credit for holding on to the ball are probably associate head coach Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell, who teamed up to win a wrestling match with Jokic late in the fourth quarter. On the Denver side, the Nuggets will need more from Michael Porter Jr. to have a chance in this series. He scored Denver's first points of the game and wasn't a factor the rest of the way, finishing with just three points in 26 minutes.

-- Ramona Shelburne

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Game 1: Grizzlies at Thunder (Sunday, April 20, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)

One thing to watch from the Thunder:
Given we're talking about a team that came just two wins short of 70 wins and finished with the best point differential in NBA history, the best-case scenario is winning the championship with ease. The two largest margins of victory in recent vintage came from the 2016-17 Warriors, who went a record 16-1 in the playoffs, and last year's Celtics, who finished 16-3. That kind of dominance is hardly out of the question for Oklahoma City, although the Thunder are all but certain to face stiffer postseason competition than last year's Celtics did. -- Kevin Pelton

One thing to watch from the Grizzlies:
By the time March rolled around Memphis was starting to slide, losing its first three games to start the month and eventually dropping 10 of 16 games. That led to the firing on Mar. 28 of Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history, and the promotion of new staffer Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. The move was made to optimize Ja Morant, who thrives with the ball in his hands. Memphis lost its first three games under the new regime but team appears be adjusting to Iisalo. -- Michael C. Wright

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Golden State Warriors

Game 1: Warriors at Rockets (Sunday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

One thing to watch from the Rockets:
When the action slows and every possession matters, can Houston consistently generate enough half-court offense to best a battle-tested Warriors club for an entire seven-game series? It's a conundrum Rockets coach Ime Udoka had already been pondering as his team closed the regular season, leaning into its physical identity while working to clean up issues on offense. The last time Udoka faced Golden State in the playoffs, he was the coach in Boston and watched Stephen Curry average 31.2 points against his Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. Fortunately for the Rockets, they might have the ideal Curry-stopper in rising star Amen Thompson, who locked down Curry when the teams met April 6, holding him to 1-for-10 shooting. Can Thompson handle such an important responsibility in the first postseason series of his career? -- Michael C. Wright

One thing to watch from the Warriors:
The Warriors will have to figure out a way to free Curry of Houston's physical defenders like Thompson and Dillon Brooks. But that is where Jimmy Butler III comes in. He will not only have to help Curry with the scoring load, but also carry the critical non-Curry minutes. And then the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green will have to find a way to contain 6-11 Alperen Sengun inside, especially on the glass, despite the height disadvantage. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

TORONTO -- Right-hander Jose Berrios suspected Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was relaying pitch information to his teammates and wanted the hard-hitting veteran to know what he thought of it.

Berrios, Saturday's starter for the Toronto Blue Jays, exchanged angry words with Raleigh as he walked back to the dugout at the end of the fourth inning of Saturday's 8-4, 12-inning loss to the Mariners.

"I don't react that way very often," Berrios said. "I'm a quiet and chill guy. But when some people are trying to fight with us in the field, I don't respect that. I don't like that."

Both benches cleared as Berrios and Raleigh jawed back between third base and home plate, but the situation did not escalate. As relievers from both teams were running in from the bullpens, Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was waving his teammates back.

Raleigh denied relaying pitch information but said he understood Berrios' reaction.

"I'd want my pitchers doing the same thing," Raleigh said. "If somebody thought they were tipping, I'd want them to say something. Just how it is. Competitive baseball game. People are right in the heart of it."

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said stealing signs and relaying pitch information is "fair game," and also a "part of the game."

"Teams do that. We get it," Schneider said. "In the heat of the moment, you get a little bit fired up. I didn't think the benches needed to clear. There was nothing crazy going on. But I like when our guys are sticking up for themselves."

Raleigh came up again in the fifth and hit a two-run double to right field that put Seattle ahead 2-1. Raleigh finished 2 for 3 with three walks, one of them intentional.

In 20 games against the Blue Jays, Raleigh is batting .292 (21 for 72) with 9 home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.