Golden Knights lived on their penalty kill before the Ducks finally made them pay

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Golden Knights' penalty kill, backed by goalie Carter Hart's stellar play, has been so good that Vegas has been able to get away with committing more penalties than usual.

That is, until Sunday night when the Anaheim Ducks scored two power-play goals to win 4-3 and even the second-round NHL playoffs series at two games apiece.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Las Vegas (9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN), and whether the Ducks found something in Game 4 or if it was a momentary blip for the Golden Knights will go a long way in determining which team advances to the Western Conference final.

More than getting back to their penalty kill — which had its streak of 21 straight ended in that game — the Golden Knights will have to try to figure out a way to cut down on the number penalties while maintaining their aggressiveness.

Vegas was second in the league in the regular season in committing 3.12 penalties per game, a hair behind New Jersey's 3.10. But the Golden Knights are up to 4.00 average in the playoffs, though that is the third fewest in the league.

“We've obviously got to stay more disciplined, not wanting to give them momentum off that or give them opportunities on the power play,” Vegas forward Brett Howden said. “They obviously have a good power play, so I think our PK's done a really good job, but no sense in keep giving them those opportunities.”

The Ducks took advantage of their chances on Sunday.

Anaheim had converted 8 of 16 power plays in their first-round, six-game elimination of Edmonton. But the Ducks were 0 of 11 against Vegas before Beckett Sennecke broke through with a goal in the first period.

Alex Killorn converted with the man advantage late in the second period for a 3-2 lead. Golden Knights coach John Tortorella pointed to that as the critical juncture in the game.

“Once you score one, it kind of changes the confidence of a power play,” Killorn said. “You're getting good chances (but) it's not going your way. But to see one go in, I think for us, was kind of a momentum builder and it gives you confidence.”

Killorn's shot just got by Hart, who had a rare down game this postseason. Hart was in a similar situation in the opening-round series against Utah, allowing four goals in 12 shots in a Game 3 loss to the Mammoth. Hart responded by winning five of his next six starts.

“He's been terrific,” Tortorella said Monday. “I don't expect anything different tomorrow.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Canadiens lead 2-1.

The Canadiens come off a dominant 6-2 victory over the Sabres on Sunday in an electric atmosphere in Montreal. Fans serenaded rookie goalie Jakub Dobes with “Ole! Ole! Ole!” after the game, causing him to pause during an on-ice interview and smile broadly.

But there is still more work to do for the Canadiens, who will need to put the emotions behind them and focus on a Sabres team with every intention of salvaging a split in Montreal and recapturing home-ice advantage.

“You've got to do the things that the game is asking you to do — all the time,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “So you've got to be alert. You're hoping for an offensive shift. That's not what the game is asking you to do at that time. It's just to be really mature and understanding that (situation), and I feel we're equipped to be able to do that knowing that nothing is bullet proof.”

The challenge in many ways is the same for Buffalo.

“Playoffs is about the next game,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Monday. “It's not about the past one. I think we've answered a lot of questions this year about tough situations. ... I'm really confident in the group, so it's all about tomorrow.”

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Buffalo Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates after his goal with teammates Jack Quinn (22) and Zach Benson (6) during the second period of Game 3 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) looks at hockey sticks left over from a fight between multiple players from both teams during the third period of Game 3 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vegas Golden Knights' Jack Eichel (9) and Mitch Marner (93) react after their loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 4 of an NHL hockey playoff series Sunday, May 10, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Number one star of the game Anaheim Ducks' Alex Killorn (17) hands an autographed souvenir to a young fan after their win over the Vegas Golden Knights after the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey series Sunday, May 10, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

The model of cargo plane that crashed in Kentucky last fall after an engine fell off a UPS jet as it was taking off resumed flying over the weekend.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it approved Boeing’s proposed fix for the workhorse MD-11s “after extensive review.” And then FedEx started flying them to deliver packages again Sunday.

The UPS plane crashed in November 2025 shortly after taking off once the left engine flew off the wing as the plane rolled down the runway. Three pilots on the plane that was headed for Hawaii loaded with packages and fuel were killed along with 12 more people on the ground near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Boeing developed a plan to replace a key spherical bearing and step up inspections of the parts that hold the engines to the wings. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that in 2011 Boeing had documented four previous failures of the part that helps secure the MD-11’s engines to the wings on three different planes, but at that point the plane manufacturer “determined it would not result in a safety of flight condition.” These planes were built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing.

The FAA grounded all MD-11s after the crash because of concerns that the planes might not be safe. Earlier this year, UPS retired its entire fleet of the aircraft, which made up about 9% of its total fleet. But FedEx had remained committed to getting them back in the air even though they only account for about 4% of its fleet. The other package hauler that used MD-11s, Western Global Airlines, has not commented publicly since the crash and didn't respond to an email about the FAA's decision.

FedEx said in a statement that it worked closely with Boeing, the FAA and its own experts to inspect and repair its planes, and the government certified that it had complied with Boeing's recommendations. It owns 46 of these planes though even before the crash it had been storing more than two dozen of them.

“Safety is our highest priority at FedEx,” the company said.

But FedEx does plan to eventually retire its MD-11s and replace them with more efficient models. They had announced that long-term plan even before the crash.

Aviation lawyers who are representing some of the families that have sued over the Louisville crash said they hope the FAA made sure these planes will be safe.

“We hope the FAA does a thorough job of investigating the fixes before the MD-11 fleet is allowed to return to flight,” lawyer Bradley Cosgrove said.

But aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said he’s surprised it took this long to get these planes flying again given how quickly the NTSB identified key concerns that likely contributed to the engine falling off. The NTSB is planning two days of investigative hearings on the UPS crash next week to delve deeper into what happened.

“I’m confident that the solution will work, and I would like to see the MD-11s back up in the air. It will be a safe airplane with regards to its engines after these corrective actions are made,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the NTSB and FAA.

Some experts speculated after the crash that the MD-11s might never fly again if the repair proved to be more expensive that it was worth in these older planes. But Boeing found a way to address the safety concerns with just replacing the bearing and stepping up inspections.

Associated Press writer Jack Dura contributed to this report from Bismarck, North Dakota.

FILE - This photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows UPS plane crash scene, Nov. 6, 2025 in Louisville, Ky. (NTSB via AP, File)

FILE - Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry, File)