Benson breaks tie on birthday, Sabres beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 to even series

MONTREAL (AP) — Zach Benson broke a tie on a third-period power play on his 21st birthday and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Benson took a pass in the slot from Josh Doan, kicked the puck to his stick and put a backhander past goalie Jakub Dobes at 4:41 of the third. The goal came with Jake Evans off for holding Peyton Krebs.

Game 5 is Thursday night in Buffalo, with Game 6 in Montreal on Saturday night. The series winner will face Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. The Hurricanes swept both of their series.

Tage Thompson tied it for Buffalo in the second period with a fluke goal and also had an assist. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring and Doan had two assists.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Alex Lyon in goal after the Sabres dropped Games 2 and 3, making 28 saves in his first action since being pulled in the third period of a Game 2 loss to Boston in the first round.

Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal. Dobes stopped 19 shots.

Thompson tied it at 2 on four-minute power play seven minutes into the second when his dump-in from just over center ice deflected off the glass in the left corner to the crease and bounced in off Dobes’ right leg. Montreal’s Alexandre Carrier was called for the double minor after high-sticking and cutting Rasmus Dahlin.

The Canadiens failed to take advantage of a four-minute power play of their own after Bowen Byram was sent off for high-sticking Alexandre Texier late in the second period. Montreal was 1 for 7 on the power play.

Buffalo opened the scoring on Samuelsson’s goal at 6:32 of the first period, and appeared it make it 2-0 1:30 later when a video review confirmed Jack Quinn’s shot crossed the goal line inside Dobes’ glove, However, Montreal successfully challenged for goalie interference on Konsta Helenius.

Newhook then tied it at 1 with 9:52 left in the first with his fifth goal of the series and sixth of the playoffs. Caufield gave the Canadiens the lead with 13 seconds to go in the period, beating Luukkonen from close range on a power play.

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Buffalo Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff game in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Buffalo Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson (23) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) as Zach Benson (6) blocks during first period second round, Game 4, NHL playoff game in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Zachary Bolduc (76) and Buffalo Sabres' Peyton Krebs (19) fight during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff game in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Buffalo Sabres' Zach Benson (6) reacts to a goal by teammate Tage Thompson against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during second period, second round, game 4, NHL playoff hockey game in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Buffalo Sabres' Zach Benson (6) celebrates his goal over Montreal Canadiens with teammate Rasmus Dahlin (26) during third period, second round, game 4, NHL playoff action in Montreal on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Polls have closed across Nebraska, where the fate of the state's “blue dot” — a small, but significant factor in presidential politics — took center stage Tuesday as Democrats selected a congressional nominee in the state's high-profile 2nd District.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh and political activist Denise Powell were seen as the top contenders in the Democratic primary as their party looks to the Omaha-area district, where Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon is retiring, as one of its top targets in the November general election.

The winner will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. The Omaha City Council member is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

The district draws national attention because Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District has gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008 — a “blue dot” in an otherwise sea of red.

Some Democrats contended that the very survival of the “blue dot,” a point of intense local pride, was at stake on Tuesday.

Some argued that a Cavanaugh primary victory would jeopardize the district's special status because he'd be leaving his valuable state legislative seat, making it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.

The issue has defined the primary contest, where the leading candidates have much in common ideologically, perhaps more than any other.

Outside an Omaha polling place, Beth Pepitone said she voted for Powell because she wanted someone who would stand up to Trump.

“I just think we’re going in the wrong direction and it’s very sad,” said Pepitone. “I want to preserve the ‘blue dot.’”

The Democratic argument against Cavanaugh has little to do with his politics or policies.

His opponents and groups backing them have flooded mailboxes, airwaves and social media warning that if he wins the congressional primary, Nebraska's Republican governor would appoint a conservative Republican to replace him in the Legislature.

That move, they say, could give state Republicans enough votes to enact a conservative wish list that includes stricter limitations on abortion and transgender rights.

It could also empower Republicans to enact midcycle redistricting or change the state's unusual system of splitting presidential electoral votes, some Democrats argue. Republicans failed in 2024 to pass a bill that would have made Nebraska the 49th state to award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.

“Our Blue Dot. We fought hard for it. But if John Cavanaugh goes to Congress, it could all fall down,” cautions one TV ad by the super PAC New Democrat Majority.

EMILY’s List, a national group that supports women running for office, has put its reach and money behind Powell, calling Cavanaugh’s candidacy “a gift to MAGA Republicans.”

Republican groups have sent out mailers and social media posts claiming Cavanaugh “is in agreement with President Donald Trump” and showing a photo of Cavanaugh overlaid on a photo of the president, making it appear as if the two are standing together.

“Clearly, the Republicans know that I’m the strongest general election candidate,” Cavanaugh said. “And so they’re trying to hurt me.”

The attacks on Cavanaugh show Democrats and Republicans believe he has the best chance of winning the general election, said Paul Landow, a former Nebraska Democratic Party executive director.

He called the “blue dot” attacks disingenuous, noting Republicans already have a filibuster-proof majority in the Legislature but have still failed to pass key elements of their agenda because it is unpopular even among GOP lawmakers. The argument that a Cavanaugh win could weaken the state’s “blue dot” also assumes Democrats won’t pick up additional legislative seats this year, he said.

“There’s so many things that have to fall into place for this alleged danger to the ‘blue dot,’” Landow said. “It’s just wild speculation.”

While all the Democratic contenders cite affordability and opposition to Trump administration policies — from immigration and healthcare to military actions — the top contenders began attacking one another more aggressively in the days leading up to the primary.

Powell co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports progressive female candidates, and she has a decade of Democratic political activism. She's never held office but said her deep connections have helped her with independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district's electorate.

“My name recognition has increased dramatically,” Powell said, adding that "people are really connecting with my message.”

The winner of Tuesday's primary will head to a highly competitive general election.

Trump won the district in 2016, and the retiring Bacon, who has clashed with Trump, has held the House seat for five terms.

At an Omaha polling place, independent Hayden Kephart said her biggest concern is inflation.

“Obviously the price of everything has really gone up,” she said. “And the price of oil can be a factor in everyday life and travel plans.”

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts won Tuesday's GOP primary in his bid to seek a full term following his 2023 appointment and 2024 special election victory to replace Republican Ben Sasse.

Ricketts was already looking ahead to an expected general election contest against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid. Cindy Burbank won the Democratic primary.

In the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen won his party’s primary, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz won the Democratic nomination.

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

Denise Powell hugs her husband, Hobson, after voting in the Nebraska Primary Election at Omaha Community Playhouse Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. Powell is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in Nebraska's second district. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

Denise Powell, candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in Nebraska's second district, votes in the Nebraska Primary Election at Omaha Community Playhouse Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

District county clerk Crystal Rhoades speaks at a fundraising event Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)

Political activist Denise Powell speaks at a fundraising event Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)

State Sen. John Cavanaugh speaks at an office in Lincoln, Neb., Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck)