Topsy-turvy Sabres-Canadiens 2nd-round playoff series to be decided with Game 7
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s bid to relinquish home-ice advantage has fallen on deaf ears. Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, meantime, was busy citing physics in looking forward. Odd as it might sound, the comments were befitting of a logic-
defying, momentum-elusive NHL second-round playoff series that...
Avs forward Nicolas Roy puts Vegas friendships on hold as he meets his old team in conference finals
DENVER — Nicolas Roy still has his place in Las Vegas. He still has plenty of friends on the Golden Knights. He still has those cherished memories, too, from helping them win a Stanley Cup title three years ago. Roy, who was traded from Vegas to Toronto last summer as...
Sabres rally to beat Canadiens, force Game 7
MONTREAL — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves after starter Alex Lyon stopped only one of the four shots he faced, and the Buffalo Sabres roared back to beat the Montreal Canadiens, 8-3, on Saturday night and force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. The winner Monday night...
Avalanche take advantage of break to heal before conference finals
DENVER — Most of the Colorado Avalanche’s players returned to the ice for practice Saturday after a two-day break. Emphasis on most. Noticeably missing were defensemen Cale Makar and Brent Burns, along with forward Artturi Lehkonen. There to warm up before heading to the locker room was defenseman Josh Manson,...
Suzuki, Evans cap 2nd-period surge, Canadiens beat Sabres 6-3 to take 3-2 lead in 2nd-round series
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Captain Nick Suzuki and the Canadiens’ top line brought the offense, goalie Jakub Dobes shook off a rough start, and Montreal is one win from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. Suzuki and Jake Evans capped a three-goal second period surge by scoring 68 seconds apart in...
Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch after 1st-round playoff exit that followed 2 Stanley Cup Final trips
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Kris Knoblauch on Thursday, dismissing him after a first-round exit followed him guiding the team to consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Knoblauch coached the Oilers to the playoffs three times since taking over as a midseason replacement when Jay Woodcroft...
Brett Kulak scores early in OT as Avs rally, advance to West final with win over Wild
DENVER — Brett Kulak scored 3 minutes, 52 seconds into overtime after Nathan MacKinnon tied it late in regulation, and the Colorado Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference final with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Kulak capped a wild comeback for the...
Canadiens-Sabres Game 5, Golden Knights-Ducks Game 6 test experience vs. youth
While John Tortorella has only been coaching the Vegas Golden Knights for a little over six weeks, they are his sixth NHL team and he is coming up on his 22nd anniversary of hoisting the Stanley Cup. Through all that, he still wonders something about playoff hockey. “I’m not sure...
Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer unanimously wins Calder Trophy as NHL’s top rookie
NEW YORK — Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders is the unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. The league surprised him with the award Wednesday. Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was the Calder front-runner from just about the time...
Zach Benson scores tiebreaking goal on birthday as Sabres knot series with Canadiens
MONTREAL — 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...
Blue Jackets sign forward Charlie Coyle to 6-year, $36 million extension
Charlie Coyle knew Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell could have traded him near the March deadline after the center did not fully commit to re-signing with the club. Waddell’s decision to stand pat and the team’s second-half improvement under coach Rick Bowness are two factors why Coyle is...
Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy suspended 6 games for slashing Sabres’ Zach Benson
NEW YORK — Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was suspended for the first six games of next season for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ruling Tuesday after holding an in-person hearing at league headquarters in New York on Monday. That gave senior VP...
Avalanche bounce back to beat the Wild for 3-1 lead in series
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored in the third period for Colorado, an opportune time for their first goals of the postseason as the high-scoring Avalanche snapped back from a mid-series lull and beat the Minnesota Wild, 5-2, in Game 4 on Monday night to...
First Call: Former Pitt QB defends Steelers rookie Drew Allar amid criticism of technique; an ex-Penguin scores in playoffs
Monday’s “First Call” has some background on the Drew Allar practice tape making the rounds from Pittsburgh Steelers rookie camp. A former Cleveland Brown is leaving the division to head west. And the Pittsburgh Penguins are celebrating a happy anniversary, while an ex-Penguin is making a playoff impact. Context matters...
Canadiens beat Sabres to take a 2-1 lead in the second-round Eastern Conference series
MONTREAL — Cole Caufield scored his second goal of the playoffs and added an assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 in a dominant Game 3 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Alex Newhook had two goals, including an empty-netter,...
Jackson Blake’s OT goal lifts Hurricanes over Flyers for 2nd straight playoff sweep
PHILADELPHIA — Jackson Blake scored 5 minutes, 28 seconds into overtime for his second of the game, Logan Stankoven also scored in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes finished a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight...
Does NHL need more replay reviews for penalties, or would they slow the game?
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour figures the NHL has the best officials in the world. He still thinks they could use some help in sorting through the chaos — both before and after the whistle — that comes with the NHL playoffs. Brind’Amour has backed the idea...
Hurricanes beat Flyers in Game 3, move within a win of 2nd straight sweep
PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, and Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, keying a special teams effort that helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their seventh straight playoff game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes — who...
Ducks beat Golden Knights 3-1 and send series back to Anaheim at 1-1
LAS VEGAS — Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins scored, Lukas Dostal came 5.6 seconds from his first career playoff shutout and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-1, on Wednesday night to even their series at a game apiece. The Ducks head home with the chance...
Revived power play lifts Sabres past Canadiens in Round 2 series opener
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored on consecutive power-play opportunities in reviving Buffalo’s anemic special-teams unit, and the Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night. Josh Doan and Jordan Greenway also scored for Buffalo, which is making...
Avalanche’s depth turns into 14-goal statement in 1st 2 games against Wild
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche both deep and dynamic, and that unusual combination has the Minnesota Wild searching for answers to their opponent’s offensive onslaught. “It’s one game at a time,” Wild forward Matt Boldy said after the Avalanche’s 5-2 win Tuesday night put Minnesota in a 2-0 hole in...
MacKinnon has goal and 2 assists in 5-2 win over Wild as Avalanche take 2-0 lead in series
DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal and assisted on two more as the Colorado Avalanche rolled through Minnesota’s newest netminder, Filip Gustavsson, on their way to a 5-2 win over the Wild on Tuesday night, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the second-round playoff series. The Avalanche now have won...
Toronto Maple Leafs win lottery for the No. 1 pick in NHL Draft
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery for the first pick in the NHL Draft, a significant victory that could change the trajectory of the storied franchise at a critical time. The Maple Leafs got some lottery luck Tuesday night, a little more than 48 hours after hiring John Chayka...
Sabres host Canadiens in 2nd-round clash of youthful teams
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In between addressing the Sabres’ anemic power play and needing to be better on home ice, coach Lindy Ruff took time to reflect on Buffalo’s rich but relatively ancient playoff history against the Montreal Canadiens. His memories go back to 1983, when a 23-year-old Ruff was part...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB signs with Ravens; Chase Claypool’s tryout in Green Bay; Flyers down 0-2 to Carolina
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” an ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback lands in Baltimore. Chase Claypool is still looking for work. Penguins fans can enjoy another Flyers loss in their current series against Carolina. And the Pirates look to stay hot in Arizona after their sweep to close out a homestand at PNC...
