Capitals’ T.J. Oshie hopes to play next season. He’ll only do so if his back problems are fixed
ARLINGTON, Va. — T.J. Oshie lingered on the ice long after many of his Washington Capitals teammates departed for the locker room following the loss that eliminated them from the playoffs. His family was at all four games, including in New York, just in case. They could be the final...
Seattle Kraken fire coach Dave Hakstol after leading the franchise for its first 3 seasonsVideo
SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken fired coach Dave Hakstol on Monday after the third-year franchise took a significant step back on the heels of a playoff appearance in their second season. Hakstol was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season as Seattle finished...
Analysis: The NHL playoffs are off to an odd start, from the net outVideo
The greatest goal-scorer of his generation was held without a point for the first time in a series in his nearly two-decade NHL career. The best goaltender in the league this season has given up a first round-high 19 goals. Vancouver has lost a Vezina Trophy finalist, used three different...
Rangers finish off sweep of the Capitals, move on to the 2nd round of the NHL playoffsVideo
WASHINGTON — Artemi Panarin scored the go-ahead goal on the power play early in the third period, Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves and the New York Rangers advanced to the second round of the playoffs by finishing off a sweep of the Washington Capitals with a 4-2 victory in Game...
Bob Cole, the voice of hockey in Canada for a half-century, dies at 90
TORONTO — Bob Cole, the voice of hockey in Canada for a half century who served as the soundtrack for some of the national sport’s biggest moments, has died. He was 90. Friend and fellow broadcaster John Shannon said Cole died Wednesday night in his hometown of St. John’s, the...
Goalie Ivan Fedotov signs 2-year, $6.5M deal with Flyers after long journey to NHL
PHILADELPHIA — Goaltender Ivan Fedotov signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Flyers on Tuesday, landing a short-term commitment in the NHL less than a month after joining the team and nine years after his complicated and secretive journey to Philadelphia began. Fedotov made his long-awaited Flyers debut earlier...
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko will miss Game 2 against PredatorsVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Vancouver Canucks will be without goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday. Coach Rick Tocchet said the 28-year-old netminder is going to be evaluated later Tuesday and is “day to day.” “He skated yesterday....
Matthews scores as Maple Leafs beat Bruins 3-2 to tie series
BOSTON — Auston Matthews scored on a breakaway to snap a third-period tie with eight minutes left, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Monday night to knot their first-round playoff series at one game apiece. Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots for Toronto, which snapped an...
Sabres bring back Lindy Ruff as coach in hopes of ending playoff drought
Lindy Ruff is returning to Buffalo for a second stint as coach of the Sabres. General manager Kevyn Adams announced the hiring Monday. Adams had strongly hinted at bringing Ruff back into the fold when talking about hiring a coach with significant NHL experience. Ruff coached the Sabres from 1997-2013...
Matt Rempe, Rangers’ 4th line comes through vs. Capitals
NEW YORK — Matt Rempe and the New York Rangers’ fourth line made their presence felt in the opener of their first-round series against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Jimmy Vesey had a goal and an assist, home-crowd favorite Rempe also scored and Barclay Goodrow had two assists in the...
Big goaltender decisions await several teams in Stanley Cup playoffs
DENVER — Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev went home after a recent shaky outing and immediately watched film — the car-racing thriller “The Fast and the Furious.” Anything to keep his own mind from racing. It’s playoff time, where teams march to the beat of their goaltenders. They want them laser-focused,...
NHL PLAYOFFS: West best Dallas vs. defending champion Vegas headlines 1st-round matchupsVideo
All eight first-round matchups in the NHL playoffs are set after the last day of the regular season flipped two of the biggest series in the West. The defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights will open against West top seed Dallas. Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers will face the Los...
John Tortorella says he failed to get Flyers to ‘close the deal’ in wake of late-season collapseVideo
VOORHEES, N.J. — Put those playoff plans on hold, Flyers fans. And not just this season. Philadelphia is stuck on the outside of the postseason for the fourth straight year after its fate was decided in Game 82. The Flyers’ acceleration from expected painful rebuild to the cusp of the...
Utah’s new NHL team needs new name, as well
The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined. “We’ll start with Utah on the jersey, and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” new owner Ryan...
‘It’s wide open’ is theme as race to Stanley Cup begins
General manager Don Waddell likes how his Carolina Hurricanes finished the season, winning 16 of their final 21 games. He knows it means nothing now. “Your points get erased, and you all start with zeroes,” Waddell said. “Playoffs are a different time. That’s what’s great about the NHL. Once you...
Former NHL star Jaromir Jagr scores in his first game since turning 52Video
KLADNO, Czech Republic — Jaromir Jagr returned to action Thursday for the first time since turning 52 and immediately scored as he surpassed legend Gordie Howe to become the oldest player taking regular shifts in professional ice hockey. Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey,” was 52 years, 11 days old when...
Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City after vote
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes officially are headed to Salt Lake City. The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the way for the franchise’s move to Utah next season. The...
First Call: 49ers reportedly dismiss Steelers’ Brandon Aiyuk trade call; Marc-Andre Fleury discusses plan to play next yearVideo
Thursday’s “First Call” gives us San Francisco’s reaction to a Steelers trade inquiry for Brandon Aiyuk. We also have an interesting note about a Steelers draft option. Pirates prospect Paul Skenes gets ready to pitch again in Indianapolis. And Marc-Andre Fleury explains his decision to come back for one more...
Coyotes end tenure in desert with raucous atmosphere before move
TEMPE, Ariz. — Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the three years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah. For 60 minutes, they got one last chance to watch the team they came to love before the franchise as they know it...
Rangers’ Artemi Panarin has career year with MVP-caliber numbers
Artemi Panarin was an established offensive player before he signed with the New York Rangers in 2019. He has only boosted his numbers since then and is coming off a career year going into the playoffs. The Russian forward averaged 29 goals and 51 assists in his first four seasons...
Montreal Canadiens exercise option on Martin St. Louis’ contract
BROSSARD, Quebec — The Montreal Canadiens exercised the two-year option of the contract of coach Martin St. Louis, committing him to the team for the next three seasons. Montreal hired St. Louis on an interim basis following Dominique Ducharme’s dismissal in February 2022. The 48-year-old Canadian was named coach at...
NHL has no appetite to expand playoffs beyond its 16-team tournament for the Stanley Cup
Sixteen teams, each one needing to win 16 games over four rounds of best-of-seven series to lift the Stanley Cup, has been the way the NHL decides its champion for nearly four decades. That isn’t changing any time soon. The NHL is the only one of the major four North...
Marc-Andre Fleury signs a $2.5M extension with the Wild to return for next season at age 40
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension on Wednesday, bringing back the veteran for his age-40 season. Fleury, who turns 40 on Nov. 28, has had a prolific season in which he passed Patrick Roy for second place behind...
Hockey business booming as NHL bounces back from pandemic in big way
NEW YORK — Arenas are full, the NHL is a fixture on TV screens across North America, highlight-reel goals are talking points on a near-daily basis and “The Pat McAfee Show” even has a segment called “Hockey is Awesome.” Piece it all together, and more eyes are on the puck...
Buffalo Sabres fire head coach Don Granato after extending playoff drought to 13th season
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Don Granato on Tuesday, making him the seventh coach to be ousted during what’s grown into an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought. The move was announced by the team a day after the Sabres closed their season with a 4-2 win at...
