Avalanche shut out Oilers for 2-0 series lead
DENVER — Nazem Kadri had three assists in a 2-minute, 4-second span in the second period, backup Pavel Francouz stopped 24 shots for his second career playoff shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-0, on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals....
‘Kid Line’ helping Rangers get first series lead this playoffsVideo
The New York Rangers’ third line has been making valuable contributions all season, and the trio’s success in Game 1 against Tampa Bay is a big reason the team finally has a lead during a postseason series. Dubbed “The Kid Line” because of their ages — Filip Chytil is 22,...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans pounce on Doug Whaley’s Jack Ham comments; Pirates fans rip roster; reader backs Jacob Trouba hits
Despite a good week out west, fans are still piling on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Criticism of Jacob Trouba’s hits have hockey fans in a snit. And someone was critical of a Super Stiller from the 1970s. Perhaps the ultimate Pittsburgh sin. All that and more in this week’s “U mad,...
Rangers rout Lightning, take Game 1 of Eastern Conference finalsVideo
NEW YORK — Filip Chytil scored twice in the second period, and the New York Rangers routed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2, on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and...
Mark Madden: Avalanche-Oilers matchup shows what hockey could be
Colorado beat Edmonton, 8-6, in the first game of the Western Conference final Tuesday. That game is how fans want hockey to be: 14 goals, 84 shots, fast, creative, fun, a ton of prime scoring chances and a fierce comeback by the Oilers that fell just short. The stars delivered:...
Avalanche hold off Oilers for wild 8-6 victory in Game 1
DENVER — In a frenetic game that featured 14 goals, Colorado and Edmonton players came away with the same thought — defense can’t be so optional. J.T. Compher scored twice, Cale Makar had a goal and two assists and the Avalanche held off the Oilers, 8-6, on Tuesday night in...
Vasilevskiy, Shesterkin highlight Lightning-Rangers matchupVideo
Andrei Vasilevskiy has won a Vezina Trophy and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Igor Shesterkin is a finalist for the Vezina this year as he leads the New York Rangers in their pursuit of their first championship since 1994 and second in 82 years. The Russian goalies...
Rangers beat Carolina in Game 7 to reach Eastern Conference finals
RALEIGH, N.C. — Chris Kreider scored twice, Igor Shesterkin was strong in net again, and the New York Rangers ended Carolina’s perfect postseason run at home, beating the Hurricanes, 6-2, in the decisive Game 7 of their second-round playoff series Monday night. Shesterkin — a finalist for the for both...
The puck stops here: Way out of West may rest on goaltenders
DENVER — Beyond the marquee matchup featuring Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon there’s another just as intriguing — the goaltenders responsible for stopping two of the best scorers in the world. They’re each embracing the challenge, too, as the Western Conference final starts Tuesday night in Denver. Colorado goaltender Darcy...
West final boasts Nathan MacKinnon versus Connor McDavid, 2 speedy teams
DENVER — The headline act for the Western Conference final: Connor McDavid against Nathan MacKinnon. The show is about to get real good. This is a series sure to generate lots of end-to-end, fast-paced, goal-scoring entertainment as McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers meet MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche starting Tuesday...
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin new king of New YorkVideo
Igor Shesterkin pulls the mask up on top of his head, takes a sip of water and looks around. Instead of squirting the bottle through the cage and shuffling back into position, he takes a few seconds to soak in the atmosphere. “He has that grin like he’s loving every...
McDavid, Oilers eliminate Flames in OT, on to West finals
CALGARY, Alberta — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl dominated the first playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years. It was fitting Edmonton’s dynamic duo combined to end it. McDavid scored at 5:03 of overtime and the Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 5-4 on Thursday night in Game 5 of the...
First Call: Who is Steelers most underappreciated player; Pittsburgh connections help Hurricanes beat Rangers
Friday’s “First Call” debates the Steelers most “underappreciated player.” We also look ahead to the Pirates game against Joe Musgrove. And some Pittsburgh connections played a role in the Carolina Hurricanes win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Plus, a happy anniversary for the Penguins, but a sad...
Hurricanes win Game 5, push Rangers to brink of eliminationVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Upper St. Clair’s Vincent Trocheck buried a short-handed goal, Teuvo Teravainen had a rare power-play score for Carolina and the Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers, 3-1, on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round playoff series. Andrei Svechnikov also scored, beating Igor Shesterkin...
Mike Sielski: Claude Giroux’s star-crossed career adds another missed Stanley Cup chapter
PHILADELPHIA — Claude Giroux had begun to acknowledge the inevitability of his situation years ago. It was the summer of 2018, just before the Flyers’ first day of training camp. Dave Hakstol had helped him revitalize his career the season before, moving him from center to left wing. With the...
Capitals’ Tom Wilson out 6-8 months after knee surgeryVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals right winger Tom Wilson is expected to miss six to eight months after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the torn ACL in his left knee. The team announced Wednesday that Wilson had a successful ACL replacement procedure a day earlier — four weeks after injuring the...
Rangers power past Hurricanes in Game 4 to even series
NEW YORK — Andrew Copp had a goal and two assists, and Frank Vatrano and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, in Game 4 on Tuesday night, evening the second-round series. Mika Zibanejad also scored, Ryan Lindgren...
For Panthers, regular season success didn’t lead to Stanley Cup runVideo
SUNRISE, Fla. — There will be a Presidents’ Trophy banner hanging over the Florida Panthers’ home ice next season. The team’s media relations department will spend its summer rewriting the record book because tons of pages need updating. And the earliest that the Panthers will again have to hear about...
First Call: Aaron Donald not at OTAs yet; NFL free agents at positions of need for Steelers; ex-Penguin stays hot in playoffs
Tuesday’s “First Call” updates the Aaron Donald situation in Los Angeles. We check in on potential free agents the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to investigate. A rematch of an ex-Pirate pitching duel takes a turn. And a former Penguin stays hot in the postseason. A.D.’s day Los Angeles Rams star...
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning blank Panthers to complete sweep
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning are running out of superlatives to describe Andrei Vasilevskiy’s dominance. The reigning Conn Symthe Trophy winner delivered another stellar playoff performance for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Monday night, stopping 49 shots to beat the Florida Panthers, 2-0, and finish a four-game...
NHL, St. Louis police looking into threats made toward Nazem Kadri
The NHL said Monday that St. Louis police are investigating threats made toward Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri, who has been the subject of racist social media posts since he was involved in a collision that ended the season of Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The...
Mika Zibanejad leads Rangers to 1st win over Hurricanes in Game 3
NEW YORK — After two tough losses on the road put them in another series deficit, the New York Rangers again bounced back with a big home win. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots and the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, on...
Mike Sielski: Why the Flyers’ 47-year Stanley Cup drought won’t end soon
PHILADELPHIA — As of Friday, May 27, it will have been 47 years since the Flyers last won the Stanley Cup. If you have a fondness for the sadomasochistic, you can continue parsing that number to illustrate just how long that drought has been: 17,168 days, 411,744 hours, and on...
Ross Colton scores late, Lightning beat Panthers in Game 2
SUNRISE, Fla. — Ross Colton scored with 3.8 seconds remaining, giving the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday night. The stunning finish put the Lightning up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series...
Predators extend coach John Hynes, assistants through 23-24Video
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators extended the contracts of coach John Hynes and his assistants through the 2023-24 season, trying to build on a season with several individual successes for a franchise that wound up being swept in the playoffs for the first time. General manager David Poile announced...
