In playoffs, Evander Kane’s game makes headlines as Oilers take control of seriesVideo
LOS ANGELES — Evander Kane is happy to be making headlines for his on-ice play instead of off-ice controversies. Edmonton’s enigmatic forward has an NHL-best five goals in the past two games of the Western Conference first-round series against Los Angeles. Kane had his first hat trick in a Stanley...
Jack Campbell shines, Maple Leafs beat Lightning in Game 3
TAMPA, Fla. — Jack Cambell had 32 saves — including three to protect the lead on a late power play — and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2, in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Friday night. Ilya Mikheyer had two empty-net goals in the...
Panthers rout Capitals in Game 2 to even series
SUNRISE, Fla. — The bounce-back game that the Florida Panthers needed started, perhaps fittingly, with a puck that took a fortuitous bounce. A burst here. A burst there. And just like that, series tied. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Panthers beat...
Kings build contender 8 years after raising Stanley Cup
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Kings raised the Stanley Cup for the second time in June 2014, punctuating a phenomenal three-year run in which the longtime NHL afterthoughts won 10 playoff series as one of the most tenacious teams in hockey. And then the Kings won just one...
First Call: Antonio Brown makes onstage return to Pittsburgh; Marc-Andre Fleury bounces back in playoffs
Former Steeler Antonio Brown will soon return to Pittsburgh to show off his musical talents. Marc-Andre Fleury is back on the winning track in Minnesota. A pair of former Penguins are looking for new coaching jobs. We look at the other Eastern Conference playoff series besides Penguins-Rangers. And the Pirates...
Victor Hedman, Lightning beat Maple Leafs to even series
TORONTO — Victor Hedman had a goal and three assists for his first four-point playoff game, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, on Wednesday night in Game 2 to even the first-round series. Nikita Kucherov added a goal and two assists, and Brayden Point, Corey...
Hurricanes claim testy win vs. Bruins, take 2-0 series lead
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice, and the Carolina Hurricanes overcame the early loss of goalie Antti Raanta to beat the Boston Bruins, 5-2, on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. Jesper Fast had the game’s first goal for Carolina in...
Turner Sports prepared for its first Stanley Cup Playoffs
Liam McHugh is familiar with the rigors of hosting studio shows during the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially those nights when games go to the multiple overtimes on the West Coast. McHugh is in for some relief this season. With Turner Sports and ESPN picking up the playoffs after 16 years,...
Devils shake-up: Assistant coaches Recchi, Nasreddine out
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils shook up their assistant coaching ranks Wednesday, firing Mark Recchi while not renewing the contract of Alain Nasreddine. General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the decisions Wednesday, less than a week after New Jersey missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and the...
Capitals rally late, stun top-seeded Panthers in Game 1
SUNRISE, Fla. — T.J. Oshie scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, Vitek Vanecek stopped 30 shots and the Washington Capitals rallied past the top-seeded Florida Panthers, 4-2, in the opener of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night. Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller also scored...
Flyers GM Fletcher wants to find right fit in new coachVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers need a new coach. And they need to get younger. Find more talent. Spark interest in a sagging fanbase. Oh, is that it? It’s just the start of the long list of what promises to be a long offseason for the Flyers after what was...
Kraken hope to build after disappointing inaugural campaignVideo
SEATTLE — For all the excitement and anticipation leading up to the first puck drop, the inaugural season for the Seattle Kraken ended up looking like nearly every other NHL expansion season from the past 30 years. The comparisons with the last expansion team, the Golden Knights, were inevitable, and...
How Jordan Staal, Carolina Hurricanes’ ‘ultimate leader,’ keeps team on a winning path
Jordan Staal was 20 years old when he held up the Stanley Cup in victory, letting out a big howl, a blondish playoff beard making him look older. Then again, it might have been the strain of winning the Cup, the grueling pursuit, that made him look older. It can...
Antti Raanta sharp in playoff debut as Hurricanes rout Bruins in Game 1Video
RALEIGH, N.C. — Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter scored second-period goals, and Antti Raanta was strong in net to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins, 5-1, on Monday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Raanta had 35 saves in his first career postseason start with...
First Call: Steelers may have been trying to to move up in Round 1; Ravens still need a receiver; checking on Rangers
Monday’s “First Call” shows an interesting twist to the Pittsburgh Steelers draft. We preview the injury situation with the New York Rangers as they prepare to play the Penguins. The Ravens still need to know what’s going on at wide receiver. And we preview the Pirates’ next series in Detroit....
Avs, Flames top seeds in ever-unpredictable NHL Western ConferenceVideo
In assessing the status of his Pacific Division champion Calgary Flames, coach Darryl Sutter may have at the same time aptly captured the unpredictable state of the entire Western Conference once the playoffs open Monday. “We’re good. We’ve been consistent all year,” Sutter said. “The key is being healthy and...
NHL playoff matchups determined after frantic final night
It took until the final game on the final night of the NHL regular season to set the matchups for the first round of the playoffs. Naturally, the battle for the Stanley Cup starts in less than 72 hours. Technically there’s still one more inconsequential, weather-postponed game to be played...
Playoff hockey ‘changes everything’ from NHL regular season
Jon Cooper doesn’t get much sleep from September through June, even less when the NHL playoffs begin. After coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning to the league’s best regular-season record in 2019, getting swept in the first round in stunning fashion and then winning the Stanley Cup back to back, he...
Puck, player tracking taking big strides forward in NHLVideo
When Buffalo rookie Owen Power scored his first NHL goal, the replay from five different angles was available in a matter of seconds in a private suite at Prudential Center as the team celebrated below. A few doors down, donning a headset puts you virtually on the ice with a...
First Call: Cowboys owner swats former Steeler; Alex Ovechkin gives injury update; former RMU president up for NCAA gig?
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones jabs an ex-player who also was a Pittsburgh Steeler. The Penguins’ playoff picture is crystalizing. Alexander Ovechkin provides a health update. And a surprising new job could be in the works for former Robert Morris University president Chris Howard. I’m sure...
Gaudreau? Matthews? Shesterkin? NHL MVP race at least 7 deep
Auston Matthews leads the NHL in goals, Connor McDavid has the most points and Igor Shesterkin has been the best goaltender in the league. It’s entirely possible none of them wins the Hart Trophy as MVP. Matthews, McDavid and Shesterkin are among the front-runners, but the pool of candidates goes...
First Call: National outlets see Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett available for Steelers in draft; Alex Ovechkin’s injury status
Tuesday’s “First Call” leads us to believe the Pittsburgh Steelers will be on the clock with their choice of quarterbacks on the board during the NFL Draft Thursday night. There will be some scoreboard watching going on Tuesday in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. And we’ve got an update on Alex...
Connor McDavid’s drive to be NHL’s best player starts off the iceVideo
EDMONTON, Alberta — Christian Dedonato doesn’t see Connor McDavid much in the offseason, at least not until at least mid-afternoon. McDavid is too busy working out in the gym or staying sharp on the ice. When the longtime friends get together to skate, surf, kick a soccer ball around or...
First Call: Odds to land Deebo Samuel have Steelers in top 10; Alex Ovechkin injured; MLB player explodes at ump
Monday’s “First Call” puts the Pittsburgh Steelers into the mix for Deebo Samuel. We also look at the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings and an injury to Alex Ovechkin. Plus, one MLB player in Philadelphia has an all-time classic meltdown over balls and strikes. In the hunt? What are the odds...
Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur dies at age 70
MONTREAL — Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died at age 70. A cause of death was not immediately known, but Lafleur had been diagnosed with lung cancer. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the...
