Everybody’s scoring for Florida. Nobody’s scoring for Carolina, and that sums up the East finalsVideo
SUNRISE, Fla. — Everybody’s scoring for Florida. Nobody’s scoring for Carolina. In simplest terms, that might be the best way to describe the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers lead the series 2-0, lead 10-2...
New York Islanders hire Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Mathieu Darche as general manager
The New York Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as their general manager Friday, giving the two-time Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning assistant his long-awaited first chance to run an NHL team. Darche was named executive vice president and GM and put in charge of the organization’s hockey operations department. “Mathieu is...
Bennett, Verhaeghe help Panthers roll past Hurricanes 5-0, take 2-0 lead in Eastern final
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sam Bennett scored one of his two goals in Florida’s three-goal first period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves and the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-0, on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final. Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk also scored in...
NHL playoffs include 13 players from Finland on 4 teams in conference finalsVideo
DALLAS — Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer has jokingly referred to himself as being Finnish during these NHL playoffs. After all, he has five of the 13 players from Finland who are on the rosters of the four teams still chasing the Stanley Cup. The Stars’ top line is a...
Chicago Blackhawks hire Jeff Blashill as head coach, hoping for a turnaround
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Blashill on Thursday, giving him a second chance to prove himself as a head coach in the NHL. Blashill, a 51-year-old Michigan native, coached the Detroit Red Wings for seven seasons. He was let go after the team went 32-40-10 during the 2021-22...
Stars score 3 power-play goals early in 3rd period, take Game 1 from OilersVideo
DALLAS — Miro Heiskanen, Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene scored power-play goals in a 5-minute, 26-second span early in the third period, and the Dallas Stars opened their Western Conference final rematch against the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-3 victory Wednesday night. Dallas began the third period with a two-goal...
Tussle with Brad Marchand, Shayne Gostisbehere stands out ahead of Eastern final’s Game 2
RALEIGH, N.C. — Aaron Ekblad shrugged it off. Paul Maurice called it “somebody else’s problem,” while casually taking a drink from a cup. Roughly 12 hours had passed since Florida’s Brad Marchand and Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere locked up in a punch-throwing tussle during the Panthers’ Game 1 win in the...
Much the same even with some new names as Stars and Oilers meet again in West finalVideo
DALLAS — Much is still the same, even though a lot of names have changed for the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers, meeting in the Western Conference final for the second year in a row. Coaches Pete DeBoer and Kris Knoblauch are still in charge, so the structures are...
Reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers, Hurricanes meet again in Eastern final
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Florida Panthers were on their way to becoming the NHL’s standard, headed to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago before returning to win the Cup last year. In many ways, the breakthrough moment came in the exact spot they find themselves now: in the Eastern...
NHL’s final 4 brings familiar feel to conference finals
The NHL playoff field included some unexpected entrants, and the first two rounds featured some surprises and a handful of upsets. Yet as things stand right now with the conference finals beginning Tuesday night, the teams still in contention for the Stanley Cup are a familiar mix of those who...
Panthers rout the Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finalVideo
TORONTO — Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves, Florida scored three times in a 6-minute, 24-second span in the second period and the Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-1, in Game 7 on Sunday night to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers will play...
The Carolina Hurricanes keep leaning on their penalty kill in another deep postseason pushVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — There’s a moment of frustrated dread for any hockey team that comes with an official raising an arm to call a penalty triggering a power play. For the Carolina Hurricanes, that moment quickly flips to next-play belief. Their penalty kill has been the NHL’s best going back...
Flyers introduce former Penguins player, assistant Rick Tocchet as head coachVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers introduced Rick Tocchet as the 25th head coach in franchise history on Friday, bringing home a fan favorite and a respected hockey mind to guide the team through its critical next phase. General manager Danny Brière made the announcement at a packed news conference at...
Andre Svechnikov breaks late tie as Hurricanes oust Capitals to reach Eastern Conference finalVideo
WASHINGTON — Surviving the initial push of an opponent facing elimination, the Carolina Hurricanes scored first thanks to Jordan Staal. Riding the waves of the pressure the Washington Capitals put on them, they scored late to close out the series. Andre Svechnikov scored the go-ahead goal with 1 minute, 59...
Defense and goaltending unlikely reasons why Oilers have moved on to Western Conference finalVideo
LAS VEGAS — The Edmonton Oilers have been the team that didn’t seem bothered by giving up four goals because they were more than capable of scoring at least five. And, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl anchoring the team, Edmonton can still win shootouts. But winning a Stanley Cup...
U.S. backup Jake Oettinger outplaying starter Connor Hellebuyck in NHL playoffs
DALLAS — Winnipeg Jets fans have showered Jake Oettinger with chants referring to his role as the USA Hockey backup goalie to Connor Hellebuyck during the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. Well, that “U.S. backup” has Dallas on the verge of its third consecutive trip to the Western Conference...
Philadelphia Flyers hire Rick Tocchet as coach, turning to alum to end playoff drought
The Philadelphia Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as their coach Wednesday, hoping his return to the franchise will push them out of an extended rebuild and into playoff contention. Tocchet spent 2 1/2 seasons in Vancouver and won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2023-24 for...
Stars’ Miro Heiskanen activated from IR, could return in Game 4 after missing 42 games
DALLAS — Defenseman Miro Heiskanen was activated from long-term injured reserve Tuesday, meaning he could return to the Dallas Stars lineup for the first time in 3 1/2 months when they play Game 4 of their second-round NHL playoff series against Winnipeg. Stars coach Pete DeBoer said earlier Tuesday that...
Mikko Rantanen has a goal and 2 assists for Stars in 5-2 win over Jets to take a 2-1 series leadVideo
DALLAS — Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, including on the tiebreaking goal by Alexander Petrovic that was finally confirmed after a lengthy review as the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2, on Sunday to take 2-1 lead in the second-round Western Conference series. Officials reviewed Petrovic’s...
Svechnikov, Andersen lead Hurricanes past Capitals 4-0 in Game 3 of 2nd-round playoff seriesVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Andrei Svechnikov pounced on a loose faceoff puck for his sixth postseason goal, and Frederik Andersen had 21 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals, 4-0, on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Svechnikov sprang into the circle to beat...
For Panthers, Brad Marchand story keeps getting better
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Such a scene would have been simply unimaginable just a few months ago. Brad Marchand scores an overtime goal to win a playoff game, and Florida Panthers great-turned-executive Roberto Luongo pumps his fists and gives some hugs in celebration. Well, it happened. They have history and...
Hellebuyck and Jets back on road in NHL playoffs at Dallas
The latest version of Connor Hellebuyck certainly resembles the goalie who was so dominant in the regular season for Winnipeg. Now he has to go on the road again in the NHL playoffs against Dallas. Florida is back in its series against Toronto, avoiding the dreaded 3-0 deficit thanks to...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Rooting for Canada to again be denied a Stanley Cup
I’m not a good neutral when it comes to watching sports. If I don’t have a rooting interest, it’s got to be a marquee game: Two top-flight opponents, Game 7 of a series, single-elimination playoff, Super Bowl, something like that. So, I’m not that enthusiastic about the Stanley Cup playoffs....
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon back together at hockey worldsVideo
Be aware: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon join forces to play for Canada at the ice hockey world championship after 10 years. As all eyes are on the NHL playoffs, the two major stars are in Europe for the worlds opening Friday across the Swedish capital of Stockholm and Denmark’s...
Joel Quenneville hired by Ducks for 1st head coaching job since Blackhawks abuse scandalVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Joel Quenneville returned to hockey Thursday with contrition. He acknowledged mistakes and said he accepted full responsibility for his role in the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. The second-winningest coach in NHL history said he is a changed man after nearly four years away from the game....
