Mikko Rantanen and other trade deadline additions are having big impacts on the NHL playoffsVideo
Mikko Rantanen is showing why Dallas was willing to pay such a hefty price to put him the roster. One of the players the Stars traded for Rantanen also is making a positive impact for his new team. Nearly every team in the second round of the NHL playoffs is...
Utah Mammoth is the permanent name of NHL team in Salt Lake City
The NHL team in Salt Lake City is now known as the Utah Mammoth. Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith unveiled the franchise’s permanent name Thursday morning after more than a year of fan input and voting. “From Day 1, we committed that this team would be built with and for...
Wild’s Bill Guerin to be aggressive with cap constraints gone
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have entered a critical offseason, able to fully participate in free agency again after two years of significant salary cap constraints. Without an NHL playoff series win in the last 10 years, the urgency for the club to build a deeper roster around...
Jets, Stars meet in 2nd round of playoffs after both had epic Game 7 rallies to advanceVideo
There was that natural inclination for Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer to start paying more attention to St. Louis while watching the game that would determine who his team would play next in the NHL playoffs. But he never really started preparing for the Blues, even as they had a...
Jared Bednar receives vote of confidence after Avalanche ousted early again
DENVER — Jared Bednar’s job on the bench appears perfectly safe after the Colorado Avalanche were ousted in the early rounds yet again. General manager Chris MacFarland gave Bednar a vote of confidence Tuesday — “100% confident Jared’s our head coach,” MacFarland exclaimed in a deconstruct-what-went-sideways news conference. This first-round...
Settle in and get ready: An ‘ultracompetitive’ 2nd round of the NHL playoffs is here
The second round of the NHL playoffs begins Monday night, after no sweeps and two series going the distance to get to this point. Dallas emerged from a seven-game series against Colorado, and Edmonton rallied from down 2-0 to eliminate Los Angeles and move on in the gauntlet that is...
Blues score 3 goals in 2:13 of the second period to beat Jets 5-2 and force a Game 7Video
ST. LOUIS — Cam Fowler, Brayden Schenn and Nathan Walker scored in a 2:13 span of the second period and the St. Louis Blues beat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2, on Friday night to force a Game 7 in the first-round series. Philip Broberg had a goal and an assist, Alexey...
With Minnesota’s 1st-round loss, Marc-Andre Fleury’s career comes to an end
When the Minnesota Wild lost 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights to end a Western Conference first-round series Thursday night, it was the end of an era in the NHL. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s career has come to an end. Fans at the XCel Energy Center chanted Fleury’s name during the...
Report: New York Rangers close to hiring Mike Sullivan
How long will Mike Sullivan remain unemployed after parting ways with the Penguins on Monday? Apparently less than a week. According to multiple reports, Sullivan is close to becoming head coach of the New York Rangers. ESPN, which first reported the news Thursday evening, said Sullivan’s deal will be among...
Vegas moves on with 3-2 win in series clincher, as Wild go 1-and-done yet againVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the series to give the Vegas the lead late in the second period, and Adin Hill held it up on a 29-save night to spur the Golden Knights onto the second round with a 3-2 victory in Game 6...
Maple Leafs advance to the 2nd round of NHL playoffs by eliminating Senators 4-2 in Game 6Video
OTTAWA, Ontario — Max Pacioretty scored a tiebreaking goal with less than six minutes remaining in the third period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a series-clinching 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 6 of the first-round matchup. William Nylander had two goals — including...
Lightning helped Panthers learn how to win
Winning in the Stanley Cup playoffs and becoming a championship-capable team, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, is an art. It’s something that has to be learned. Turns out, the Lightning were good teachers. And the Florida Panthers were really good students. The Lightning, unbeknownst to them at the time,...
Capitals stay even-keeled to eliminate Canadiens in 5, win 1st series since 2018
WASHINGTON — Just like during the season when they were the top team in the Eastern Conference and one of the best in the NHL, the Washington Capitals got goals from Alex Ovechkin, superb play in net from Logan Thompson and scoring up and down their lineup in the first...
Rick Tocchet won’t return as Canucks coach, becomes a top candidate for vacancies around the NHL
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Rick Tocchet is not returning as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, the team announced Tuesday, plunging them into another search and making him a top candidate for several vacancies around the NHL. Tocchet’s departure comes after 2 1/2 seasons in Vancouver since replacing Bruce Boudreau in...
Sanderson scores in OT as Senators beat Maple Leafs 4-3 to avoid sweepVideo
OTTAWA, Ontario — Defenseman Jake Sanderson scored on a long wrist shot from the left boards at 17:42 of overtime, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, on Saturday night to force a fifth game in the first-round series. Sanderson kept the puck in at the blue...
Barbashev scores in OT, Golden Knights beat Wild 4-3 in Game 4 to even first-round seriesVideo
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Some puck luck finally went the Vegas Golden Knights’ way, and they avoided getting pushed to the brink of elimination. Ivan Barbashev scored at 17:26 of overtime, and the Golden Knights beat the Minnesota Wild, 4-3, in Game 4 on Saturday to even their first-round playoff...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL sabotages its own playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. Hockey’s showcase, or so the NHL thinks. Early TV ratings showed that viewership is down 12%. That’s no surprise. Hockey is a winter sport. It’s played on ice. But we’re already a month into spring and the postseason just started. The NHL season is...
Playoff hockey with a sellout crowd returns to Montreal for the first time since 2017Video
When the Canadiens made their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, hockey-mad Montreal did not even get to enjoy it properly in person. Because of covid-19 pandemic restrictions, there were no fans in the stands for the first round and the start of the second, with limited...
Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog returns to lineup for Game 3 after missing 3 years with knee injuryVideo
DENVER — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played out this moment in his mind again and again while working his way back. His return was everything he envisioned, too. The start, anyway, with all the cheers and that big early check to show — without a doubt — that he...
West Mifflin native Logan Cooley selected to United States’ roster for IIHF World Championship
Utah Hockey Club forward Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, has been selected for the United States Men’s National Team for the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship tournament. USA Hockey announced the first 18 members of the roster on Thursday via a release. In his second...
Martinook, Andersen help Hurricanes push past Devils 3-1 for 2-0 lead in 1st-round playoff seriesVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Martinook and Frederik Andersen played with the steady veteran composure that comes only through game after game played in postseason intensity. It’s a big reason why the Carolina Hurricanes hold a 2-0 lead in a playoff series yet again. Martinook saw an opening and pounced on...
Alex Ovechkin scores 1st playoff overtime goal as Capitals beat Canadiens in Game 1Video
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored the first playoff overtime goal of his NHL career to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Monday night. Fresh off breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in league history 15...
Kraken fire former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma; Jason Botterill to take over as GMVideo
The Seattle Kraken fired former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma on Monday, ending his tenure after one season that concluded far out of playoff contention. And that’s not the only change coming after the Kraken failed to qualify for a second consecutive year. Seattle is expected to move longtime general manager...
Connor’s late goal fuels Jets to 5-3 win over Blues in playoff openerVideo
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Kyle Connor’s one-timer with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-3 victory in Saturday’s opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the St. Louis Blues. Connor also contributed a pair of assists,...
Current and former Golden Knights goalies helped lead 3 teams to NHL playoffsVideo
LAS VEGAS — Marc-Andre Fleury was on the bench the last time the Wild visited Vegas, but when he appeared on the video board late in that Jan. 12 game, the crowd cheered and chanted his name as if he had just made a save to help put the Golden...