Latest National Hockey League News
NHL PLAYOFFS: 'It's wide open' is the theme as the race to the 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...
Kucherov is 5th player in NHL to reach 100 assists as Lighting beat Matthews, Maple Leafs 6-4
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Auston Matthews came up empty in his bid to become the ninth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season, but Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov became the fifth player to have a 100-assist season as the Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Wednesday night. ...
Nathan MacKinnon races to career season, looks to power Colorado Avalanche on another title run
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon is so quick and so forceful on the ice that sometimes there’s a crunching noise that follows him into the offensive end. It's a sound that alerts Colorado Avalanche teammate and childhood friend Jonathan Drouin to one thing — a goalie’s in for...
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 American...
Who will win the NHL's top awards this season? Here are AP's predictions
Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Auston Matthews are all in the running to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. MacKinnon has carried the top-heavy Avalanche into the playoffs, Kucherov has played a role in half the...
The Dallas Stars can still score. They are now deeper and more balanced going into the NHL playoffs
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — There was a time not long ago when the Dallas Stars were far too dependent on their top line. With a trio of 70-point scorers skating together two seasons ago, the Stars didn't even get out of the first round of the playoffs. That came after being the only one...
Hockey business is booming as the NHL bounces back from the pandemic in a big way
NEW YORK (AP) — 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...
NHL announces Bodyarmor as its new sports drink, replacing BioSteel
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL and NHL Players' Association on Tuesday announced a multiyear agreement with Bodyarmor to be the league’s official sports drink. Bodyarmor replaces BioSteel in that department after BioSteel filed for bankruptcy last year. Three-time league...
Connor McDavid becomes 4th in NHL history with 100 assists as the Oilers rout the Sharks 9-2
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Warren Foegele scored twice and Adam Henrique and Dylan Holloway each had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the San Jose Sharks 9-2 Monday night. Connor McDavid had a goal and added his 100th assist of the season, becoming just the fourth...
Need a player to root for? Pavelski, Burns, Giordano among veterans who haven't won the Stanley Cup
Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns made the playoffs seven times together as teammates in San Jose, reaching the conference finals and getting all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 under Peter DeBoer. Zach Parise captained New Jersey to the final in 2012. All those runs ended in...
