NHL News

7:40 AM ET The Calgary Flames iced one of the best top lines in hockey this season. But — funny story — they were just a backup plan. If it weren’t for a plethora of preseason injuries, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk wouldn’t have started as the Flames’ first line. The entire complexion

11:10 PM ET ESPN News Services NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Predators coach John Hynes has ruled goaltender Juuse Saros out for Game 3 of Nashville’s series with the Colorado Avalanche. Connor Ingram, Nashville’s third goaltender who played well in the Predators’ 2-1 overtime loss at Colorado Thursday night that put them in a 2-0 hole, appears

7:00 AM ET After back-to-back Stanley Cup championships for the Tampa Bay Lightning, coach Jon Cooper still couldn’t believe he was uttering these words: “We’re going for three.” The last time an NHL team won three straight Stanley Cups was from 1981-83, as part of the New York Islanders‘ run of four straight championships. “‘We’re

11:49 PM ET NEW YORK — Goalie Louis Domingue was the hero of the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Game 1 win, stopping all 17 shots he faced after entering the game during the second overtime. But Thursday night in Game 2, there were no storybook endings — just a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers to

9:30 AM ET Have we ever discussed how the Conn Smythe Trophy might be the NHL’s weirdest award? Let’s start with the hardware itself. In 1964, the trophy was donated to the NHL by Maple Leaf Gardens, to be awarded to the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP and as a bauble to honor Hockey Hall of

7:58 PM ET Carolina goaltender Antti Raanta left Game 2 of the Hurricanes’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston on Wednesday following a collision with Bruins’ forward David Pastrnak. Raanta was playing the puck midway through the game’s opening frame when Pastrnak charged in and, while trying to avoid Raanta’s clearing attempt, collided with

8:00 AM ET The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs are off to a wild start, including a triple-overtime thriller, two fights in one game, multiple upsets … and also multiple blowouts. After seeing the postseason version of all 16 playoff teams once, what are the key takeaways? And how does it all help us predict what

12:01 AM ET NEW YORK — Evgeni Malkin scored on a deflection in the third overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins outlasted the New York Rangers, 4-3, in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series that captivated the league in just the second day of the postseason. Malkin deflected a wristshot from defenseman John Marino,

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The Stanley Cup playoffs are when the spotlight shines the brightest on the NHL. Not coincidentally, they’re also when hockey’s star players shine the brightest, too. Every preseason, we publish the ESPN NHL Rank, which rates the top 100 players based on how good they’re expected to be in the

1:30 AM ET The NHL Department of Player Safety is reviewing a cross-check delivered by Wild captain Jared Spurgeon in Game 1 of the team’s first-round series against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, a source told ESPN. With 1:46 left in the third period and the Blues leading 4-0,

7:00 AM ET As a service to fans who have a general interest in the National Hockey League but have no idea what’s happened since the Tampa Bay Lightning raised the Cup for the second straight postseason, we’re happy to provide this FAQ as a guide to the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. And for you

7:10 AM ET Before I reveal every series winner in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs and the exact number of games in which the series will be won, I’d like to just offer a small reminder to establish a baseline for your expectations: I picked the New York Islanders to win the Cup before the

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The matchups and storylines are set as the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, with the last team standing hoisting the cherished chalice sometime in late June. Will that be the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are looking to become the first team to win the Cup in three

2:26 PM ET The Detroit Red Wings will not renew the contract of Jeff Blashill, who just completed his seventh season as head coach. Detroit finished with a 32-40-10 record (.451 points percentage) and were 26 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. The

12:43 AM ET Brianna Williams The box score doesn’t always tell the full story in professional sports, and such was the case in the regular-season finale between the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Emergency backup goalie Tom Hodges, who played college hockey at SMU, stole the show in what ended up being a 4-2 Stars

1:20 AM ET ESPN staff The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs represent a return to normalcy, after a bubble-encased postseason in 2020 and a 2021 tournament that featured realigned intradivisional play, followed by a rebracketing for the final two rounds. Sixteen teams have qualified for a shot, but only one will get to skate the sacred

8:45 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. We’ve made it to the final day of the regular season — save for a makeup game between the lottery-bound Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken on Sunday — with a number of questions

8:30 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. After the Vegas Golden Knights‘ elimination from playoff contention last night, the 16-team field for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs is set — we just have to wait to see which teams fit