NHL News

7:00 AM ET It was a moment when youthful exuberance met Stanley Cup playoffs euphoria. Facing elimination in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers were staging a rally. As they had for most of the first-round series, the trio christened “The Kid Line” — 20-year-old left wing

2:10 AM ET Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon was direct in his assessment of his team’s effort in a 4-1 Game 2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. “We were bad. We were really bad tonight,” MacKinnon said with the Western Conference second-round series now tied 1-1. “We just didn’t have our

8:00 AM ET Milan Lucic has lived many NHL lifetimes when it comes to rivalries. He was there in Boston, for the most recent apex of the Bruins‘ feud with the Montreal Canadiens. He was there in 2011, when the Bruins sparked a brief but blazing animosity with the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup

7:00 AM ET Iconic sports rivalries are built to stand the test of time. No matter the players. No matter the coaches. No matter the standings. No matter who won the last game — or the last 10. It’s a seed planted between two teams that can’t be uprooted. The bad blood is merely transfused,

7:00 AM ET As the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs reach the second round, it’s time to check in on the race for the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Keep in mind that the Conn Smythe is based on a player’s performance during the entire postseason, not just the championship round. Here’s a look at

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs was a doozy, including five series going to Game 7 — and two of those Game 7’s going to overtime. Now we’re onto the second round, which features four superb matchups: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes vs. New

7:00 AM ET The Colorado Avalanche enter the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs as a heavy favorite to win the Western Conference and eventually hoist the chalice for the first time since 2001. Some call them dominant, a juggernaut or, in popular hockey parlance, a “wagon.” Whatever the label, the Avalanche have

5:20 PM ET ESPN News Services TAMPERE, Finland — Sakari Manninen scored and added two assists as host Finland defeated the United States 4-1 to keep a perfect record at the ice hockey world championship on Monday. After Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund gave Finland a 1-0 lead on a power play in the opening

1:57 PM ET The first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs lasted 51 games — including a pair of Game 7 overtime thrillers in games No. 50 and 51 — and now we’re on to Round 2. To help digest what we saw from each of the eight surviving teams, as well as preview

1:22 AM ET Just call him Johnny Clutch. Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau scored the overtime winner to put Calgary past the Dallas Stars 3-2 in Game 7 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Sunday. The Flames now advance to the second round for the first time since 2014-15, and it’ll be for

2:24 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Va. — Nicklas Backstrom gutted through a hip injury that caused him to miss the first two months of the season, and Tom Wilson, as hard as he tried, couldn’t do the same in the playoffs on a bad knee. Now it’s possible neither is on the ice when

1:30 PM ET We’ve made it to the final two games of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs to determine which two clubs will advance and which two will get their summers started a little early. To help get you ready for Sunday’s NHL Game 7s — Pittsburgh Penguins at New York

8:00 AM ET According to ESPN Stats & Information, Saturday will be the first time since Apr. 30, 2014, that there will be three Game 7s played on the same day, and it will also be the first time in NHL history that two Game 7s will be hosted by Canadian teams on the same

11:00 AM ET While the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs has included a few too many blowouts for our liking, it has also provided at least three Game 7s, the ultimate “tension convention.” According to ESPN Stats & Information, Saturday will be the first time since Apr. 30, 2014, that there will

3:33 PM ET Bruce Boudreau will return to the Vancouver Canucks next season, ending speculation that the team and its veteran coach might part ways in the offseason. “We are pleased to see Bruce’s commitment to return to the Canucks next season,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “He has done a great job since arriving

9:42 AM ET Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is dealing with an upper-body injury and remains set for evaluation ahead of Friday’s Game 6 against the New York Rangers, coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Thursday. Crosby was injured in the second period of Wednesday’s 5-3 loss after taking a high hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob

8:00 AM ET Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said something absolutely astonishing before Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He announced a goalie change from Linus Ullmark to Jeremy Swayman, which was to be expected when one is down in a series. But to justify his decision, Cassidy said the following: “If it ends up