‘No secrets’ and no certainty in one-of-a-kind NHL playoffsVideo
There will be no mysteries when Tampa Bay and Florida meet in the first round of the playoffs after facing off eight times this season and twice in the past week. Same deal for Montreal and Toronto, who have played 10 times since mid-January. “I don’t want to say it...
NHL postseason: Who’s hot as the playoffs arrive?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Goalie Juuse Saros is the biggest reason the Nashville Predators went from a potential NHL draft lottery team to their seventh straight playoff appearance. How long they stick around will depend on how well Saros keeps playing in net. “You want to just play better for him...
U mad, bro?: Some Steelers fans still prickly about draft, catering to Ben Roethlisberger; hockey fans hated Caps-Rangers fiasco
Touchy members of Steelers nation. Disgusted hockey fans. And irate Iron Maiden enthusiasts. Yup. It’s quite a collection in this week’s “U mad, bro?” A variety of venom. A prickly potpourri. A bundle of bile! So let’s get to it. “LR” took me to task for my column on T.J....
Kraken make first signing, ink Luke Henman to 3-year deal
SEATTLE — Whether he develops into a star or never plays a game at the highest level, Luke Henman will forever have a place in the history of the Seattle Kraken. The 21-year-old center became the first player ever signed by the Kraken on Wednesday when he inked a three-year...
Analysis: Connor McDavid NHL’s MVP front-runner in condensed season
Using any metric, Connor McDavid’s 100-plus point season makes the Edmonton Oilers captain the clear frontrunner for the NHL MVP award. Other than teammate Leon Draisaitl’s 81 points entering play Tuesday, no one else was within 30 points of McDavid in his bid to win a second Hart Trophy. Determining...
New York Rangers fire coach Dave Quinn, 3 assistants
NEW YORK — The New York Rangers fired coach David Quinn and three assistant coaches Wednesday after missing the playoffs with one of the NHL’s up-and-coming young teams. The move is the first major one from new general manager Chris Drury, who took over last week after the team fired...
Avalanche seeking to overtake Golden Knights for West Division titleVideo
DENVER — Gabriel Landeskog recently caught a teammate staring at him over breakfast. More specifically, the Colorado Avalanche captain’s bent nose, which also featured a fresh-looking scratch. “He’s like, ‘Your nose is super-crooked lately,’ ” Landeskog recounted of Andre Burakovsky’s quizzical glance. “I’m all right. … I’m able to breathe...
Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad acknowledges virus affected slow startVideo
Mika Zibanejad didn’t want to use covid-19 as an excuse for his slow start this season. With just three goals in the New York Rangers’ first 27 games, there were questions about his struggles. “It was hard, it wasn’t easy and everyone reacts to it differently,” Zibanejad said on a...
Isles fall to Bruins in OT, will face Penguins in first round of Stanley Cup playoffs
BOSTON — Taylor Hall scored his second goal of the game 2:53 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders in their home finale on Monday night to clinch third place in the East Division. Brad Marchand also scored for Boston, which will face second-place Washington in...
Jack Eichel refers to `disconnect’ with Sabres on treating injury
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sabres captain Jack Eichel questioned his future in Buffalo on Monday by saying there’s a “a disconnect” with the team on whether to have surgery to repair his herniated disk. “I think the most important thing is just trying to get healthy and figure out a way...
Rick Tocchet, Coyotes agree to part ways after 4 seasons
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Coach Rick Tocchet won’t return for a fifth season with the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced Sunday, saying the sides “mutually agreed to part ways.” The move comes after the Coyotes missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. “After meeting with Rick, we have...
John Tortorella out after 6 years as Blue Jackets coach
COLUMBUS, Ohio — John Tortorella is out as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets after six seasons. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement Sunday that parting ways with the winningest coach in franchise history was a mutual decision. The 62-year-old Tortorella was in the last year of his...
NHL relaxing virus protocols for vaccinated playoff teamsVideo
The NHL is relaxing virus protocols for teams that reach a threshold for vaccination, just in time for the playoffs. The changes are outlined in a memo viewed by the Associated Press that the league sent to teams and players Friday night. The new protocols take hold once 85% or...
Capitals’ Tom Wilson good to go after injury, eager to move on from dustup
ARLINGTON, Va. — Tom Wilson reached out to Artemi Panarin in the aftermath of the most talked about incident in hockey this week, and now he’s ready to move on from his latest controversy. In his first interview since a scrum against New York that left Panarin injured, led to...
When will the Stanley Cup Playoffs start? Here’s what we know and what history tells us
The NHL regular season is winding down. But when will the Stanley Cup Playoffs start? As of Thursday, we now know when all the series will start. The league announced last week that Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins playoff series, the East division’s No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup, will...
Paul Newberry: The NHL embarrasses itself again as MMA On IceVideo
The National Hockey League is an embarrassment. This is not a new development, but it’s worth revisiting. As long as the league condones the sort of mindless, reckless violence we’ve seen this week, it will never be anything more than MMA On Ice. To contend the carnage that went on...
NHL fines New York Rangers $250,000 for ‘demeaning’ public comments about player safety head George Parros
The New York Rangers in less than 72 hours lost their best player to injury, fired their president and general manager, and will likely see another player suspended. They are also out a quarter-million dollars in the latest chaotic chapter for the storied franchise. The NHL fined the Rangers an...
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster’s admission about free agency; Marc-Andre Fleury now 3rd all-time in wins; Rangers-Caps brawl
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster opens up about free agency. Steelers rookies are getting rated for upcoming fantasy football drafts. The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers lived down to expectations Wednesday night. And former Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury jumps another notch on that all-time NHL...
Marc-Andre Fleury moves into 3rd place on all-time wins list
When Alex Pietrangelo scored at 1:53 of overtime Wednesday night, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury moved up a notch on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Fleury made 26 saves and took over sole possession of the No. 3 spot past...
T.J. Oshie has hat trick, 6 fights break out in Caps-Rangers rematch
NEW YORK — T.J. Oshie had a hat trick, Vitek Vanecek made 19 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the depleted New York Rangers 4-2 in a fight-filled game Wednesday night. Oshie beat Alexandar Georgiev 12 seconds into the middle period with a shot from the right circle with Rangers...
New York Rangers abruptly dump team president, GMVideo
The New York Rangers abruptly fired president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton on Wednesday with three games left in the season. Chris Drury was named president and GM. He previously served as associate GM under Davidson and Gorton. The stunning move came less than 24 hours after the...
Connor McDavid focused on playoffs, not 100 points in 56 games
Connor McDavid is within reach of a milestone that could go down in hockey history. McDavid needs seven points in Edmonton’s final five games to reach 100 in 56 games during this shortened NHL season. Getting there would be an achievement remembered alongside Wayne Gretzky’s 50 goals in 39 games,...
First Call: Steelers projected to get 3rd-round compensatory pick for Bud Dupree; Rangers rip NHL over Tom Wilson decision
The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting a sense of their 2022 draft compensation for losing Bud Dupree in free agency. And the franchise is finally getting some national praise for their 2021 draft class from a national outlet. In the NHL, the New York Rangers are irate over the lack of...
‘Everybody’s tired’ as condensed NHL schedule takes its toll
It was the second night of a back-to-back, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 10th game in 18 days, and the defending Stanley Cup champions just didn’t have it. “Everybody’s tired,” coach Jon Cooper said after that loss to Carolina. “Not just our team — all the teams.” Fatigue has set...
Tom Wilson suspension history: Capitals forward suspended 6 times, fined 3 timesVideo
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is no stranger to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Wilson has been suspended six times and fined another three times for crossing the line with his physical play. His most recent suspension came on March 22, 2024, when he was suspended six games for...
