LOS ANGELES — The black-and-white photo is as dated as it is iconic.

It shows Rogie Vachon, left hand tucked into a pocket of his bell-bottom jeans and a cigar wedged between two fingers of his right hand, which rests on the hood of a new Mercedes in an empty parking lot outside the Forum. His open V-neck shirt has huge lapels, his hair hangs...Read more

James Hagens’ debut for the Boston Bruins wasn’t spectacular, but he made his presence felt in a hotly contested victory over a desperate Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.

In the 3-2 victory at Nationwide Arena, Hagens recorded an assist but the stars of the game were Joonas Korpisalo (34 saves) and Sean Kuraly, who had a three-point ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Dylan Strome is one of the best faceoff men in the league. But the Washington Capitals center made sure the referee had no choice but to kick him out of the opening draw Sunday.

Strome stepped out, and Alex Ovechkin skated in to take the first faceoff against Sidney Crosby in their 100th — and perhaps final — meeting.

While ...Read more

DENVER — Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar will miss the next two games after getting hit in the face with a puck Saturday night.

Bednar has sustained “facial fractures and a corneal abrasion,” the club announced Saturday. He was taken to a local hospital Saturday night after getting hit in the right side of his face during the third ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks will likely not be turning their attention toward next season as long as they remain mathematically alive for a playoff spot this year – which might not be for much longer.

Still, it’s not too hard to peek into the future and envision Igor Chernyshov playing on the Sharks’ top line alongside ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks will likely not be turning their attention toward next season as long as they remain mathematically alive for a playoff spot this year – which might not be for much longer.

Still, it’s not too hard to peek into the future and envision Igor Chernyshov playing on the Sharks’ top line alongside ...Read more

DENVER — The Vegas Golden Knights are going to the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons after defeating the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2 in overtime, at Ball Arena on Saturday.

Jack Eichel scored the winning 2-on-1 goal 1:19 into overtime.

Captain Mark Stone scored his third goal in two games, and Pavel Dorofeyev scored his career-high ...Read more

SEATTLE — If you’re one of the least popular kids in school, you’re not going to win a student-body election with a nice speech. That fresh haircut probably won’t do much either — nor will that crisp new outfit.

The best move is to step off the campaign trail, work on yourself for a couple of years and come back when you’ve proven ...Read more

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Maybe the Flyers had a little help.

On the 10th anniversary of the passing of Ed Snider, the Orange and Black took a major step toward securing a postseason spot with a 7-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets and an effort that would have made the team’s former owner proud.

The Flyers now have 94 points with two games remaining...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When the final horn sounded Saturday on the Los Angeles Kings' 1-0 matinee win over the Edmonton Oilers, Anze Kopitar made his way to center ice, a microphone in his hand and his heart in pieces.

"Thank you very much," he said to the fans, his voice cracking. "Thank you for being here."

Kopitar then held his hands in front of ...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One team already knew its first-round playoff opponent, and the other was still trying to advance.

There was no confusing who was who.

The Nashville Predators held off the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Saturday at Bridgestone Arena for the Wild’s second consecutive loss.

The loss made it official that the Wild will finish third in...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Saturday’s showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals was billed as potentially one of the final meetings between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

Instead, Ovechkin spent more time on the ice at PPG Paints Arena with Joona Koppanen.

With Pittsburgh clinching a playoff spot and home-ice advantage Thursday,...Read more

SEATTLE — The 2025-26 Seattle Kraken will officially miss the playoffs.

In the end, it was out of their hands. There were at least seven ways the Kraken could have been mathematically eliminated Saturday, five of which had nothing to do with them beating the Calgary Flames.

About a half-hour before puck drop at Climate Pledge Arena, the L.A....Read more

DETROIT — For the 10th consecutive season, the Red Wings aren't going to the NHL playoffs.

Jesper Bratt scored his second goal of the game at 16 minutes, 26 seconds, giving New Jersey a 5-3 victory Saturday and sending the Wings home for the season.

Bratt scored on a feed from Jack Hughes on a 2-on-1 rush, shocking the fans at Little Caesars...Read more

BOSTON — The equation was easy for the Boston Bruins. Beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and they would clinch a playoff spot.

No dice.

The B’s coughed up a third-period lead and then gave up a late goal to come away with nothing in a 2-1 loss to the Bolts at TD Garden Saturday for their fifth straight loss (0-3-2).

That completed the season ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joe Amodei attended a Flyers alumni golf tournament in 2022 as the guy he’d always been: a devoted fan who just wanted to hang with his heroes for an afternoon.

Having grown up in Northeast Philly, then Bucks County, he was in his early 20s when the Broad Street Bullies won their two Stanley Cups and, on Jan. 11, 1976, upheld...Read more

DALLAS — Wyatt Johnston does not need to be a mathematician to grasp that what he and his teammates are trying to do doesn’t normally add up.

To win the Stanley Cup, the Dallas Stars will have to at least reach the conference finals a fourth consecutive year. Can happen. Usually doesn’t.

“Even in my first year, everyone talked about ...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken lived to see another day, staving off playoff elimination on Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena. Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored in a shootout and Seattle downed the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3.

The Kraken needed a win and for the Nashville Predators to lose to the Utah Mammoth in regulation. The ...Read more

DALLAS – When all the shots, hits, punches, saves and goals were done, and the final horn sounded sending fans out into the warm Texas night, the message sent by the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars after 60 minutes of crazy, intense hockey was a simple one:

“Let’s get together and do this again next week.”

When they do, it will almost ...Read more