And just like that, here are the Boston Bruins again. The team that ended the Carolina Hurricanes' season a year go looms over them again in the actual first round of the NHL playoffs, the best team in the Eastern Conference is somehow the fourth seed -- the Hurricanes' "reward" for winning an extra playoff series they wouldn't normally have had...Read more

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Not even a players-only meeting Friday helped. The Blues remain 0-for-Edmonton, losing to Dallas 2-1 in a shootout Sunday afternoon at Roger Place. Denis Gurianov scored the shootout winner.

The Blues thus finish round-robin play with an 0-3 record and the fourth seed throughout the playoffs in the Western Conference. The ...Read more

SEATTLE -- As a minor league hockey broadcaster in Cincinnati, Everett Fitzhugh would go on frequent road trips to Indianapolis, where he'd regularly encounter a young Black hockey fan named Desmond fist-bumping players outside the visiting team's locker room.

"His Dad came up to me and said, 'We listen to you sometimes and we enjoy listening ...Read more

Right from the start of Training Camp 2.0, the Flyers downplayed the round-robin tournament's results and said their focus was on getting prepared for this week's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Consider them ready.

They blitzed through the round-robin tournament with three straight "upset" wins, including Saturday night's 4-1 triumph over Tampa Bay in ...Read more

The Chicago Blackhawks have drawn the Las Vegas Golden Knights as their first-round opponent in the NHL playoffs, thanks to Las Vegas' 3-2 win Saturday in the decisive round-robin game to set the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Hawks upset the Oilers as the 12th seed Friday, clinching their best-of-five qualifying series in four games. ...Read more

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Had the season progressed as normal, the Minnesota Wild might have cruised into the playoffs and beyond.

The team had one of the best second-half offenses in the NHL, and it was peaking at just the right time -- in those weeks before seeding is solidified and matchups get set.

But what might have happened with the Wild ...Read more

No need to use the "play-in" disclaimer anymore, the Chicago Blackhawks officially are a playoff team.

The 12th-seeded Hawks beat the No. 5 Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, Friday night on a third-period strike by Dominik Kubalik to advance to the Western Conference first round, where, as the lowest seed, they'll play the winner of Saturday's round-robin ...Read more

This season was supposed to usher in a new era for the Florida Panthers.

Joel Quenneville's arrival in the offseason was supposed to mark a culture change for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky's was supposed to finally bring a superstar to Florida and elevate a once-promising young core toward sustained success after three straight years missing ...Read more

EDMONTON, Alberta -- It had to happen sometime, and Thursday was that night. The Blues lost in regulation for the first time ever to the Vegas Golden Knights, dropping a 6-4 decision at Rogers Place in their second game of round-robin play.

At 0-2 in the round-robin, the Blues can finish only third or fourth in the Western Conference seedings ...Read more

The four-team round-robin tournament is offering the Flyers a unique ability to climb in the Eastern Conference seedings.

Which is just what they have done.

They defeated Washington, 3-1, in the tournament at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thursday and assured themselves of at least the No. 2 seeding. They can get the No. 1 seed if they beat ...Read more

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Win or go home.

That's what's facing the Wild after they were shut out, 3-0, by the Canucks on Thursday afternoon at Rogers Place.

The Wild trail 2-1 in the best-of-five qualifying-round series, with Game 4 on Friday at 9:45 p.m.

Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom was at his best, stopping all 26 shots the Wild sent his way...Read more

The Chicago Blackhawks pulled out a shocker Wednesday night, getting a tying goal from Matthew Highmore with 5:47 to play before Jonathan Toews scored the winner with 1:16 left for a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup qualifier series.

With the Hawks up 2-1 in the best-of-five series in Edmonton, the Oilers face...Read more

The Florida Panthers' season is alive for at least a few more days.

After blowing a second-period lead for the second day in a row, the Panthers rallied in the third to beat the New York Islanders, 3-2, and force a Game 4 in this best-of-5 series in the qualifying round of the expanded postseason.

Just seconds after the third period began, an ...Read more

EDMONTON, Alberta -- What once was a best-of-five series is now a best-of-three.

After the Minnesota Wild eked out an early advantage in a near-spotless performance in its return to play, the slate was wiped clean Tuesday night when the Vancouver Canucks responded with a 4-3 victory in Game 2 at Rogers Place to even the qualifying-round ...Read more

SEATTLE -- Onetime Seattle Breakers junior star and NHL captain Ryan Walter still isn't sure what to make of the pandemic-modified Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Now a British Columbia-based mental performance coach for athletes and business leaders, Walter admits it "freaks me out a little" to watch neutral-site games with no fans and piped-in crowd ...Read more

The New York Rangers were desperately determined to make something good happen Tuesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes wouldn't allow it. Not in this postseason series.

The Hurricanes took a 4-1 victory over the Rangers, ending the best-of-five qualifying series with a third straight victory at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.

The Canes will advance to ...Read more

Like many of his similarly brilliant peers at Harvard, John Marino this time a year ago was facing huge decisions when it came to his future in his given field.

The defenseman was gearing up for his senior year at Harvard when the Penguins acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oilers. Marino had a couple of weeks to choose whether to finish ...Read more

TORONTO -- Sergei Bobrovsky leaned his left arm on his stick and exhaled as he watched a mob gather around Jordan Eberle. For nearly 35 minutes, Bobrovsky had played nearly flawless in goal to keep the Florida Panthers ahead deep into the second period of a Game 2 dubbed "do-or-die" by Mike Hoffman. Now the Panthers were staring down an ...Read more

The Chicago Blackhawks battled back from an early two-goal deficit to tie the score in the second period Monday night, but they couldn't overcome Connor McDavid's hat trick, dropping Game 2 of their Stanley Cup qualifier series 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers.

The best-of-five series is tied at a game apiece going into Game 3 on Wednesday, the Hawks...Read more