Alexander Nikishin, at last, has played his first NHL game for the Carolina Hurricanes — in the Stanley Cup playoffs, on the road, against the Washington Capitals.

The big Russian defenseman will have a lot of memories from a debut long awaited by Canes fans, but the best will always be it came in a 3-1 victory that lifted the Hurricanes into...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Well, that was fast. Just like that, the Flyers are finished rebuilding.

Two years ago, the club announced a “New Era of Orange,” finally admitting that both its foundation of personnel and foundational philosophy of winning now at any cost with coaches and brass who bled orange and black had been flawed for the past decade...Read more

The Golden Knights played a nearly perfect defensive game.

They didn’t give up many dangerous looks. The Edmonton Oilers had to work for whatever chances they had.

Perhaps it was fitting that the game’s only goal came on a scramble in front of the crease.

The Knights’ season is over, and a summer of what could have been begins.

Oilers ...Read more

TORONTO — The Florida Panthers entered Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday with a singular goal in mind.

“We need to steal one in their building,” defenseman Niko Mikkola said.

They did more than steal a game.

They absolutely dominated.

The Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-1, in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoffs ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — If you can't beat them, hire them.

That's apparently the conclusion the Kings came to in their search for a general manager because they chose Ken Holland, the architect of an Edmonton Oilers team that knocked the Kings out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round in each of the last four seasons.

Holland, 69, will ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Tick, tick, boom, the Flyers got their guy on Wednesday.

Rick Tocchet, 61, was hired as the 25th head coach (including interims) in Flyers history, the Flyers announced Wednesday. Before John Tortorella was fired on March 27, several reports indicated that Tocchet was high on the team’s short list of coaching candidates if ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nareg Dekermenjian had Mother's Day brunch with the Stanley Cup, which caused more than a little anxiety since no one was sure what hockey's championship trophy liked to eat.

"I'm thinking all-meat diet for the Stanley Cup," Dekermenjian said before sliding into a large corner booth at Stanley's Restaurant (no relation to the ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — In a Hurricanes-Capitals series that’s delivered a handful of double-take moments, perhaps the biggest so far came in Carolina’s 5-2 win over Washington in Game 4 at Lenovo Center on Monday.

Early in the second period, with Carolina nursing a newly acquired two-goal lead, Washington entered the Canes’ zone with numbers. ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — We watched the hit that ended Brandon Hagel’s season. We heard the emotion in the Lightning forward’s voice when he talked about the concussion that resulted from it. We read Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s explanation. We saw Hagel’s hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. And we listened to Hagel’s acknowledgment...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — During the first postseason go-round of what we used to call a Southeast Division Showdown, Alex Ovechkin probably scores twice in the first period Saturday and the Carolina Hurricanes spend Sunday figuring out what went wrong.

But 2025 isn’t 2019. There’s only so much the Washington Capitals can do now. And when their ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — When it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour likes to say, “You live and die every day.”

Win a game and you’re living large. Lose and it can seem too harsh. Such is the ebb and flow when the games mean so much.

The Hurricanes enjoyed that winning feeling again Saturday, surging ...Read more

The Florida Panthers were facing more than sudden-death overtime Friday night. They were facing their season all but suddenly dying.

The overtime ended with the horn blasting happily, with rats on the ice, and with jubilant teammates hugging winning-goal scorer Brad Marchand.

And the season lives, hope lives, for the reigning Stanley Cup ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Leon Draisaitl scored with 4:40 remaining in overtime and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in Game 2 of their second-round series at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

The Oilers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Game 3 is at Rogers Place on Saturday.

The Knights lost after killing a five-minute major penalty ...Read more

Tom Wilson threw down the gauntlet Thursday after the Washington Capitals’ morning skate.

“We’re a tough team to reckon with and we have to show that,” the Caps power forward said.

It wasn’t just talk. Wilson had a goal and assist and was the Caps’ best player in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoff series as Washington took a 3-1 ...Read more

DENVER — You don’t trade Stars for scrubs. During the worst Game 7 loss in Colorado Avalanche history, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson were passengers from start to Finnish.

“We felt we had to get deeper, and not only for this season’s team, but moving forward,” Joe Sakic said Tuesday afternoon when asked about America’s newest Avs-...Read more