PITTSBURGH -- It was said that the Penguins could not and would not reach the Stanley Cup Final without Kris Letang, that the slew of injuries they incurred during the second half of the regular season would crush them.

Or that, on the whole, they'd be entirely too tired, constantly hearing that teams coming off a long run the year before don't...Read more

Matt Murray has been through two Game 7s in his NHL career, and the experiences were quite different.

For his first, in the Eastern Conference final last season, Murray stopped 16 of 17 shots as the Penguins beat the Lightning, 2-1, to advance to the Stanley Cup final.

His second was two weeks ago against Washington. Murray watched from the ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- All the right things were said. The Senators are a good team, a proud group. They'll make a push. It won't be easy. Have to match their best.

The messages the Penguins preached prior to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final on Tuesday turned out to be very much accurate.

Especially the need to match the Senators' desire, ...Read more

Predators coach Peter Laviolette didn't seem overly impressed that in guiding his team to a six-game elimination of the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference finals he became only the fourth coach in NHL history to lead three teams to the Stanley Cup Final.

Laviolette, who won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and led the ...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With their season on the brink Monday night, the Ducks brought the best Game 6 they've played in many years. The same empty feeling of one without a Stanley Cup still couldn't be avoided.

This one culminated in the Western Conference finals for the second time in three years. The unheralded Colton Sissons gave Nashville the ...Read more

Conor Sheary wasn't surprised when Penguins coach Mike Sullivan made him a healthy scratch Sunday for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, but that doesn't mean Sheary was happy about it.

Regardless of the decision, however, Sheary recognizes that the best things he can do right now are support his teammates and prepare for his next ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- There is no NHL by-law mandating that teams have an elite defenseman if they want to win a Stanley Cup.

It only seems that way.

Fact is, for all the unpredictability of the playoffs, the need for a franchise-caliber defenseman seems to be an almost unwavering truth.

Kris Letang filled that role for the Penguins in 2016. A ...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- Hockey's best offensive team had been unable to score goals. It was akin to Aroldis Chapman losing his fastball or Usain Bolt running the 40-yard dash in 5 seconds flat. Scoring is what these Penguins do. Only they hadn't done it for the better part of three weeks.

Until Sunday.

The Penguins offense is apparently alive and well, ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Pontus Aberg had 10 insignificant NHL playoff games before he laced up Saturday for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. His 11th became one to remember.

Aberg broke a tie between the Ducks and Nashville midway through the third period to lift the Predators to an eventual 3-1 victory at Honda Center and move with one ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The NHL on Saturday fined Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf $10,000 for the use of what it called an inappropriate remark Thursday night during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Nashville.

The fine is the maximum amount allowable under the terms of the joint collective bargaining agreement between the league and the ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Maybe Matt Murray was the magic elixir the Penguins' offense needed.

Or maybe chalk up the result to Murray's calm demeanor, which was evident from the start of this one.

It could also be a coincidence.

Whatever the reason, Murray's return as the Penguins' starting goaltender coincided with a better offensive performance ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has a sparkling record this postseason following a loss -- 4-1 with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage.

He won't get a chance to improve upon those numbers.

Coach Mike Sullivan announced Friday morning at the team's downtown hotel that Matt Murray will replace Fleury...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Potential elimination seems to bring out the best in the Ducks and the Western Conference finals are heading toward a lengthy conclusion with the Nashville Predators.

This competitive series is headed for at least six games. The Ducks made it so Thursday night, somehow recovering after blowing a late lead to earn a 3-2 ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Ottawa probably didn't anticipate the uninspired effort the Penguins put forth for much of their 5-1 loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final Wednesday night.

And the Senators certainly don't expect a repeat in Game 4 Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

"I'm expecting a big pushback from them," Ottawa center Zack Smith...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Anaheim Ducks have come to view their playoff journey as a roller-coaster ride that's testing their ability to keep emotions in check while they navigate steep climbs and deep dips, sometimes careening from one extreme to the other in dramatic and quick succession.

"I think our season has been a little bit of a roller ...Read more

OTTAWA, Ontario -- It certainly would be convenient to blame Marc-Andre Fleury after the Penguins' 5-1 loss to the Senators in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final on Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre.

He's literally their last line of defense, an easy target. If the opposing team scores on four of its first nine shots on goal, as the ...Read more

Almost exactly 20 years after Nashville was awarded an NHL expansion team, the market is buzzing with the Predators two victories from the Stanley Cup Final.

Nine hundred miles away in downtown St. Paul, Minn., the man responsible for bringing hockey to Nashville before selling the franchise nine years ago and purchasing the Wild talked about ...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The first time the Nashville Predators hosted a game in the Western Conference finals became a memorable one. And the Ducks are again dealing with an uphill battle in a series.

Roman Josi scored a power-play goal with 2:43 left in regulation to lift the Predators to a 2-1 win at a raucous Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night, ...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- Head athletic trainer Chris Stewart approached Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, covered his mouth with a towel and appeared to deliver some bad news.

The same message that Sullivan has to be tired of hearing by now, that defenseman Justin Schultz and forward Bryan Rust would remain out after suffering injuries in the first period of ...Read more