SUNRISE, Fla. — The past two seasons, the Lightning spent the second half of the regular season jostling with the Panthers for playoff positioning near the top of the Atlantic Division.

Last season, Florida ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy. Two seasons ago, the Lightning dispatched the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs. ...Read more

The New York Islanders have signed center Bo Horvat to an eight-year contract less than a week after acquiring him in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks.

The team announced the contract Sunday, after their first practice following the All-Star break. Horvat’s deal is worth $68 million and carries a $8.5 million salary cap hit through the 2030...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — The cameras lingered on Matthew Tkachuk for a long time after he finished off his hat trick in the semifinals of the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. The All-Star right wing sat on the bench, beside his younger brother, while cheers rose from the FLA Live Arena crowd, looking for an acknowledgment from the Florida Panthers’ new star. ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — The 2023 NHL All-Star Game was the biggest event yet for the Florida Panthers under Vincent Viola’s ownership, which leaves one logical next step: an outdoor game

But could the Panthers really bring the NHL Winter Classic or NHL Stadium Series to South Florida? Preliminary discussions have taken place, although Gary Bettman ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk really likes being a Florida Panther and he wants to make sure everyone knows it.

The All-Star right wing has spent most of the last six months telling everyone about how much he likes his new life with the Panthers. At the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday, he got a chance to show it.

As the final ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — He heard the chants so many times during his career with the Florida Panthers.

So it was only natural for Roberto Luongo to hear it a few more times on Friday on the ice he called home for more than half of his NHL career.

“LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.”

For the first time in more than four years, Luongo put on his goalie gear and ...Read more

Is he his brother’s keeper? Matthew Tkachuk looks over at his younger brother, Brady, one NHL All-Star to another, and says, “I was always able to overpower him. I mean, look at him.”

“Hey,’’ Brady says.

“A rail of a human.”

They chuckle Thursday afternoon, Fort Lauderdale Beach at their back, two brothers basking in their ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — There's about a month to go before the NHL trade deadline, plenty of time for this recalibrated Wild team to make a move that improves their odds of winning a playoff series, or two, or four.

The Wild have reached the All-Star break with 58 points, 14 behind the pace of their club-record 113 points last season. Their offense has...Read more

With a 10-day vacation on their horizon, the Bruins decided to start it with smiles on their faces.

After losing three straight games the B’s looked like their old selves on Wednesday in Toronto, using a strong third period to leave the Maple Leafs in their dust in a 5-2 victory.

The B’s got two goals from defensemen, a fourth line goal ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Go ahead, call them the “Cardiac Canes.”

The Carolina Hurricanes staged another scintillating comeback Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings, rallying from a three-goal deficit in third period to tie the score, and then winning, 5-4 in overtime.

Sebastian Aho’s power-play score with 54 seconds left in overtime was the ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Early this season, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy needed a change. After years of committing himself to an extensive preparation regimen that helped turn him into arguably the best netminder in the world, Vasilevskiy felt like he needed to pull back a bit.

He has played a lot of hockey — averaging 76 games, including ...Read more

Gary Bettman made a name for himself in the 1980s as the NBA's general counsel and third-in-command, the sharp, young lawyer who created the league's salary cap. Working alongside Commissioner David Stern, Bettman helped stabilize the NBA and transform it into a star-centric league watched by a global audience.

Still, it was a surprise when the...Read more

Few things in sports were as memorable as a rush up the ice by the Chicago Blackhawks with Bobby Hull handling the puck at Chicago Stadium.

A goal by the man with the hardest shot anyone had seen, combined with the acoustics of the original Madhouse on Madison, led to a sonic explosion that may never be replicated.

It was that incomparable ...Read more

Bobby Hull, the electrifying Blackhawks left wing who brought the Stanley Cup to Chicago in 1961 and was a former team ambassador, died, the team announced Monday. He was 84.

Keeping up with Hull will forever be one of the most arduous tasks presented in the NHL. The revered Blackhawks wing, nicknamed “The Golden Jet,” often attracted ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes fans have been known to boo certain visiting teams when they take the ice at PNC Arena — a customary greeting.

Those boos were considerably louder Sunday.

The Boston Bruins were in town. It was a matchup of the two best teams in the NHL, the Bruins leading the Atlantic Division and the Canes the ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Looking ahead to vacation – long or short – eventually works its way and takes up residence in the head of almost everyone.

Professional athletes included.

That’s why you see particularly unexpected results just before the Christmas break or the All-Star break or the final game of the regular season for non-playoff ...Read more

SEATTLE — Alex Wennberg scored the winner in his 600th career NHL game, Morgan Geekie and Eeli Tolvanen scored on either side of it and the Kraken finished out play before the All-Star break by moving into first place in the Pacific Division.

The Kraken turned in an imperfect effort but still held back the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild will be idle for the next eight days, but they should have some momentum waiting for them when they're back in action.

They've won two in a row after ditching a three-game skid, their 3-2 comeback in a shootout against the Sabres on Saturday in front of 19,212 at Xcel Energy Center lifting them to a 27-17-4 record ...Read more