TORONTO — The Bruins entered the playoffs believing goaltending is the team’s strength. And in the first round, they haven’t been wrong.

And yet, all of a sudden, the goalie rotation question is back on the table.

That is not to say that Linus Ullmark was bad in Game 2, a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Far from it. He ...Read more

EDMONTON, Canada — The NHL regular season is like an anthology of 82 stories, each with its own beginning, middle and end. The playoffs, however, are like a novel, each game a new chapter that builds on the last one.

Kings coach Jim Hiller likes it that way.

“We all love the playoffs because we play the game, you review the game, ...Read more

DALLAS – The Golden Knights knew the Dallas Stars would push back Wednesday.

The Knights just pushed harder.

They weathered a physical start and shut down the Stars for a 3-1 win in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.

The Knights are up 2-0 in the series. Game 3 is at T-Mobile Arena on ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Certainly, the Panthers deserved to celebrate. Their pressure was relentless.

The Lightning deserved their fate, too. They have allowed Florida to control the puck and the pace.

As for Andrei Vasilevskiy? He deserved so much more.

If the Lightning cannot win a playoff game with their goaltender sliding, diving and denying ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Following one of the worst seasons in franchise history, David Quinn on Wednesday was fired as coach of the San Jose Sharks.

“After going through our end-of-the-season process of internal meetings and evaluating where our team is at and where we want our group to go, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at...Read more

WINNIPEG — The margins are never thinner, and the swings are never greater than in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche was centimeters from a potentially back-breaking goal and about 27 minutes from a 2-0 series deficit Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre. A few minutes later, the Avs had control of the game and a period later ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Carter Verhaeghe scored 2:09 into overtime and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena to go up 2-0 in their Stanley Cup Playoffs opening-round series.

Sam Bennett and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the first period for Florida, which got 21 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Brayden ...Read more

DALLAS — The American Airlines Center crowd booed Mark Stone each time he touched the puck.

The first two times lasted around two seconds. The third time was much louder.

Stone scored a power-play goal 1:23 into his return to the Knights’ lineup, sparking a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the two teams’ first-round playoff ...Read more

BOSTON — The Bruins stuck with their goalie rotation for Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and, though they got a very good performance from Linus Ullmark (30 saves), this best-of-seven series is tied at 1-1.

The Leafs earned the split. They were the better team most of the night on Tuesday and they finally forged ahead late in the game ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — There are comeback wins in hockey and then there are great comeback wins.

The Carolina Hurricanes had a great one Monday in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup series against the New York Islanders, erupting for four goals late in the third period for a 5-3 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

After pulling goalie Frederik Andersen for ...Read more

BOSTON — Jeremy Swayman has a favorite saying. “You can’t buy experience at Target,” the Bruins’ netminder has often said.

Jakub Lauko can attest to that.

Lauko freely admits that when he got his first taste of Stanley Cup playoff action a year ago against the Florida Panthers, his head was swimming.

“Last year I jumped into Game ...Read more

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Colorado Avalanche did not make it to Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs before goaltending became the dominant storyline.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed seven goals on 23 shots, and a fast start by Colorado quickly faded under the weight of an avalanche of goals against in a 7-6 defeat Sunday night at Canada Life ...Read more

As Matthew Tkachuk looked down at the scoresheet from the Florida Panthers’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday afternoon, one tidbit stood out above the rest.

“Everyone got a hit,” the Panthers’ star winger said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.”

The physicality was expected, ...Read more

SEATTLE — On May 15, 2023, thousands of fans filed into Climate Pledge Arena to watch a hockey game. They came in jerseys and octopus hats and blue hair dye and mermaid fins, looking the playoff part. They came despite the unrelenting 86-degree heat, a Seattle spring outlier. They came with signs and dolls donning custom-made Kraken jerseys, ...Read more

BOSTON — If Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was really thinking about going with a straight goalie rotation for the playoffs like he did all season, Jeremy Swayman made a pretty good argument against it Saturday night at TD Garden.

In Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Swayman (35 saves) was excellent, especially early, and ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes got just the kind of game they were expecting from the New York Islanders on Saturday as the Stanley Cup playoffs began.

The Hurricanes took a 3-1 victory at PNC Arena in Game 1, which was tight-checking, hard-fought and grinding. Canes goalie Frederik Andersen earned the win with 34 saves.

Stefan ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — By now, he is part of the landscape. Like bridges and beaches, Steven Stamkos is Tampa Bay.

It’s not any one thing, it is everything. He arrived as a teenage savior and somehow exceeded most expectations. He’s had a Hall of Fame career, won two Stanley Cups and walked with dignity no matter the hour or score. And 16 years ...Read more

BOSTON — And so they meet again. The Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs don’t hold their spring clash quite as a frequently as the B’s and Montreal Canadiens once did, but the Blue-and-White have replaced the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge as the B’s chief rival.

This will be the fourth time in 11 years the two Original Six teams will meet in the ...Read more