Hunched in pain and lying on the ice for several seconds, it looked like Pavel Dorofeyev’s night was over.

The puck came off the stick of defenseman Jackson LaCombe and hit Dorofeyev inside his right knee.

Dorofeyev eventually got up and skated to the back under his own power. He came back late in the second period.

“I just blocked a shot...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In Bizarro Flyers World, in a parallel dimension where up is down and down is up and the team’s most promising player is a plodding defenseman named Morter Partone, Matvei Michkov hasn’t appeared in an NHL game yet. That scenario isn’t pure make-believe. It was supposed to play out after the Flyers drafted Michkov in 2023....Read more

BOSTON — The makeup of the Boston Bruins’ defense to start next season is still in question, but it appears Charlie McAvoy will not be in the opening night lineup.

McAvoy on Tuesday was tagged with a six-game suspension to start the 2026-27 regular season by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for his baseball swing slash of the Buffalo...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On a night where the short-handed Colorado Avalanche desperately needed contributions from some of the other guys, they delivered.

Parker Kelly and Ross Colton scored huge third-period goals Monday night to help the Avs fend off the Minnesota Wild, 5-2, in Game 4 of this second-round series at Grand Casino Arena.

The ...Read more

The Ducks’ second-round playoff showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights has become a best-of-three series.

With a 4-3 victory Sunday before a raucous sold-out crowd at the Honda Center, the Ducks evened the series 2-2 as it heads back to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday. But it wasn’t easy, with the Golden Knights twice rallying from one-goal...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Vegas Golden Knights will need to try and take a commanding series lead over the Anaheim Ducks without their captain.

Mark Stone will not play in Game 4 at the Honda Center on Sunday due to a lower-body injury, coach John Tortorella said at morning skate.

Stone suffered the injury late in the first period of Game 3 on ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild finally gave the Avalanche their first loss of the playoffs.

After returning home from Colorado empty-handed, the Wild came out of a three-day break with their most quintessential effort of the series, running away for a 5-1 victory on Saturday night at a raucous Grand Casino Arena to pick up their first win of the ...Read more

Eight up and eight down.

The Carolina Hurricanes remained undefeated in the Stanley Cup playoffs, taking a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday over the Philadelphia Flyers to finish off a four-game sweep of the second-round series.

Jackson Blake’s second goal of the game, at 5:28 of overtime, propelled the Hurricanes into the Eastern Conference ...Read more

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill is determined to re-create forward Jamie Benn into his own version of Steve Yzerman, and in doing so the Stars are doing for Benn what they would not for their most celebrated player, Mike Modano.

These are different eras, and the respective managements are no longer the same, but something about this ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mitch Marner recorded the first playoff hat trick of his career, and the Vegas Golden Knights cruised to a 6-2 win in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday.

Marner finished with four points, and goaltender Carter Hart made 30 saves.

The Knights lead the best-of-seven series ...Read more

The Carolina Hurricanes keep on winning playoff games.

The Canes made it seven straight Thursday, taking a 4-1 victory over the host Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

The Hurricanes, who swept the Ottawa Senators in four games to start the playoffs, will look to close out the Flyers in Game 4 on ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not this year.

The lottery? That wasn’t the San Jose Sharks’ concern anymore. No, this team is pushing for the playoffs now.

And while they didn’t make the postseason, they certainly made an impression on the league. The Sharks were not just on the rise; they are imminent. Their NHL ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Before the Ducks had even checked out of their hotel Wednesday for the short bus ride to T-Mobile Arena for Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, the Las Vegas sports books had made the hometown Golden Knights heavy favorites.

That proved to be a poor bet a couple of hours later when the Ducks rolled to a 3-1 victory, ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Sometimes, the view from the ice is no different than from your couch.

Sometimes, it’s not the analytics or freak bounces or behind-the-scenes secrets. Sometimes, the outcome is as simple as you think it is.

“I feel like that’s (been) our excuse the last few years, hockey gods and bad bounces. (There were) bad bounces, ...Read more

DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon’s postseason was off to a slow start after three games. Three contests later, he’s a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.

MacKinnon had a goal and two assists — his third straight three-point game — and the Colorado Avalanche rolled to a 5-2 win in Game 2 of this second-round series Tuesday night against the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks will pick fourth in the NHL draft, their fourth consecutive year with a top-four pick.

The Hawks entered Tuesday’s draft lottery with the second-highest odds (13.5%) of landing the No. 1 pick, which wound up going to the Toronto Maple Leafs (8.5%).

The San Jose Sharks then won the second draw, dropping the ...Read more

DENVER — Jared Bednar would not divulge who is starting in net for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of this second-round playoff series, but Minnesota coach John Hynes is making a change.

Filip Gustavsson will replace Jesper Wallstedt in the net Tuesday night for the Wild at Ball Arena. Wallstedt allowed eight goals in a 9-6 Colorado win in ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — You try to re-sign Nikita Kucherov.

Of course, you try to re-sign Kucherov. How can you not?

He’s a generational player, a future Hall of Famer and the key to your offense. There are only a handful of players on the planet who can do the things Kucherov can do on ice, and so you do not toss a skater like that aside just ...Read more

Call it experience playing until the final whistle, or the Force being with the Vegas Golden Knights on Star Wars Day.

Either way, they benefited from it and find themselves ahead in the series.

Ivan Barbashev broke a tie with 4:58 to go after the linesman appeared to waive off a potential icing, and the Knights held on to defeat the Anaheim ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes keep on winning playoff games.

But for the first time in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Hurricanes faced some adversity. For the first time, they had to play from behind and had to go to overtime Monday to turn back the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, in Game 2 of their second-round series at Lenovo ...Read more