DENVER — Cale for sale is an epic fail. An Avalanche defense without Cale Makar is unthinkable. An Avs offense without No. 8 would be unwatchable.

“As a player, you’re going to have stretches where you’re not on the scoresheet and where (Makar) could still be helping the team,” TNT analyst and former NHL center Eddie Olczyk told me ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes season ticket holders had a three-hour window Saturday to purchase tickets to Stanley Cup Final games before everyone else could buy seats.

Even with the early access, though, some season ticket holders weren’t able to buy tickets at face value. Those seats had already sold out.

Instead, when fans ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Underdogs again.

That’s where the Golden Knights find themselves against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final after their stunning sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final as 2-1 series underdogs.

The Knights are +130 series underdogs to the Hurricanes, who are -140 favorites at the Westgate ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rod Brind’Amour won a Stanley Cup in 2006 as the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, holding the Cup high in victory in what quickly became an iconic photo.

He now has the chance to again hold up the Cup, in his eighth year as the Hurricanes’ head coach. The Canes and Vegas Golden Knights face off in this year’s Stanley ...Read more

One way or another, the Lenovo Center will host every game of the Stanley Cup Final.

Watch parties will be held at the arena for every away game of the Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes announced Sunday in a tweet.

“YOU ASKED, YOU RECEIVE,” the Canes posted on X. “We will host Watch Parties for all Stanley Cup Final road games ...Read more

The Carolina Hurricanes had a day off Saturday to rest and recharge after winning the Eastern Conference championship in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But that was it; no 11-day break this time. While not on the ice, it was back to work off the ice Sunday as the Canes more quickly gear up for the Stanley Cup Final matchup with the Vegas Golden ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said it following Game 2 of the Western Conference final and again Friday night.

Jack Eichel is one of, if not the best, 200-foot players in the world.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

It takes growth, maturity and an understanding of what your team needs most to win. It takes some ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes are getting their chance.

For the first time in 20 years, the Hurricanes will play for the Stanley Cup after dispatching the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference final.

A dominating 6-1 victory over the Canadiens on Friday at Lenovo Center ended the series in five games, with the raucous crowd ...Read more

Longtime forward Claude Lemieux, one of hockey’s fiercest competitors and greatest agitators during a memorable 21-year NHL career that included four Stanley Cup championships and a one-year stint in the San Jose Sharks organization, died unexpectedly on Thursday. He was 60.

The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux’s death on social ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — When Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas spoke with local media earlier this month, one statement he made stood out far more than the others.

The question pertained to Evgeni Malkin. Dubas was asked for the team’s plan as the franchise icon was set to hit free agency.

“We would love to have him back...Read more

DENVER — Fire everybody. Into the sun, if possible.

The 2026 Western Conference final was played anywhere Vegas wanted it. The corners. The boards. The neutral zone. In between the Avalanche players’ ears, mostly.

The Golden Knights turned the NHL’s fastest team into a Corvette on cinder blocks. This wasn’t just a sweep. It was ...Read more

MONTREAL — The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from playing for the Stanley Cup.

The Canes reeled off three rapid-fire goals in the opening period and kept the Montreal Canadiens mostly flustered and frustrated Wednesday in a 4-0 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final at Bell Centre.

The Canes, with goalie Frederik Andersen ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — He skated around the T-Mobile ice screaming and pumping his fist. Maybe it was a way for Mitch Marner to let go of all past frustrations. Maybe he was just overjoyed in the moment.

Maybe it was both.

Whatever the reason, you couldn’t have found a happier member of the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, Marner’s euphoric ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Stanley Cup Final after completing a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche with a 2-1 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference final at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

The Knights will play for the Stanley Cup for the third time in their nine year history and for the second time in four ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon will play in Game 4, coach Jared Bednar said Tuesday morning.

MacKinnon will play despite getting injured in Game 3. Valeri Nichushkin, who was also injured in a 5-3 loss Saturday night that put the Avs at the brink of elimination, remains a game-time decision.

“I think we’ll be able ...Read more

MONTREAL — Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said he expected a tight game between two good teams Monday in the Eastern Conference final.

How about another overtime game? How tight is that? Staal was right.

The Hurricanes evened the series Saturday on an overtime goal by Nikolaj Ehlers at Lenovo Center. The move to the Bell Centre ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — At first, it looked like maybe just a bad stinger, like getting hit really hard on the funny bone.

That happens in hockey. A player blocks a shot, a part of their body goes numb for a bit and then eventually, things go back to normal.

That wasn’t the case Sunday night for Nathan MacKinnon. In a Western Conference final where a ...Read more