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

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks are guaranteed a top-four pick for the fourth straight season when the NHL draft lottery takes place Tuesday evening.

The Hawks have the second-best odds at 13.5% to get the No. 1 pick for the third time in franchise history. They struck gold with the other two: Patrick Kane in 2007 and Connor Bedard in 2023. ...Read more

They should have worn the Nordiques and North Stars jerseys for this one.

The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a defensive grind against the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, held off the Minnesota Wild, 9-6, in a chaotic Game 1 of their second-round playoff series that looked more like something out of the ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning did more than enough to win their do-or-die Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena.

Tampa Bay held Montreal to nine shots on goal, including just four through two periods. It didn’t allow any in a second period that included 3 minutes, 50 seconds spent on the...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburghers have always been a sucker for nostalgia. We tend to romanticize things that have been around awhile — and when they go away, it can feel like a part of us is missing.

Some of us grieve the closing of an old Kennywood ride or a local dive bar similar to a loved one’s passing. Heck, some people had an emotional ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — The legend of Logan Stankoven continues to grow.

The Carolina Hurricanes center, their little big man, scored twice and grabbed a piece of Stanley Cup playoff history Saturday in a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of their second-round series at Lenovo Center.

The second game of the Eastern Conference series...Read more

SALT LAKE CITY – The script of the first round was, indeed, the same as the last.

The Vegas Golden Knights are moving on to the second round after defeating the Utah Mammoth 5-1 in Game 6 at Delta Center on Friday.

Next up will be the Anaheim Ducks in the second round for the first playoff matchup ever between the Interstate-15 rivals. ...Read more

BOSTON — The Bruins are plum out of resilience.

Doubted before the year and then at various points during the 82-game schedule, the B’s constantly pushed back against expectations. But on Friday, their season was finally extinguished by the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-1 defeat at TD ...Read more

MONTREAL — The Lightning didn’t shy away from the magnitude of their must-win Game 6 against the Canadiens Friday at Bell Centre. Yes, their season was on the line, as they trailed 3-2 in the first-round series, but they also were staring at the possibility of four straight first-round playoff exits.

Outside the arena, Canadiens fans were ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard reportedly will opt out of playing for Canada in the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship this month. Bedard instead will use the time to nurse injuries suffered in the 2025-26 NHL season.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman first reported the news.

Bedard suffered a separated shoulder Dec....Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Stars are going back to Dallas … but the Wild aren’t.

They eliminated the Stars with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 tonight at Grand Casino Arena to clinch their first playoff series in 11 years.

Next up is a second-round matchup with first-place Colorado.

Quinn Hughes’ second goal of the night snapped a 2-2 tie 10:38 ...Read more

SEATTLE — Jessica Campbell will look beyond the Kraken bench after two seasons in Seattle.

The trailblazing assistant coach has opted to explore new opportunities, according to the team. It was a mutual decision, and her contract expires this summer.

The door is still open for a potential return, and the Kraken will keep in touch.

“She ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Penguins marched in range of history, forcing overtime in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers after dropping the first three games of the first-round series.

But the comeback attempt ended in crushing fashion, as Cam York won the series in overtime for Philadelphia on a shot from the point.

The Flyers’ 1-0 win in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — They say the third time’s the charm.

After striking out in their first two attempts to close the door on their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers finally came through with a harrowing 1-0 overtime win in Game 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

With two minutes, 28 seconds left in the extra ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The biggest Flyers home game in 16 years was the best of that mostly dull and empty stretch of time, 77 minutes and 32 seconds of total tension, loads of scoring chances, a near-equal number of stellar saves by the two goaltenders, all of the action and apprehension inside the Xfinity Mobile Arena building and building and ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — In a first-round series in which games have been decided by the narrowest of margins, Game 5 loomed large. With the series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens tied at two games apiece and basically down to a best-of-three, the team that prevailed Wednesday night at Benchmark International Arena would be in ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Dallas Stars are a game away from their season ending, and now might be a good time for their best, not to mention highest-paid, scorer to start scoring goals.

The Stars need forward Mikko Rantanen not to win the game by himself, but it wouldn’t hurt. No one else is.

On Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center,...Read more