Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch after 1st-round playoff exit that followed 2 Stanley Cup Final trips
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers fired coach Kris Knoblauch on Thursday, dismissing him after a first-round exit followed him guiding the team to consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Knoblauch coached the Oilers to the playoffs three times since taking over as a midseason replacement when Jay Woodcroft...
Brett Kulak scores early in OT as Avs rally, advance to West final with win over Wild
DENVER — Brett Kulak scored 3 minutes, 52 seconds into overtime after Nathan MacKinnon tied it late in regulation, and the Colorado Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference final with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Kulak capped a wild comeback for the...
Canadiens-Sabres Game 5, Golden Knights-Ducks Game 6 test experience vs. youth
While John Tortorella has only been coaching the Vegas Golden Knights for a little over six weeks, they are his sixth NHL team and he is coming up on his 22nd anniversary of hoisting the Stanley Cup. Through all that, he still wonders something about playoff hockey. “I’m not sure...
Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer unanimously wins Calder Trophy as NHL’s top rookie
NEW YORK — Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders is the unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. The league surprised him with the award Wednesday. Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was the Calder front-runner from just about the time...
Zach Benson scores tiebreaking goal on birthday as Sabres knot series with Canadiens
MONTREAL — Zach Benson broke a tie on a third-period power play on his 21st birthday, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2, on Tuesday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Benson took a pass in the slot from Josh Doan, kicked the...
Blue Jackets sign forward Charlie Coyle to 6-year, $36 million extension
Charlie Coyle knew Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell could have traded him near the March deadline after the center did not fully commit to re-signing with the club. Waddell’s decision to stand pat and the team’s second-half improvement under coach Rick Bowness are two factors why Coyle is...
Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy suspended 6 games for slashing Sabres’ Zach Benson
NEW YORK — Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was suspended for the first six games of next season for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ruling Tuesday after holding an in-person hearing at league headquarters in New York on Monday. That gave senior VP...
Avalanche bounce back to beat the Wild for 3-1 lead in series
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored in the third period for Colorado, an opportune time for their first goals of the postseason as the high-scoring Avalanche snapped back from a mid-series lull and beat the Minnesota Wild, 5-2, in Game 4 on Monday night to...
First Call: Former Pitt QB defends Steelers rookie Drew Allar amid criticism of technique; an ex-Penguin scores in playoffs
Monday’s “First Call” has some background on the Drew Allar practice tape making the rounds from Pittsburgh Steelers rookie camp. A former Cleveland Brown is leaving the division to head west. And the Pittsburgh Penguins are celebrating a happy anniversary, while an ex-Penguin is making a playoff impact. Context matters...
Canadiens beat Sabres to take a 2-1 lead in the second-round Eastern Conference series
MONTREAL — Cole Caufield scored his second goal of the playoffs and added an assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 in a dominant Game 3 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Alex Newhook had two goals, including an empty-netter,...
Jackson Blake’s OT goal lifts Hurricanes over Flyers for 2nd straight playoff sweep
PHILADELPHIA — Jackson Blake scored 5 minutes, 28 seconds into overtime for his second of the game, Logan Stankoven also scored in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes finished a four-game sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight...
Does NHL need more replay reviews for penalties, or would they slow the game?
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour figures the NHL has the best officials in the world. He still thinks they could use some help in sorting through the chaos — both before and after the whistle — that comes with the NHL playoffs. Brind’Amour has backed the idea...
Hurricanes beat Flyers in Game 3, move within a win of 2nd straight sweep
PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, and Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, keying a special teams effort that helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their seventh straight playoff game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes — who...
Ducks beat Golden Knights 3-1 and send series back to Anaheim at 1-1
LAS VEGAS — Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins scored, Lukas Dostal came 5.6 seconds from his first career playoff shutout and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-1, on Wednesday night to even their series at a game apiece. The Ducks head home with the chance...
Revived power play lifts Sabres past Canadiens in Round 2 series opener
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored on consecutive power-play opportunities in reviving Buffalo’s anemic special-teams unit, and the Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night. Josh Doan and Jordan Greenway also scored for Buffalo, which is making...
Avalanche’s depth turns into 14-goal statement in 1st 2 games against Wild
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche both deep and dynamic, and that unusual combination has the Minnesota Wild searching for answers to their opponent’s offensive onslaught. “It’s one game at a time,” Wild forward Matt Boldy said after the Avalanche’s 5-2 win Tuesday night put Minnesota in a 2-0 hole in...
MacKinnon has goal and 2 assists in 5-2 win over Wild as Avalanche take 2-0 lead in series
DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal and assisted on two more as the Colorado Avalanche rolled through Minnesota’s newest netminder, Filip Gustavsson, on their way to a 5-2 win over the Wild on Tuesday night, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the second-round playoff series. The Avalanche now have won...
Toronto Maple Leafs win lottery for the No. 1 pick in NHL Draft
The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery for the first pick in the NHL Draft, a significant victory that could change the trajectory of the storied franchise at a critical time. The Maple Leafs got some lottery luck Tuesday night, a little more than 48 hours after hiring John Chayka...
Sabres host Canadiens in 2nd-round clash of youthful teams
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In between addressing the Sabres’ anemic power play and needing to be better on home ice, coach Lindy Ruff took time to reflect on Buffalo’s rich but relatively ancient playoff history against the Montreal Canadiens. His memories go back to 1983, when a 23-year-old Ruff was part...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB signs with Ravens; Chase Claypool’s tryout in Green Bay; Flyers down 0-2 to Carolina
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” an ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback lands in Baltimore. Chase Claypool is still looking for work. Penguins fans can enjoy another Flyers loss in their current series against Carolina. And the Pirates look to stay hot in Arizona after their sweep to close out a homestand at PNC...
Hall’s OT score helps Hurricanes top Flyers 3-2 to take 2-0 lead in 2nd-round series of NHL playoffs
RALEIGH, N.C. — Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the NHL playoffs. Hall took a short feed from Sean Walker and carried...
Wild seek reset after crazy 9-6 loss to Colorado in Game 1
DENVER — Kirill Kaprizov arrived in the banquet room Monday for media availability wearing a pair of hotel slippers. The Minnesota forward’s attitude about the series, even after a wild 9-6 loss to Colorado in Game 1, proved just as chill as his footwear choice. “We need better,” Kaprizov said....
Stunning Avalanche win over Wild turns defense-1st series into a 15-goal frenzy
DENVER — Two of the NHL’s best defenses and a pair of the game’s ironfisted goaltenders are squaring off in Round 2, promising a paucity of pucks flashing the red light in the Minnesota-Colorado series, right? Not in Game 1. A whopping 14 players scored Sunday night, Colorado goalie Scott...
Rick Tocchet looks for Flyers to ‘figure it out quickly’ entering Game 2 against Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. — It was a rough start for the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the NHL playoffs. Coach Rick Tocchet knows his team has to adjust quickly against the Carolina Hurricanes as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes won 3-0 in Saturday night’s best-of-seven...
Canadiens outlast Lightning in Game 7 to win thrilling 1st-round series
TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Newhook broke a tie with 8:53 left and the Montreal Canadiens outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, in Game 7 on Sunday night to end the thrilling first-round series. The Canadiens will face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round after finishing off their first series...
