NHL

7:57 PM ET The reigning Stanley Cup champions might be on the ropes. The Tampa Bay Lightning, winners of consecutive titles, return home, down 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche. It’s not just the two-game deficit in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s how the Avalanche have won. Colorado jumped out to early leads in both games

11:53 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — What a difference 48 hours and a venue change makes. Facing a 2-0 deficit in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final — and coming off of a 7-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche that felt even more lopsided than that score — the Tampa Bay Lightning returned home and threw

11:00 AM ET ESPN Betting Insiders On Monday night, the Stanley Cup Final will head to Tampa Bay, as the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning will try to avoid a 3-0 series hole. Why are they in this position? Well, the Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche won Game 2 by a football-score-sized 7-0. Catch

7:00 AM ET DENVER — Steven Stamkos answered question after question, dark circles under his eyes above an unkempt playoff beard. He stared straight ahead. He certainly wasn’t going to look behind him at the smoldering mess that was Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. “People are gonna be watching this game and probably

12:43 PM ET DENVER — Colorado‘s Andre Burakovsky will not travel with the team to Tampa on Sunday after suffering an injury in the Avalanche’s 7-0 drubbing of the Lightning in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. Coach Jared Bednar said Burakovsky is still being evaluated and would join the Avalanche in

11:25 PM ET Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final was a back-and-forth thriller, with the Colorado Avalanche winning a 4-3 contest in overtime over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 2 was … not nearly as thrilling, with the Avs jumping out to an early lead and then pouring it on en route to

6:00 PM ET Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final saw the Colorado Avalanche withstand a Tampa Bay Lightning comeback with a game-winning goal in overtime. If the rest of the series is like Game 1, we could be in for an entertaining championship round. 1 Related Wednesday was the fourth Game 1 Colorado win

5:27 PM ET ESPN News Services Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom underwent left hip resurfacing surgery Friday, the team announced on social media Saturday. The surgery was performed in Belgium, the Capitals said, and the veteran forward will begin his rehabilitation and recovery process immediately. After the Capitals lost to the Florida Panthers in the

2:14 PM ET DENVER — Shane Wright wants to be the first overall pick taken by the Montreal Canadiens in next month’s NHL draft. He also knows it’s not his call. “I have my own opinion on where I believe I should go, but at the end of the day, it’s out of my control

8:00 AM ET DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche stars dominated headlines before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Valeri Nichushkin was dominant on the ice. To the uninitiated, Nichushkin’s terrific all-around performance in Colorado’s 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning — including a goal and a key assist on

7:05 AM ET There are different ways for teams to enter the NHL free-agent pool. There are big splashes for star players. Other teams methodically wade in, making sure their feet (and their finances) remain grounded. Some just dip their toes in. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche, currently playing in the Stanley Cup

7:00 AM ET DENVER — During their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a secret weapon. Their checking line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow had the unique ability to shut down their opponents’ top players while contributing huge goals of their own. The lone goal in Game 7 against

7:47 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Bruce Cassidy is the third coach of the Vegas Golden Knights in the franchise’s sixth year, and he said the decision was a “no-brainer” from a hockey perspective. After all, Vegas has been one of the NHL’s most successful teams since entering the league in 2017, making

8:30 AM ET DENVER — Even the best in the world can have his bad moments. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final marked the first time Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had given up three goals in the first period of a playoff game. Two of those Colorado Avalanche tallies uncharacteristically trickled through

8:00 AM ET The 2022 Stanley Cup Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning got off to a rollicking start, with Colorado jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, Tampa Bay tying it in the second, and the Avalanche prevailing 4-3 in overtime. What did we learn in Game 1

1:35 AM ET DENVER — Andre Burakovsky was like a kid on Christmas morning before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Only he ended up delivering the gift. Colorado’s big winger scored the game winner in overtime to lift the Avalanche past the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 for a 1-0 lead in

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The 2022 Stanley Cup Final is set to begin Wednesday night in Denver, and it promises to be one of the best matchups in recent memory. The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Islanders won four in a row from

8:00 AM ET DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are no overnight success. Joe Sakic knows that better than anyone. He was Colorado’s captain when the franchise last won a Stanley Cup, in 2001. Now, 21 years later, Sakic is the architect behind the Avalanche’s return to a Final, this one opening Wednesday against the Tampa