NHL

8:28 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson made their season debuts and the Washington Capitals blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Sunday night. It marked the first time Backstrom and Wilson took the ice at Capital One Arena since the first round of last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs

10:22 PM ET ESPN News Services BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres paid tribute to Bills safety Damar Hamlin with a moment of celebration before Saturday night’s 6-5 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild. Hamlin is on the long road to recovery after he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the

12:28 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Va. — Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson are finally ready to return for the Washington Capitals. The team said Saturday that Backstrom and Wilson are being activated off injured reserve to make their respective season debuts. The playmaking center and power winger are expected to play Sunday when the

11:44 PM ET Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Kyle Connor set a franchise record with his 41st game-winning goal, scoring on a power play at 5:38 of the third lead as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Friday night. Connor’s record-setting goal moved him past Ilya Kovalchuk for the most winners

7:00 AM ET The mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 NHL regular season is close at hand, and some teams have already played in their 41st game. Sounds like the perfect time to take the temperature of each club against their preseason over/under point projections from Caesars Sportsbook. How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey

Jan 6, 2023 Shane Wright, who went fourth in last summer’s NHL draft, was sent to juniors by the Seattle Kraken on Friday. The move comes a day after Wright captained Canada to an overtime win against Czechia at the IIHF U-20 World Junior Championships. He scored in the win against Czechia while finishing the

Jan 6, 2023 The 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park set merchandise sales records for an NHL outdoor game, according to the league. Game-day concession merchandise sales for the Jan. 2 matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins were the highest ever recorded for an outdoor event. They rose 61% from the 2022

9:00 AM ET The NHL Awards races had an upheaval since our last edition. (Well, except for the one where Patrice Bergeron is the leader. You know, like every year.) But the races for MVP, best defenseman, top rookie, most dominant goalie and coach of the year all have new favorites. Such are the unpredictable

Jan 6, 2023 Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists in his return from a lower-body injury and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Thursday night. Vegas leads the Western Conference and is tied for second in the NHL at its midway point of the

8:40 PM ET ESPN staff The 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend will take place on Feb. 3 and 4, hosted by the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. The All-Star Skills competition is scheduled for Friday and will be broadcast on ESPN, with the All-Star Game slated for Saturday, broadcast on ABC with a simulcast on ESPN+.

4:51 PM ET Associated Press The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation says he would like a decision on NHL participation in the 2026 Olympics by the spring of 2024. IIHF president Luc Tardif told reporters Thursday at the world junior championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that would give the parties involved two years

8:15 AM ET Over the past two seasons, Nicklas Backstrom faced conversations that frankly, he had no interest in having. The Washington Capitals center’s nagging left hip had deteriorated to the point where he had a hard time putting on his socks and shoes. He struggled to play with his kids (ages 9, 6 and

7:39 PM ET Ottawa Senators goalie Cam Talbot decided to use his new mask to send a not-so-subtle message to actor Ryan Reynolds about his potential ownership stake in the team. Of course, a lack of subtlety is expected when it comes to Deadpool, the Marvel character Reynolds had embodied for two films. Latest mask

10:39 AM ET The New York Rangers signed forward Jimmy Vesey to a two-year extension through the 2024-25 season, the team announced Wednesday. According to sources, the annual average value of the contract is $800,000, which the Rangers feel gives them flexibility to shape their roster among uncertainty over next year’s salary cap. Vesey, 29,

9:00 AM ET The NHL season is nearing its midpoint, which means teams separating out into the hopeful and the hopeless. Here are the Stanley Cup Hope Tiers as they are currently constituted. The projected points and playoff probabilities are through Monday’s games and provided by FiveThirtyEight. The Stanley Cup champion probabilities are via Money

11:29 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — Damar Hamlin was at the forefront in the minds of the Buffalo Sabres from the time they woke up on a game day through the end of their 5-4 overtime victory at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. It was evident from the “LOVE FOR 3” shirts

3:08 PM ET The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Jakub Vrana on waivers Tuesday, less than three weeks after he returned to the team following a stint in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Vrana is midway through a three-year, $15.75 million deal that carries a $5.25 million cap hit. Vrana, 26, sought treatment through the

6:53 PM ET ESPN News Services MONCTON, New Brunswick — Logan Cooley had three goals, and Red Savage and Cutter Gauthier had two each, as Team USA cruised past Germany 11-1 in the world junior championship Monday, securing a spot in the tournament’s semifinals. The win was the Americans’ third straight after a surprising loss