NHL

6:37 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed forward Joel Eriksson Ek to a $42 million, eight-year contract Friday that carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.25 million. Eriksson Ek had a career-high 30 points on 19 goals and 11 assists in 56 games last season. The 24-year-old Swede

11:06 AM ET Tampa Bay Lightning winger Alex Killorn will not suit up for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in Montreal on Friday night. Killorn missed Game 2 of the series against the Canadiens with a lower body injury, potentially the result of taking a puck to the skate in Game 1. The

6:59 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning are two wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup in nine months. But the series shifts back to Montreal, where the Canadiens will have the home crowd behind them to help claw back in. Check out the ESPN NHL Playoffs Daily to catch up every day of

9:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said it would be an honor to represent his homeland of Sweden in the Olympics, calling the men’s ice hockey tournament “as good as it gets on the international level.” That was in 2013. He still hasn’t gone. He might never go. Hedman

7:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Brayden Point swears nothing changes for him in the playoffs. “You try and play the same way,” said the Tampa Bay Lightning center, “but pucks have found their way into nets as of late.” That they have. Through 20 games, Point had 14 goals for the Lightning, while no

12:59 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Blake Coleman‘s diving goal with two seconds remaining in the second period would be astonishing in itself except the winger has pulled off a similar highlight-reel play before. And before that, too. Coleman’s second-period buzzer-beater proved to be the winner in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on

11:42 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1, in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at home on Wednesday night. It was a game with outstanding goaltending, and a goal-of-the-year candidate from Blake Coleman that beat the second-period buzzer. Miss any of the game? We’re here with

12:20 PM ET Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews finally revealed why he missed the 2020-21 NHL season, saying he had “chronic immune response syndrome.” In a video announcing his return to the team on Wednesday, the team captain said: “Honestly, I haven’t taken this much time off the ice probably ever, since I was a

8:20 PM ET Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player, becoming only the second player in the 97-year history of the award to win it unanimously. McDavid placed first on all 100 ballots from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Previously, only Wayne Gretzky won the Hart unanimously back

1:22 PM ET Don Granato has been named as the new head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced Tuesday. Granato’s deal with the Sabres is for three years, a source told ESPN. Granato, 53, served as interim coach of the Sabres for the final 30 games of last season after Ralph Krueger was

7:00 AM ET UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The first $17 can of beer hit the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum ice roughly 20 seconds after New York Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier‘s overtime goal. Then another. Then another. Then what seemed like an entire brewery’s inventory landed on the ice as the Islanders mobbed the overtime hero at

12:55 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Only three players in NHL history have scored 30-plus points in consecutive postseasons: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and now Nikita Kucherov. The Tampa Bay Lightning star continued his spectacular postseason, recording two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the

11:34 PM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, 5-1, over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, in a game that featured odd bounces, some star turns from the Lightning scorers and a shocking number of pucks that got by Carey Price. Miss any of the game? We’re here

7:05 AM ET Following one of the most unique regular seasons in NHL history, the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs represented a bit of a return to normalcy, as we had a 16-team bracket, and fans came back to arenas to varying degrees across the continent. Fourteen of those teams have been eliminated, and we’re on

7:02 AM ET NHL Insiders The 2021 Stanley Cup Final is set to begin on Monday, as the Tampa Bay Lightning face off against the Montreal Canadiens. While these two teams would usually play each other frequently in the regular season as members of the Atlantic Division, Game 1 will be the first time they

10:44 AM ET Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said he “was not aware” of any allegations regarding Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 when he worked in the front office. Bergevin, whose Montreal team is preparing to play in the Stanley Cup Final, began his management career in Chicago from 2008 to

7:57 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Montreal Canadiens were longshots to win the Stanley Cup at the start of the playoffs, and that’s putting it kindly. Sportsbooks had the Canadiens’ odds anywhere from +2000 to +5000, depending on when the wagers were made. They finished fourth in their own division and had the 18th

5:30 PM ET Las Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez, a key contributor in a postseason run that just ended in the NHL semifinals, admitted Saturday that he played with a broken foot. The 33-year-old veteran, who had four goals and six points across three series for Vegas, revealed the injury at a pivotal time,