NHL

8:48 AM ET The underdog had its day in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup semifinals between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Can the Montreal Canadiens continue shocking the hockey world against the Vegas Golden Knights? Check out the ESPN NHL Playoffs Daily to catch up every day of the postseason

7:00 AM ET If the 2011 Stanley Cup Final were pitched as a movie script, it would have been rejected for being too outlandish. One player biting his opponent. A series-long suspension after a star player was stretchered off the ice after a hit. Goalie trash talk in the media. The heavy underdog upsetting the

7:24 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Islanders were mentally prepared for Game 1 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not. “Our work ethic was there. Our compete [level] was there. Our minds weren’t there,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose team lost 2-1 at home on Sunday

5:49 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — Montreal forward Jake Evans, who has not played since sustaining a concussion on a hit by Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele on June 2, will accompany the Canadiens to Las Vegas for their Stanley Cup semifinal series against the Golden Knights. Interim Canadiens coach Dominque Ducharme said Saturday that Evans,

8:10 AM ET NHL Insiders We’re down to the final four teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. Our No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup pits the Vegas Golden Knights against the Montreal Canadiens. Vegas was one of the top Cup favorites at the start of the postseason, while Montreal was not. But the Habs

8:00 AM ET The Vegas Golden Knights were a juggernaut during the 2021 NHL regular season, and in the West Division finals, they made the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche look like pretenders. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens seemed to make the North Division bracket by default as the No. 4 seed. And yet, they shocked the

8:00 AM ET The altered format of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs — where the final four teams were reseeded based on regular-season record — meant that we could have gotten some wild matchups in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Or, as is the case with this series, we’ll get to see a rematch of the

8:14 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will have surgery to repair a previously undisclosed torn labrum in his hip, he said Friday, two days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Islanders. Rask, who is eligible to become a free agent, said he hopes

6:33 PM ET The Columbus Blue Jackets stayed in-house for their new head coach, hiring assistant Brad Larsen to replace John Tortorella on Thursday. Larsen, 43, signed a three-year deal to become the eighth head coach in franchise history. He has been an assistant coach with the Blue Jackets for the past seven seasons, starting

6:30 AM ET The NHL’s final four is set. The Vegas Golden Knights took care of business at home, eliminating the Colorado Avalanche to set up a semifinal date with the Montreal Canadiens. Sadly, we have two days off from hockey, before the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning kick off their series Sunday.

1:12 AM ET LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are going to the semifinals for the third time in four years — not bad for a team that has been around for only four years. Vegas knocked out the Colorado Avalanche with a 6-3 win in Game 6 on Thursday, its fourth straight win

3:27 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon have been named the finalists for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. McDavid, considered the likely winner of the award, dominated the 2020-21 scoring race with 105 points in 56

7:45 AM ET LAS VEGAS — As the Vegas Golden Knights grind away in their thrilling second round series against the Colorado Avalanche, the team’s most productive line has been the second line. Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith have scored eight goals in five games against Colorado. Coach Peter DeBoer called the trio

6:29 AM ET The Boston Bruins were sent home on Wednesday night, and the New York Islanders are the third team to reach the Stanley Cup semifinals. Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche — the top team in the regular season — will try to avoid a similar fate as the Bruins. But the Avs’ task isn’t

11:35 PM ET UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask acknowledged that offseason surgery is an option for a nagging injury that limited him in their six-game series loss to the New York Islanders in the East Division Final. Rask wouldn’t disclose the nature of his ailments after the Bruins’ 6-2 loss to the

12:09 PM ET Herb Carnegie never played in the NHL. It wasn’t for lack of ability, as he was considered one of the most talented players in Canada’s semi-professional leagues from 1938-54. Rather, he and others believed it was because he was Black. “He had a lot of roadblocks that were connected to racism,” his

6:35 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning are Central Division champions, and are waiting for the winner of the New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins East Division final, a series that could end on the Island tonight. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens got one game closer to seeing which team they’ll be facing in the Stanley

10:46 PM ET ESPN News Services RALEIGH, N.C. — Andrei Vasilevskiy was at his best again with the Tampa Bay Lightning in position to close out a playoff series. Throw in a couple of timely goals from Brayden Point and Ross Colton, and the reigning Stanley Cup champions are a step closer to playing for