NHL

7:01 AM ET Steven Stamkos made his long-awaited postseason debut for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Wednesday’s Game 3 win. It was a triumphant return for the captain, but also painstakingly short; could it be the last we see of him this summer? Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars look to even up the Stanley Cup Final

7:30 AM ET When it comes to the 2020 NHL draft, there is little to no debate about who is going to be selected No. 1. That would be winger Alexis Lafreniere. But when it comes to which defenseman will be first off the board, things get a lot more complicated. For much of the

9:00 AM ET In the hectic world of NHL free agency, I’ve found there’s really only one reliable imperative: Players don’t want to move their stuff. Alex Pietrangelo, 30, is the belle of the free-agent ball this offseason, the kind of top-pairing defenseman in his prime who could complete a Stanley Cup puzzle for several

7:57 PM ET EDMONTON, Alberta — Steven Stamkos is back in the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup for the first time in the bubble. And he’s making an immediate impact. The Lightning captain made his postseason debut Wednesday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars and scored on his first

11:04 PM ET Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final saw the long-awaited return of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. In true storybook fashion, Stamkos scored on his first shot (he skated only 2:47 for the game), and his team overwhelmed the Dallas Stars en route to a 5-2 victory. Tampa Bay now leads

7:00 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning are teasing us with a potential Steven Stamkos return; could Wednesday’s Game 3 be the night? In the meantime, Tampa Bay has continued its postseason-long trend of rebounding after losses (the team is now 6-0 after a loss) to tie the Stanley Cup Final, 1-1. Meanwhile, the Dallas

7:30 AM ET A young hockey player’s first out-of-town tournament is in many ways a rite of passage in the sport. It means the first time seeing players from other parts of the country or world and gauging where one’s game stands against that of peers. It’s hours on end at the rinks, parents nursing

4:00 PM ET Former NHL player Ryan Kesler said the lack of education about a popular anti-inflammatory medication led to his chronic digestive problems, which he revealed for the first time on a Canadian sports documentary. Kesler and other former NHL players spoke out about overuse of medications like Toradol, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, on

7:00 AM ET For nearly two months, the National Hockey League has kept the teams in its postseason tournament inside “bubbles” that it helped construct with the NHL Players’ Association in an effort to safely finish the 2019-20 season after it was paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially there were two: The 12 teams

7:20 AM ET The 2020 NHL draft is right around the corner. Teams will begin to finalize their personal draft boards ahead of the two-day event. But today, I’m not concerned with those draft boards. I’m looking only at my own. My mock draft typically weaves in team preferences and projects what I believe will

11:10 PM ET After a 4-1 win for the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning evened things up in Game 2 on the strength of a three-goal first period. The Stars would prove a tough out, bringing it to a one-goal deficit and fighting to the end,

9:00 AM ET Tyler Seguin has been teammates with Jamie Benn since 2013. With the Dallas Stars playing in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s been a time for reflection for these friends and linemates. “It’s great. We’ve been through a lot of stuff,” Seguin said as a grin crept across his face during a recent

7:00 AM ET The Stanley Cup Final began on Saturday with an emphatic 4-1 win by the Dallas Stars. The Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t lost consecutive games all postseason. Can they keep that trend alive, or will they fall into the dreaded 0-2 hole tonight? Check out ESPN NHL Playoffs Today every day of the

9:57 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — Albert Langlois, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens, has died. He was 85. The team announced the death Sunday. Langlois played four seasons with the Canadiens from 1957 to 1961, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in ’58, `59 and ’60. The defenseman also

10:43 PM ET In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars did a lot of things to make coach Rick Bowness happy. They limited the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s chances. Their defensemen were active all over the ice. Most importantly, they posted a 4-1 win and took a 1-0 series lead. But it

10:17 PM ET Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final was a wonderful site for Dallas Stars fans, as their team took a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning on goals from Joel Hanley, Jamie Oleksiak, Joel Kiviranta and Jason Dickinson; the lone goal for the Lightning came from Yanni Gourde. In case

6:56 PM ET The NHL said it was aware of an incident where a Florida Panthers assistant coach allegedly kicked a player on the bench, but said that it left any investigation and punishment up to the team. Canada’s TSN reported this week that coach Mike Kitchen, 64, kicked a Panthers player on the bench

7:00 AM ET So here we have it, a Stanley Cup being awarded in September. In a bubble. It will be either the Tampa Bay Lightning (whose only Cup win came back in 2004) against the Dallas Stars (lone Cup in 1999). It’s the first time two Sun Belt teams have faced off in the