NHL

6:38 AM ET A buzzer beater, a team playing with only nine forwards, some controversial hits and a player reuniting with a very good pup. Wednesday in the NHL ran a gamut of emotions. Thursday surely won’t let up, as we get a pivotal Game 3 in the Western Conference Finals between the Vegas Golden

11:40 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Nikita Kucherov scored with 8.8 seconds left to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night and a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Kucherov beat Russian countryman Semyon Varlamov after a perfect pass from Ryan McDonagh,

8:27 PM ET ESPN News Services Bruce Cassidy was revealed Wednesday night as the winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year for leading the Boston Bruins to the Presidents’ Trophy a season after taking them to the Stanley Cup Final. Cassidy edged out Philadelphia’s Alain Vigneault for his first Jack

6:36 AM ET The Vegas Golden Knights evened their series with the Dallas Stars after an underwhelming Game 1 loss. Can the New York Islanders do the same in the Eastern Conference after being shelled 8-2 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday? Check out ESPN NHL Playoffs Today every day of the postseason until

8:48 AM ET Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt soaked up the sun as he prepared for his next turn in the cornhole tournament, watching his teammates relax during an August afternoon barbecue. It was a backyard barbecue, minus the backyard, taking place on a hotel roof deck in Edmonton. “We’re trying to emulate Vegas

7:00 AM ET Isolated in a small, dark studio about two hours north of Helsinki, Antti Makinen prepared to call last Friday’s Game 7 between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. Makinen is the voice of the NHL in Finland, where he broadcasts games solo and remotely, off a 25-inch TV. Game 7 was a

6:59 AM ET In the 2020 NHL playoffs, you never know what you’re going to get. Game 1 of the Western Conference Final was a tight, 1-0 contest. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final was an offensive explosion — well, for the Tampa Bay Lightning, at least. The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars

9:06 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan was named the Bill Masterton Trophy winner on Monday after publicly sharing his experience with alcohol abuse. The 33-year-old Ryan missed more than two months after entering the NHL/NHLPA players assistance program on Nov. 20. Upon his return to practice in February,

7:00 AM ET Despite being one of the NHL’s most fearsome juggernauts of the past several years, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been to only one Stanley Cup Final in the past 10 (2015). They’re hoping the tweaks made after last year’s debacle against the Columbus Blue Jackets can push them over the top. Meanwhile,

7:26 AM ET The Dallas Stars were an offensive juggernaut against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinal. In Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights, they showed they could still defend with the best of them. Will the New York Islanders do the same to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 in

From a group of 12 Western Conference teams to enter the Edmonton bubble, we are now all the way down to two. And there can be only one to represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Final. The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs have reached the final four, and in the West, that has yielded a

9:50 AM ET The conference finalists are set in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders squaring off in the East, and the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Dallas Stars in the West. Which means the race is on for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to

6:47 AM ET Three rounds down, two to go. The most unconventional Stanley Cup Playoffs ever continue on after three Game 7s were needed to finish the second round. The two Eastern Conference teams are now off to Edmonton for the remainder of the tournament, and the last team to punch their ticket was the

11:13 PM ET The New York Islanders are going to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 27 years, snapping the NHL’s longest streak without a final four appearance. The Isles put on a clinic against the Flyers in Game 7 on Saturday, scoring two first-period goals en route to a 4-0 win.

7:01 AM ET NHL Insiders Through the first four games of the conference semifinal series between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders, it looked as if the Isles were going to make quick work of their friends from eastern Pennsylvania. But after two thrilling victories for the Flyers, here we are: with a

7:00 AM ET The Dallas Stars dispatched an injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights finally solved Thatcher Demko and the Vancouver Canucks in their respective Game 7 wins. That gives us three of the NHL’s final four of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Will it be the Philadelphia Flyers or the New York

12:56 AM ET The Vegas Golden Knights overcame their postseason baggage and one of the hottest goaltenders in the playoffs to win Game 7 against Vancouver on Friday night, advancing to the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. “I need a drink after the last three games before I think about Dallas. We’ll talk

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders It took a while, but the 2020 NHL playoffs have finally served up a Game 7. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Colorado Avalanche roared back to tie things up with the Dallas Stars. The two Central Division foes have given us some entertaining hockey, taking turns completely