NHL

11:18 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Vladimir Tarasenko was still caught in the whirlwind of being traded for the first time when he put an emphatic stamp on his first game with the New York Rangers. The 31-year-old Russian forward scored early in his New York debut, Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck

7:40 AM ET The Boston Bruins are having a special sort of season. It’s a season with historic potential. And one that’s way off-script. The Bruins weren’t supposed to be a powerhouse, with an NHL-leading 83 points and jaw-dropping 39-7-5 record. Boston didn’t figure to be so dominant, sitting second overall in goals (3.73) and

7:15 AM ET Every team has them. Some teams have more than one. That player who has either exceeded expectations, has fallen short of those goals or seems on the verge of something but you’re just not sure how it will turn out. So who are these players? And how important will they be to

3:26 PM ET The NHL trade deadline (March 3) is still more than three weeks away. But big deals are already happening, with the New York Islanders trading for Bo Horvat and the New York Rangers bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko. We’re breaking down and grading all of the biggest moves from now through the deadline.

Feb 9, 2023 Vladimir Tarasenko finally has a new home, and it’s with the New York Rangers. Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola were traded Thursday by the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Sammy Blais, defensive prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. The Blues are retaining

3:03 PM ET Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray is back on injured reserve with an ankle injury, the club announced Thursday. The netminder began dealing with the issue late last month and was eventually forced out last minute from a scheduled start against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 27. Murray was monitored over the

6:45 AM ET One of the first things Evgeni Nabokov did after retiring from the NHL in 2015 was to fly back to Moscow so he could visit friends and watch hockey with them. There was a night when Nabokov and his friends were joined by Vladislav Tretiak — yes, the man considered to be

7:19 PM ET Associated Press Fans filed into the rink for a minor league hockey game, vendors sold concessions and the visiting team took the ice for warmups. The national anthem played, and officials were ready to drop the puck. One problem: The home team did not show up. This bizarre scene unfolded over the

10:53 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Bo Horvat scored in his home debut with New York Islanders, leading his new team to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. And the fans loved every minute of it. Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves in his fifth shutout this season and

Feb 7, 2023 U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will become the new executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Walsh, 55, succeeds Donald Fehr, who led the NHLPA from 2010 and negotiated on the players’ behalf through two collective bargaining agreements with NHL owners. The formal announcement

9:00 AM ET The Boston Bruins have dominated everything this season. Well, except for the NHL All-Star Skills breakaway challenge, where David Pastrnak probably should have workshopped that “Happy Gilmore” tribute a bit more. Here’s a consolation prize for the Bruins star winger: He has moved into the top three for NHL most valuable player

Feb 7, 2023 The Buffalo Sabres locked up another key member of their core on Tuesday, signing forward Dylan Cozens to a seven-year, $49.7 million extension. Cozens was set to be a restricted free agent this summer. His new deal comes on the heels of Buffalo inking Tage Thompson to a seven-year, $50 million contract

8:00 AM ET Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images Of all the conversations I had at All-Star weekend in Florida, one with Sidney Crosby stuck out. He told me, multiple times, that the league feels more competitive than it has ever been. In 18 years in the NHL, Crosby said he has never seen anything like

11:49 PM ET Marek Hejduk scored two goals, including the game winner with 1.5 seconds left in overtime, and Harvard outlasted Boston College, 4-3, in one of the Beanpot’s semifinal games Monday night at Boston’s TD Garden. The annual college hockey tournament, featuring four Boston-area schools, did not disappoint on Day 1 this year. Hejduk,

6:51 PM ET Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said he has had discussions with his agent about teams interested in trading for him but has yet to decide whether he’ll waive his no-movement clause before the NHL trade deadline. Kane, 34, is in the final season of an eight-year contract that carries a $10.5 million

7:13 AM ET FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The NHL All-Star Game brought together 44 of hockey’s greatest players, offering an ideal chance to gather their opinions on a variety of topics on and off the ice. Here are 13 All-Stars on whether they’d change NHL rules or the Stanley Cup Playoff format; where they’d add

3:54 PM ET The New York Islanders and center Bo Horvat have agreed to an eight-year contract extension, six days after they acquired him in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks. His contract carries an $8.5 million average annual value against the salary cap, as first reported by Sportsnet. Horvat was in the final season

8:07 PM ET SUNRISE, Fla. — For Matthew Tkachuk, winning most valuable player at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game was an honor. But having the chance to represent the host Florida Panthers and finally play on a team with his brother made the event even more memorable. Tkachuk, 25, was named MVP with four goals