NHL

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNApr 18, 2024, 08:00 AM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Open Extended Reactions There are some universal traditions in hockey. Fans throwing hats on the ice when a player scores three goals. Players going unshaven during the postseason. The handshake line that ends every playoff series. But in the

Open Extended Reactions Thursday is the final night of the 2023-24 NHL regular season, with the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin Saturday. Although the identity of all 16 playoff teams is known, the eight matchups are not all locked in. So which games matter most? Editor’s Picks 2 Related Sadly for those with

Associated Press Apr 18, 2024, 02:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions TEMPE, Ariz. — Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah. For 60 minutes, they got one last chance to watch the team they came to love before

ESPN News Services Apr 17, 2024, 11:49 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TAMPA, Fla. — Auston Matthews came up empty in his bid to become the ninth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season Wednesday night in the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the regular-season

ESPN News Services Apr 17, 2024, 10:28 PM ET Open Extended Reactions TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay‘s Nikita Kucherov became the fifth player to have a 100-assist season as the Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Wednesday night. Kucherov, the NHL’s scoring leader with 144 points, scored a first-period goal, then set up

Associated Press Apr 17, 2024, 05:33 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ARLINGTON, Va. — Ryan Leonard is not joining the Washington Capitals for the playoffs after all and will return to Boston College for his sophomore season. General manager Brian MacLellan confirmed that Wednesday, saying the organization’s top prospect expressed a desire to play another

Associated Press Apr 17, 2024, 12:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension Wednesday, bringing back the veteran for his age-40 season. Fleury, who turns 40 on Nov. 28, has had a prolific season in which he passed Patrick

Field Level Media Apr 17, 2024, 11:29 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The Canadiens exercised the two-year option on Martin St. Louis’ contract Wednesday, keeping the head coach behind the bench in Montreal through the 2026-27 season. St. Louis, 48, guided the Canadiens to a 30-36-16 record this season, resulting in the third consecutive campaign

Neil PaineApr 17, 2024, 07:50 AM ET Close Neil Paine writes about sports using data and analytics. Previously, he was Sports Editor at FiveThirtyEight. Open Extended Reactions When the NHL playoffs start Saturday, they’ll be dropping the puck on the most wide-open race for the Stanley Cup in four decades — if not longer. Comparing

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNApr 17, 2024, 10:00 AM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Open Extended Reactions Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning deserves to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player this season. The beautiful thing about making that kind of declarative statement about the 2023-24 MVP race?