5:40 PM ET William E. Ricks After a long offseason, hockey is back! The NHL regular season kicked off Tuesday night with some exciting games from some of the the league’s best — and newest — franchises. The Tampa Bay Lightning raised their second banner in as many years, but the Pittsburgh Penguins spoiled their
NHL
8:26 PM ET ESPN News Services TAMPA, Fla. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has only four unvaccinated players as it opens up the 2021-22 season. Bettman was in attendance for the regular-season opener between the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. “Everybody banding together
7:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff The NHL returns to the ice on Tuesday night, and for the first time since the 2003-04 season it’s back on ESPN! At 7:30 p.m. ET, we’ll watch the Tampa Bay Lightning raise another Stanley Cup banner before taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then at 10:15 p.m., the Vegas Golden
7:00 AM ET A new NHL season is upon us, with all the excitement, storylines and intrigue that come with it. It all gets started Tuesday with a doubleheader on ESPN. At 7:30 p.m. ET, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, then at 10:15 p.m., the Vegas
5:49 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — – Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon will miss the season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night after testing positive for a breakthrough infection of COVID-19. Colorado general manager Joe Sakic said Tuesday that MacKinnon’s positive test surfaced Monday and that the center is “asymptomatic and feeling
1:31 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin is questionable to play in the Washington Capitals season opener against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Ovechkin, 36, took part in an optional practice Tuesday after skating several laps around the ice to test his unspecified lower-body injury. The native of Russia is
10:17 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens and rising star Nick Suzuki have reached agreement on an eight-year, $63 million contract. The 22-year-old is going into the final season of a four-year, $4.16 million deal he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. Suzuki was the main prospect in the trade that sent longtime Montreal captain Max
10:35 PM ET Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will not play in Tuesday’s season opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he told Steve Levy in an interview that aired on Monday Night Football. Crosby, 34, made the trip to Tampa Bay and has begun practicing with the team, but he is still recovering from surgery
12:57 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Blackhawks brought back Erik Gustafsson on Monday, agreeing to a one-year contract with the free-agent defenseman. Gustafsson was released by the New York Islanders on Sunday. The deal with Chicago is worth $800,000. The return of Gustafsson bolsters the Blackhawks’ blue line after they lost young defensemen
4:34 PM ET Associated Press SEATTLE — The Kraken are expected to be without five players for the season opener at Vegas due to COVID-19 protocols — awful timing on the eve of the first game in franchise history. Forwards Jared McCann, Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Johansson, and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak were placed on the