2:33 PM ET Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin practiced on Wednesday, indicating he is near a return from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since mid-March. Malkin wore a white “no contact” jersey during Pittsburgh’s skate, but coach Mike Sullivan said the Russian star was a full participant and will
NHL
1:02 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, the team said Wednesday. The Canadiens announced on their Twitter feed that Drouin will be placed on long-term injured reserve by the club. “We ask everyone to respect his privacy,” the Canadiens said. Drouin
6:48 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. There have been many surprises during the 2021 NHL season, a campaign that has been quite different than usual thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, one reality on April 28 that shocks
7:00 AM ET With the 2021 NHL season winding down, some playoff races have yet to be determined — but each team’s identity has been clarified. For this week’s ESPN NHL Power Rankings, we identified the breakthrough player for all 31 teams. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1
11:52 PM ET For just the sixth time in franchise history, the Florida Panthers are a playoff team. Which is not an achievement many predicted for them prior to this season. “We knew what kind of character we had in the room. What kind of players we were. That’s just outside noise we didn’t need
3:14 PM ET The NHL expects negotiations with the Canadian government regarding travel across the border could extend through the opening rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. “It’s going to be down to the wire,” a source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN, indicating a decision on the border may not be made until
4:23 PM ET Associated Press Miroslav Frycer, who defected from Czechoslovakia and spent most of his eight seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has died. He was 61. He died after an unspecified brief illness, the Czech league team Orli Znojmo said on its website Tuesday. Frycer had been the team’s coach
1:08 PM ET The NHL and Turner Sports have reached a seven-year rights agreement beginning in the 2021-22 season that includes the Winter Classic and three Stanley Cup Finals. The deal, worth $225 million annually, ends the NHL’s 16-year relationship with NBC Sports. The league previously signed a seven-year deal that makes ESPN its primary
9:50 AM ET ELMONT, N.Y. — New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz surveyed the skeletal confines of UBS Arena, scheduled to open in November as his team’s new home. He could tell the sight lines around the rink would be good. His suggestions on how to make the arena more player-friendly had been implemented. But
7:10 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. The Dallas Stars‘ 2021 season got off to a delayed start due to COVID-19 postponements, and through the season they’ve had some extra games remaining compared to their competition — a welcome sight