9:42 AM ET After a cluster of postponements this week, the NHL has mandated additional in-arena protocols to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Beginning with Thursday’s games, the glass will be removed behind the teams’ benches. The belief is this measure will help increase airflow in arenas. In
NHL
11:47 AM ET Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has tested positive for the coronavirus and is entering the league’s COVID-19 protocol. It’s the latest setback for a team that has had its games postponed at least through Monday. The team has four players on the COVID-19 list, including star winger Taylor Hall. Two other teams
8:00 AM ET If the offer is “all or nothing,” the Toronto Maple Leafs have inevitably settled for the latter. They haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, which also was their most recent appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Their seasons either end with the muted disappointment of air slowly seeping out of their
7:30 AM ET The most important word when it comes to young NHL players is one that long-suffering fan bases don’t want to hear: patience. Expectations have undoubtedly been skewed for highly drafted players of late in part because Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews destroyed the development curve for everyone else. Young talents just aren’t
8:40 PM ET The Minnesota Wild on Wednesday became the third team this week to postpone multiple games due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, while adding five players to the league’s growing list of absent players. Minnesota postponed Thursday night’s game at the Colorado Avalanche, two games at home against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday
7:36 PM ET ESPN News Services Several NHL teams had players added to the league’s COVID-19 protocol list on Wednesday. Five Minnesota players were added, making it six for the Wild. The team also postponed games — four total — through Tuesday. Colorado, which most recently played Minnesota, had one player added. Four more New
4:26 PM ET The National Women’s Hockey League is suspending its Isobel Cup playoffs in Lake Placid, New York, due to “new positive COVID-19 tests and resulting safety concerns for players,” it announced Wednesday. The season, which started Jan. 23, has not been canceled. The league is holding out hope that the tournament could be
3:29 PM ET ESPN News Services Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek is out indefinitely after having surgery on his right thumb, general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday. Mrazek is 2-1, with both wins coming via shutout, and he leads the NHL with a 0.99 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage this season. Coach Rod
11:51 AM ET Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta — St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will be the GM for the Canadian men’s team if NHL players participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Hockey Canada announced the move Wednesday, tapping Armstrong after he served on the management team that helped Canada win gold
7:00 AM ET The 2021 NHL season has officially begun to take form, as the February schedule gets rolling. For this week’s power rankings, we identified the biggest disappointment so far for every team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 — taking into account past results