6:54 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN Fare thee well, Columbus Blue Jackets. It was quite a ride. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche are headed back to California for a Game 7 showdown with the San Jose Sharks. Here’s what happened in the NHL last night (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to
NHL
3:31 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN DENVER — Desperation is typically the emotional fuel for a team facing elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. While the Colorado Avalanche certainly burned through their share of it during their Game 6 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday, the highest octane available in forcing a Game
12:50 AM ET Emily KaplanESPN COLUMBUS — The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the NHL this season by doing something few teams do: they went all-in. Instead of selling off soon-to-be unrestricted free agents like goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Artemi Panarin, the Blue Jackets kept both players on the roster as their own “rentals.” They
11:32 PM ET Emily KaplanESPN COLUMBUS — After punching his ticket to the second round, Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was asked if he thought it was important to be known as a big-game goalie. “Yeah, well,” Rask said. “It’s better than sucking.” Rask did not suck at all in Monday night’s 3-0 blanking of
4:44 PM ET Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek was back at practice after leaving a playoff game early with a lower body injury. Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Monday there were “no limitations” on his goalie and Mrazek said he felt “120 percent, to be honest.” Mrazek, who has stopped 210
7:30 AM ET While preparations for the 2019 NHL draft are in full swing, it’s important to keep one eye on the future. Every player develops differently, and these projections could change over time, but let’s look at the early favorites to be the No. 1 overall picks in 2020, 2021 and 2022, along with
3:37 PM ET Associated Press The Detroit Red Wings have hired Pat Verbeek as assistant general manager to work with Steve Yzerman. Verbeek joins Yzerman, the longtime Red Wings captain who was recently named GM, after working for him with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yzerman stepped down as Lightning GM before the season. 1 Related
2:11 PM ET The Philadelphia Flyers added former NHL head coaches Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo to Alain Vigneault’s staff on Monday. The announcement was made by executive vice president and general manager Chuck Fletcher. Vigneault voiced his approval for the moves. “I am excited to add Michel and Mike on our coaching staff to
7:00 AM ET Emily KaplanESPN In October, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton walked into a barbershop to get a haircut. “Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked. Hamilton did not. “So I said, ‘Screw it, I’m not getting a haircut,'” Hamilton said. “And that’s how I ended up like this.” This — the playoff
9:50 PM ET Emily Kaplan Chris Peters Close ESPN staff writer Chris Peters is ESPN’s NHL draft and prospects analyst. The Chicago native previously covered the NHL for CBSSports.com and founded the popular independent blog UnitedStatesofHockey.com where he covered the game at all levels since 2010. As each NHL team is eliminated from the postseason,