10:21 AM ET Emily KaplanESPN The Carolina Hurricanes have been a perennial preseason sleeper team, but after nine-straight years of missing the playoffs, they want to be Cinderella at the end of the season — and not have midnight strike in early spring. Enter new coach Rod Brind’Amour, the man tasked with bringing them there.
NHL
7:00 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SAN JOSE, Calif. — The shock hasn’t subsided for Erik Karlsson. Being forced to relocate across a continent from a city that he loved, the only place outside of Sweden he ever called home. Swapping the red and black of the Ottawa Senators, the only NHL uniform he has worn,
2:14 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — The NHL Players’ Association has filed an appeal on behalf of Tom Wilson after the Capitals forward was suspended 20 games for an illegal check to the head. The NHLPA announced the expected move Friday, which had to happen within 48 hours of the Department of Player Safety
11:40 AM ET To paraphrase Robert Burns: The best-laid schemes of mice and men, often last just the first 40 minutes of a team’s season. Fun. Free. Easy. Create or join a league and play ESPN Fantasy Hockey! Sign up for free! Yes, after all of the preseason planning by coaches, all of the scheming
10:30 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN ‘What-about-ism’ is a cancer that eats away our rational discourse. It’s a rhetorical crutch. It’s a logical fallacy. It’s a diversionary tactic, a flare of false equivalency shot into the air in the hopes of drawing attention away from the issue at hand. Which brings us to T.J. Oshie. The
7:07 PM ET Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Barclay Goodrow to a two-year contract extension. General manager Doug Wilson announced the move to keep Goodrow from becoming a restricted free agent next summer on Thursday. Goodrow had career highs with seven goals and 14 points in 47
5:51 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Ilya Kovalchuk has an Olympic gold medal but he is back in the NHL to add the one thing missing from his stellar career — a Stanley Cup. Can the Capitals repeat, or will Sidney Crosby be back on top? Which goalies will bounce back? Who are
3:40 PM ET Every season, a few surprise figures emerge out of camp, earning a prolific role with their respective NHL clubs, either in the form of an inexperienced prospect or perhaps a more-weathered veteran. Some get there through superb work in preseason play, by developing chemistry with other high-end talent, or sometimes, via a
9:25 AM ET The Washington Capitals don’t appear to have a Stanley Cup hangover, as they rolled over the Boston Bruins in a 7-0 win on opening night. But, not every game will be that easy, so we have some burning questions for our panel of puckheads: Will the Capitals repeat as Stanley Cup champions?
1:02 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN WASHINGTON — Before the Capitals raised their first Stanley Cup banner in franchise history to the rafters on opening night of the NHL season, each member of the team was introduced to the raucous home crowd. That included Tom Wilson, the physical 24-year-old top-line winger and fan favorite, who received