3:53 PM ET Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Predators have signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a four-year, $25 million extension keeping him under contract through the 2025-26 season. The Predators announced the contract Wednesday at a news conference. General manager David Poile called Ekholm a foundational piece for the Predators and that they couldn’t
NHL
8:03 AM ET The New Jersey Devils will have helmet advertising from Black-owned businesses for 13 games this season through an arrangement with Prudential, marking the first time an NHL helmet sponsor has donated that space. The move is part of the Devils’ “Buy Black” program, an initiative announced earlier this year that promotes and
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 NHL Insiders The 2021-22 NHL season is set to begin on Tuesday night with a doubleheader on ESPN and ESPN+, but we’re looking beyond just those two matchups. Will the Lightning pull off the three-peat? How well will the Kraken do in their first season? And who will take home all of
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
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
7:00 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning ended an unprecedented NHL season full of modifications and adjustments forced by the COVID-19 pandemic in July by hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. They’ll go for the three-peat in a 2021-22 campaign that sees the league revert to its normal alignment but features big
12:56 PM ET Associated Press The New York Rangers and top center Mika Zibanejad have agreed to an eight-year contract worth $68 million. Zibanejad, 28, will count $8.5 million against the salary cap beginning next season and through 2029-30. He was a point-per-game player last season with 24 goals and 26 assists in 50 games.
1:17 PM ET Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby practiced Saturday for the first time since undergoing surgery on his left wrist in early September. The two-time Hart Trophy winner, who had been dealing with the wrist injury for years, opted for surgery after all minimally invasive options had been exhausted. At the time of the
8:42 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin left the Washington Capitals‘ preseason finale against Philadelphia on Friday night with what the team called a lower-body injury and is set to be examined further Saturday. Ovechkin bumped into Flyers forward Travis Konecny midway through the first period and then went down to the ice.
10:52 AM ET The Florida Panthers have secured their franchise center with a blockbuster contract. Aleksander Barkov has agreed to an eight-year, $80 million contract with the Panthers, a source told ESPN on Friday. The majority of the contract consists of signing-bonus money. It’s the largest contract in total dollars ever handed out by the
7:00 AM ET The 2021-22 NHL season is being called a return to normalcy. Last season was an unprecedented one for the NHL due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Four geographically realigned divisions, including one solely comprising Canadian teams; teams playing only opponents within those divisions; and a new playoff format that eschewed wild-card teams. But
8:50 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils‘ preseason game against the New York Islanders was canceled Thursday night due to a power outage in part of Prudential Center. The lights in one area of the arena went out before the start of the game and could not be restored. After
7:31 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman was suspended for one preseason game and one regular-season game without pay Thursday for boarding Winnipeg Jets forward Jansen Harkins. Coleman was assessed a minor penalty for boarding at 6 minutes, 15 seconds of the second period in the Flames’ 3-2 preseason
1:46 PM ET Associated Press Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane and defenseman Seth Jones and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews were the first three players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team Thursday. “It’s no secret we’re excited about the prospects of our team for the 2022 Games,” said USA Hockey general manager
7:00 AM ET As the 2021-22 NHL season arrives, so does the pressure of expectations. Every player, coach and general manager feels the heat to some degree. But some feel its intensity like a neglected hamburger under a fast food restaurant lamp, sizzling and spoiling and preparing to be tossed away. Here are my “hot
9:18 PM ET ESPN News Services LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield, a highly touted rookie already being mentioned as a candidate for the Calder Trophy, suffered a left ankle fracture in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Arizona Coyotes and is out indefinitely. Byfield, 19, the No. 2 overall pick in the