NHL

6:53 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. We’ve reached the final three games to determine the winner of the West Division and the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best regular season record for the 2021 NHL season. The

11:44 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals got Alex Ovechkin back on the ice feeling “100%” heading into the playoffs. Winning was just a bonus. Michael Raffl scored from a tight angle with 1.8 seconds remaining, Ovechkin saw his first extended action since April 22 and the Capitals beat the short-handed

7:00 AM ET If there’s anything we know about NHL hiring practices, it’s that they can be predictable. Since 2005-06, there have been 171 head coaching changes in the NHL — more than the NFL, NBA or MLB. However, 101 of the 171 new hires had previous head-coaching experience, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

6:55 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. We had a good feeling about Monday’s NHL calendar providing quite a bit of clarity in the playoff races, and it delivered. The Montreal Canadiens clinched the final North Division playoff spot, and

8:49 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com The Philadelphia Flyers will not be going to the Stanley Cup playoffs and their season ends Monday night. Gritty, the Flyers’ mascot, is using the occasion to reflect on the season “I got naked (a lot), played in a ball pit, rode a mechanical bull, vacationed in Tahoe, hired (and

1:22 PM ET Star center Jack Eichel said there’s a “disconnect” between himself and the Buffalo Sabres over how his neck injury was handled this season, leaving his future with the franchise very much unsettled. Eichel missed the Sabres’ final 33 games of the season due to a herniated disk in his neck, an injury

7:04 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. The two games on Sunday didn’t do too much to solve our playoff and lottery mysteries. But there will be some significant fallout following the nine games on the schedule on Monday. The

2:47 PM ET Rick Tocchet will not return as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced Sunday. Tocchet’s contract expires on June 30, and the Coyotes will begin their search for a new head coach immediately. “After meeting with Rick, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of

9:00 AM ET Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is becoming an investor in the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit. “I think it’s important to support women and women’s professional athletes — not just in the United States, but all over the world,” Ovechkin told ESPN. “It was also important for me to support the

7:25 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. As expected, Saturday’s busy schedule produced a lot of progress in the standings. The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the East Division crown, and the Toronto Maple Leafs did the same in the North Division.

11:38 PM ET John Tortorella will not return as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a source told ESPN on Saturday night. There had been heavy speculation, in recent weeks, that Tortorella’s six-season tenure with the Blue Jackets would come to an end. He doesn’t have a contract for next season and Columbus finished in

11:43 AM ET The NHL is revising its COVID protocols for the playoffs once teams hit vaccination thresholds, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. The changes, for now, only affect United States-based teams, as Canada is much further behind in its vaccine rollout. The NHL informed teams Friday night that once 85% of a

7:51 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Another night, another playoff spot clinched as we officially welcome the St. Louis Blues to the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blues earned one point for their overtime loss to the Vegas Golden

5:48 PM ET Associated Press Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print NEW YORK — Vancouver Canucks forward Zack MacEwen was suspended for one game without pay by the NHL on Friday for kneeing Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. The incident came midway through the second period Thursday night in the Canucks’ 6-3 victory in

7:10 AM ET When it comes to rooting interests in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we can all agree on one of them: the health and safety of everyone participating, after a regular season that saw a parade of players on the COVID-related absences list and plenty of interruptions to the schedule. But beyond that,

7:05 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Unlike previous nights, Thursday’s action around the NHL did not result in any teams clinching a playoff berth or any others being eliminated. But that could change Friday, with all eight teams of

12:53 PM ET The New York Rangers were walloped with a $250,000 fine by the NHL after the team called for the firing of Department of Player Safety head George Parros this week. The Rangers were incensed after the NHL opted to fine but not suspend Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for altercations with New

8:30 AM ET Watching a New York Rangers rebuild is like watching someone learning how to drive. You know at some point there’s going to be an aggressive acceleration, and you’re just hoping it’s not before they figured out how to work the steering wheel. Hence, the departure of general manager Jeff Gorton this week,