7:00 AM ET With the NHL trade deadline less than two weeks away, it’s a good time to take stock. We’ve hit on reasons for optimism for every team in the past. For this week’s power rankings, we identified a reason for concern for all 31 teams. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff
NHL
11:27 PM ET ESPN News Services MONTREAL — The wait was worth it for the Montreal Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher and Artturi Lehkonen each had a goal and an assist as Montreal returned from a lengthy break due to COVID-19 protocols and blanked the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 on Tuesday night. Montreal was playing for the first
1:22 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Flyers placed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers Tuesday, a surprising move that comes as Philadelphia is attempting to stay in the playoff hunt. Gostisbehere has five goals and six assists for 11 points in 25 games, and he was benched for a three-game stretch two weeks
7:00 AM ET Evaluating the top 10 defensemen in ESPN’s 2021 NHL position-by-position rankings is a study in competing philosophies on how to properly evaluate the position. What metrics best define value for scoring defensemen or “defensive” defensemen? Do the elite have to do both well, or can one aspect compensate for the other? I
10:59 PM ET The Buffalo Sabres‘ misery continues. The franchise’s winless streak has now reached 18 games (0-15-3) which is the longest by an NHL team in 17 years. Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers was especially brutal, as Buffalo blew a 3-0 lead in the third period. “It’s embarrassing,” defenseman Brandon Montour said.
8:04 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad had surgery Monday and is likely done for the season, meaning the Panthers will have to continue their playoff push without one of their best players. The Panthers said that Ekblad will need 12 weeks to recover. They didn’t reveal the extent of the
7:00 AM ET On the back of Marc-Andre Fleury‘s goalie mask this season is a quote: “Mets ton oeil dessus. Tu joues comme tu pratiques. Amuse-toi.” Translated from French: “Keep your eye on it. You practice as you play. Have fun.” The quote is signed “Pa,” which is what Fleury called his father, Andre. “He’s
7:47 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a left leg injury midway through the second period against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. An aircast was applied to Ekblad’s left leg. Minutes earlier, Ekblad got caught up with Stars defenseman Esa Lindell
11:51 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Lexie Laing and Taylor Wenczkowski scored power-play goals, and the Boston Pride became the first two-time winners of the Isobel Cup with a 4-3 win over the defending champion Minnesota Whitecaps on Saturday night. It was an NWHL championship the Pride, who were regular-season champions, had hoped to
4:06 PM ET The Buffalo Sabres traded center Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens for two draft picks on Friday, ending a brief and disappointing run for the veteran star in Buffalo. The Canadiens sent 2021 third- and fifth-round draft picks to Buffalo for Staal. The Sabres retained 50% of Staal’s salary: $1.625 million of
2:19 PM ET Associated Press Buffalo Sabres interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis are headed back to work after being cleared from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. The Sabres announced Granato and Ellis are traveling to join the team in Boston after spending a night in self-isolation in Pittsburgh. Both were placed in the
12:18 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Bob Plager likely died of a “cardiac event,” not injuries from a highway accident, the St. Louis medical examiner said Friday. Plager, 78, an original member of the Blues whose long association with the team continued until his death, was alone in
12:03 PM ET Calgary Flames star Matthew Tkachuk is the first NHL player to release his own official non-fungible token, auctioning the digital sports memorabilia to help raise money for two children’s hospitals. “I thought this was a new way to show digital art. To play a tiny, tiny part in bringing in donations, it’s
8:50 AM ET The NHL trade deadline owes a debt of gratitude to the Canadian government. On Thursday, a league source confirmed to ESPN that the 14-day quarantine for NHL players traded from U.S. teams to Canadian teams would be reduced to seven days, with additional COVID-19 testing. This removes a roadblock for North Division
5:32 PM ET Associated Press Buffalo Sabres interim coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis have been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. The development leaves general manager Kevyn Adams taking over behind the bench for Buffalo’s game at Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The team made the announcement two hours before the opening faceoff. This
7:00 AM ET As Carolina Hurricanes top-line center Sebastian Aho explained to ESPN in 2019: “Our team’s identity comes from Rod [Brind’Amour].” The team’s coach, who captained the Canes to their only Stanley Cup in 2006, is demanding, but he empowers his players. At 50, Brind’Amour still lives up to his nickname “Rod the Bod,”
8:35 AM ET “You were the chosen one!” Every time I look at the stats for Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart this season, I think of Obi-Wan Kenobi screaming that line at Anakin Skywalker in “Revenge of the Sith,” and not just because Gen Xers like myself incessantly relate everything back to Star Wars. (It
7:06 PM ET Associated Press The Boston Bruins are resuming practice for the first time since having two games postponed after five players were placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. The team announced it will practice Wednesday night, a day before the Bruins are still scheduled to host the New York Islanders. The development comes