NHL

12:19 AM ET The Florida Panthers are Presidents’ Trophy winners for the first time in franchise history, finishing the regular season with 122 points. Florida claimed the NHL’s top spot in the standings on Thursday after defeating Ottawa 4-0 and seeing Colorado lose to Nashville 5-4 in a shootout. This was just the second season

5:42 PM ET The Arizona Coyotes are at a crossroads few NHL teams have ever come upon. And Xavier Gutierrez, the club’s president, CEO and alternate governor, wants to make something clear about what’s ahead: “The narrative that has been surrounding this organization, that’s not us,” he told ESPN recently. “We are taking actions that

8:30 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. After the Vegas Golden Knights‘ elimination from playoff contention last night, the 16-team field for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs is set — we just have to wait to see which teams fit

8:00 AM ET As the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their second straight Stanley Cup championship last summer, my eyes were drawn to one player: defenseman David Savard. He had played 597 NHL regular-season games and 37 more in the playoffs before the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Lightning at the deadline. He walked

11:40 PM ET It’s official: Vegas will miss the NHL postseason for the first time in franchise history. The Golden Knights’ second-half collapse to this season left them with wafer-thin playoff hopes, and those were snuffed out entirely on Wednesday in a 4-3 shootout loss to host Chicago. To stay alive, Vegas would have had

8:40 AM ET The Northern Lights appear in the sky over Hay River, Northwest Territories, during the 2022 Polar Pond Hockey tournament. Amber Bracken for ESPN HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories — It is a frigid Saturday afternoon in mid-March, cold enough that the breath coming from the small faces pressed up against the panoramic window in

7:00 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Tuesday night was of tremendous importance as the races for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs wind down. The Dallas Stars‘ shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights pushed the latter to the precipice

11:18 PM ET Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros left Tuesday night’s 5-4 loss to the Calgary Flames in the third period with an apparent left foot injury. Saros went to the Predators bench after an interference penalty on Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington stopped play with 6:32 remaining in regulation. Nashville’s trainer looked at Saros’ ankle,

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff There are 13 games on the NHL schedule tonight, including five being waged between teams that are currently in playoff position. But perhaps the most consequential matchup of the bunch features the Dallas Stars hosting the Vegas Golden Knights (8:30 ET, streaming live on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers). The Knights

7:00 AM ET NEWARK, N.J. — While the Buffalo Sabres were playing the New Jersey Devils, their digital avatars were mimicking each move in virtual reality. Strap on the VR goggles. Touch a button, and you’re watching the game through the eyes of a skater heading in for a shot. Touch it again, and your

5:43 PM ET Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, the team announced on Monday. Vegas, battling with the Dallas Stars for the second and final wild-card berth in the Western Conference, has three games remaining, and will play out the schedule with 25-year-old Logan Thompson in net. The Golden Knights

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff We interrupt your regularly scheduled NHL playoff watch today on the occasion of the final week of the 2021-22 regular season to bring you a roundtable discussion on what our panel will be watching most closely these final few days. We’re highlighting the most critical games this week and potential

7:05 AM ET The 2021-22 NHL season included a great deal of highlights, from the dominance of the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers, to the goal-scoring prowess of Auston Matthews and Chris Kreider, to spectacular goaltending from Igor Shesterkin, Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom. But there can be only one team that gets to raise

9:31 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin left the Washington Capitals‘ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night after crashing hard into the boards and was ruled out with what the team called an upper-body injury. Ovechkin tripped over goaltender Erik Kallgren‘s stick on a breakaway and went left shoulder first

7:31 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Some rivalries in the NHL have existed for decades; think Boston Bruins–Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks–Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers–New York Islanders, etc. But some of the most heated grudge matches have materialized

8:58 PM ET ESPN News Services DALLAS — That winless three-game trip to Canada for the Dallas Stars got even more miserable on the way home, when their charter plane had to slam on the brakes just before takeoff, and they had to wait six hours for a different aircraft. Coach Rick Bowness, who has

8:05 AM ET ESPN staff The ABC Saturday afternoon hockey schedule continues this week with an Eastern Conference playoff contender clash, as the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers, with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET and simulcast on ESPN+. To help get you ready for the game, we’ve put together a guide on

8:00 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Although the game Saturday between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs won’t make much of an impact on the playoff races — the Panthers have clinched the division title as well as