NHL

8:30 AM ET Every week, we’ll provide a recap and accompaniment to the latest episode of Quest for the Stanley Cup, the NHL docuseries about the playoffs available exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. This week we dive into Episode 5, entitled “Chasing the Champs.” Describe this episode in 10 words or fewer The most

4:48 PM ET Associated Press Face masks were as prevalent as pucks throughout the NHL this past season, but documents show Canadian health officials wanted the league to take additional steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The league introduced a number of protocols in a bid to get back on the ice, including the

3:56 PM ET Associated Press Former NHL defenseman Bryan “Bugsy” Watson, who played for Scotty Bowman and with Doug Harvey and coached Wayne Gretzky, has died. He was 78. A Washington Capitals spokesperson said Friday that Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team, learned of his death Thursday from a member of Watson’s family.

1:34 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to a two-year contract worth $2,250,000 on Friday. The contract has an average annual value of $1,125,000. The breakdown is as follows: $1,050,000 in the 2021-22 season and $1,200,000 in the 2022-23 season. The 24-year-old Siegenthaler

9:00 AM ET An announced crowd of 18,110 fans watched the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night. That’s 18,110 more fans than attended their home opener on Jan. 13 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena, and 18,110 more fans than saw them raise last season’s Stanley Cup in the Edmonton,

10:26 PM ET Star winger Vladimir Tarasenko has requested a trade from the St. Louis Blues, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. Tarasenko, 29, is in the seventh year of an eight-year, $60 million deal he signed in July 2015. He has a full no-trade clause to go along with 218 goals and 224

10:54 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning are back-to-back Stanley Cup champs — and they did it in a nine-month span. “This group, no matter what happens from here on out, this group is going to be etched in history forever, and that’s pretty F’ing special,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “I’m so

10:58 PM ET The Colorado Avalanche have opened as the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 NHL season, according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. The Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best record this season, are +500 to win next year’s Stanley Cup. The Vegas Golden Knights,

12:41 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Brendan Gallagher wore the Montreal Canadiens‘ Stanley Cup Final loss on his face. There were the red welts on his cheeks, battle scars from intense confrontations with the Tampa Bay Lightning through five games. There were his red and puffy eyes, still visible under a pulled-down hat. “Sorry,” said

10:52 PM ET As Tampa Bay Lightning fans drink up their team’s second straight Stanley Cup, they’ll soon be able to sip beer made from the ice on which it was won. Coors Light has used ice collected from the rink at Amalie Arena during the Stanley Cup Final to brew “Champions Ice,” a limited-edition

11:09 PM ET Evil has prevailed. Tampa Bay has captured a second straight Stanley Cup. The Great Lightning Heist has been completed. This is how we’re supposed to react to this victory, right? That the “cheaters” won? That the team that was $18 million over the salary cap after reuniting with star winger Nikita Kucherov

7:02 AM ET The Stanley Cup will be in the building again on Wednesday night. Do the Tampa Bay Lightning get to raise it this evening, or is this series heading back to Montreal again? Check out the ESPN NHL Playoffs Daily to catch up every day of the postseason until the Stanley Cup is

9:28 PM ET Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Defenseman Christian Wolanin has agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract extension to return to the Los Angeles Kings. Wolanin was eligible for unrestricted free agency. The Kings announced the deal on Tuesday. Wolanin, 26, appeared in three games with Los Angeles after the Kings acquired him

12:26 PM ET Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was at the home of Columbus goaltending coach Manny Legace when the fireworks accident happened that resulted in his death Sunday, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN. Kivlenieks and teammate Elvis Merzlikins traveled to Novi, Michigan, where Legace lives, to celebrate July Fourth, as well as the wedding

7:00 AM ET Stephen Johns sat out the 2021 NHL season, and he knew his career was over. It’s not that the 29-year-old didn’t want to play hockey anymore; he simply couldn’t. The Dallas Stars defenseman once spent 22 months sidelined dealing with post-concussion syndrome. Though he had been cleared to return to the ice,

12:10 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens stayed alive in the Stanley Cup Final with a 3-2 win in overtime in Game 4, avoiding a sweep and sending the series with the Tampa Bay Lightning back to Florida for Game 5 on Wednesday night. Miss any of the game? We’re here with the top takeaways. More:

9:01 AM ET Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died Sunday at the age of 24. The team said Kivlenieks died as the result of a “tragic accident,” suffering an apparent head injury in a fall. “Medical personnel were called immediately, but he succumbed a short time later,” the team said in a statement. “We

7:00 AM ET The Stanley Cup will be at the Bell Centre. Will the Tampa Bay Lightning be celebrating on the ice tonight, or can the Montreal Canadiens extend the series and begin staging their comeback? Check out the ESPN NHL Playoffs Daily to catch up every day of the postseason until the Stanley Cup