NHL

6:52 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens discovered they’re not in the North Division playoffs anymore, getting handled by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 on the road. But a Game 2 win, and a split in Vegas, could change the trajectory of that series. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning evened their series up with

12:51 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Barry Trotz was livid on the New York Islanders‘ bench. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ondrej Palat had just scored to give his team a 2-1 lead in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff semifinal series on Tuesday night. He did so as the referees and linesmen missed that

Jun 14, 2021 ESPN Daily kicks off your morning with the best sports story you’ll hear all day. Monday through Friday, host Pablo Torre brings you an inside look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and insiders on the planet. It’s where the breaking news of SportsCenter meets

7:00 AM ET The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs are down to their final four teams, which means the conversation about Conn Smythe Trophy candidates is about to heat up. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote to elect the most valuable player of the playoffs at the end of the Stanley Cup Final. Since

6:47 AM ET Can the New York Islanders take a 2-0 lead on the Lightning, or will Tampa Bay find its game to even up the series? Meanwhile, a Canadian NHL team played in the United States for the first time in 15 months. The Montreal Canadiens came out with a strong first period, before

9:55 PM ET NEW YORK — Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne has won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy that annually honors an NHL player for leading on the ice and off it with humanitarian work. The league announced Monday night that the National Hockey League Foundation is giving Rinne $25,000 to donate to a charity

7:00 AM ET If the 2011 Stanley Cup Final were pitched as a movie script, it would have been rejected for being too outlandish. One player biting his opponent. A series-long suspension after a star player was stretchered off the ice after a hit. Goalie trash talk in the media. The heavy underdog upsetting the

7:24 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Islanders were mentally prepared for Game 1 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not. “Our work ethic was there. Our compete [level] was there. Our minds weren’t there,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose team lost 2-1 at home on Sunday

5:49 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — Montreal forward Jake Evans, who has not played since sustaining a concussion on a hit by Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele on June 2, will accompany the Canadiens to Las Vegas for their Stanley Cup semifinal series against the Golden Knights. Interim Canadiens coach Dominque Ducharme said Saturday that Evans,

8:10 AM ET NHL Insiders We’re down to the final four teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. Our No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup pits the Vegas Golden Knights against the Montreal Canadiens. Vegas was one of the top Cup favorites at the start of the postseason, while Montreal was not. But the Habs

8:00 AM ET The Vegas Golden Knights were a juggernaut during the 2021 NHL regular season, and in the West Division finals, they made the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche look like pretenders. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens seemed to make the North Division bracket by default as the No. 4 seed. And yet, they shocked the

8:00 AM ET The altered format of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs — where the final four teams were reseeded based on regular-season record — meant that we could have gotten some wild matchups in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Or, as is the case with this series, we’ll get to see a rematch of the

8:14 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will have surgery to repair a previously undisclosed torn labrum in his hip, he said Friday, two days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Islanders. Rask, who is eligible to become a free agent, said he hopes

6:33 PM ET The Columbus Blue Jackets stayed in-house for their new head coach, hiring assistant Brad Larsen to replace John Tortorella on Thursday. Larsen, 43, signed a three-year deal to become the eighth head coach in franchise history. He has been an assistant coach with the Blue Jackets for the past seven seasons, starting

6:30 AM ET The NHL’s final four is set. The Vegas Golden Knights took care of business at home, eliminating the Colorado Avalanche to set up a semifinal date with the Montreal Canadiens. Sadly, we have two days off from hockey, before the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning kick off their series Sunday.

1:12 AM ET LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are going to the semifinals for the third time in four years — not bad for a team that has been around for only four years. Vegas knocked out the Colorado Avalanche with a 6-3 win in Game 6 on Thursday, its fourth straight win

3:27 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon have been named the finalists for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. McDavid, considered the likely winner of the award, dominated the 2020-21 scoring race with 105 points in 56

7:45 AM ET LAS VEGAS — As the Vegas Golden Knights grind away in their thrilling second round series against the Colorado Avalanche, the team’s most productive line has been the second line. Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith have scored eight goals in five games against Colorado. Coach Peter DeBoer called the trio