NHL

11:43 PM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning moved within one victory of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, with an emphatic 6-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 on Friday night. Miss any of the game? We’re here with the top takeaways. More: Cup Final schedule | Playoff Central Stanley Cup Final Game 3 in

6:37 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed forward Joel Eriksson Ek to a $42 million, eight-year contract Friday that carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.25 million. Eriksson Ek had a career-high 30 points on 19 goals and 11 assists in 56 games last season. The 24-year-old Swede

6:59 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning are two wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup in nine months. But the series shifts back to Montreal, where the Canadiens will have the home crowd behind them to help claw back in. Check out the ESPN NHL Playoffs Daily to catch up every day of

8:16 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bill Armstrong sat in a small-town Canadian restaurant and watched a major junior hockey coach interact with his players. Then a scout, Armstrong was mesmerized how André Tourigny, a man nicknamed “Bear,” was able to connect with his team. “He was known as this big, tough coach,

9:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said it would be an honor to represent his homeland of Sweden in the Olympics, calling the men’s ice hockey tournament “as good as it gets on the international level.” That was in 2013. He still hasn’t gone. He might never go. Hedman

7:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Brayden Point swears nothing changes for him in the playoffs. “You try and play the same way,” said the Tampa Bay Lightning center, “but pucks have found their way into nets as of late.” That they have. Through 20 games, Point had 14 goals for the Lightning, while no

11:42 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1, in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at home on Wednesday night. It was a game with outstanding goaltending, and a goal-of-the-year candidate from Blake Coleman that beat the second-period buzzer. Miss any of the game? We’re here with

9:00 PM ET ESPN News Services RALEIGH, N.C. — Tom Dundon is now sole owner of the Carolina Hurricanes after buying out the remaining shares of the NHL club held by Peter Karmanos and others. The league’s board of governors unanimously approved the transaction Wednesday. “We are fortunate to have a passionate fan base that

12:20 PM ET Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews finally revealed why he missed the 2020-21 NHL season, saying he had “chronic immune response syndrome.” In a video announcing his return to the team on Wednesday, the team captain said: “Honestly, I haven’t taken this much time off the ice probably ever, since I was a

8:20 PM ET Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player, becoming only the second player in the 97-year history of the award to win it unanimously. McDavid placed first on all 100 ballots from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Previously, only Wayne Gretzky won the Hart unanimously back

12:08 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — Veteran forward Wayne Simmonds signed a two-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The team said his contract has an average annual value of $900,000. Simmonds played in 38 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs this season, posting seven goals and two assists. He had an

7:00 AM ET UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The first $17 can of beer hit the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum ice roughly 20 seconds after New York Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier‘s overtime goal. Then another. Then another. Then what seemed like an entire brewery’s inventory landed on the ice as the Islanders mobbed the overtime hero at

11:34 PM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, 5-1, over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, in a game that featured odd bounces, some star turns from the Lightning scorers and a shocking number of pucks that got by Carey Price. Miss any of the game? We’re here

Concerned Gary Bettman, NHL weighing ‘whether or not its sensible to have our players participating’ in 2022 Olympics With a full season expected in 2021-22 and issues related to COVID-19, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is still weighing the potential of stopping the season for the Olympics, saying Monday that there are “real concerns” with the

7:05 AM ET Following one of the most unique regular seasons in NHL history, the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs represented a bit of a return to normalcy, as we had a 16-team bracket, and fans came back to arenas to varying degrees across the continent. Fourteen of those teams have been eliminated, and we’re on

10:44 AM ET Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said he “was not aware” of any allegations regarding Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 when he worked in the front office. Bergevin, whose Montreal team is preparing to play in the Stanley Cup Final, began his management career in Chicago from 2008 to

10:08 AM ET Montreal Canadiens winger Joel Armia will not travel with the team to Florida as it prepares for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning after entering the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, general manager Marc Bergevin announced Sunday. It’s unclear how long Armia will be in the protocol or

7:57 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Montreal Canadiens were longshots to win the Stanley Cup at the start of the playoffs, and that’s putting it kindly. Sportsbooks had the Canadiens’ odds anywhere from +2000 to +5000, depending on when the wagers were made. They finished fourth in their own division and had the 18th