NHL

2:28 PM ET Associated Press The NHL has paused the Boston Bruins after four more players entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol. Bruins games Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres and Tuesday against the New York Islanders were postponed and team facilities closed until at least Wednesday. They’re the 36th and 37th games to be postponed this

7:00 AM ET Handing out midseason grades in a 56-game season presents its own sample-size challenges. Handing them out in a season in which some teams have yet to actually hit the midpoint, due to postponed and rescheduled games, only complicates things. That established, here are the 2021 NHL midseason report cards for all 31

2:01 PM ET Associated Press The Buffalo Sabres‘ home game against the Boston Bruins will go on as scheduled “as of now.” The teams issued the same announcement Thursday based on the results of COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. The Sabres canceled their pregame practice after a member of their staff was placed in the

9:00 AM ET Hockey fans always approach the NHL trade deadline hoping for exhilaration but end up with several hours of inertia. High prices scare away otherwise thirsty general managers. The rumors of what could happen are ultimately more entertaining than what actually does. That’s a shame, because a great deadline can lead to great

7:00 AM ET For the first two and a half years of the Vegas Golden Knights‘ existence, Malcolm Subban was Marc-Andre Fleury‘s backup, with plenty of ups and downs, and a not-so-great .397 quality start percentage. Vegas wanted to fortify its tandem, and traded for Chicago Blackhawks netminder Robin Lehner in February, 2020. Subban came

11:51 PM ET The Philadelphia Flyers, scuffling for most of March, knew they already had an uphill battle to reclaim their early-season form and get back into playoff position. The hill seems even larger now. The New York Rangers, inconsistent themselves most of the season, woke up in a major way Wednesday night, trouncing the

5:34 PM ET The entire New York Rangers coaching staff is unavailable for Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers due to COVID-19 protocols. The team’s AHL coach, Kris Knoblauch, will fill in for Rangers coach David Quinn. Associate GM Chris Drury and Hartford Wolf Pack associate head coach Gord Miller will also be on the

5:27 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The NHL has suspended Minnesota Wild defenseman Carson Soucy for one game for charging Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland. The league’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspension Wednesday. Soucy will forfeit $23,706.90 based on his average annual salary, with the money going to the Players’ Emergency

10:31 AM ET New York Islanders forward Anders Lee will undergo surgery this week and miss the rest of the season, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Wednesday. The GM said Lee has a torn ACL, but his rehab will not be as arduous since he does not have other damage in the joint. The team

10:43 AM ET The Buffalo Sabres finally fired head coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday, having gone 6-18-4 in this cursed season for them. That included a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, who snapped an 11-game home losing streak (0-10-1) while pushing Buffalo’s losing streak to 12 games (0-10-2). Krueger finally

7:00 AM ET Time is a warp these days, but believe it or not, we’re at the halfway mark of the NHL’s abridged 56-game 2021 season. For this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, we identified the MVP on every team at the midseason point. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams

11:46 PM ET ESPN News Services PITTSBURGH — If this was a glimpse of what the goaltending situation will be like in Boston after veterans Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak move on, the Bruins will be in fine shape. Dan Vladar made 34 saves for his first win in his first NHL start, and Boston

8:44 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier is expected to miss three weeks following surgery Monday to repair a frontal sinus fracture. Hischier was injured in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 27, when he was struck in the visor by a deflected puck. Hischier

7:00 AM ET Some rookie stars arrive in the NHL with their own gravitational pull, knocking a franchise out of its orbit. Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason saw it happen first hand while with the Washington Capitals when Alex Ovechkin arrived. He was a player whose pulsating lifeforce, on and off the ice, infused every

4:53 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings‘ game against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night has been postponed because of weather conditions that kept the Kings in Denver on Sunday. The NHL didn’t immediately announce a makeup date Monday. The Kings’ plane couldn’t leave after their 4-1 loss to

1:43 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot could miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery Monday for a fractured hand. The operation was at Montreal General Hospital and he is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the team said before Monday’s game in Winnipeg. Chiarot was hurt

7:00 AM ET Death, taxes, and discounting the New York Islanders until they go on a run that forces you to pay attention. It’s been a yearly tradition for the Isles in the Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz era. But as a rival player told me recently: “The Islanders have the strongest team identity in

5:09 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Chris Kreider scored his team-leading 14th goal, Artemi Panarin had an assist in his first game back since leaving the team, and the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 4-0 Saturday to halt a three-game losing streak. Panarin left Feb. 22 after a Russian tabloid printed