NHL

9:00 AM ET When the NHL Awards are handed out each year, there are accusations of geographic bias. Sometimes it’s due to the size of a market. More often it’s complaints about how one division or conference is covered by a larger press corps than another — the storied “East Coast bias” that always seems

7:00 AM ET The 2021 NHL season has officially begun to take form, as the February schedule gets rolling. For this week’s power rankings, we identified the biggest disappointment so far for every team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 — taking into account past results

6:13 PM ET The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils played a game on Sunday in Buffalo. By Tuesday, the next week of games for both teams had been postponed, and 16 players were on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. The Sabres were scheduled to fly to New York for a two-game series against

10:15 AM ET Jack Hughes was the 57th player in NHL history to be selected first overall in his draft year. Many of them made an immediate impact on their teams. Some, like Jack Hughes, did not. Hughes lugged the baggage of expectations into his rookie season and was crushed under the weight of them.

6:34 PM ET Tony DeAngelo has played his last game with the New York Rangers, general manager Jeff Gorton told reporters on Monday. Gorton said the 25-year-old defenseman “wasn’t able to move on” from being benched for the second and third game of the season — a decision made by coach David Quinn after DeAngelo

5:47 PM ET The New Jersey Devils have postponed their next three games this week as 10 players are currently on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. The Devils’ games on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 at the Pittsburgh Penguins were postponed, as was their Feb. 6 game at home against the New York Rangers.

7:20 AM ET It was inevitable that COVID-19 would impact the 2021 NHL season, but the Washington Capitals didn’t imagine it would impact them so early — or so hard. After their first road trip to Buffalo and Pittsburgh, goalie Ilya Samsonov tested positive for the coronavirus. The NHL’s contact tracing revealed the team’s four

2:44 PM ET The New York Rangers placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on waivers Sunday. It was a surprising move considering New York signed the 25-year-old DeAngelo to a two-year, $9.6 million extension this past October. “This isn’t about one incident, it’s not about one thing,” Rangers coach David Quinn told reporters on Sunday. “This is

7:12 PM ET Alex Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals lineup on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, after missing four games following a violation of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. “It sucks, obviously,” Ovechkin told reporters earlier on Saturday. “No one wants to be suspended. No one wants to put yourself in that position. It’s over.

8:49 PM ET ESPN News Services RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek left Saturday night’s game against the Dallas Stars in the first period with an upper-body injury, the team announced. The Hurricanes said Mrazek would not return. Mrazek went down 2 minutes, 47 seconds into the game after being bumped by teammate

4:44 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks canceled practice Saturday out of concern about potential exposure to COVID-19. The workout was supposed to be held at the team’s practice facility. The Blackhawks say the move was made “out of an abundance of caution.” “The Chicago Blackhawks organization has, and will continue to

7:00 AM ET MSG analyst Dave Maloney received a text from his daughter this week: “What is wrong with the Rangers?” It’s the same question most Blueshirts fans are asking after the team kicked off the season with a 2-4-1 record. Such is the nature of the NHL’s unforgiving 56-game schedule, where a slow start

6:08 PM ET Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala has been suspended three games for boarding Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy during a game on Thursday. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the decision on Friday, following a hearing. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Fiala will forfeit $77,586.21, an amount based

6:02 PM ET ESPN News Services The Vegas Golden Knights have postponed two more games next week as four members of the team — including three coaches — are in isolation with the league’s COVID-19 protocol, it was announced Friday. Games against the San Jose Sharks on Monday and Wednesday will be rescheduled for later

7:00 AM ET During Disney’s Investor Day presentation in December, it was revealed, among many other content announcements, that a series based on the “Mighty Ducks” franchise will be coming to Disney+ (“The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”). The beloved hockey movie trilogy from the 1990s, often placed on the Mount Rushmore of hockey films by

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders With two weeks of the 2021 NHL season in the books, some early trends have started to take shape. Some are expected, others are quite shocking. Here’s a 12-pack of takes based on the January action — from potential trades, to the first coach fired, to who we like as

6:27 PM ET Associated Press The Calgary Flames are temporarily relocating their American Hockey League affiliate from California to north of the border due to cross-border travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19. The team announced Thursday that the Stockton Heat will play this season in Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. That will give the Flames easier

7:00 AM ET After Charlie McAvoy finished his sophomore finals at Boston University in 2017, he decided to become a professional hockey player. The teenager signed an amateur tryout agreement and drove to Providence, Rhode Island. “The Bruins were looking to do a model that Zach Werenski did a year before,” McAvoy says. “Which is