NHL

7:00 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars are the final teams standing in the NHL’s postseason bubble, ready to battle for the second Stanley Cups in their franchises’ respective histories. But before they lift the Cup, one player will be handed the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the

12:19 PM ET The 2020 Stanley Cup Final between the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars begins Saturday night in the Edmonton bubble. As a service to fans who have a general interest in NHL hockey but have no idea what has happened in the past few months,

1:09 PM ET NHL Insiders The 2020 Stanley Cup Final is finally here! After a monthslong pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NHL staged its most unusual postseason tournament ever, with 24 teams heading to bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. From that field of 24, we’re down to two: the Tampa Bay Lightning from

7:41 AM ET The 2020 Stanley Cup Final is set! The Tampa Bay Lightning — this summer’s cardiac kids — knocked out the New York Islanders with a Anthony Cirelli overtime goal. It’s the third straight series the Lightning have clinched in an overtime game this summer, and earns them the right square off against

11:17 PM ET The 2020 NHL playoffs have nearly reached their final conclusion. The Dallas Stars are your champions of the Western Conference, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have joined them from the Eastern Conference. It was a season with lots of twists and turns — including a nearly five-month pause due to the coronavirus

10:00 AM ET What a time to be a New York Islanders fan. Normally when you hear that, it doesn’t portend good things. It means the Islanders were criminally mismanaged or were purchased by an actual criminal or were forced into a nomadic arena existence that hopefully doesn’t end with them in Quebec City. But

6:55 AM ET There has been only one NHL playoff team to rally and win after facing a 3-1 series deficit in the round immediately preceding the Stanley Cup Final: The New Jersey Devils in 2000, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. The architect of that team? New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello.

6:53 PM ET Associated Press Jim Montgomery was hired by the St. Louis Blues as an assistant Wednesday, less than a year after he was fired by the Dallas Stars for unprofessional conduct. Montgomery is getting a second chance 10 months after Stars general manager Jim Nill said the coach acted inconsistently with “core values

4:26 PM ET Associated Press SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken will split its players among several American Hockey League teams for its inaugural 2021-22 season with plans for their own AHL franchise in the Palm Springs area delayed by a year. Oak View Group and the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation announced plans Wednesday

6:47 AM ET The Dallas Stars are in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years … and they’ll have to wait a little bit longer to find out who they are playing. The New York Islanders kept their season alive by besting the Tampa Bay Lightning in a double-overtime Game 5.

3:57 PM ET In announcing Peter Laviolette as his new head coach, Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan used an unusual phrase, saying they were fortunate to “have him available at a time of need for our organization.” One often hears buzzy managerial language in situations like this — “taking us to the next level”

7:00 AM ET The New York Islanders were one of the strongest teams in the Toronto bubble, but ever since they arrived in Edmonton, they’ve been outmatched by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals. Sure, we can forget about the 8-2 drubbing in Game 1 and chalk it up to an unfavorable

6:50 AM ET The Dallas Stars will play for the Stanley Cup after eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Tampa Bay Lightning can join them if they do the same to the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their series on Tuesday night. Check out ESPN

12:38 AM ET Coach Peter DeBoer was speechless as he walked into the Vegas Golden Knights dressing room after Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. “I didn’t prepare something to say to them tonight, because I just didn’t think we’d lose,” he said. Lose, they did. Dallas Stars forward Denis Gurianov’s goal at 3:36

12:24 PM ET Geoff Ward has been named the Calgary Flames‘ head coach after leading the team to a 25-15-3 record and a trip to the playoffs as interim coach. The contract is for two years, sources said. The Flames eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in four games in the qualifying round before falling to the

7:00 AM ET The Dallas Stars are one win away from advancing to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2000. Eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights won’t be easy, as Vegas is claiming the Western Conference finals are “a long way from over.” Can Dallas close out the series on its first try? Meanwhile, the Tampa

3:13 PM ET New York Islanders forwards Casey Cizikas and Tom Kuhnhackl have both left the Edmonton bubble due to injuries, the team announced ahead of Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. Neither player will return for the rest of the playoffs, the team said. Cizikas, an important member of the Islanders’

12:41 AM ET With a suffocating defense and clutch goaltending, the Dallas Stars are one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2000. But the Vegas Golden Knights vowed that the Western Conference finals are “a long way from over” following their 2-1 loss in Game 4 on