Pat Graham, Associated Press | Updated April 27 - 12:33 a.m.
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Winnipeg defenseman Brenden Dillon quickly made his way down the tunnel with his hand bleeding after a fight at the end of the game Friday night. Dillon suffered what appeared to be a deep cut following a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their first-round series. The Jets had no update after the game or if the injury happened because of a skate blade. The fight started soon after the horn and involved several players. There was blood on the back of the Avalanche forward Brandon Duhaime's jersey and on the ice near the goal.
Pat Graham, Associated Press | Updated April 27 - 12:16 a.m.
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Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin scored on the power play during a five-goal, third-period outburst and the Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 22 shots to give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Trailing 2-1 in the final period, Colorado, the highest-scoring team in the league, began pouring it on. The Avalanche scored four times in a 10:24 span to energize the crowd. Game 4 is Sunday in the Mile High City.
Joe Reedy, Associated Press | Posted April 26 - 11:34 p.m.
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Leon Draisaitl had two goals and an assist, Zach Hyman also scored twice and the Edmonton Oilers rode the momentum of three first-period goals to beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-1 and take a 2-1 lead in their first-round NHL playoffs series. Connor McDavid (one goal, two assists) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (three assists) also had three-point nights. McDavid is the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1987 to have at least eight assists in the first three games. Evander Kane added a goal and an assist while Stuart Skinner stopped 27 shots. Drew Doughty had the Kings' lone goal early in the second period and Cam Talbot made 35 saves. Game 4 in the best-of-7 series is Sunday night.
Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press | Updated April 26 - 10:09 p.m.
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Casey DeSmith made 29 saves for his first postseason victory as the Vancouver Canucks held on to beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series to open the NHL playoffs. This was DeSmith's second straight start and third all-time in the playoffs with Thatcher Demko out since the series opener with an injury. J.T. Miller had a power-play goal and an assist. Brock Boeser's power-play goal was the game-winner as Vancouver took back home-ice advantage. Game 4 is Sunday in Nashville. Luke Evangelista helped Nashville avoid being shut out putting a wrister top shelf with 3:12 remaining.
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press | Updated April 26 - 8:44 p.m.
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The New York Rangers are one win away from the advancing after beating the Washington Capitals 3-1 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Vincent Trocheck had a power-play goal and a short-handed assist in the dominant special teams performance. Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves at the other end to stymy the Capitals and push them to the brink of elimination. Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow also scored for the Rangers, and Mika Zibanejad had two assists. Game 4 is Sunday night in Washington.
Mark Anderson, Associated Press | Posted April 26 - 4:34 p.m.
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The problems for Dallas are two-fold. The Stars aren't getting great scoring chances and for long stretches aren't even putting the puck on net. That's primarily why the Golden Knights are back in Las Vegas with a 2-0 lead in the first-round NHL playoffs series. Game 3 is Saturday night. The Stars didn't get a shot on goal in the second period of Game 1 until 8:52 into it. Vegas closed out Game 2 by holding Dallas without a shot on goal over the final 5:38.
Mark Didtler, Associated Press | Updated April 25 - 9:00 p.m.
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Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart and Steven Lorentz also scored for the Panthers, who will seek a sweep Saturday night in Tampa. Tkachuk had a first-period goal and added an empty-netter with 32 seconds left. Steven Stamkos, Tyler Motte and Nicholas Paul scored for Tampa Bay, with Paul cutting it to 4-3 with 5:10 left. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.
Pat Graham, Associated Press | Posted April 25 - 4:48 p.m.
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Alexandar Georgiev got out of his own way in order to get out of his own head. The Colorado goaltender imagined winning and all the feelings that went along with it. By keeping negative vibes at bay, Georgiev snapped out of his shot-stopping doldrums and helped the Avalanche split games in Winnipeg. Georgiev is confident he has rediscovered his confidence heading into Game 3 on Friday night in the Mile High City. This time of year, it's all about quickly turning the page, no matter the outcome.
Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press | Updated April 25 - 3:37 p.m.
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Noah Hanifin broke a tie with an unassisted goal late in the second period and the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights beat the top-seeded Dallas Stars 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. Hanifin was one of the three trade-deadline acquisitions for the Knights, the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Jonathan Marchessault scored his second goal of this series, and his franchise-record 36th in the postseason while appearing in all 90 of Vegas' playoff games. Jack Eichel assisted on Marchessault's goal and added an empty-netter. Logan Thompson had 20 saves in his second career playoff start. Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press | Posted April 25 - 11:56 a.m.
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Alex Ovechkin has just one shot on goal through two games of the Washington Capitals' first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, which they trail 2-0. Coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged Ovechkin is struggling. The No. 2 career goal-scorer in NHL history believes he needs to be more patient starting with Game 3 Friday night at home. Washington needs production from its longtime captain to get back in the series.
The Associated Press | Updated April 25 - 10:26 a.m.
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The Seattle Kraken will move their games to an over-the-air broadcaster and have a streaming partnership with Amazon's Prime Video beginning with the 2024-25 season. The Kraken will be the first NHL team to have a streaming deal with Prime Video for all non-nationally televised games and will be available to Amazon Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has a minority stake in the ownership group of the Kraken. Seattle will partner with TEGNA for the over-the-air component, with most of the broadcasts airing on KONG-TV in Seattle. At least 15 of the games are expected to air on KING, the NBC affiliate in Seattle, with games also on TEGNA-owned stations in Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington.
The Associated Press | Posted April 25 - 10:18 a.m.
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The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a six-year contract with defenseman Alex Vlasic, rewarding one of their best young players with a long-term deal. The contract runs through the 2029-30 season with a $4.6 million salary-cap hit. Chicago went 23-53-6 this year, setting a franchise record for losses. But it is hoping for a turnaround as soon as next season, and the contract for Vlasic stamps the Illinois native as part of the team's young core. The 6-foot-6 Vlasic, who turns 23 in June, had two goals and 14 assists in 76 games this season.
The Associated Press | Updated April 25 - 12:52 a.m.
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Anze Kopitar fired a wrist shot past Stuart Skinner's glove and into the top corner on a breakaway to give the Los Angeles Kings a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series. Los Angeles rebounded from a 7-4 loss Monday night in the opener to send the series to Los Angeles tied 1-1. Game 3 is Friday night. Adrian Kempe scored twice in the first period for Los Angeles. Drew Doughty also connected in the first for the Kings, making it 3-1. Kevin Fiala scored in the third, and Cam Talbot made 27 saves. Dylan Holloway scored twice for Edmonton, tying it at 4 early in the third period.
The Associated Press | Updated April 24 - 10:13 p.m.
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Brad Marchand broke a tie midway through the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. After Todd Bertuzzi tied it for Toronto with 8:35 left, Marchard put the Bruins back in front 28 second later. He took a pass from Danton Heinen and ripped a shot past goalie Ilya Samsonov's ear. Marchand capped the scoring with an empty-netter and also had an assist. Jake DeBrusk and Trent Frederic also scored for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves. Matthew Knies also scored for Toronto, and Samsonov made 30 saves. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
John Coon, Associated Press | Updated April 24 - 8:41 p.m.
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Utah hockey fans welcomed the former Arizona Coyotes to their new home Wednesday. Players and coaches were greeted at the airport in morning by a crowd of approximately 100 players from local youth hockey programs. The kids chanted "Go, Utah! Go, Utah!" The team attended a fan celebration at the Delta Center in the afternoon. The arena was packed for the free event, with many fans turned away at the doors. The challenges uprooting from Arizona are tempered by the energetic reception the club has received in the state and a chance to build a new history and culture.
The Associated Press | Posted April 24 - 5:19 p.m.
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sat out his third straight game to open the playoffs Wednesday night because of an undisclosed injury. Rookie forward Nick Robertson took Nylander's spot in the lineup against the Boston Bruins, with the teams tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven series. Nylander played all 82 regular-season games, scoring 40 goals for the second straight season and adding a career-high 58 assists.
Fred Goodall, Associated Press | Posted April 24 - 4:03 p.m.
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not panic. The New York Islanders are also down 2-0 after playing well at times and losing their first two games of the NHL playoffs on the road. Both teams understand it'll take a lot more than a return to home ice Thursday night to alter the course of first-round matchups between the Lightning and Florida Panthers and Islanders and Carolina Panthers. New York blew a three-goal lead in its Game 2 loss to the Hurricanes. Tampa Bay dropped a pair of one-goal games to the Panthers to fall behind 2-0 in a series for the first time since losing Games 1 and 2 of the 2020 Eastern Conference on the road. The Lightning rallied to win that series against the New York Rangers.
Josh Dubow, Associated Press | Updated April 24 - 2:37 p.m.
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The San Jose Sharks have fired coach David Quinn after two rough seasons as part of a massive rebuilding project. General manager Mike Grier announced the decision on Wednesday following a review of the team's season. Grier hired Quinn to replace Bob Boughner shortly after taking over as GM in 2022. Quinn spent two seasons in San Jose that were marked with lackluster play as the team traded away several high-priced stars. The Sharks had a 41-98-25 record in Quinn's two seasons for the worst mark in the NHL in that span.
Aaron Beard, Associated Press | Posted April 24 - 2:05 p.m.
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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo could be set for a larger role given an injury to fellow blue-liner Brett Pesce. Pesce went out in the second period of Game 2 against the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury. Coach Rod Brind'Amour says Pesce will "more than likely" miss the remainder of the first-round playoff series. DeAngelo has played sparingly behind Carolina's top six defensemen. But he worked with Brady Skjei in Pesce's spot during practice Wednesday. DeAngelo brings an offensive-minded presence. Carolina has a 2-0 series lead entering Thursday's road game against New York.