NHL

12:43 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Nathan MacKinnon raised the Stanley Cup over his head and then lowered it to his lips. The Colorado Avalanche, a team he dreamed of playing for as a child, were champions for the first time since 2001. MacKinnon, their 26-year-old superstar, had a goal and an assist in their

10:53 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup champions for the first time since 2001 after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 of the Cup Final on Sunday. Artturi Lehkonen scored the Avalanche’s game winner in the second period. Darcy Kuemper registered 20 saves in the victory. Tampa

7:00 PM ET The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning staved off elimination against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5, largely due to late-game heroics from Ondrej Palat. Palat’s go-ahead goal saved Tampa Bay’s season with 6:22 remaining in regulation helped the Lightning escape Colorado with a 3-2 win. Now, the series is back on

10:52 PM ET Oddsmakers believe the Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of a dynasty. The Avalanche went wire to wire as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season, and they have already been installed as the favorites by sportsbooks to lift the Cup next season too. The Avalanche, who finished off the

8:46 PM ET Associated Press SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick — William Dufour scored four times in a span of 19 minutes, 55 seconds and the host Saint John Sea Dogs advanced to the Memorial Cup championship game, beating the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rival Shawinigan Cataractes 5-3 on Saturday. “To finish my [junior] career

5:24 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — The status of a couple of key players remains uncertain for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Colorado coach Jared Bednar says there’s a chance Game 1 overtime hero Andre Burakovsky could return Sunday night following a three-game absence from the best-of-seven series. Tampa Bay’s Brayden

9:35 AM ET The Stanley Cup Final will last at least six games this year after the Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 5 3-2, keeping the Colorado Avalanche away from the Cup for at least two more days. Game 6 is Sunday in Tampa (8 ET, ABC and ESPN+). With Colorado leading the series 3-2,

11:43 PM ET The Stanley Cup was in the building. The fans were buzzing. The Colorado Avalanche were on the precipice of a third championship. Then the game started, and the Tampa Bay Lightning displayed the resilience that has carried them to back-to-back Cups, and on to Game 6 in their quest for a three-peat.

7:02 PM ET The Stanley Cup is in the building. The Colorado Avalanche lead the best-of-seven series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1. The Avs could close out the series and keep the Cup in the building in Friday’s Game 5. Game 4, which ended in a 3-2 Colorado overtime win, did not come without

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The 2022 Stanley Cup Final could be decided Friday night in Denver, with the Colorado Avalanche holding a 3-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Who needs to step up for the Lightning to force the series back to Tampa? Who is the Conn Smythe favorite? Will the Avs lift

7:30 AM ET THE GREATEST RIVALRY in hockey history left quite a mark on the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. Twenty-five years after the Wings and Avs were locked in a fantastic, relentless and breathtakingly violent winner-take-all battle for NHL supremacy, Avs enforcer Claude Lemieux still likes to point out the prodigious bump

9:00 PM ET Tickets for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Denver are reselling for an average of $1,375, according to Vivid Seats. The Colorado Avalanche have a 3-1 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning and can win the Stanley Cup on home ice on Friday night. The average price is the

1:53 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Jared Bednar said there was “nothing” to the controversy surrounding Nazem Kadri‘s game-winning goal in the Colorado Avalanche‘s 3-2 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Kadri scored midway through the extra frame to give the Avalanche a 3-1

9:15 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Stanley Cup Final hits differently when hockey’s Holy Grail is in the building. After four games, the Colorado Avalanche lead the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1. The Stanley Cup will be in the house in Denver on Friday night with its white-gloved handlers. “They’re a team that’s looking to

12:09 AM ET Following two straight blowouts in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4 was an absolute thriller between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. The game was deadlocked at 2-2 after regulation. Then at 12:02 of overtime, Nazem Kadri scored the game-winning goal — yes, the same Nazem Kadri who was playing

9:06 PM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning showed some life in Game 3 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. After getting blown out in Game 2, Tampa got goals from six different scorers in a 6-2 win. After allowing 11 goals in the first two games, Andrei Vasilevskiy was

7:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — It took Nathan MacKinnon years to reach this place. And we’re not just talking about the Stanley Cup Final. The Colorado Avalanche superstar is mired in a mini scoring drought, with zero goals and two assists through three Cup Final games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was held

7:36 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews collected the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHLPA’s most outstanding player at the NHL Awards on Tuesday night. Matthews, 24, scored 60 goals, leading the NHL for the second straight season. He