NHL

5:19 PM ET We’re finally down to the two teams that will duke it out for the Stanley Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche will meet Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) for Game 1 of this best-of-seven championship matchup. 1 Related The Lightning need four more wins to complete the three-peat, which would

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The 2022 Stanley Cup Final is set to begin Wednesday night in Denver, and it promises to be one of the best matchups in recent memory. The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Islanders won four in a row from

6:38 PM ET DENVER — Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said things are leaning towards Brayden Point returning to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. “If it’s not tomorrow, then we really anticipate Game 2. But we’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Cooper

7:00 AM ET The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs are down to the final two teams. The Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche will host the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN+). Tampa Bay can become the first three-peat Cup champion

6:59 AM ET ESPN staff It’s all come down to this in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning are poised to square off for the sport’s ultimate prize. Will it be a three-peat for the Lightning? Or the first Cup in over 20 years for the Avs? Our ESPN

5:10 PM ET DENVER — Andre Burakovsky is close to feeling 100 percent again, days ahead of the Colorado Avalanche facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. The Avalanche forward blocked a shot off his hand in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Edmonton

6:35 PM ET ESPN News Services NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to a four-year contract worth $8 million. The Predators announced the move Monday, keeping the defenseman they acquired in March at the trade deadline from the Seattle Kraken. General manager David Poile said they’re excited to keep Lauzon.

7:00 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant sat inside a conference room at Amalie Arena, discussing how his team’s surprising Stanley Cup playoffs run ended in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. On the other side of a wall sat coach Jon Cooper, surrounded by Tampa Bay Lightning conference

5:17 PM ET DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have long aspired to become the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, it’s the Lightning standing between the Avalanche and their first Stanley Cup win since 2001. The two-time defending champion Lightning topped the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday to reach

7:45 AM ET The Stanley Cup Final is determined by more than star players. It’s also about star turns. The ones we expect, and often the ones we don’t. The Tampa Bay Lightning know that better than anyone. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are back in the Final for a third straight season, facing

10:43 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning are four wins away from becoming the first NHL team since 1983 to win three straight Stanley Cup championships. “To get there the first time was a dream come true. To get there a second time, the next year, was a dream too. There was

10:45 PM ET TAMPA BAY — The Tampa Bay Lightning have eliminated the New York Rangers and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight season, with the Colorado Avalanche rested and ready for Game 1 (Wednesday, 8 ET, ESPN). Here are five things we learned about the Lightning so far in their

11:23 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Lightning center Brayden Point hasn’t been ruled out for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, signaling a status change for Tampa Bay’s injured star. The Lightning lead their series against the New York Rangers 3-2 and can advance to their third straight Stanley Cup Final with a win

8:00 AM ET ESPN staff The 2022 NHL Eastern Conference finals matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers has reached Game 6, with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning holding a 3-2 advantage. The Colorado Avalanche await the winner of the series, which could be the Lightning following Saturday night’s game.

5:49 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres acquired goalie Ben Bishop in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Friday in a salary cap-related paperwork move involving a veteran who is not expected to play again because of degenerative right knee injury. The Sabres add the final year of Bishop’s contract,

7:00 AM ET There was this coach I heard about. He hadn’t yet served as an NHL head coach. His qualifications indicated he was ready to do so. So like a fan of a new indie band double-checking its coolness with a music snob, I reached out to an NHL team executive to ask how

7:41 AM ET It’s a scene familiar to any NHL fan. The puck crosses the line. The crowd roars as the goal horn echoes through the arena. Then the beats of the team’s goal song hit, signaling a full-on celebration and Pavlovian responses from those in attendance. In New York, the fans sing “whoa” and

12:24 AM ET NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Lightning ended the New York Rangers‘ eight-game home playoff winning streak with a 3-1 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, pushing them to the brink of elimination. It’s familiar territory for the Rangers. “We’ve been down 3-2 in every series