NHL

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

7:00 AM ET The New York Rangers return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday following two straight wins by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Sunshine State that evened the series at 2-2. “We’re one of three teams left here. You expect their best. You want their

12:11 PM ET Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl played most of the NHL postseason with a high ankle sprain, according to general manager Ken Holland. Draisaitl had declined to officially confirm the news himself before Holland finally did during his end-of-season media availability on Wednesday. Holland said Draisaitl was injured in a collision with

7:23 AM ET The Tampa Bay Lightning won Games 3 and 4 at home to knot up their Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Rangers at 2-2. They looked very much like a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion in doing so: Controlling play, coming through in the clutch and getting superstar performances from winger

7:00 AM ET The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs have blessed us with some superb — if expected — production from the game’s biggest stars. For Connor McDavid, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Mika Zibanejad, Leon Draisaitl, Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon (and many more), we are grateful. However, it’s time we raise awareness about the players who came

12:45 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Rangers will be “angrier” heading back home after back-to-back losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2, according to forward Artemi Panarin. “It makes us more hungry and angrier. Sometimes that’s good when you’ve lost. I think it’s just how we’ll