NHL

7:00 AM ET It started as a series of blowouts. It became a matchup defined by comebacks. What’s remained the same throughout is that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t lacked for drama in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. And the Leafs have got their foes on the ropes. Let’s recap:

7:00 AM ET Complaining about Stanley Cup playoff officiating is a rite of the season, like watch parties and rally towels. The coaches complain about officiating. Like Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour admitting that “I’m a little pissed, to be honest with you” when an unpenalized slash from New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau broke

11:41 PM ET The Florida Panthers stunned the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 overtime win in Wednesday’s Game 5, defiantly avoiding what could have been the first elimination of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Matthew Tkachuk‘s goal at 6:05 of overtime gave new life to the Panthers, who had dropped consecutive games at home — games

2:56 PM ET Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes forward Jack Drury has resumed skating after being knocked from Game 4 against the New York Islanders following a jarring hit into the boards, coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday. Drury missed the Hurricanes’ Game 5 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday after the hit by

8:00 AM ET It’s not enough that the Colorado Avalanche have won four straight first-round series. They’ve been so strong in the first round that they swept their past two first-round series and only had two first-round losses in four years, with their last one coming after the 2019-20 season. Then came the upstart Seattle

11:53 PM ET Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames will get a new arena to replace the aging Saddledome under a deal between the team’s ownership and city and provincial governments. Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp. — which owns the Saddledome and the Flames — announced the deal on Tuesday, as did the

2:54 PM ET Defenseman Cale Makar will miss Game 5 of the Colorado Avalanche‘s first-round playoff series on Wednesday after he was suspended for his hit on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann while committing an interference penalty. The hit occurred in the first period of Seattle’s 3-2 overtime win that tied the series 2-2 on

11:58 PM ET ESPN News Services SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken lost leading scorer Jared McCann to an injury in the first period of Monday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche Monday night following a hit from defenseman Cale Makar. He will miss at least one game. McCann, a left wing, was down on

1:18 AM ET ESPN News Services WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele left Monday’s 4-2 loss in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Scheifele, 30, a first-line center who has one goal this series, suffered an upper-body injury in the first period. “We’ll reevaluate him (Tuesday),”

12:21 PM ET Reuters Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was fined the maximum $5,000 on Monday for his cross-check of the Boston Bruins‘ Garnet Hathaway during Sunday’s game. Tkachuk delivered the shot to Hathaway at the end of the first period and was given a two-minute minor penalty

9:00 AM ET For the first time since 2016, the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs didn’t involve a series sweep. There are teams teetering on the brink of elimination, but as of Monday morning, all 16 playoff qualifiers are still alive. Which means, mathematically, hockey fans can still dream about those opponents from

11:03 PM ET After surrendering three goals in the first period, the Edmonton Oilers benched All-Star goaltender Stuart Skinner in favor of Jack Campbell to start the second period in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner, a 24-year-old rookie who started the first three games, was pulled after allowing three goals on 11

3:11 PM ET Boston Bruins forward David Krejci has been ruled out of Sunday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the host Florida Panthers due to an upper-body injury. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Krejci is unlikely to play in Game 5 on Wednesday in Boston. “I wouldn’t think he’s a real

3:11 AM ET SEATTLE — Nathan MacKinnon made a statement about the Seattle Kraken that was just as profound as the one made by the Colorado Avalanche on a historic night in Seattle. That message? Nobody should be underestimating the Kraken. MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen each scored twice, with Cale Makar also scoring in the

9:01 PM ET Winnipeg Jets‘ defenseman Josh Morrissey has been ruled out for the remainder of their first-round NHL playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 3 on Saturday. Jets’ coach Rick Bowness made the announcement shortly after Winnipeg’s 5-4 loss in double overtime to the Golden Knights,

2:04 PM ET Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen is sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his broken left hand, the team announced Saturday. Teravainen, 28, suffered the injury after being slashed by New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau during the third period of Carolina’s 4-3 overtime victory on Wednesday. The Hurricanes hold a 2-1 lead

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff Heading into the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, one series that grabbed the attention of many fans was the No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup in the Metropolitan Division, pitting the New Jersey Devils against the New York Rangers in the latest edition of the Battle of the Hudson. Thus far,

11:34 PM ET ELMONT, NY — The New York Islanders broke a 79-year-old Stanley Cup playoffs record for the fastest four goals by one team in their 5-1 Game 3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. The win cut New York’s first-round Eastern Conference series deficit to 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for