NHL News
Taormina aims for perfection on Devils' blue line
At a recent Lowell booster club team banquet, members wanted to show their appreciation by raffling off a prize for the players. The perk up for grabs was a Devils sweatshirt. The winner's name was called out as "Matt." Since there ar...
Week 4 nominees for the Messier Leadership Award
There are 27 full-time captains employed in the 30-team NHL, but there are countless leaders throughout the League. Their leadership can be recognized in numerous ways, some not always easy to quantify. The Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award pre...
Top picks for Monday, March 22
Paul Stastny, the leading scorer for the Colorado Avalanche, is the same guy that has put up 15 points in 12 career games against the Los Angeles Kings. They meet tonight at the Staples Center. ...
Pens, Wings set to collide on Versus
In a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup Finals, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings will collide on national television as part of the NHL's three-game schedule on Monday night. The puck drops from Joe Louis Arena at 7 p.m. ET, as th...
Preds rally for sixth straight win
The St. Louis Blues' playoff chances took a serious hit on Sunday at the hands of the red-hot Nashville Predators. Dustin Boyd scored his second goal of the game 48 seconds after teammate Patric Hornqvist tied it late in the third period, helpi...
Bruins answer bell in defending Stuart
BOSTON -- Ever since the Bruins failed to defend teammate Marc Savard when he was blindsided by Penguins forward Matt Cooke March 7 and knocked out indefinitely with a concussion, they have been under heavy scrutiny for their lack of response that...
Selanne scores No. 600
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The aches and pains of spending 18 years as an elite right wing in the NHL were alleviated for at least one night as Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne joined an elite group, becoming the 18th player to score 600 goals Sunday n...
Smith to appear on NHL Live!
Highly-acclaimed writer/director Kevin Smith will be a special guest/co-host when NHL Live! hits the airwaves on XM Radio from noon-2 p.m. on Monday. Smith, who wrote and directed films such as "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy," wi...
Miami (Ohio) a top seed as NCAA pairings released
One year after its dream of an NCAA championship was shattered in the most heartbreaking of fashions, Miami (Ohio) is back for another go -- and the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. Joining the Red Hawks as top seeds are Boston College in the ...
Coyotes putting together franchise’s best season
Led by 53 goals from Dale Hawerchuk -- one of six players to score 30 or more goals during the season -- the 1984-85 Winnipeg Jets were by far the best team in the 30-year-history of the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise. They won 43 games, accumulate...
Surging Coyotes could tie for West lead
What can the Phoenix Coyotes possibly do as an encore for Saturday night? How about claim first place in the Pacific Division and move into a tie for the Western Conference lead. Believe it or not, that could happen Sunday if the Coyotes can wi...
Gustavsson living up to early promise
TORONTO -- Forget lions, lambs, ides and any other old sayings about March when it comes to Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson. The only thing the Swedish rookie has done in the third month of 2010 is live up to his "Monster"...
Antropov discovers scoring touch at right time
ATLANTA -- For the first 17 games of the season, Thrashers center Nik Antropov concentrated on adjusting to his new team and setting up linemate Ilya Kovalchuk, one of the League's top goal scorers. Antropov also did not score. That could be qu...
Rangers-Bruins highlights Sunday schedule
Two teams in do-or-die mode will face-off on national television Sunday afternoon as part of the NHL's nine-game schedule. The Boston Bruins, who are just three points ahead of the New York Rangers, will host the Blueshirts at TD Garden at 12:3...
Sabres closing in on Northeast crown
The bounces went Buffalo's way on Saturday night. Because of that, the Sabres inched closer to a division title. Ryan Miller made 31 saves and Tyler Myers and Paul Gaustad each had two assists as Buffalo made it two in a row with a 3-1 win agai...
Kessel scores again in Leafs' win
TORONTO -- By circumstantial evidence alone, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Phil Kessel's favorite U.S. President could easily be Teddy Roosevelt. Certainly, the 26th president's 1901 motto "Speak softly and carry a big stick" applies to ...
It's 'Hockey Night' in Phoenix
GLENDALE, ARIZ. -- The Phoenix Coyotes finally know where they are headed. You'll never guess where. All aboard for the playoffs? Finally, all the talk is not about relocation. It's about resurrection. Finally, the best story in the NHL this...
Leblond-Janssen battle an epic
NEWARK, N.J. -- Hockey fans at the Prudential Center on Saturday night were not only treated to some exciting end-to-end action, but they also witnessed an epic fight. Just 5:58 into the first period, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond of the New Je...
11 games on a full day of hockey Saturday
Hockey fans can enjoy another full day of NHL action on Saturday, with 11 games on the schedule going from coast to coast to coast and from early afternoon until late at night. The day gets under way at 1 p.m. ET, when the Carolina Hurricanes c...
Southeast: Vinny dishes on Cooke, team's fortunes
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier spoke candidly this week on various topics, ranging from Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke to the current state of his hockey club, as a guest on NHL Live! on Wednesday. Lecavalier was forced to undergo shou...
Kramer played the Blues in St. Louis
Scotty Bowman has been around the National Hockey League in various capacities for more than four decades, so when he talks, people listen. In the formative days of the St. Louis Blues back in 1967-68, Bowman believes the Blues' organist, Norm Kra...
Franzen has played vital role in Datsyuk's rebirth
The numbers speak for themselves. In the first 11 games Johan Franzen has been back in the Detroit Red Wings' lineup since having knee surgery, Pavel Datsyuk has been, well, Pavel Datsyuk. All season there has been debate about what was ailing ...
Leighton owners should look to Boucher
Fantasy Forecast for Friday, March 19 THURSDAY'S ROUNDUP: Flyers goalie Michael Leighton has gone from savior to sayonara after the team revealed yesterday that he'll miss the next 8-10 weeks with a severe high left ankle sprain. With only a...
Structure and talent key to power-play success
The key to success in anything is to have a solid plan and people capable of executing it. It's no different with power plays, said Mike Green, the Washington Capitals defenseman who leads the NHL with 34 power-play points. The Capitals, Southe...
Rask rewarding Bruins' patience
BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins are being amply rewarded for their patience with goaltender Tuukka Rask. The 23-year-old Finnish goaltender appears to have taken the starting job away from reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas. Rask won hi...
Tight playoff races making the West wild
Talk about a wild race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Western Conference is more than obliging hockey fans this season, and Thursday's action was just an appetizer for things to come. With a 3-0 win in Los Angeles, the Chicago Blackhawks now ...
Devils' domination not a good sign for Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have every intention of bringing home the Stanley Cup again this spring. They probably hope the New Jersey Devils aren't on their dance card. To say the Devils had their way with the defending champs this season would be...
There's always lots to do for an equipment manager
Chicago Blackhawks equipment manager Troy Parchman took a different route than most of his NHL colleagues, who usually rise through the ranks of professional hockey to these pinnacle positions. Parchman, a 14-year veteran who joined the Blackhawks...
Howden has defied odds to become a star
By all rights, you should not be reading a hockey story about Quinton Howden. Not after he spent two months in a chest-to-toe cast. Not after he had to learn to walk all over again at age 6. Not with one leg shorter than the other. But ther...
No lack of work for Munce in Charlotte nets
The Charlotte Checkers' bus rolled about 13 hours from Charlotte to Elmira earlier this week. Most of the trip was just a rumor for goalie Ryan Munce, who snoozed for about 10 hours of it. "I normally sleep OK on buses. Planes, buses, cars...
Top picks for Friday, March 19
Setting active lineups should be easy tonight, but whether or not you'll get the points is the big question mark. Best bets are Mikko Koivu, Joe Pavelski, and Shawn Horcoff. The Islanders and Ducks are meeting for the first time this season. ...
Pacific: Deals help Coyotes set record for wins
If there were a "Trader of the Year" award for NHL general managers, Don Maloney of the Phoenix Coyotes would be the odds-on favorite. With his team already solidly (and unexpectedly) in the top eight in the West, Maloney spent ...
Luongo, Canucks bounce back with win over Sharks
Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks bounced back after a clunker. The San Jose Sharks are still in their slump. Luongo made 32 saves and the Canucks built an early lead, then held off the Sharks 3-2 at GM Place on Thursday night in a battl...
Key games in West playoff race highlight Friday
What Friday's four-game NHL schedule doesn't have in quantity, it more than makes up for in importance as far as the race for the last playoff berth in the Western Conference is concerned. The two biggest games of the night will be played in Al...
Northwest: Flames need to find some offense
Two presumably unrelated stories were in the news in Calgary this week. The Flames struggled to remain in the playoff race in the Western Conference. And the Calgary Herald reported a gorilla at Calgary's zoo nearly escaped from its pen when it...
Blues cling to hope that history can repeat
NEW YORK -- David Backes compared the St. Louis Blues' season to the stock market, and judging by the numbers, he might be on to something. After making an improbable run to the playoffs last season, the Blues have not met up with their expecta...
GM Maloney discusses Coyotes success on NHL Hour
Entering Thursday night's game in Florida, the Phoenix Coyotes held a 43-22-5 record, good for 91 points and fourth place in the Western Conference. For a franchise that hasn’t tasted postseason play in eight years and which faced a very unc...
Bettman addresses Wisniewski suspension
In addressing the eight-game suspension the League handed out to Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski earlier Thursday, Commissioner Gary Bettman attempted to clear up a couple of possible misconceptions over the latest incident involving a h...
Tkachuk unsure of playing next season
NEW YORK -- As Keith Tkachuk nears the end of his 18th NHL season, the St. Louis Blues' graying, grizzled veteran is wondering if he's nearing or perhaps even at the end of his playing career. "There are always times when you think, and yo...
Pauls seeks gold with U.S. Paralympic team
Canada beat the U.S. in the Olympic gold-medal games for men's and women's ice hockey last month in Vancouver. There was the opportunity for a three-peat meeting at the ongoing 2010 Paralympics Sled Hockey tournament, but while the U.S. will ha...
