NHL News

7:00 AM ET We’re seven weeks into the 2021 NHL season, and less than six weeks away from the trade deadline. It’s about that time that trends start to solidify. For this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, we identified an encouraging or worrying trend for every team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits

7:19 PM ET Associated Press The list of players in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol dropped to a season-low three, despite the additions of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Nashville‘s Ryan Johansen. San Jose‘s Tomas Hertl is the only other player on the list after entering his seventh day in the protocol. Arizona‘s John Hayden, Detroit‘s

7:00 AM ET In our monthly canvassing of NHL awards voters, one thing has become increasingly clear: We need a little FOMO, right this very minute. As we mentioned in the last NHL Awards Watch, the NHL’s temporary realignment — in which teams play only opponents within their divisions and no one else — has

3:47 PM ET ESPN News Services The NHL closed February with a season-low-matching four players on its COVID-19 list. Detroit’s Patrik Nemeth entered the protocol on Sunday, while Ottawa’s Ryan Dzingel and Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny were cleared after spending two weeks on the list. Konecny was the final Flyers player in the protocol after the

7:00 AM ET “Nobody knows what I’ve been doing since I left the game,” Theo Fleury says. “Everyone thinks I’m still this crazy person with problems and issues, but I’ve actually been trying to figure it out.” Fleury last played in the NHL in 2003; he was suspended by the league for violating its substance

12:55 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — – Sabres starting goalie Linus Ullmark will miss at least the next month with a lower-body injury, leaving Buffalo with one established netminder. Captain Jack Eichel will also miss his second game but remains day to day with a lower body injury, coach Ralph Krueger said before

4:02 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is out for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers because of a sore wrist. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe announced the decision before the start of a three-game series between these teams. Matthews has 31 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games

6:15 PM ET The Vegas Golden Knights have terminated a brief partnership with UpickTrade, a company based in Mexico that sells sports betting picks, including on the NHL. “The Vegas Golden Knights have ended their sponsorship agreement with UpickTrade. The organization will not have additional comments on the matter at this time,” the team said

4:09 PM ET Associated Press The San Jose Sharks have returned to practice and are set to play the St. Louis Blues as scheduled on Saturday night after having one game postponed because a player tested positive for the coronavirus. Tomas Hertl was placed on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday, leading to the team canceling

8:50 AM ET So, you’re a hockey fan and looking at this whole NBA Top Shot phenomenon and have a bunch of questions: What exactly is this? What is an NFT? Can’t I just watch the highlights online? And, is this coming to hockey eventually? We’re here to help. Hopefully, by the end of this

7:00 AM ET STATELINE, Nev. — Brianna and Austyn Rowland smiled for their wedding photographer moments after tying the knot at a Lake Tahoe resort on Sunday. Snow-capped mountains filled the horizon. The sun glistened on the water. And Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers‘ ubiquitous orange mascot, gleefully held the bride’s veil. The couple had imagined

8:34 AM ET With the 2021 NHL season structured as it is, and being played when it is, hockey fans were preconditioned to expect the unexpected before it started. Oh, it’s already been a ride. Well over 100 players listed on the coronavirus-related absences list. Thirty-five games being postponed and rescheduled due to positive tests.

4:40 PM ET Even if Tuesday night’s controversial goalie interference call had resulted in a victory, Claude Julien still wasn’t long for the Montreal Canadiens. They squandered a hot start and tumbled down the standings in the pressure cooker North Division. General manager Marc Bergevin had seen enough. “It’s a hard thing to watch. Our

7:15 AM ET Eight hundred and seventeen goalies have appeared in a National Hockey League game since the 1917-18 season, from George Abbott to Rob Zepp. Many of them have tried to accomplish one of professional sports’ most exhilarating but rare feats. But to date, only seven of them have done it: a goaltender scoring

7:36 PM ET Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour says winger Teuvo Teravainen is sidelined with a concussion. The 26-year-old Teravainen has two goals and seven assists in 12 games, though he took a hard hit from Chicago defenseman Nikita Zadorov in Friday’s win and missed the last two games. Brind’Amour

3:33 PM ET Associated Press The banged-up St. Louis Blues got more bad injury news Tuesday with word that defenseman Carl Gunnarsson won’t play again this season and forward Ivan Barbashev is out at least six weeks. Gunnarsson injured his right knee when he got tangled up with Kings forward Gabe Vilardi midway through a

7:04 PM ET Associated Press UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe will miss the rest of the season after he injured his right knee during Saturday’s 3-2 victory at New Jersey. The 27-year-old McCabe was diagnosed Monday with ligament and meniscus damage, and the team said he will need six to eight months

7:00 AM ET Seattle was awarded an NHL expansion team in December 2018. The Kraken won’t debut until October 2021 — giving the NHL’s 32nd team a nearly three-year ramp-up. Its hires have been calculated and gradual (in part to keep costs at bay). Tod Leiweke joined as CEO early on and formed a business