NHL

8:30 AM ET The NHL’s 2021-22 season hit the quarter mark last weekend. While that means we have a long way to go, it also means we have some insight into which teams are thriving, which teams are spiraling and which teams have just left us baffled. Here are the Stanley Cup contender tiers —

7:21 PM ET Associated Press NOVI, Mich. — No criminal charges will be filed in the fireworks-related death of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks at a Detroit-area home during a July 4 celebration, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday. The death has officially been ruled accidental, and the case is now closed, the

7:00 AM ET December is upon us in the 2021-22 NHL season — and with it the annual tradition of predicting which teams will make the playoffs based on their spot in the standings after American Thanksgiving. There were some eye-opening performances over the past week that produced some notable changes in our Power Rankings.

12:55 PM ET Jack Hughes is returning to the New Jersey Devils lineup on Tuesday night — and will be with them much longer thanks to a rich, new contract extension. The Devils on Tuesday rewarded their 2019 No. 1 draft pick with an eight-year, $64 million deal, announcing the move hours before the young

10:57 PM ET ESPN News Services LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings forward Brendan Lemieux has been suspended for five games for biting Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk last weekend. The NHL announced the discipline Tuesday night for Lemieux, who will forfeit $38,750 in salary while under suspension. The league posted video and a release on the

5:53 PM ET Evander Kane says there’s a “good plan in place” for his return to the NHL, following his first practice with the San Jose Sharks’ minor league affiliate on Tuesday. Kane, 30, completed a 21-game suspension for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols. According to multiple sources, the suspension was due to Kane’s submission

7:00 AM ET The 2021-22 NHL season is well underway, and the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup has players across hockey begging to see their rivals go belly up. While the action heats up in this dog-eat-dog league, it’s time for a different kind of ranking: a countdown of the best NHL team dogs.

5:43 PM ET Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has been suspended three games for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Sunday. Marchand will be eligible to return on Dec. 8, when the Bruins face the Canucks again. This marks the seventh suspension for Marchand in his 13-year NHL career. His most recent suspension came

1:41 PM ET Owner Geoff Molson believes that fixing the Montreal Canadiens is a two-person job. The Canadiens have stumbled to a 6-15-2 start after making the Stanley Cup Final last season. Marc Bergevin was dismissed Sunday after having served as Montreal’s general manager since 2012. It was a total housecleaning that saw assistant GMs

7:00 AM ET The Montreal Canadiens‘ encore to their Stanley Cup Final appearance last season has been an abject disaster, as they have a 6-15-2 record. With general manager Marc Bergevin in the last year of his contract having not signed an extension, it felt like a regime change was coming. Did it ever arrive

4:30 PM ET The Montreal Canadiens made sweeping changes to their front office on Sunday, firing general manager and executive vice president Marc Bergevin and assistant general manager Trevor Timmins, as well as senior vice president of public affairs and communications Paul Wilson. Former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton has been hired to

3:34 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks have placed forward Evander Kane on waivers and plan to send him to the AHL if he isn’t claimed by another NHL team. Assistant general manager Joe Will said Sunday that Kane has been placed on waivers before his 21-game suspension

12:50 AM ET ESPN News Services LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings winger Brendan Lemieux was hit with a match penalty and ejected from Saturday’s 4-2 win after Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk said Lemieux bit his hand. The players were grappling on the ice in the third period before Tkachuk got up with blood

10:53 PM ET ESPN News Services MONTREAL — Scott Mellanby has resigned as the assistant general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. The club made the announcement in a release Saturday night without providing additional details. The team thanked Mellanby, while also indicating it would not comment further. Mellanby joined the Canadiens as director of player

3:32 PM ET The NHL announced Saturday that the New York Islanders have had their schedule postponed through at least the end of November due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the club. The Islanders have dealt with an increasingly depleted lineup for several games, and yet another player entered COVID protocols on Saturday. That meant

11:21 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin has been fined $5,000 for throwing one of his gloves at Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand. The NHL announced the punishment on Saturday. The fine is the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union. Panarin and

9:14 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored two of his three goals over 56 seconds in the second period as the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Friday. Ovechkin has 18 goals overall, most through 21 games in a season by a player in at least his 17th season.

7:00 AM ET Thanksgiving traditionally carries some weight for NHL teams. And not just because of the food. During a regular 82-game schedule, consensus says that where a club sits by the final Thursday in November (essentially the quarter mark of the season) is where it will be come spring. Meaning, teams that are struggling