NHL

7:10 AM ET When it comes to rooting interests in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we can all agree on one of them: the health and safety of everyone participating, after a regular season that saw a parade of players on the COVID-related absences list and plenty of interruptions to the schedule. But beyond that,

7:05 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Unlike previous nights, Thursday’s action around the NHL did not result in any teams clinching a playoff berth or any others being eliminated. But that could change Friday, with all eight teams of

12:53 PM ET The New York Rangers were walloped with a $250,000 fine by the NHL after the team called for the firing of Department of Player Safety head George Parros this week. The Rangers were incensed after the NHL opted to fine but not suspend Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for altercations with New

8:30 AM ET Watching a New York Rangers rebuild is like watching someone learning how to drive. You know at some point there’s going to be an aggressive acceleration, and you’re just hoping it’s not before they figured out how to work the steering wheel. Hence, the departure of general manager Jeff Gorton this week,

7:00 AM ET When the IIHF Women’s World Championships in Nova Scotia were abruptly canceled on April 21 — just one day before Team USA was supposed to travel to Canada — many players felt it was another case of women’s hockey being treated as an afterthought. “A lot of people have asked, do you

8:21 PM ET The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals combined for 72 penalty minutes in the first 4 minutes, 14 seconds of their game on Wednesday night, their first meeting after Capitals forward Tom Wilson injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin earlier this week. There were six separate fights to start the game at Madison

7:10 AM ET Sach Chandan We’re into the final week-plus (for most teams) of the 2021 NHL season, and while 16 of them will be competing for the Stanley Cup this spring and summer, 15 of them will begin to devise their plan to get back in the playoff mix in 2021-22. Usually, it’s a

7:03 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. The five NHL games of Tuesday night did not have the impact on the playoff races that Monday’s massive slate did, but we do have a new leader in the East, with the

6:47 PM ET The New York Rangers have called for the removal of George Parros, head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, after the league opted not to suspend Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for a pair of incidents in a game Monday night. Wilson was fined $5,000 by the NHL for punching Rangers

4:01 PM ET Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is eventually going to do something to an opponent that will result in him missing 40 games. Maybe 60 games. Maybe an entire season. But the NHL department of player safety is not the NHL department of pre-crime. It can’t suspend players based on what their actions

7:10 AM ET We are witnessing the final games of the 2021 NHL Awards season. As usual, they’re a time for both popular reinforcement of foregone conclusions and last-minute attempts at seeding doubt about assumed favorites. An example of the former: Connor McDavid is going to win the Hart Trophy in a landslide. We’ll discuss

12:56 AM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — Michael Houser stopped 34 shots in his NHL debut, Sam Reinhart scored twice in Buffalo’s three-goal third period and the Buffalo Sabres beat the playoff-bound New York Islanders 4-2 on Monday night. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund also scored for Buffalo, which trailed 2-0 early in the

7:00 AM ET The Dallas Stars were in the Edmonton postseason bubble last summer for 66 days, longer than any other team. Jason Robertson was there for all of it, but didn’t get a single minute of game action. “I took warm-ups for a couple games,” the 21-year-old said. “That was the closest I ever

6:52 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. Sunday’s NHL slate consisted of just one game, with the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, to move into the No. 2 seed in the Central Division. With a little

7:57 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. The NHL’s 15-game slate on Saturday was just as wild as we’d hoped, with six games requiring overtime or a shootout to decide the victor. And like a motion-sensing spotlight in an alley,

2:42 PM ET Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has been placed on leave after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him. “We have become aware of the concerning allegations made about Jake Virtanen,” the team said in a statement Saturday. “Our organization does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind and the claims as

7:54 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. With the end of the season approaching, the NHL has offered us a treat: Saturday’s schedule includes 15 games — everyone but the Winnipeg Jets will be in action — including a number

1:13 PM ET Associated Press SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken are free to make trades and sign players after making their final expansion payment to the NHL. Seattle owners paid $650 million to become the 32nd franchise. The Kraken begin play next season. “On behalf of the board of governors, I am delighted to officially