NHL

8:13 PM ET The NHL has revised a COVID-19 protocol on arena access just one day after it was established, following emphatic protests from the players. On Wednesday night, the NHL sent a memo to all of its teams and COVID-19 compliance officers that detailed a handful of new safety protocols. The additional measures came

9:42 AM ET After a cluster of postponements this week, the NHL has mandated additional in-arena protocols to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Beginning with Thursday’s games, the glass will be removed behind the teams’ benches. The belief is this measure will help increase airflow in arenas. In

2:15 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Blue Jackets placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on injured reserve after he was injured during practice. The move came hours before Merzlikins was scheduled to start Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars. Joonas Korpisalo likely will start in his place. The Blue Jackets said Merzlikins, who

11:47 AM ET Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has tested positive for the coronavirus and is entering the league’s COVID-19 protocol. It’s the latest setback for a team that has had its games postponed at least through Monday. The team has four players on the COVID-19 list, including star winger Taylor Hall. Two other teams

8:00 AM ET If the offer is “all or nothing,” the Toronto Maple Leafs have inevitably settled for the latter. They haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, which also was their most recent appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Their seasons either end with the muted disappointment of air slowly seeping out of their

7:30 AM ET The most important word when it comes to young NHL players is one that long-suffering fan bases don’t want to hear: patience. Expectations have undoubtedly been skewed for highly drafted players of late in part because Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews destroyed the development curve for everyone else. Young talents just aren’t

8:40 PM ET The Minnesota Wild on Wednesday became the third team this week to postpone multiple games due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, while adding five players to the league’s growing list of absent players. Minnesota postponed Thursday night’s game at the Colorado Avalanche, two games at home against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday

7:00 AM ET The 2021 NHL season has officially begun to take form, as the February schedule gets rolling. For this week’s power rankings, we identified the biggest disappointment so far for every team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 — taking into account past results

9:00 AM ET When the NHL Awards are handed out each year, there are accusations of geographic bias. Sometimes it’s due to the size of a market. More often it’s complaints about how one division or conference is covered by a larger press corps than another — the storied “East Coast bias” that always seems

6:13 PM ET The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils played a game on Sunday in Buffalo. By Tuesday, the next week of games for both teams had been postponed, and 16 players were on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. The Sabres were scheduled to fly to New York for a two-game series against

10:15 AM ET Jack Hughes was the 57th player in NHL history to be selected first overall in his draft year. Many of them made an immediate impact on their teams. Some, like Jack Hughes, did not. Hughes lugged the baggage of expectations into his rookie season and was crushed under the weight of them.

6:34 PM ET Tony DeAngelo has played his last game with the New York Rangers, general manager Jeff Gorton told reporters on Monday. Gorton said the 25-year-old defenseman “wasn’t able to move on” from being benched for the second and third game of the season — a decision made by coach David Quinn after DeAngelo

5:47 PM ET The New Jersey Devils have postponed their next three games this week as 10 players are currently on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list. The Devils’ games on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 at the Pittsburgh Penguins were postponed, as was their Feb. 6 game at home against the New York Rangers.

7:20 AM ET It was inevitable that COVID-19 would impact the 2021 NHL season, but the Washington Capitals didn’t imagine it would impact them so early — or so hard. After their first road trip to Buffalo and Pittsburgh, goalie Ilya Samsonov tested positive for the coronavirus. The NHL’s contact tracing revealed the team’s four

2:44 PM ET The New York Rangers placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on waivers Sunday. It was a surprising move considering New York signed the 25-year-old DeAngelo to a two-year, $9.6 million extension this past October. “This isn’t about one incident, it’s not about one thing,” Rangers coach David Quinn told reporters on Sunday. “This is

7:12 PM ET Alex Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals lineup on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, after missing four games following a violation of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. “It sucks, obviously,” Ovechkin told reporters earlier on Saturday. “No one wants to be suspended. No one wants to put yourself in that position. It’s over.

8:49 PM ET ESPN News Services RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek left Saturday night’s game against the Dallas Stars in the first period with an upper-body injury, the team announced. The Hurricanes said Mrazek would not return. Mrazek went down 2 minutes, 47 seconds into the game after being bumped by teammate

4:44 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks canceled practice Saturday out of concern about potential exposure to COVID-19. The workout was supposed to be held at the team’s practice facility. The Blackhawks say the move was made “out of an abundance of caution.” “The Chicago Blackhawks organization has, and will continue to