PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins had plenty of built-in excuses Sunday. They were playing the second game of a back-to-back against the same team — who they had shellacked Saturday.

Pittsburgh’s presumed starting goalie was ruled out the day of the game. The Penguins are virtually locked into a playoff spot.

Yet they came away with ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In case you were unsure, Sunday’s game was a big one for the Philadelphia Flyers.

How big? Lauren Hart singing “God Bless America” instead of the national anthem big.

With a win against the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Flyers would move into a playoff spot for the first time since Jan. 12.

The result: a 2-...Read more

The Minnesota Wild are one of the best road teams in the NHL, but they have a chance to open the playoffs at home.

After staving off the Detroit Red Wings in a 5-4 nail-biter Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, the Wild hit 100 points and climbed two back of Dallas for second place in the Central Division.

Whoever finishes second and third will ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — This is an odd time for an ode, but the calendar doesn’t always run parallel to life.

So as the Tampa Bay Lightning fight for first place in the Atlantic Division, as the countdown to the playoffs begins, as talk of another scoring title for Nikita Kucherov heats up, this somehow feels like an appropriate moment to talk about ...Read more

SEATTLE — They said all the right things in the hours after their last uninspiring loss. That every game from here forward was a playoff game. That their play on the ice needed to carry a level of desperation the time of the season called for.

The Kraken as a collective said they still had a run left in them and with it would be a chance to ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks finally found something that worked against the Nashville Predators.

Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP ...Read more

The Florida Panthers held it off as long as they could, delayed the inevitable as much as humanely possible.

But the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions finally met their demise.

With their 9-4 road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the Panthers have been mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the 2026 Stanley Cup ...Read more

Two weeks ago, I called the San Jose Sharks’ matchup with the Nashville Predators a must-win game.

I was obviously referring to this Saturday’s matchup. Please don’t check the paper to verify that.

Despite losing convincingly to those exact same Predators on March 24 to fall seven points adrift of the Western Conference’s final wild-...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — On a day when the Tampa Bay Lightning earned their ninth straight trip to the playoffs, the season’s breakout star kept the team humming along with a record-setting day.

Darren Raddysh scored the game-winning goal with 5:31 left, sending the Lightning to a 3-1 comeback win over the division-rival Boston Bruins Saturday at ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin hit 1,400 career points with a power-play goal early in the second period Saturday. He made it an even more special night from there.

The 39-year-old Penguins forward delivered a timeless performance, recording a hat trick and adding an assist in Pittsburgh’s 9-4 bludgeoning of the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints ...Read more

DALLAS — The Colorado Avalanche followed up its worst defensive performance of the season with a masterpiece.

Martin Necas scored midway through the third period and Scott Wedgewood made 17 saves against his former club to help the Avalanche squeeze past the rival Dallas Stars, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Center.

The Avs,...Read more

If the Detroit Red Wings ultimately don't make the playoffs in less than two weeks now, put an asterisk next to Saturday's game against the New York Rangers.

Playing against the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, the Wings never threatened while losing 4-1 to the Rangers.

Rookies Gabe Perreault (three goals, one a power play and one ...Read more

The Minnesota Wild have already clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they are impacting the race in the East, too.

They rolled by a bubble team in the Senators 4-1 on Saturday at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre for back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly a month.

Ryan Hartman scored twice for a second consecutive ...Read more

SEATTLE — Midway through the second period on Thursday night after seeing a two-goal lead disappear and a third goal disallowed by goalie interference, Lane Lambert went up and down the Seattle Kraken bench clapping his hands and shouting encouragement.

This wasn’t a coach upset. This was a coach trying to encourage and spark a group that ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Mitch Marner recorded his first hat trick with the Vegas Golden Knights in a 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

Marner added two assists for a season-high five points, as the Knights (34-26-16) improved to 2-0 under new coach John Tortorella.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his team-leading 35th goal, and Brett...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Zack Ostapchuk and Collin Graf scored first-period goals, and William Eklund added one in the second as the San Jose Sharks started fast and earned a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday at SAP Center.

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 18 saves, including eight in the third period, as the Sharks (36-31-7) won their ...Read more