NHL

Penguins open Stanley Cup defense, beat Capitals in shootoutPITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh began its defense of the Stanley Cup with a 3-2 victory over Washington on Thursday, with Phil Kessel beating Braden Holtby in the fourth round of the shootout for the winning tally.Kessel's wrist shot over Holtby's glove...

Sabres goalie Lehner ill; Nilsson to start at PhiladelphiaBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Buffalo Sabres starting goalie Robin Lehner is sidelined with an illness, which means backup goalie Anders Nilsson will make his season debut at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.Coach Dan Bylsma provided the update after Lehner missed practice Monday....

AP Sports WriterHistory made clinching Western finals berth, Preds now restBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators may have been the last team in the Western Conference this postseason. Now they're the NHL's first team to reach a conference final.And the Predators believe they're only halfway...

AP Sports WriterWith Dumba leading exposed list, Wild have a lot to loseBy DAVE CAMPBELLST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) There were many years in Minnesota Wild history when assembling a list of their top 10 players would have been a breeze.That was the biggest challenge this offseason.The downside to...

Blackhawks give F Tanner Kero 2-year contract extensionCHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks have signed utility forward Tanner Kero to a two-year contract extension.The deal with the 24-year-old, signed by the Blackhawks as a free agent in April 2015, runs through the 2018-19 season. Terms of the deal announced...

AP Hockey WriterBlown leads, 11 OTs and surprises abound in NHL first roundBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe first week of the NHL postseason has been about as unpredictable as anyone could imagine, even in a sport where upsets are the norm, home-ice advantage is often meaningless and a hot goaltender can...

Anaheim Ducks reassign LW Ondrej Kase to AHL affiliateANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned rookie left wing Ondrej Kase to their AHL affiliate in San Diego.The Ducks announced the move Thursday.Kase has five goals and nine assists in 51 games this season for the Ducks. The...

Associated PressNewcomers Staal, Stewart lead Wild to 4-3 win against JetsBy BRIAN HALLST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Chris Stewart brought his usual energy in his return to the Wild's home ice, and new recruit Eric Staal finished Minnesota's comeback in its home opener.Stewart had a goal, an assist and...

Blues fire coach Ken Hitchcock, promote Mike YeoST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Ken Hitchcock.Assistant and coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo replaced him. Yeo was supposed to succeed Hitchcock after this season, the veteran coach's final season in St. Louis.General manager Doug Armstrong announced the change...

AP Hockey WriterAll talk, few trades before NHL's expansion roster freezeBy STEPHEN WHYNOMike Smith went from Arizona to Calgary and a couple of defensemen traded places as NHL teams made last-minute moves before the Vegas expansion draft roster freeze.None of those defensemen came from the Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators...

AP Sports WriterCoyotes C Alexander Burmistrov leaves ice on stretcherBy JIMMY GOLENBOSTON (AP) Arizona Coyotes forward Alexander Burmistrov has been taken off on a stretcher after a hit from Bruins defenseman Colin Miller left him motionless on the ice for several minutes.Burmistrov gave a thumbs-up with both hands...

Capitals acquire defenseman Tom Gilbert from KingsWASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Capitals added some insurance on their blue line Wednesday ahead of the NHL trade deadline by acquiring Tom Gilbert from the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional draft pick.Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan announced the deal with the...