NHL

AP Hockey WriterPontus Aberg's goal puts Predators past Ducks 3-1 in Game 5By GREG BEACHAMANAHEIM, California (AP) Pontus Aberg scored his first career playoff goal with 8:59 to play as the Nashville Predators moved to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over...

Prosecutors to drop charges in Stanley Cup dead catfish tossPITTSBURGH (AP) Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final.Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing...

Associated Press650,000 fans at parade cheer Penguins for Stanley Cup winBy JOE MANDAKPITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup championship, the first an NHL team has won back to back in almost 20 years, spawned by far the biggest victory parade of any of the franchise's five titles.An...

AP Hockey WriterWill NHL awards honor Leafs, Oilers, Columbus?By JOHN WAWROWMike Babcock, John Tortorella and Todd McLellan had plenty in common.Not only did the three steer their playoff-starved franchises to the postseason, they are the NHL coach of the year Jack Adams Trophy candidates.Before this season, the Maple Leafs,...

1980s Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko dies of cancer at 59EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Dave Semenko, the Edmonton Oilers tough guy who protected Wayne Gretzky during the 1980s, has died. He was 59.He died in Edmonton after a short battle with cancer, the team said Thursday.''His legendary toughness on the...

AP Hockey WriterLightning acquire Sergachev from Canadiens for DrouinBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe Tampa Bay Lightning got the young defenseman they have been looking for, acquiring Mikhail Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in exchange for highly skilled forward Jonathan Drouin.The teams announced the deal about 48 hours before the...

LA Kings re-sign C Andrei Loktionov, 2012 Stanley Cup champEL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed Andrei Loktionov, the Russian center who won a Stanley Cup ring with the club in 2012.The Kings confirmed the professional tryout contract Thursday.Loktionov was a fifth-round pick by the...

AP Hockey WriterHousley home-coming: Returning to Buffalo as Sabres coachBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) ?? Phil Housley still remembers high-fiving Sabres fans at Memorial Auditorium in opening his Hall of Fame career in Buffalo during the 1980s.Now, Housley is looking forward to bringing that type of excitement back to...

AP Hockey WriterButcher an NHL free agent after not signing with AvalancheBy JOHN WAWROWCollege hockey's top player is an NHL free agent after former University of Denver defenseman Will Butcher allowed a deadline to pass without signing with the Colorado Avalanche.The Avalanche selected Butcher in the fifth round of...

AP Hockey WriterAP Sources: Caps to host Leafs in outdoor game at NavyBy STEPHEN WHYNOTwo people with knowledge of the situation say the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs will play an outdoor game at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, next season.The people spoke to The Associated Press...

Isles hire Kelly Buchberger as assistant coachNEW YORK (AP) The New York Islanders have hired Kelly Buchberger to be an assistant under coach Doug Weight.Buchberger served as vice president of player development for the Edmonton Oilers last season, after spending the previous two as the club's manager of...

AP Sports WriterPreds reach 1st Western final in team history, ousting BluesBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) Ryan Johansen celebrated his game-winning goal with a windmill fist pump and the Nashville Predators finished off the rest of a thrilling third period with the standing-room only crowd on their...