NHL

Blue Jackets sign goalie Merzlikins to 1-year contractCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) With free agent Sergei Bobrovsky expected to depart, the Columbus Blue Jackets have locked in goaltender Elvis Merzlikins for next season.General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday the Blue Jackets signed the 25-year-old Latvian to a one-year contract for...

AP Sports WriterCoach lightens Preds' mood, wears bull's head for road winsBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Nashville coach Peter Laviolette pulled out a bull's head to lighten the grind of the 82-game NHL regular season and challenge the Predators to get a couple of road wins.Win both...

The Latest: Predators lead Pens 3-1 late in Game 4NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Latest on Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final (all times local):9:45 p.m.The Nashville Predators are a hanging on to a two-goal lead against Pittsburgh late in in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final,...

The NHL insists expansion is not imminent. "Nothing has happened to change the status quo," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. "There continues to be interest from some markets, and we continue to be interested in discussing the possibilities, but there...

Associated PressDucks stay hot, beat Blue Jackets 4-2By DAN GREENSPANANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Anaheim Ducks' penalty kill has been able to keep opponents in check.They can score goals as well as they can prevent them, a knack they showed against the Columbus Blue Jackets to bolster Anaheim's playoff...

AP Hockey WriterHockey's Kevin Bacon: Playoffs are 6 degrees of Rick BownessBy STEPHEN WHYNOEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Rick Bowness looked at the Calgary Flames lineup written on the whiteboard in the Dallas locker room, and a strange thought crossed his mind.''It was one of the few teams in the...

Associated Press'Epic week': Hockey, country music collide in NashvilleBy ERIK SCHELZIGNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators' improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals has blurred the dividing line between music and sports, a convergence that's expected to hit a crescendo in Tennessee's capital city this weekend.The thousands of...

Predators re-sign Arvidsson to $29.75 million, 7-year dealNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators have re-signed 31-goal scorer Viktor Arvidsson to a $29.75 million, seven-year deal.Arvidsson will count $4.25 million against the salary cap through 2022-23. General manager David Poile announced the deal Saturday night after the team and...

AP Hockey WriterSabres acquire Sheary, Hunwick in trade with PenguinsBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Sabres general manager Jason Botterill is drawing from his championship past in Pittsburgh to provide a boost in Buffalo.The Sabres improved their top-six forward ranks by acquiring Conor Sheary and defenseman Matt Hunwick in...

Kitchen not back with Panthers amid report he kicked playerSUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Assistant coach Mike Kitchen will not return to the Florida Panthers next season among a series of staffing changes announced Tuesday.Canada's TSN reported Kitchen kicked a Panthers player on the bench during a game in...

Oilers say Peter Chiarelli will return as general managerBy The Associated PressEdmonton Oilers CEO and vice chair Bob Nicholson still has full confidence in general manager Peter Chiarelli.The same can't exactly be said for head coach Todd McLellan and his staff.Nicholson addressed reporters in Edmonton on Thursday and stated...

AP Hockey WriterLate additions Sobotka, McAvoy, Kapanen make playoff impactsBy STEPHEN WHYNOWhen Vladimir Sobotka left the KHL to rejoin the St. Louis Blues, it came with a tinge of guilt.Despite not skating for 10 days and practicing with his new (and old) teammates just once, Sobotka jumped right into...