NHL

Sabres sign Oskari Laaksonen to 3-year entry-level contractBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year entry-level contract on Monday.Laaksonen was Buffalo's third-round pick in the 2017 draft and spent the past two-plus seasons playing in Finland's Elite League.The 20-year-old had five goals and...

AP Sports WriterYoung scorers lead the way as NHL All-Star weekend arrivesBy JOSH DUBOWSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) It is only fitting that Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon are serving as captains for this weekend's NHL All-Star game.The three high-scoring forwards are all 23 or younger. They...

AP Hockey WriterOvechkin turns attention to Capitals staying a Cup contenderBy STEPHEN WHYNOARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Alex Ovechkin is ready to get the Olympics out of his head and prepare for what could be a very different Washington Capitals season.Gone are forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik...

AP Sports WriterAvalanche aiming to distract Coyotes' Kuemper more in Game 4By JOHN MARSHALLThe Colorado Avalanche had all the numbers in their favor. Odd-man rushes, 51 shots on goal, 92 shot attempts.One hot goalie turned what should have been a win into a loss.Now up 2-1 instead of 3-0...

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Coach Bruce Boudreau will return to the Anaheim Ducks next season, although he'll be without one of his assistants.Assistant coach Brad Lauer was fired Tuesday after general manager Bob Murray completed his postseason evaluation of the three-time Pacific Division champion Ducks. They lost the Western...

Landeskog's overtime winner lifts Avalanche over PenguinsPITTSBURGH (AP) Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog redirected a shot by Nathan MacKinnon into the net 22 seconds into overtime for his second goal of the game, giving the Avalanche a 4-3 win at Pittsburgh on Monday.Landeskog tied the game with 6:32 left in...

AP Hockey WritersOn ice: NHL suspends season amid coronavirus pandemicBy STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROWThe NHL has placed its season on ice - for now.NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the league will ''pause'' its season, effective immediately, because of the coronavirus pandemic. The move came one day after...

Bruins' Patrice Bergeron out with fractured right footBOSTON (AP) The Bruins say leading goal scorer Patrice Bergeron is out with a fractured right foot.General manager Don Sweeney announced on Tuesday that a CT scan revealed the injury. Bergeron will be evaluated in two weeks.The forward originally suffered the...

AP Hockey WriterBuffalo Sabres hire Phil Housley as head coachBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Phil Housley began his Hall of Fame playing career in Buffalo. It is also where he will open his NHL head-coaching career after being hired by the Sabres on Thursday.Housley's hiring completes an offseason...

AP Hockey WriterDevils contact Kovalchuk to discuss pending return to NHLBy JOHN WAWROWNew Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero is on the verge of landing yet another asset in his team's rebuilding plan: Ilya Kovalchuk.Shero confirmed on Tuesday that Kovalchuk would like to return to the NHL next season,...

AP Hockey WriterSenators assistant GM resigns amid harassment chargesBy STEPHEN WHYNOOttawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee resigned Tuesday amid charges of harassment stemming from an incident at the NHL scouting combine in May.The team announced Lee's resignation and added a search is underway to find his replacement. The...

AP Sports WriterSpeed of Avs, Flames on display in 1st-ever playoff meetingBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) The Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames have never crossed paths in the playoffs.Not in the days of Joe Sakic or Jarome Iginla (who later would become an Avalanche player). Not in the tenure...