NHL

TORONTO (AP) Connor McDavid has finally started playing with his Edmonton Oilers teammates - well, at least two of them.The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft joined Oilers teammates Taylor Hall and Darnell Nurse on Monday at a practice for a preseason mini-tournament in midtown Toronto.It...

Hall of Fame D Pilote passes away at age 85CHICAGO (AP) Hall of Fame defenseman Pierre Pilote, a three-time Norris Trophy winner who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, has died. He was 85.Pilote passed away Saturday night, according to the Blackhawks. Pilote was...

Islanders forward Matt Moulson, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and Lightning forward Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the NHL's Lady Byng Trophy, the league's sportsmanship award. St. Louis already has won the award twice (2010, '11), and was a finalist two other times. The 37-year-old ranked second among...

The NHL is proposing a new realignment plan which would feature playoff wild-card spots plus see the league go from six divisions to four. The plan was detailed in an NHL memo sent to all 30 clubs Tuesday, which a team source leaked to ESPN.com. The new plan calls for divisional...

Nylander scores twice, Maple Leafs power past Jets 6-3WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) William Nylander had two goals and an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-3 on Thursday night to extend their point streak to nine games.Kasperi Kapanen had a goal and assist, and Travis...

Associated PressAvalanche stay in playoff hunt with 3-1 win over WildBy TYLER MASONST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Colorado Avalanche have little margin for error as they chase a playoff spot with nine games remaining.They got a much-needed victory Tuesday night against the team just ahead of them in...

Blues fire coach Ken Hitchcock, promote Mike YeoST. LOUIS (AP) The Blues abruptly fired coach Ken Hitchcock on Wednesday, cutting short the veteran's final season in St. Louis and putting coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo in charge of the underperforming team months earlier than planned.General manager Doug Armstrong announced the...

Ex-enforcer Laraque embarrassed Pens going to White HouseMONTREAL (AP) Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque says it is ''an embarrassment'' that the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are willing to visit President Donald Trump at the White House.Laraque, who was a black player in a predominantly white league, told...

AP Sports WriterPredators reach 1st Stanley Cup Final, oust Ducks in 6 gamesBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Colton Sissons scored his third goal with 6:00 left, ensuring the Nashville Predators' magical postseason now includes the franchise's first trip to the Stanley Cup Final after eliminating the Anaheim...

New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan admitted he is relieved that he'll miss just 10 days to two weeks due to a shoulder injury. An MRI on Wednesday revealed that Callahan has a partially dislocated left shoulder. "Definitely could have been a lot worse than it was," Callahan said Thursday in...

Associated PressHoffman scores twice, Senators win 7-4 to stop Lightning runBy ERIK ERLENDSSONTAMPA, Fla. (AP) On a Florida road trip against two streaking teams, the Ottawa Senators have been no pushovers at all.Mike Hoffman scored two goals and six other Ottawa players had multipoint games as the Senators...

Associated PressKrejci has goal, assist for Bruins in 3-2 win over VegasBy DOUG ALDENBOSTON (AP) Down a goal entering the third period with a long layoff ahead, the Boston Bruins rallied their way to a win before the All-Star break.Jake DeBrusk tied it early in the third period...