NHL

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...

The Latest: Next champion will bump Gordie Howe off CupNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Latest on Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final (all times local):5:30 p.m.Gordie Howe, not etched for all eternity on the Stanley Cup?It's about to happen.Howe's last Stanley Cup championship - with Detroit in 1955...

New Jersey Devils sign second-round pick, Nathan BastianNEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils have signed second-round draft pick Nathan Bastian to a three-year, entry-level contract.Executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero announced the signing of the 41st overall pick in the recent draft Wednesday.The 18-year-old right...

AP Hockey WriterHockey broadcaster Dave Strader dies of cancer at 62By STEPHEN WHYNODave Strader, the hockey broadcaster known affectionately as ''The Voice,'' has died after battling bile duct cancer for more than a year. He was 62.The Dallas Stars said Strader died Sunday at his home in Glens Falls,...

Chris Kunitz scored a hat trick in the Pittsburgh Penguins' Super Bowl Sunday visit to the nation's capital, leading a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals that reflected both teams' fortunes so far in the lockout-shortened season. Kris Letang, Paul Martin and Matt Cooke also scored, Sidney Crosby had three...

AP Hockey WritersNHL informs union it won't terminate labor dealBy JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNOThe NHL has informed the NHL Players' Association it won't use its option to terminate the existing labor deal next year.The league announced its decision Friday, two days before its deadline to notify the union...

AP Hockey WriterCup champion Blues visit Trump at White House as full teamBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump honored the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, using the occasion to touch on the situation in Turkey and an agriculture deal with China.Every returning member of...

AP Sports WriterSvechnikov leads Hurricanes past Sharks 3-2 in shootoutBy JOEDY McCREARYRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Andrei Svechnikov scored in the shootout, Petr Mrazek stopped San Jose cold in the tiebreaker and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night.Svechnikov had a goal and an assist in regulation,...

Canadiens coach Claude Julien hospitalized with chest painsTORONTO (AP) Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said that coach Claude Julien was experiencing chest pains Wednesday night and was taken by ambulance to a Toronto hospital.Bergevin confirmed Thursday it was not COVID-19 related.The 60-year-old coach is not expected to...

Red Wings hire Verbeek as NHL teams shuffle front officesBy The Associated PressThe Detroit Red Wings have hired Pat Verbeek as assistant general manager to work with Steve Yzerman.Verbeek joins Yzerman, the longtime Red Wings captain who was recently named GM, after working for him with the Tampa Bay...

AP Sports Writer16 wins! And a number of other things for the NHL playoffsBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) Welcome back to the playoffs , New York Islanders. Same goes for you, St. Louis, Dallas, Carolina and Calgary.All five teams are returning to the postseason after at least one season...

Kadri, Maple Leafs beat Blue Jackets 6-3TORONTO (AP) One little tweak to Toronto's lines is paying off in a big way for the Maple Leafs.Nazem Kadri had three goals and two assists, Frederik Andersen made a career-high 54 saves and surging Toronto beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3...