NHL

AP Hockey WriterDevils, Blue Jackets sit top players for rest in Game 82By STEPHEN WHYNOBeing healthy in the playoffs is taking priority over seeding, with a few teams sitting their top players Saturday in the final game of the regular season.MVP front-runner Taylor Hall will sit out the New...

AP Hockey WriterRangers fire coach Alain Vigneault after missing playoffsBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe New York Rangers fired coach Alain Vigneault hours after they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.General manager Jeff Gorton announced the firing Saturday night, a full day before the end of the NHL regular...

AP Hockey WriterDevils, Blue Jackets sit top players for rest in Game 82By STEPHEN WHYNOMVP front-runner Taylor Hall will sit out the New Jersey Devils' regular-season finale after the team clinched a playoff spot despite seeding being at stake.New Jersey is resting Hall, fellow forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis...

Associated PressPastrnak scores 34th, Bruins beat Senators 5-2By DOUG ALDENBOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins won, then got the break they needed to remain in contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.David Pastrnak and Tommy Wingels scored 51 seconds apart in the second period and Boston beat...

AP Hockey WriterRangers fire coach Alain Vigneault after missing playoffsBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe New York Rangers have fired coach Alain Vigneault after missing the playoffs in his fifth season.The team announced the move Saturday night and will begin searching for his replacement immediately.New York made the playoffs four times during...

Associated PressPanthers eliminated from playoffs despite win vs SabresBy PAUL GEREFFISUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Record-setting wins don't get much hollower than Florida's victory Saturday night.The Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention, even after Vincent Trocheck scored late in the third period to help hold off the Buffalo Sabres 4-3...

AP Sports WriterPenguins top Senators 4-0 to earn home-ice in 1st roundBy WILL GRAVESPITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins can admit it now. The regular season is kind of a drag.Being the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions creates a target on your back that's impossible to shake. An NHL-high...

AP Hockey WriterNHL says Flyers, Panthers could play tiebreaker gameBy STEPHEN WHYNOIf the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers are even in points, regulation and overtime wins, and goal differential at the end of the season, they will play a one-game tiebreaker to determine who goes to the playoffs.The NHL...

AP Hockey WriterCoyotes sign goaltender Antti Raanta to 3-year dealBy STEPHEN WHYNOAntti Raanta handled injuries, a scorpion infestation and a minor car wreck in his first year as a starting NHL goaltender.Battling through all that earned him a three-year contract that makes him the Arizona Coyotes' franchise goalie for...

AP Hockey WriterCoyotes sign goaltender Antti Raanta to 3-year dealBy STEPHEN WHYNOAntti Raanta handled injuries, a scorpion infestation and a minor car wreck in his first year as a starting NHL goaltender.Battling through all that earned him a three-year contract that makes him the Arizona Coyotes' franchise goalie for...

AP Sports WriterDevils rebound from worst season in nearly 30 yearsBy TOM CANAVANNEWARK, N.J. (AP) The worst season in nearly three decades is just a recent memory, and so is the five-year drought.The New Jersey Devils are back in the playoffs, and again in the hunt for the...

AP Hockey WriterNHL says Flyers, Panthers could play tiebreaker gameBy STEPHEN WHYNOIf the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers are even in points, regulation and overtime wins, and goal differential at the end of the season, they will play a one-game tiebreaker to determine who goes to the playoffs.The NHL...