NHL

Associated PressRasmus Ristolainen scores in OT, Sabres beat Devils 4-3By MIKE FARRELLNEWARK, N.J. (AP) Rasmus Ristolainen scored 2:37 into overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 victory over New Jersey on Friday night, snapping the Devils' winning streak at five games.Ristolainen bulled his way out of the...

The Montreal Canadiens are still feeding off their lopsided loss on home ice to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs last week. The Canadiens earned their third straight win Saturday night when Brendan Gallagher and Rene Bourque each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the...

AP Sports WriterFan-free playoff hockey still proving plenty intenseBy DAVE CAMPBELLStaging games in empty arenas after a virus-forced hiatus of more than four months, the NHL skated into this unprecedented postseason with plenty of questions about just how intense the action on the ice would be.Four days into a...

AP Sports WriterDucks fire coach Randy Carlyle amid 7-game losing streakBy JOE REEDYANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray tried to give Randy Carlyle as much time as possible to turn things around. But a seven-game losing streak and freefall into last place in the Western...

AP Sports WriterNHL playoffs return after 2-day break for protestsBy JOHN MARSHALLThe NHL playoffs took a two-day break to protest racial injustice, the latest twist in an unprecedented, pandemic-halted season.Now it's back to the ice.Three second-round playoff series resume with Game 4s on Saturday after NHL players joined athletes...

AP Hockey WriterNow 25 years in, Bettman is never off as NHL commissionerBy STEPHEN WHYNONEW YORK (AP) There is usually another guest at the table when Gary Bettman and his wife, Shelli, go out to dinner with other couples during the NHL playoffs.Friends come to accept the glow...

AP Hockey WriterDurability defined: Caps' Ovechkin on verge of 1,000 pointsBy STEPHEN WHYNOWhen the Washington Capitals signed Alex Ovechkin to a $124 million, 13-year contract eight years ago, the long-term commitment and first nine-digit deal in NHL history represented a significant risk.Owner Ted Leonsis and former general manager George...

Tenacious Blue Jackets shift momentum to advance in playoffsTORONTO (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets' successful playoff series against Toronto was a microcosm of their tumultuous, up-and-down season.Plagued by injuries to key players in the regular season - including both goaltenders at different times - Columbus pieced together lines...

DETROIT (AP) - Mike Green had a goal and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat Detroit 2-1 on Sunday, putting the Red Wings in an anxious spot as they try to extend their streak of postseason appearances.Braden Holtby stopped 35 shots and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington,...

McDavid has 4 points, Nurse scores in OT as Oilers top JetsWINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Edmonton coach Todd McLennan made no apology for his bias toward Oilers star Connor McDavid.McLennan only had to watch McDavid score twice and add two assists as the Oilers overcame a three-goal deficit to...

Lehner earns 2nd straight shutout, Sabres beat Canucks 4-0VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Robin Lehner and the Buffalo Sabres have gotten pretty stingy lately.Lehner made 30 saves for his second straight shutout and the Sabres blanked the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Thursday night.''We didn't give them too much defensively,''...

AP Hockey WriterNew Coaches: Trotz takes Cup-winning experience to IslandersBy STEPHEN WHYNOWhile the Washington Capitals are watching their Stanley Cup banner rise to the rafters, Barry Trotz will be fresh off a plane in North Carolina, preparing for his own season opener.Trotz guided the Capitals to their first title...