NHL

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago's Patrick Kane extended his points streak to 26 games as the Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Sunday to move into a share of second place in the NHL Central Division.Kane, the NHL's leading scorer with 46 points, had the second assist on Duncan...

Minnesota Wild fire coach Bruce BoudreauST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Wild fired coach Bruce Boudreau on Friday after their 30th loss of the season.First-year general manager Bill Guerin fired Boudreau in the aftermath of a shootout loss to the New York Rangers. Assistant Dean Evason was named...

AP Sports Writer7-goal surges push Avalanche and Stars into 2nd-round seriesBy STEPHEN HAWKINSThe Dallas Stars certainly can't take too much comfort in those four victories over Colorado in the regular season or their unprecedented seven-goal surge to advance in these unusual playoffs.Life has certainly been different in the bubble...

AP Sports WriterStruggling LA Kings fire head coach Stevens, hire DesjardinsBy GREG BEACHAMLOS ANGELES (AP) The struggling Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens on Sunday just 13 games into his second season in charge.Willie Desjardins was named the Kings' interim head coach by general manager Rob...

AP Sports WriterThe fast and furious: MacKinnon has Avs buzzing in playoffsBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) Nathan MacKinnon received a text message from a good buddy just before the start of the playoffs.The basic point: Attack and dictate the pace.The speedy Colorado Avalanche forward has taken Sidney Crosby's advice...

CHICAGO (AP) Forwards Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks and Joel Ward of the Sharks are out Sunday night due to injuries.The Blackhawks say Hossa has an upper-body injury, and the Sharks did not specify what is wrong with Ward.Hossa, who turns 37 on Jan. 12, played 23 shifts...

Avs D Samuel Girard out for Game 3 with upper-body injuryDENVER (AP) The Colorado Avalanche will be without defenseman Samuel Girard for Game 3 against Nashville due to an upper-body injury.The 19-year-old Girard made his Stanley Cup playoff debut during Game 1 in Nashville, only to sit out...

AP Hockey WriterEx-Coyotes captain Shane Doan joins NHL hockey operationsBy STEPHEN WHYNOFormer Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan is joining the NHL's hockey operations department.The league announced the hiring of Doan on Thursday. Senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell says there isn't a set of responsibilities yet...

AP Sports WriterBill Torrey, GM of Isles' 4 Stanley Cups, dies at 83By TIM REYNOLDSSUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Bill Torrey, the general manager of the New York Islanders when they won four consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1980s and the first president of the Florida Panthers, died Thursday.The Panthers...

Makar, Hutchinson help Avalanche force Game 7 against StarsEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Rookie defenseman Cale Makar scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, third-string goaltender Michael Hutchinson stopped 27 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Wednesday night to force a decisive Game 7...

AP Hockey WriterOnly on AP: Welsh excited as 1 of NHL's 1st female officialsBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Once the butterflies and adrenalin rush of officiating her first NHL prospects game subsided, Kirsten Welsh woke up Saturday eager to get back on the ice again.Whatever miscues Welsh made...

AP Hockey WriterOvechkin, Trotz are in new territory with Caps in East finalBy STEPHEN WHYNOARLINGTON, Va. (AP) The smiling side of a handshake line at the end of the second round was a brand-new experience for Alex Ovechkin and Barry Trotz.Ovechkin received a message of good luck and...