NHL

AP Hockey WriterLike in 2009, back-to-back could tilt this Stanley Cup FinalBy STEPHEN WHYNOEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Dan Bylsma sees some parallels between this Stanley Cup Final that features games on back-to-back nights and the last time it happened in 2009 when he was the winning coach.After the Tampa...

Sharks F Tomas Hertl to miss Game 4 of Stanley CupSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl will miss his second straight game in the Stanley Cup Final with a lower-body injury.Coach Peter DeBoer said Hertl will not be ready to play Game 4 on...

D Jan Rutta agrees to 1-year deal with Chicago BlackhawksCHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a one-year deal with Czech defenseman Jan Rutta.The 26-year-old Rutta set career highs with 24 assists and 32 points in 46 games with the Czech Extraliga's Pirati Chomutov. He also played...

Associated PressFleury's 3rd shutout of playoffs helps Vegas beat Sharks 7-0By W.G. RAMIREZLAS VEGAS (AP) Marc-Andre Fleury was having such a good time Thursday night, he joined in when the sold-out crowd at T Mobile Arena started doing the wave.And why not?Fleury stopped 33 shots for his third...

AP Hockey WriterFirst-round back-to-backs favor NHL teams with 2 top goaliesBy STEPHEN WHYNOCraig Berube remembers playing plenty of back-to-backs in the playoffs and actually likes them.''I think it's something the guys will look forward to,'' the St. Louis Blues coach said. ''There's nothing wrong with it.''Berube also wasn't a...

Rangers agree to contract terms with new defenseman TroubaNEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba, who they acquired from Winnipeg in a major offseason trade.The deal reached Friday with Trouba, 25, is for seven years and $56...

AP Hockey WriterMarijuana legalization in Canada won't change NHL yetBy STEPHEN WHYNOAs Riley Cote took and delivered countless punches over more than a decade of junior and pro hockey, he was eager to avoid painkillers.Early on, marijuana was touted to the enforcer as a healing option.''I started noticing some...

AP Sports WriterSakic credits late Lacroix for assist in GM success with AvsBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) Joe Sakic learned early on the secret behind building a contending Stanley Cup team -- keep everything secret.For that particular insight, the Colorado Avalanche Hall of Fame forward turned general manager credits...

AP Hockey WriterCanadiens offer sheet to Hurricanes' Aho shakes up NHLBy STEPHEN WHYNOIt was so improbable that a fake social media post beat the real news by hours.No NHL team had signed a restricted free agent to an offer sheet in more than six years. Then the Montreal Canadiens...

Canadiens' Mete out for season with broken footMONTREAL (AP) Montreal Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete will miss the rest of the season with a broken foot.Mete suffered the injury during the game in Detroit on Feb. 18.The 21-year-old Mete had four goals and 11 assists in 51 games this...

BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) - The Montreal Canadiens will be without team scoring leader Max Pacioretty to start the playoffs.Coach Michel Therrien said Pacioretty will sit out the opening game of their first-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.He said it is possible...

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Andrew Hammond kept Ottawa afloat during a rocky second period, and the Senators skaters took advantage.Bobby Ryan and Chris Wideman had power-play goals, Erik Karlsson also scored and the Senators beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Thursday night.Andrew Hammond made 33 saves to help Ottawa...