NHL

AP Hockey WriterMaple Leafs among NHL teams facing cap crunches next yearBy JOHN WAWROWThere are questions Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock won't touch with a 10-foot hockey stick.The challenge a team brimming with young talent faces in managing its payroll structure was one topic Babcock particularly enjoyed sidestepping...

AP Sports WriterBack home, Preds eager to rebound off 1st postseason lossBy TERESA M. WALKERNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Winning the Stanley Cup requires 16 victories each postseason, and the Nashville Predators started better than any team in these playoffs by winning their first five.Now the St. Louis Blues are...

AP Hockey WriterLaviolette, Sullivan meet in 1st all-US coaches Cup FinalBy STEPHEN WHYNOHockey history will be made for American coaches in the Stanley Cup Final.The Cup has been handed out 89 times to the champion of the NHL since 1927. For the first time, two American coaches will face...

Penguins F Simon out 6-7 months following shoulder surgeryPITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Penguins forward Dominik Simon is out six to seven months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.Simon initially hurt the shoulder in a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 29...

BOSTON (AP) Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and Jimmy Hayes ended a 15-game goal drought as the Boston Bruins beat Pittsburgh 3-0 on Wednesday, keeping new Penguins coach Mike Sullivan winless after his first two games.Max Talbot and Ryan Spooner also...

AP Sports WriterBruins force Stanley Cup Game 7 with 5-1 win over BluesBy JAY COHENST. LOUIS (AP) Facing elimination in a quite hostile environment, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask stepped up for the Boston Bruins once again.The Stanley Cup Final is heading to Game 7 because two of...

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella gets 1-year extensionCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets is getting a one-year contract extension following a season in which he was the NHL's Coach of the Year.General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced the move Monday. Financial terms were not released.Tortorella...

AP Hockey WriterSince losing '18 final, Golden Knights look more like CapsBy STEPHEN WHYNOAlmost 18 months since the Vegas Golden Knights' improbable inaugural season ended, they look much more like the team that vanquished them in the Stanley Cup Final.If you can't beat 'em, be more like 'em.Once a...

1980s Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko dies of cancer at 59EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Dave Semenko, the Edmonton Oilers tough guy who protected Wayne Gretzky during the 1980s, has died. He was 59.He died in Edmonton after a short battle with cancer, the team said Thursday.''His legendary toughness on the...

Associated PressBergeron, Nash leads Bruins past Flames 5-2By DOUG ALDENBOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins made up for a slow start with an impressive finish.Patrice Bergeron played a key role.Bergeron score two of Boston's three goals in the third period, and the Bruins pulled away from the Calgary Flames...

Blues place forward Jaden Schwartz on injured reserveST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve with a right ankle injury, and he will re-evaluated in six weeks.The Blues made the move Sunday, hours ahead of their game against the Sabres. Schwartz...

NEW YORK -- Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andrew Ference has been suspended three games for his check to the head of Vancouver forward Zack Kassian. The NHL said Monday he will be eligible to return for Sunday's road game in New York against the Rangers. Ference will lose $118,902 in salary. He...