NHL

Russia got two late goals to beat the United States 5-3 in a hard-fought game, while Canada scored four unanswered goals en route to a 7-1 rout of Norway on Tuesday at the ice hockey world championships. The Americans gave the defending champions their toughest test yet at this year's...

For the second straight time, the St. Louis Blues stunned the goalie who stoned everyone last spring. Barret Jackman said his eyes were closed when his first career playoff goal sailed past Jonathan Quick and into the net with 50.6 seconds to go in a 2-1 victory Thursday night. It...

Detroit coach Mike Babcock didn't call a timeout while the Anaheim Ducks obliterated the Red Wings' three-goal lead in the third period, believing a break would only make his younger players even more nervous. Better to let them learn how to survive playoff pressure on their own, Babcock thought. With help...

Fifty shots is usually enough to win a hockey game. Not when Craig Anderson is guarding the goal. Anderson made 48 saves, many of them spectacular, and the Ottawa Senators staged a third-period comeback to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the opening game of the first playoff series between the...

Ottawa Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson said he's always wanted to face the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Or was he just trying to avoid the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins? "We talked about mostly finishing better than last year," Alfredsson said after the Senators beat Boston 4-2 in the NHL's rescheduled regular-season...

Blake Wheeler took little comfort in the Winnipeg Jets' improvement this season. The Jets' playoff chances disappeared before their 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Winnipeg finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of the playoffs and better than last season. "I'm going to have a hard...

The Boston Bruins admitted it -- they're looking ahead to the playoffs. And with the way goalie Tuukka Rask has played lately, the Bruins want to start the postseason as soon as possible. Rask stopped 30 shots for Boston in a 2-0 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday night, shutting down...

The Columbus Blue Jackets still have something to play for this season. Cam Atkinson scored two goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves and the Blue Jackets stayed alive in the Western Conference playoff race with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Mark Letestu snapped a 1-1 tie...

Erik Karlsson stood outside the visiting locker room, munching on a celebratory slice of pizza. Must have tasted pretty good. Karlsson spent the evening on the ice for the first time in about 2½ months, and he and the Ottawa Senators are heading back to the NHL postseason. They might even...

Call it a win for the Flyers and Boston charities. Make it one blown opportunity for the Bruins to stand alone atop the Northeast Division. Matt Read and Oliver Lauridsen scored 7 seconds apart to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. The...

With their grip starting to slip on a spot in the playoffs, the Minnesota Wild responded with one of their most complete, aggressive performances of the season. They turned that, just barely, into a critical win over the Los Angeles Kings. Charlie Coyle and Cal Clutterbuck scored 16 seconds apart late...

One month after being mired in ninth place in the Western Conference, just hoping to squeeze into the postseason, the San Jose Sharks have clinched a ninth straight playoff berth and now can push for home-ice advantage in the first round. Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scored goals 30...