NHL

AP Hockey WritersOvechkin, Crosby favor NHL going directly into playoffsBy JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNOPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby prefers the NHL skip the rest of the regular season and head directly to the playoffs if games resume during this pandemic-interrupted spring.Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is on the...

AP Hockey WriterSigning college free agents is rare NHL business going onBy STEPHEN WHYNOColton Poolman had a good feeling about what was to come.He and his North Dakota teammates were ranked third in the country with the conference tournament coming up. They felt they had as good a chance...

NHL CalendarBy The Associated Press(All dates set before season was suspended until further notice.)April 4 - Regular season ends.April 8 - Stanley Cup playoffs begin.May 8-24 - IIHF World Championship, Zurich/Lausanne, Switzerland, ccd.June 1-6 - NHL scouting combine, Buffalo, N.Y., ppd.June 13 - Last possible day of Stanley Cup...

AP Hockey WriterHockey equipment maker Bauer shifts to medical shieldsBy STEPHEN WHYNOHockey equipment manufacturer Bauer has shifted from making visors for helmets to medical visors for those fighting the coronavirus pandemic.When hockey came to a halt amid the global pandemic, Bauer faced the possibility of closing its manufacturing plant...

AP Hockey WriterNHL's top draft prospect staying patient amid uncertaintyBy JOHN WAWROWAlexis Lafreniere could never have envisioned ending his prolific junior hockey career in such an anticlimactic setting.There was no final buzzer, and the NHL's projected top draft prospect was nowhere near an ice rink Wednesday. Lafreniere was instead...

AP Hockey WriterNHL's top draft prospect staying patient amid uncertaintyBy JOHN WAWROWAlexis Lafreniere could never have envisioned ending his prolific junior hockey career in such an anticlimactic setting.There was no final buzzer, and the NHL's projected top draft prospect was nowhere near an ice rink Wednesday. Lafreniere was instead...

Injured Penguins F Guentzel on schedule for possible returnPITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Penguins All-Star forward Jake Guentzel's recovery from shoulder surgery is on schedule, opening the door for him to play at some point should the NHL return this season.General manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday that Guentzel has not...

AP Hockey WriterGetting home: Hockey players travel scrambled by coronavirusBy JOHN WAWROWRyan Stanton would pull off the highway every few hours to give his pregnant wife, Kirsten, a chance to stretch her legs.That’s usually when Kirsten and her mother-in-law would switch places to tend to the Stantons' 18-month-old daughter...

AP Hockey WriterNHL doctor warns of patchwork protocols across 31 marketsBy STEPHEN WHYNOThe NHL's chief medical officer said Wednesday he expects the coronavirus pandemic to get worse before it gets better in North America and differences across 31 markets are likely to affect when players might get back on...

Sabres agree to sign prospect defenseman Mattias SamuelssonBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres agreed to sign prospect defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a three-year entry- level contract on Wednesday.Samuelsson was selected by Buffalo with the 32nd pick in the 2018 draft, and completed his sophomore season at Western Michigan....

Hurricanes agree to entry-level deals with Cotton brothersRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to entry-level contracts with brothers David and Jason Cotton.The team announced deals Tuesday with the forwards who closed college careers this season.David Cotton, 22, has a two-year contract paying $700,000 in 2020-21 and...

NHL CalendarBy The Associated Press(All dates set before season was suspended until further notice.)April 4 - Regular season ends.April 8 - Stanley Cup playoffs begin.May 8-24 - IIHF World Championship, Zurich/Lausanne, Switzerland.June 1-6 - NHL scouting combine, Buffalo, N.Y.June 13 - Last possible day of Stanley Cup Final.June 17...