NHL

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - Alex The Great can be better.Expecting Alex Ovechkin to be ''a difference maker,'' coach Barry Trotz is counting on his star player to produce if Washington intends to bounce back in its first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders.Following a 2-1 overtime loss on...

Red Wings sign Luke Glendening to $7.2M, 4-year extensionDETROIT (AP) The Detroit Red Wings have signed center Luke Glendening to a $7.2 million, four-year extension.The team announced the deal Thursday. Glendening had a year left on his contract.Glendening has missed only one game with the Red Wings the...

Rangers name Keith McCambridge an assistant at HartfordNEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have hired Keith McCambridge to be an assistant coach of the Hartford Whalers (AHL).General manager Jeff Gorton announced the hiring Wednesday.The 42-year-old McCambridge spent the previous five seasons as the head coach for two...

Buffalo Sabres re-sign Zemgus Girgensons to 1-year contractBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed forward Zemgus Girgensons to a one-year contract.Girgensons was a restricted free agent, whose rights were retained by the team in June. The Sabres announced the signing on Thursday, about three weeks before training...

Carolina's Bryan Bickell diagnosed with multiple sclerosisRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.General manager Ron Francis announced the diagnosis Friday.Bickell said in a statement issued by the team that ''during the past few weeks, it felt like something wasn't right,'' and...

Jan. 1 - Winter Classic: Chicago at Washington.Jan. 22-26 - All-Star break.Feb. 21 - Stadium Series: Los Angeles vs. San Jose at Santa Clara, Calif.April 11 - Regular season ends.

AP Hockey WriterDucks re-sign Rickard Rakell for 6 years, $22.8 millionBy GREG BEACHAMANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Forward Rickard Rakell agreed to a six-year, $22.8 million deal Friday to stay with the Anaheim Ducks.Rakell has 29 goals and 49 assists in 165 games for the Ducks, who drafted the Swede...

Associated PressNHL Capsules: Toews' goal in OT lifts Blackhawks over WildBy PATRICK DONNELLYST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) Jonathan Toews scored a power-play goal 3:09 into overtime to lift the Chicago Blackhawks over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Wednesday.Ryan Suter was called for holding midway through the overtime,...

Tampa Bay 1 0 1-2Los Angeles 0 1 2-3First Period-1, Tampa Bay, Nesterov 1 (Palat), 12:11.Second Period-2, Los Angeles, Kopitar 12 (Lewis, McNabb), 7:04.Third Period-3, Los Angeles, Nolan 4 (King, Shore), 3:36. 4, Los Angeles, Carter 16 (Doughty, King), 13:59. 5,...

N.Y. Rangers 0 0 0 1-1Chicago 0 0 0 0-0First Period-None.Second Period-None.Third Period-None.Overtime-1, N.Y. Rangers, Brassard 14 (Zuccarello, McDonagh), :32.Shots on Goal-N.Y. Rangers 16-5-14-1-36. Chicago 8-12-8-1-29.Goalies-N.Y. Rangers, Talbot. Chicago, Crawford. A-22,160 (19,717). T-2:24.

Sabres goalie Lehner ill; Nilsson to start at PhiladelphiaBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Buffalo Sabres starting goalie Robin Lehner is sidelined with an illness, which means backup goalie Anders Nilsson will make his season debut at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.Coach Dan Bylsma provided the update after Lehner missed practice Monday....

Chicago 1 1 0 0-3Pittsburgh 0 2 0 0-2First Period-1, Chicago, Rundblad 3 (Hossa, Toews), 6:56.Second Period-2, Chicago, Hossa 10 (Seabrook, Saad), 2:41 (pp). 3, Pittsburgh, Sill 1 (Ebbett), 5:21. 4, Pittsburgh, Downie 8 (Goc, Arcobello), 12:22.Third Period-None.Overtime-None.Shootout-Chicago 2 (Toews...