NHL

AP Sports WriterJohnson scores in OT, Avs beat Jets 3-2 to earn playoff spotBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) The Colorado Avalanche started the celebration on the bench as the clock ran out in regulation. It secured the point they needed to earn a postseason spot.The party that spilled onto...

AP Sports WriterPatrick Marleau makes emotional return to San JoseBy JOSH DUBOWSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Patrick Marleau woke up in his own home in San Jose and drove to the rink to prepare for a hockey game just as he has done countless times during his stellar career.Only...

AP Sports WriterFlorida Panthers land Bobrovsky, and now thinking bigBy TIM REYNOLDSSUNRISE, Fla. (AP) Florida won its offseason. Now it is all about the postseason.The Panthers' offseason transformation is essentially complete after free agency netted them four players Monday. The biggest move was the signing of two-time Vezina...

2019 NHL draft to be held in VancouverVANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) The 2019 NHL draft will be held in Vancouver.The league announced the decision Wednesday and noted it will help the hometown Canucks launch their 50th season later that year. The two-day event will be June 21-22 at...

AP Sports WriterTeenage rookies Hughes, Kakko struggling early in seasonBy VIN A. CHERWOONEW YORK (AP) Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko were the clear favorites all along to be the top two picks in this year's NHL draft. So far, the 18-year-olds have struggled to generate a lot of...

NEW YORK (AP) - Johnny Boychuk and the New York Islanders have agreed on a long-term contract extension that assures that two of the club's top defensemen will stick together well after the team locates to Brooklyn next season. Boychuk received a seven-year deal Thursday, as Nick Leddy did late...

Associated PressHuberdeau leads Panthers over Penguins, 4-2By PAUL GEREFFISUNRISE, Fla. (AP) The Florida Panthers are starting to heat up.Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist to lift the Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.The Panthers are on a six-game points streak,...

AP Hockey WriterRussian stars could decide Blue Jackets-Capitals seriesBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) Dmitry Orlov scoring on Sergei Bobrovsky is a popular clip at a bar in their hometown in southwestern Siberia.''They always show my goal to him,'' Orlov said. ''My friends said that.''Orlov and Bobrovsky are good friends...

Associated PressTampa Bay, Vegas look to bounce back off lossesBy W.G. RAMIREZLAS VEGAS (AP) The Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights were favored to win their second-round matchups.After losses Saturday, the Lightning and Golden Knights will be happy just to reclaim home-ice advantage.Hours after Boston beat Tampa...

AP Sports WriterBlues, Stars meet again in Game 7 for spot in West finalsBy SCHUYLER DIXONThe Blues and Stars are set for Game 7 in a second-round series again, three years after St. Louis dominated a winner-take-all matchup in Dallas for a spot in the Western Conference finals.Deja vu...

AP Hockey WriterGoalies get shuffled in NHL free agency; Lightning depletedBy JOHN WAWROWIt didn't take long for the bubble to begin bursting on the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup party.The effects of a flat salary cap took its toll on the Lightning less than two weeks after winning their...

Rangers waive defenseman Brendan Smith on 29th birthdayNEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have waived defenseman Brendan Smith, less than eight months after re-signing him to a four-year, $17 million contract.The move Thursday came on Smith's 29th birthday. He has one goal and seven assists in 44...