Hockey Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Golden Knights host Capitals with playoff pressure mounting
The Vegas Golden Knights have one simple goal as they head into their final nine games of the regular season -- just make the playoffs.,That's quite a change for Bruce Cassidy's squad, which looked in prime position to win another Pacific Division title heading into the Olympic break with a four-poi...

Blues, Leafs finding late-season success despite minimal playoff odds
The St. Louis Blues and visiting Toronto Maple Leafs will look to extend somewhat belated winning streaks when they meet on Saturday night.,The Blues (30-30-11, 71 points) are still a long shot for a playoff push, though they helped their odds with a close-fought 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose S...

Habs, Predators search for space amid playoff pushes
The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators hope to create a bit more wiggle room in their tightly contested playoff races when they square off Saturday in Nashville.,Montreal (40-21-10, 90 points), which currently sits two points ahead of the Boston Bruins for the third spot in the Atlantic Divi...

Avs go for two-game sweep of Jets with President's Trophy in sight
Colorado and Winnipeg battled in a playoff-type game Thursday night, with the Avalanche holding on for a 3-2 win. They go for the sweep of the home-and-home when they host the Jets on Saturday in Denver.,Colorado (48-13-10, 106 points) has won four in a row to take complete control of the Central Di...

Penguins brace for Stars with Sidney Crosby status unknown
A Sidney Crosby-less Penguins team, which currently sits second in the Metropolitan Division but is only a mere two points from missing the playoffs outright, needs as many wins as it can procure.,Pittsburgh (36-20-16, 88 points) looks to pick up two more crucial points at home against the Dallas St...

Sharks, Blue Jackets hope to escape ruts with playoff races pumping
Time is running out for the San Jose Sharks as they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.,San Jose (32-31-7, 71 points) is six points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the Western Conference. The Sharks, currently sixth in the race for two spots, have at least one gam...

Hurricanes vying for top seed in East with rising Devils on tap
The Carolina Hurricanes are comfortably in first place in the Metropolitan Division and battling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference as they get ready to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.,After winning their previous three, the Hurricanes lost 5-2 to the host Montreal Ca...

Bruins try to steady recent roller-coaster stretch vs. Wild
The Boston Bruins can strengthen their hold on a playoff spot amid a crowded Eastern Conference field when they host one of the West's best teams in the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.,A victory would give Boston (40-24-8, 88 points) another highlight on an up-and-down stretch, having beaten the Detroit...

Ducks visit Oilers with chance to solidify Pacific Division lead
The Anaheim Ducks can take a major step towards locking up their first Pacific Division title in nine years when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon.,The Ducks (41-27-4, 86 points) own a five-point lead over the Oilers (36-28-9, 81 points) for first place in the division and have 10...

Matthew Schaefer, Islanders set sights on Panthers
At some point, Matthew Schaefer's standout debut season may see him break the team record for points by a rookie defenseman.,Of greater urgency for the New York Islanders is improving their position in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race. The next chance for that occurs Saturday afternoon when...

Senators chasing critical points in visit to Lightning
The Ottawa Senators are in the throes of a playoff push, but adding two points Saturday afternoon against the host Tampa Bay Lightning will not be easy.,The Senators (38-24-10, 86 points) burst into the Eastern Conference's No. 2 wild-card spot with Tuesday's 3-2 victory at the Detroit Red Wings but...
NHL Playoff Race: Half of Last Year’s Teams Could Miss the Cut
The NHL playoff race is heating up with major turnover expected. Here’s a breakdown of contenders, pretenders, and final predictions....

Rangers focused on developing younger players in game vs. Blackhawks
The New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks are using the final weeks of lost seasons to gauge some of their youth.,Plenty of youth will be on display Friday night when the Rangers host the Blackhawks. New York is eliminated from postseason contention, while Chicago isn't far removed from that fate....

NHL roundup: Caps down Mammoth behind Alex Ovechkin's hat trick
Alex Ovechkin produced his 34th career hat trick and the Washington Capitals rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Utah Mammoth 7-4 on Thursday in Salt Lake City.,Ovechkin has 29 goals this season, including two hat tricks, and an NHL-record 926 for his career.,Ivan Miroshnichenko tallied his ...

Kings blank Canucks, trim wild-card deficit to 1 point
Eight players tallied at least one point for the Los Angeles Kings, who dominated the host Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Thursday night.,Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore each had a goal and an assist, Scott Laughton and Artemi Panarin both scored a goal and Mikey Anderson tallied two assists for the King...

Oilers edge Knights in OT after Connor McDavid hits assists milestone
Evan Bouchard scored 3:10 into overtime and Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Thursday night in Las Vegas.,It was the third overtime goal of the season for Bouchard. McDavid won a faceoff from Brett Howden in the right circle an...

Ducks' Mikael Granlund nets hat trick in last second of OT vs. Flames
Mikael Granlund completed his hat trick with a last-second overtime winning goal and the visiting Anaheim Ducks strengthened their hold on top spot in the Pacific Division with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.,John Carlson collected a pair of assists and Ville Husso made 23 saves f...

Alex Ovechkin's hat trick powers Capitals' rally against Mammoth
Alex Ovechkin produced his 34th career hat trick and the Washington Capitals rallied from a two-goal deficit to a 7-4 win against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.,Ovechkin has 29 goals this season, including two hat tricks, and an NHL-record 926 for his career.,Ivan Miroshnichen...

Penguins' Sidney Crosby exits with lower-body injury; severity unclear
Penguins coach Dan Muse had no substantive update about the condition of Sidney Crosby after the team captain exited Pittsburgh's Thursday road game against the Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury.,Crosby played the first 38 seconds of the second period, then exited for good in a game the Pen...

Blues sink Sharks in OT, move closer to West wild-card spot
Dylan Holloway buried the game-winning goal in the dying seconds of overtime as the St. Louis Blues outlasted the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on home ice on Thursday.,Holloway was the first man on a loose puck and with just four seconds remaining, he placed his backhand shot high over the shoulder of Alex N...