Hockey Page 80 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Rising Hurricanes arrive with Red Wings needing big finish
Essentially, the Detroit Red Wings are in playoff mode now because they can't afford many more losses -- if any at all.,With eight games remaining, the Red Wings are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Therefore, Friday's home game against a Carolina Hurricanes team ...

Islanders F Anthony Duclair steps away from team
New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair will be taking time away from the team, head coach Patrick Roy said Thursday.,The announcement comes two days after Roy told reporters that Duclair was "god-awful" in the Islanders' 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.,Roy addressed the elephant in the room...

Jackets' Kirill Marchenko seeks to stay hot in clash vs. Avs
The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to keep up with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference wild-card race when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. ,The Blue Jackets (34-30-9, 77 points) trail the Canadiens and Rangers by two points for the final wild-ca...

NHL roundup: Avs force OT, beat Blackhawks in shootout
Artturi Lehkonen scored the decisive goal in a shootout and Cale Makar had a goal and assist in regulation as the visiting Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.,Colorado forced overtime with 10.8 seconds left in regulation, as Martin Necas deflecte...

Leafs down Panthers, clinch spot in postseason
Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each tallied a goal and an assist to help Toronto beat the visiting Florida Panthers 3-2 on Wednesday, allowing the Maple Leafs to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs and stretch their lead atop the Atlantic Division.,John Tavares also found the net for the first...

Leon Draisaitl shouldering load as Oilers face last-place Sharks
No one is sure when Connor McDavid will return to the Oilers' lineup, but it won't be for Edmonton's Thursday road game against the San Jose Sharks.,Edmonton's superstar captain has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury on a check from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey on March 20.,McD...

Shutout loss to Kraken damages Canucks' playoff hopes
Andre Burakovsky collected a goal and an assist and goaltender Joey Daccord recorded his second shutout of the season as the visiting Seattle Kraken handed the Vancouver Canucks a crushing 5-0 defeat on Wednesday.,Michael Eyssimont, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright and Adam Larsson also scored for ...

Avalanche rally late, upend Blackhawks in shootout
Artturi Lehkonen scored the decisive goal in a shootout and Cale Makar had a goal and assist in regulation as the visiting Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.,Colorado forced overtime with 10.8 seconds left in regulation, as Martin Necas deflecte...

Division leaders Jets, Knights clash in Western Conference showdown
It will be a battle of Western Conference division leaders on Thursday night when the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets continue their three-game western road trip in Las Vegas against the Pacific leader Golden Knights.,Winnipeg (51-20-4, 106 points), which leads the NHL in points, holds a four...

Flames out to ignite playoff hopes, battle Ducks
The Calgary Flames have essentially no room for error to keep their playoff hopes alive as they play host to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.,The Flames (35-27-12, 82 points) are seven points outside a playoff spot in the Western Conference chase, and after a 3-1 road loss to the Utah Hockey Club on T...

Leafs down Panthers, increase Atlantic Division edge
Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each tallied a goal and an assist to help Toronto beat the visiting Florida Panthers 3-2 on Wednesday, allowing the Maple Leafs to stretch their lead atop the Atlantic Division.,John Tavares also found the net for the first-place Maple Leafs (46-25-4, 96 points), who e...

Vincent Trocheck's OT goal lifts Rangers over Wild
Vincent Trocheck capped a back-and-forth game by scoring 24 seconds into overtime Wednesday night for the host New York Rangers, who moved into a tie for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot by edging the Minnesota Wild 5-4.,After the teams combined to collect four game-tying goals in regulat...

Alex Ovechkin pulls within 2 of goal mark in Caps' loss to Hurricanes
Alex Ovechkin scored his 892nd goal to move with three of breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record in the Washington Capitals' 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.,Ovechkin scored during a five-on-three power play at 19:25 of the second period to pull the Capitals with 4-1.,J...

Andrei Kuzmenko, Kings out to extend hot stretch vs. Utah
The Los Angeles Kings weren't too busy at the trade deadline last month, but one of the few moves they made is turning into a winner.,Andrei Kuzmenko is beginning to settle in nicely for the Kings, who have won six of their last eight games heading into their matchup against the Utah Hockey Club on ...

Stars aim for 7th straight win with lowly Predators in town
The Dallas Stars tore through the month of March. They'll look to stay on that track and inch closer to top spot in the Central Division when they host the Nashville Predators on Thursday.,The Stars (49-21-4, 102 points) went 11-2-2 in March, the second-best record in the NHL over that month behind ...

Blues eye team-record 11th straight win as Pens visit
The St. Louis Blues can tie a team record with a home win Thursday night when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins, but an 11th consecutive win would just be a means to accomplishing a bigger goal.,"We just know if we keep winning our games we're going to be in the playoffs, and that's our goal," coach...

Lightning put hot streak on line against struggling Senators
As they prepare to face the Ottawa Senators for the final time in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are doing everything they can to make sure Thursday night is not a final visit to Canada's capital.,Earning points in eight of their past 10 matches (7-2-1), the Lightning (44-25-5, 93 point...

Habs look to bolster playoff position vs. hapless Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens continue their playoff chase and a three-game homestand with eyes on banking a third consecutive win when they host the archrival Boston Bruins on Thursday night.,Montreal (35-30-9, 79 points) stayed two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers for the fi...

Maple Leafs look to extend Atlantic Division lead against Panthers
The top spot in the Atlantic Division will be on the minds of the Toronto Maple Leafs when they host the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.,The Atlantic-leading Maple Leafs (45-25-4, 94 points) enter this crucial contest with a two-point advantage over the Panthers (44-26-4, 92 points) and a one-point l...

Alex Ovechkin, Capitals face hot Hurricanes in key clash
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to cut into their gap with the Washington Capitals when the teams meet on Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C.,The Hurricanes (45-24-4, 94 points) have won 11 of their last 13 games to move within 11 points of the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals (48-17-9, 105 poi...