NHL Previews

The first game of the season between the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche might be a preview of the last game of the season. But when the unofficial first half of the season ended, the Rangers were still trying to get into a groove like the one the Avalanche found weeks ago. The division leaders return to action Monday when the Rangers host the Avalanche. The Rangers haven’t played since Jan. 27 when they

The Toronto Maple Leafs won three in a row before the All-Star break. They will look to continue their good fortune on Monday against the visiting New York Islanders. The momentum continued for the Toronto players that participated in the All-Star weekend in Toronto. Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who leads the league with 40 goals, was the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game Saturday. He collected two goals and had an assist for

While little has gone right for the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, both teams have shown life of late as they get set to head into the All-Star break following a meeting Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif. While the Ducks have earned a point in three consecutive games, including two victories, the Sharks have won four of their last five. That includes a 2-0 victory at home against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. The Ducks

After a letdown on special teams, the Nashville Predators are looking to get all facets of their game in order when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Monday. The Predators are 1-3-0 in their last four games, including Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the red-hot Edmonton Oilers. There is no shame in losing to a team on a 16-game winning streak, yet Nashville missed an opportunity to end Edmonton’s run at NHL history. The Oilers’ 21

It has been an up-and-down trip thus far for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who will continue their Western swing with a game Sunday night in Seattle. The Blue Jackets opened their excursion with a 4-1 loss at Edmonton on Tuesday before rebounding with a 5-2 victory at Calgary on Thursday. Then came Saturday. Columbus took a three-goal lead into the third period in Vancouver, only to see the Canucks tie the score with three power-play

The St. Louis Blues will try to run their winning streak to a season-best five games when they host the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Sunday afternoon. The Blues are coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Seattle Kraken on Friday to cap a successful three-game road trip. “At home or on the road, we just want to give ourselves a chance (to) win hockey games,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “These are big

The Vegas Golden Knights will finish a four-game road trip with their final contest before a nine-day break when they take on the Detroit Red Wings in the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday night. One could argue the timing of the break and the All-Star Game couldn’t be coming at worse time for the defending Stanley Cup champions, especially reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights improved to 5-0-1 over

The New York Islanders are 1-2-0 since Patrick Roy replaced Lane Lambert as the team’s head coach. They are set to host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in Elmont, N.Y. Lambert didn’t get much of a shot. In his only full season as coach, he led the Islanders to the playoffs, where they fell in six games during their first-round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He compiled a 61-46-20 record during his time

Whatever feelings the Pittsburgh Penguins and visiting Montreal Canadiens take into a break in their schedule will be set in their meeting Saturday. It is the final game for both teams before going into a bye week and the All-Star break, and both teams are in dire need of points as they attempt to climb into a playoff spot. The Penguins picked up a precious point Friday when Evgeni Malkin scored a tying goal in