NHL Previews

A recent downturn and the emergence of the Vancouver Canucks as one of the NHL’s hottest teams caused the Vegas Golden Knights to tumble out of the Pacific Division lead. The Golden Knights appear to be emerging from their slump and seek a fourth straight win Monday night when they open a four-game road trip by visiting the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J. Vegas raced out to a 20-5-5 start to take a six-point

Fresh off their first nine-goal performance since 2012, the Boston Bruins will look to extend their unbeaten streak to nine when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. The game features the leaders in the Atlantic and Central divisions, respectively. Boston leads the entire Eastern Conference, while Winnipeg — which is second in the Western Conference — has two more overall wins than Boston and a game in hand. Danton Heinen’s first career hat

It’s been a frustrating start to a four-game western road trip for the New York Rangers. New York never really was in the game in the opener of the trip on Thursday, falling behind 4-0 in the first two periods of an eventual 5-1 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Then on stop two in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the Rangers sputtered out of the gate, getting outshot 12-2 in

On Friday night, Lane Lambert said the New York Islanders were not “anywhere near where (they) can or should be,” the coach said following a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The franchise decision-makers agreed with him, firing Lambert on Saturday. Now, the challenge of fixing the Islanders is a task for Patrick Roy. The Hockey Hall of Fame member will make his Islanders’ head-coaching debut Sunday night when skidding New York opposes the Dallas Stars

Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol isn’t quite sure which players he’ll have available Sunday night when his team returns home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs after injuries and illness have been making their way through the Kraken ranks. But he knows Yanni Gourde won’t be one of the players available. Gourde received a two-game suspension from the NHL for a five-minute charging penalty on a hit against Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm late in Thursday’s 4-2

The Detroit Lions have captivated the state of Michigan, and the state’s collective focus seems to be on the team’s NFC divisional round playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Still, there’s another game between teams from Detroit and the Tampa area being played Sunday night in downtown Detroit. The Red Wings are focused on ending their seven-year playoff drought, and they’ll play a key Eastern Conference game against Tampa Bay on Sunday

The Philadelphia Flyers remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL despite a 7-4 setback to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Now, with their five-game winning streak snapped, the Flyers will host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday looking to start a new streak. The Flyers trailed 5-2 and then 5-4 before falling short against the Avalanche. “I thought we did a pretty good job overall,” said Cam Atkinson, who had one goal and two

It has been a strong homestand for the Carolina Hurricanes. They would like to cap it in style. The six-game home stretch comes to a close with Sunday’s contest against the Minnesota Wild in Raleigh, N.C. The Hurricanes had their full group of skaters available by the weekend. Forward Martin Necas returned from a five-game, injury-related absence to provide a goal and an assist Friday night in the 4-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Dallas Stars possess one of the top offenses and rank among the better road teams in the NHL. When their four-game road trip began with a dud against the Philadelphia Flyers, they were left feeling humbled. Coming off one of their worst performances of the season and involved in a tight race in the Central Division, the Stars hope to bounce back Saturday night when they face the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.