Now the league has to show that it isn’t tone-deaf and callous when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. The tweet that got the NHL more bad publicity came from longtime NHL insider John Shannon. A source told him the league was working on buying a private stock of vaccines to be distributed to league personnel for the 2021 season, which reportedly will begin Jan. 13. Current vaccine supplies can cover only small portions of the U....

X-clinched playoff, Y-clinched division, Z-clinched conference Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Z- Boston Bruins (113 pts, 4 games remaining) X-Montreal Canadiens (97 pts, 3 games remaining) X-Tampa Bay Lightning (93 pts, 4 games remaining) Metropolitan Division Y-Pittsburgh Penguins (105 pts, 3 games remaining) New York Rangers (91 pts, 3 games remaining) Philadelphia Flyers (89 pts, 4 games remaining) Wild Card Detroit Red Wings (88 pts, 4 games remaining, Atlantic division) Columbus Blue Jackets (87 points, 4 games remaining, Metropolitan) In the hunt...

With Game 5 taking place Saturday at 7:15 p.m. from Anaheim, the Predators will look to rebound from a heartbreaking OT loss to the Ducks in Game 4. And they’ll have to do it without Ryan Johansen. Johansen was leading the Predators in points with 13 (three goals, 10 assists) before being ruled out of the playoffs with a left thigh injury. He underwent emergency surgery on that thigh on Friday....

They haven’t disappointed so far, and perhaps unfortunately, the series will have to come to an end Thursday night when they play a Game 7 at Bridgestone Arena (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC). MORE: Predators fans christen Game 5 with Cinco de Mayo-themed catfish How slim has the margin for error been in this series? This tweet sums it up pretty well: “Most people wanted this, and most people would probably have predicted that it would go six or seven games and would be back and forth,” Paul Stastny said....

Bearing down on a breakaway, the Blue Jackets forward was in perfect position to tie Saturday’s Game 5 against the Capitals at 2-all. He picked his spot — blocker high on a waiting Braden Holtby — and went to release a quick wrister from the slot. Except, he embarrassingly whiffed on the puck, then pulled off the greatest feat of improvisation you’ll ever see. GOLDEN STANDARDHow Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history...

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, an agitated Kucherov briefly discussed his one-game suspension, stemming from a boarding incident with Columbus defenseman Markus Nutivaara. “Yeah, it sucks,” Kucherov said of the suspension. After those three words, Kucherov grew more annoyed with every suspension-related question and dismissed each of them with a “no comment” or “next question.” In Kucherov’s place, Ryan Callahan will get the start. The veteran winger is one of the most accomplished postseason performers on Tampa Bay’s roster, boasting 20 goals, 19 assists and the fifth most hits (446) in playoffs history....

Thornton replied “nope” when asked if he has thought about his future after the San Jose Sharks were eliminated from the playoffs with a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The No. 1 overall pick in 1997, Thorton will turn 40 years old July 2 and will be an unrestricted free agent when the offseason begins. He leads active players in career assists (1,065) and points (1,478), which are good enough for eighth and 14th all-time, respectively....

Here is a bettor’s preview for the pair of second-round series that start on Thursday — Capitals vs. Rangers and Flames vs. Ducks — including opening series prices from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and Game 1 lines. For current Vegas numbers, visit our odds page. Washington Capitals-New York Rangers Westgate series price: Capitals +170, Rangers -190Game 1: Capitals +150, Rangers -160Total: 5 (under -120) Analysis: We’ve seen this before, haven’t we?...

The Avalanche and Sharks meet to decide their best-of-seven series (9 p.m. ET). At stake, San Jose is looking to return to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2016, while Colorado’s last appearance came in 2002. MORE: Watch the NHL playoffs live & on demand with fuboTV (7-day trial) This page will serve as a daily guide to the 2019 NHL playoffs from April until someone hoists Lord Stanley’s Cup in June....

It’s been an intriguing start to the season, as some clubs that were expected to perform well have struggled to start, and teams that were predicted to be playing for the lottery are winning contests left and right. Of course, it is still super early in the season, as no team has even played 10 games yet, but there are still interesting storylines to follow. With the NHL season more than two weeks under way, The Sporting News gives one overreaction to every team in this edition of the power rankings....

At the faux midway point (because teams will be well above 41 games by then), it also marks the annual time for general managers to assess where their organizations sit among the sellers and the buyers. Some teams have made the turn while a select few have formally fallen off the proverbial cliff. With only 16 teams guaranteed a chance to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup, this year’s race is officially heating up as almost every team — sorry, Detroit, not you — has a good shot at a postseason spot....

It’s a tight race in the Eastern and Western Conferences for division and wild-card spots. But while some teams are still trying to secure, or claw, their way into the postseason, others are drifting into No. 1 draft pick territory. So now, as we head into the last third of the season, who is a contender and who is a pretender? This week’s power rankings break it down for you....

As we head into the season, a number of exciting clubs are coming in with championship aspirations and expectations. The Avalanche, coming off a Stanley Cup win over the Lightning, have their eyes on Lord Stanley again. The Maple Leafs are primed to be great in the regular season again, but can they do it in the postseason? Meanwhile, the Panthers and Flames were a part of a blockbuster trade that may have resulted in a win for both sides....

LeBrun reports the league is hoping to squeeze in a full 82-game schedule next season. The All-Star weekend would be removed and the bye weeks and Christmas holiday break shortened. The regular season would run into May and the playoffs would extend into July. One of the reasons for the December start date is the amount of time it will take to complete the 2019-20 season, if it resumes. Several team executives told LeBrun that the NHL is willing to go as late as September and maybe October to finish the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs....

Leading up to this year’s NHL trade deadline, Senators captain Erik Karlsson was frequently mentioned as a possible trade candidate. While Feb. 26 passed with the 27-year-old defenseman still in Ottawa, there’s a growing sense among observers that he could be dealt this summer. One reason is the ongoing drama involving recent allegations of harassment levied by Karlsson’s wife against the fiancee of Mike Hoffman, who became the first to be traded out of Ottawa on Tuesday....

After blowing out the candles, the Maple Leafs host the Hurricanes for a 2 p.m. ET puck drop Dec. 19 — 100 years to the day since their Toronto predecessors, the Arenas, lost 10-9 to the Montreal Wanderers on the NHL’s opening night in 1917. The game is broadcast nationally on Sportsnet in Canada. MORE: Watch NHL live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day trial) Later in the week, the Penguins and Blue Jackets meet Thursday for the first time since their playoff series in the spring (7 p....

Toronto, who will also receive forward Kyle Baun, sent defenseman Rinat Valiev, forward Kerby Rychel and a 2018 second-round pick to Montreal. Montreal will also retain half of Plekanec’s $6 million salary cap hit, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. TRADE TRACKER: Rumors, reported deals ahead of 2018 deadline Plekanec, 35, was the longest tenured Canadien, playing nearly 1000 games for Montreal after being drafted by the team in 2001. Since making his NHL debut in 2003, he has scored 232 goals and dished out 373 assists....

To nobody’s surprise, Stanley Cup hopefuls such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers, each made at least one major acquisition that could bolster their chances for postseason success. Conversely, a handful of lesser teams whose seasons were already on life support stood firm in their resolve to acquire additional drafts picks and notable prospects. TRADE DEADLINE: Tracker | Best, worst deals...

The Montreal Canadiens agreed to send Shaw and their seventh-round draft pick in 2021 to the Blackhawks in exchange for Chicago’s second and seventh-round picks in 2020 and their third-rounder in 2021. The Blackhawks drafted Shaw with the 139th pick of 2011 draft, and he won two Stanley Cups with Chicago in 2013 and 2015. After five seasons in Chicago, he was dealt to Montreal in the 2016 offseason, where he then signed a six-year contract with an AAV of $3....