His duties: conduct a hockey program for at-risk youths in Las Vegas and volunteer for Salvation Army activities. He likely will donate equipment to the program, which likely will cost upwards of $50,000, according to The Los Angeles Times . MORE: NHL’s No. 1 overall draft picks | Trade rumors | NHL talks expansion That’s a far cry from what he could have faces if convicted on cocaine charges. He could have faces four years behind bars....

The Bruins, Lightning and Oilers each won their Game 6 matchups on Thursday against the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs and Kings, respectively, to force decisive Game 7 matchups. All three series have been tight throughout the playoffs, with the Hurricanes being the only team of the six that are going to play on Saturday to have at one point held a two-game advantage in the playoff series. MORE: Watch Stanley Cup playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)...

Neither had much trouble getting through the first round. GOLDEN STANDARDHow Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history Winnipeg caught a break with a broken Wild team that couldn’t stand up to relentless pressure the Jets applied from all sides. All the big names — Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine — provided the offense, and Connor Hellebuyck closed the city’s first playoff series win since 1987 with back-to-back shutouts....

That goal was the last of a scoring frenzy to come at the end of the third period by both teams in which four shots found the back of the net in just over five minutes. The Blues lead the series 2-1 and are 4-0 on the road in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. The action started with a short-handed goal by Dallas’ Andrew Cogliano to tie the game with just under six minutes remaining....

Under two minutes into the overtime period, with the game knotted at three, Evgeny Kuznetsov connected with Orpik on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. Washington was aided by Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce, who lost his stick on the rush that led to the goal and subsequently stood in front of goaltender Petr Mrazek’s as Orpik was shooting. Despite his minimal scoring over his career, Orpik now has two overtime goals in the postseason, an accomplishment he shares with just 10 other defensemen....

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters Tuesday that the rookie winger is in the NHL’s concussion protocol after the 19-year-old was knocked out by Ovechkin in Game 3 on Monday. Brind’Amour did emphasize, though, that Svechnikov went to the hospital and “everything checked out.” Svechnikov got into it with Ovechkin last night after a couple of shots from the three-time Hart Trophy winner. The two then dropped gloves and Ovechkin hit the rookie with three hard rights before the teen fell to the ice and hit the back of his head hard....

After the final horn on April 4, 15 teams will officially be hitting the links while 16 teams’ focus shifts to the ultimate prize: Lord Stanley’s Cup. Who will make it and who will not? It may still be too early to tell, but, who doesn’t love predictions? This week’s power rankings predict the 16 teams that will still be strapping on their gear when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 8....

The combination of the Senators’ lousy season and uncertainty over captain Erik Karlsson’s future with the club has made the All-Star defenseman a lightning rod for trade speculation. With the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline fast approaching, the 27-year-old Senators captain has once again surfaced in the rumor mill. On Wednesday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was engaged in some level of trade dialogue with at least a half dozen clubs regarding Karlsson....

The floundering Sabres are expected to move Evander Kane before the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline. The 26-year-old left wing is due to become an unrestricted free agent in July and could seek a significant raise over his current $5.25 million annual average salary. He might not fit into the Sabres’ long-term plans. The asking price, however, is steep. Last week, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported Sabres general manager Jason Botterill sought a first-round draft pick, a prospect and a conditional pick....

After more than 15 years with NBC, the league’s national rights are heading to a new home — homes — for the 2021-22 season and beyond. Actually, one is an old friend that’s come back into the picture and the other is the home of basketball, college and the pros. Here’s everything we know. What channels are the new home for hockey in the U.S.? In March, it was announced that the NHL would be returning to Disney’s ESPN for the start of next season, kicking off a seven-year deal between the two old buddies....

The league returns from its Christmas break Wednesday with a heavy helping of marquee matchups in two of its most hotly contested divisions. First in the Metro, when the Penguins and Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET) meet again after last week’s entertaining shootout, which Pittsburgh won, and the Capitals visit Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers (8 p.m. ET). MORE: Watch NHL live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day trial)...

After the contest on Friday night, the eight first-round series are all locked in. There was some shuffling of seeds out in the Western Conference, but the East is set as many expected it to be in the last couple of weeks. The Panthers secured the Presidents’ Trophy on Thursday, ensuring home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Canadiens clinched the worst record in the league on Wednesday thanks to the Coyotes’ win....

At the start of the 2008-09 season, the NHL’s average age on opening night rosters was 28.07 years. In 2017-18, that number was down to 27.1, and is likely to shrink further for a seventh consecutive season when the puck drops Oct. 3, 2018, thanks to another fertile incoming draft class and the continued graduations of ones before it. MORE: SN’s top 50 prospects | NHL farm system rankings...

We know that not all draft picks are created equal — obviously a first-round pick is worth far more than a seventh-round selection. But how much of a difference is there between a second and a third or a first and second? This explanation by Jonathan Willis from a few years ago, which examines different draft-pick studies, breaks it down nicely. One of the conclusions — that the very top of a draft is where you have the best shot at finding talent — is no surprise....

All games for the two teams have been postponed until Christmas weekend at least. The Calgary Flames also had their postponement extended through the holiday break. The league cited “concern with the number of positive cases within the last two days as well concern for continued COVID spread in the coming days” as the training facilities for all three teams were closed. Over 60 players are in the NHL COVID protocols, and 19 of them are from the Flames....

The 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and Bruins will take place at Notre Dame Stadium, the home of the Fighting Irish, in South Bend, Indiana — a premier showdown between to Original Six franchises headed in opposite directions. MORE: Watch Bruins-Blackhawks live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) The Blackhawks are struggling this season but still have stars like Jonathon Toews and Patrick Kane, while the Bruins are firmly in contention in the Atlantic Division behind stars like Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask....

But what you may not know is that eight times he’s changed the story of a game and saved Arizona’s day. We just recapped his most recent triumph, and now we look at the other seven. It is astonishing how good he’s been. MORE: Johnson made our midseason All-American team Jan. 26 vs. Utah: After the Utes stormed to take a 47-45 lead in the second half at the McKale Center, Johnson tied the game on a layup, scoring eight of the team’s next 12 points to help the Wildcats build a 59-49 lead and turn away the Utes’ challenge for good....

He doesn’t like it — but he isn’t blaming the players, either. MORE: Pros, cons of skipping bowl game Saban, in a Wednesday news conference, blamed a culture that places too much emphasis on the College Football Playoff for players skipping bowl games. College football has 41 bowl games, plus the national championship. “All anyone talks about is the playoff,” Saban said (via Dr. Saturday). “All right, we have a bunch of other bowl games that people don’t think are all that important, so if you don’t think it’s important, all of a sudden some players don’t think it’s important....

And the Alabama head coach said some very Saban-like things. MORE: SN’s Preseason Top 25 | Most hated college players “I have no beef about Jim Harbaugh,” Saban said, according to AL.com while at his Nick’s Kids charity golf tournament. “Jim Harbaugh is fine with me. I didn’t say anything about him and I’m not saying anything about him right now. Everybody has the right to manage their program like they want....

The Alabama football coach confirmed he and a partner are working to open a Mercedes-Benz dealership in the Birmingham area after lawyers for a competing dealer said they intend to subpoena Saban to find out if he was doing business with Mercedes. MORE: SN picks the top 10 Alabama players of all-time "My partner and I have entered into a letter agreement with Mercedes Benz to open a new dealership in Irondale," Saban said in a statement Monday provided by his attorney, Bobby Plott....