9:28 AM ET Just as … no one predicted, the John Tavares-less New York Islanders are in first place in the Metropolitan Division on Jan. 21, with a plus-26 goal differential. Will they remain there for the rest of the campaign, or slip out of the playoff mix altogether? Where will the Islanders finish this

4:50 PM ET Emily KaplanESPN CHICAGO – Washington Capitals winger Devante Smith-Pelly returned to Chicago on Sunday for the first time since he was the subject of racial taunts by fans during a game. Smith-Pelly downplayed the return, saying “it was just a couple people” who behaved inappropriately and he doesn’t “hold it against the

9:23 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask suffered a concussion on a hard collision with Rangers forward Filip Chytil and was helped off the ice late in the opening period. The 31-year-old Rask, who entered the game Saturday night tied with Cecil “Tiny” Thompson for the most victories in club history

10:56 PM ET Associated Press The deadline for retired players to opt in to the $18.9 million settlement of the concussion lawsuit against the NHL has been extended. Players’ lawyers confirmed the extension to The Associated Press on Friday night. It was not immediately clear what the new deadline was. The 318 former players who

10:17 PM ET Former Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz, making his first visit to Capital One Arena as coach of the New York Islanders, was greeted with a standing ovation Friday night when a video tribute in his honor played during the first break in action. Trotz saluted the fans throughout the video, which ended

8:50 PM ET Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. — Vincent Trocheck returned to the Florida Panthers‘ lineup Friday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing nearly two months. The 25-year-old center missed 27 games since breaking his right ankle in a game against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 19. He practiced with the Panthers for

4:51 PM ET Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen has been suspended for two games for high-sticking Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele, the league announced Friday. Which pairings would be most entertaining? Plus, fallout from the 2020 World Cup cancellation, the Week in Gritty, Jersey Fouls and more. The incident took place in the Jets’ 5-1

5:22 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — Patrik Berglund said he feels at peace and has no regrets after abruptly ending his career by walking away from the Buffalo Sabres, he told Sweden’s Hockeypuls.se in an interview published Friday. “I just knew I had to go home to find myself again,” Berglund said of

1:23 PM ET Welcome to a weekly feature we’re doing here, where we try to have some fun with underlying numbers. The plan is to highlight a couple of trends, then dig beneath the surface to get a better sense of what they ultimately mean, what’s causing them and how likely it is that they’ll

11:09 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN What does the NHL think about its current standings? We’re not talking about the points system and its forced parity, with which they seem quite pleased. We’re talking about the teams currently in the mix for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and, in turn, potentially the Stanley Cup Final. No Chicago.