9:30 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN Youth continues to be served in the NHL, as almost every team has a first-year player making an impact. For this week’s ESPN NHL Power Rankings — voted on as always by ESPN’s panel of experts — we take a look at some of its best freshmen (or, in some

2:22 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — The Bruins say goaltender Tuukka Rask has been granted a leave of absence from the team for a personal matter. The team didn’t offer an explanation, but general manager Don Sweeney said shortly after the announcement on Friday that it was not health related. He also asked for

11:05 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN The Hockey Hall of Fame inducts its Class of 2018 on Monday. It includes a women’s hockey icon (Jayna Hefford), a sentient Lady Byng Trophy winner (Marty St. Louis), a well-deserving international star (Aleksander Yakushev), someone who waited way, way too long (Willie O’Ree) and someone who probably needed to

12:43 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN The Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the National Hockey League’s fiercest rivalries. But what happened Wednesday night at their game in D.C. made that enmity an afterthought. Rams coach Sean McVay and the organization offered their “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of a mass shooting

11:16 PM ET Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks with a right knee injury, the team announced on Thursday. The incident occurred during Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers. Armia has three goals and seven points in 15 games so far this season. As a result of

4:51 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — The harassment trial of former Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee has been rescheduled for Dec. 20. The nonjury trial was to have begun Friday in Buffalo City Court. Every season, a few teams sitting near the bottom in November turn it around to make the

3:09 PM ET Emily KaplanESPN Ottawa Senators rookie forward Brady Tkachuk was activated after being out since mid-October with a a torn ligament in his leg. Tkachuk, the No. 4 pick of the 2018 NHL draft, had been a bright spot for the Senators early. He missed the first two games of the season with

7:30 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN There’s a moment for athletes when a potential professional career goes from aspiration to possibility. Maybe it’s a championship or an on-field achievement. Maybe it’s simply finding the right place at the right time. For Dennis Cholowski, it was a grade — which is only appropriate for someone who prides

10:33 AM ET Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat will be shut down for four weeks as he recovers from a lower-body injury. He suffered the injury in late October. The 27-year-old has no goals and five assists in nine games this season. He had 35 points in 56 games last season. His best campaign

10:54 AM ET Every season there are teams who get things turned around after a rough start. On November 8, 2017, the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild were 12th and 13th, respectively, in the Western Conference and the St. Louis Blues were 12-3-1. By the end of the season, the Ducks and Wild were in