5:51 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Ilya Kovalchuk has an Olympic gold medal but he is back in the NHL to add the one thing missing from his stellar career — a Stanley Cup. Can the Capitals repeat, or will Sidney Crosby be back on top? Which goalies will bounce back? Who are

9:25 AM ET The Washington Capitals don’t appear to have a Stanley Cup hangover, as they rolled over the Boston Bruins in a 7-0 win on opening night. But, not every game will be that easy, so we have some burning questions for our panel of puckheads: Will the Capitals repeat as Stanley Cup champions?

1:02 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN WASHINGTON — Before the Capitals raised their first Stanley Cup banner in franchise history to the rafters on opening night of the NHL season, each member of the team was introduced to the raucous home crowd. That included Tom Wilson, the physical 24-year-old top-line winger and fan favorite, who received

7:50 AM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN The NHL is a mysterious place. Look no further than the Stanley Cup Final last season, which featured one team that previously couldn’t get past the second round winning the Cup over another team that didn’t exist before that season. If you successfully wagered a year ago on the Washington

4:00 PM ET Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended 20 games by the league for his check to the head of Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist on Sunday. The department of player safety said in a video that Wilson’s hit was illegal, it caused injury, and Wilson is a repeat offender — all factors

Our NHL writers, analysts and editors weigh in with their predictions for the 2018-19 season, including division winners, Stanley Cup Final matchup, Cup winner and preseason picks for the major awards. Division, Stanley Cup Picks Awards Picks ESPN experts panel: Sean Allen, NHL fantasy columnist; Ben Arledge, associate editor; John Buccigross, SportsCenter anchor; Sachin Chandan,

8:55 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings have assigned right wing Luke Witkowski and defensemen Joe Hicketts and Filip Hronek to Grand Rapids of the AHL. The Red Wings announced the moves Tuesday. Detroit’s active roster is now down to 22 players, and the Red Wings open the regular season Thursday

3:46 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The prospective owners of a Seattle expansion team made their case to a group of NHL owners on Tuesday and expressed confidence as they await word on the next step. The presentation to the Board of Governors’ executive committee at the league office lasted more than two

10:53 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings have put defenseman Mike Green on injured reserve. The Red Wings also announced Monday that they assigned left wing Matt Puempel and defenseman Dylan McIlrath to Grand Rapids of the AHL, and assigned right wing Lane Zablocki to Kelowna of the WHL. Detroit also

4:34 PM ET Associated Press FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars have acquired defenseman Connor Carrick from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a conditional draft pick next year. Toronto made the deal Monday, sending Carrick to Dallas for a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft. That will become a sixth-round selection if Carrick plays in