DENVER — You don’t trade Stars for scrubs. During the worst Game 7 loss in Colorado Avalanche history, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson were passengers from start to Finnish.

“We felt we had to get deeper, and not only for this season’s team, but moving forward,” Joe Sakic said Tuesday afternoon when asked about America’s newest Avs-...Read more

The Florida Panthers had multiple opportunities to generate consistent momentum on Wednesday, plenty of chances to put their stamp on this series against the Toronto Maple Leafs after a rough start to the series two days earlier.

But each time Florida made a push, Toronto answered.

And now, the Panthers have been on the wrong end of the result...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A day after parting ways with his general manager, Kings president Luc Robitaille expressed confidence in his head coach, saying he expected Jim Hiller would be back with the team next season. Yet the final decision, he added, would be with the new GM.

“Your general manager, you want to give him the freedom. You don’t want ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The most revealing moment of the most riveting game of this NHL postseason didn’t feature a player on the ice or a coach on the bench. It, of course, did not feature the Flyers, either, but they were connected to the moment, if you care about them.

On Sunday night, in Game 7 of the Winnipeg Jets-St. Louis Blues first-round ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Kyle Dubas' plan has occasionally been difficult to decipher, the Penguins' president of hockey operations toggling between urgency and patience when describing what exactly he's trying to do, but it's hard to get too upset over any of it.

One, the needle Dubas is trying to thread — retooling on the fly, managing some lousy ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Kings and long-embattled general manager Rob Blake have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday, four days after the team's fourth consecutive first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

"On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the L.A. Kings and the passion ...Read more

DENVER — Stan Kroenke doesn’t own the Colorado Avalanche. The Dallas Stars do.

Whiny Pete DeBoer does. Still. After all these years. After all those trades. After all those draft picks.

If not now, when?

The Avs were up 2-0 in the third period on Saturday night, laughing old demons away while the fans partied back home. With about eight ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The next Penguins coach will inherit one of the great players and captains of all-time in Sidney Crosby.

Who wouldn't want that?

Here's the thing, though: While that is obviously a prize, it's also a monumental challenge. The Penguins just fired a coach Crosby adored. The new guy will have to win him over, heart and mind, amid ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — It might be easy to put the blame on Nikita Kucherov for the Lightning’s third straight first-round playoff exit, but just know that he’s taking it harder than you.

And don’t forget that Kucherov — not just his skill, but his dedication — remains one of the biggest reasons for believing that the Lightning can get back ...Read more

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The St. Louis Blues came about as close as you can possibly come but couldn’t find a way to beat the Winnipeg Jets on the road.

The Blues pushed the NHL’s best team in the regular season to the limit but lost to the Jets 4-3 in second overtime Sunday night in Game 7 at Canada Life Centre on a goal by Adam Lowry on a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s time for the Minnesota Wild to go deeper.

Deeper with their roster, then go deeper in the postseason.

Despite encouraging signs that the arrow is pointing upward for this franchise — it does have a decent mix of savvy veterans and developing young talent — the first-round exit at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights...Read more

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Jesperi Kotaniemi was lying on his back with his eyes closed in the training room, trying to hold still as a team doctor put the top of his right eyelid back together. He could only tell what was going on out on the ice by the noise of the crowd.

Then he heard the roar, and he knew, and it was just a question whether he ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Late in Monday's press conference, which was called so Kyle Dubas could attempt to explain why he changed course behind the bench, Dubas was asked if he is concerned Sidney Crosby will want to leave the Penguins following Mike Sullivan's dismissal.

Dubas, who usually is wordier than my wife's Starbucks order, simply replied "no."...Read more

ST. LOUIS — The Blues continued to be kings of their own domain, clobbering the Winnipeg Jets at the Enterprise Center for the third time in their first-round series, winning Game 6 5-2 on Friday night and sending the series back to Manitoba for Game 7 on Sunday. That game will start at 6 p.m.

The Blues tied the series at 3-3 with a blast of ...Read more

EDMONTON, Canada — Stop me if you've heard this before, but the summer is starting early for the Kings after a first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

This one is a little different, though, because this was a season that had inspired rare promise before it ended Thursday in the same painful monotony as the last three, with the ...Read more

DENVER — Talk about the Pete calling the kettle black.

Dallas forward Roope Hintz did stuff to Nathan MacKinnon in Game 5 that would be a felony in 17 states. Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment spent the first week of this series trading Greg Louganis impressions.

The Dallas Stars aren’t so much a hockey team as a bunch of theater majors on ...Read more