8:00 AM ET Expansion of the Stanley Cup playoffs is my hill to die on. My last breaths will be spent mouthing the words “play … in … round.” I’ve explained my philosophy and procedures before in this column, but to reiterate: There are now 32 teams in the NHL. In the pre-Gary Bettman expansion

5:30 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Veteran forward Sean Couturier will not need surgery on an upper-body injury, the Philadelphia Flyers said on Wednesday. Couturier remains week-to-week with the injury, which was revealed when training camp opened earlier this month. He has not taken part in drills or preseason games. The Flyers have

9:20 PM ET Auston Matthews briefly stole the spotlight from Aaron Judge when he threw the first ceremonial pitch ahead of Tuesday’s matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and visiting New York Yankees. The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 60-goal scorer made a decent toss — slightly high and outside — to Jays pitcher Alek Manoah. Matthews

8:28 PM ET Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares will miss the start of the regular season with an oblique injury. The veteran center will be out at least three weeks, coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday. The season opener is Oct. 12 at Montreal. 1 Related Tavares, who turned 32 on Sept. 20, is entering

Sep 22, 2022 NHL Insiders Teams at the bottom see the future as a way to climb higher than their current station. Teams in the middle see the future as a way to break through to reach the elite. Teams at the top see the future as a chance to sustain their success or stave

Sep 27, 2022 Head-to-head category leagues boast their own unique allure in that one goal, one shot, one single digit of a goals-against average, can suffice in nailing down that particular field and, in some cases, a weekly victory. With no weighted points or formulas in play, the game’s category giants can indeed serve as

2:38 PM ET Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss the next three to four weeks after suffering a hand injury, the team announced Monday. The Canucks’ public relations account tweeted Boeser underwent successful hand surgery after injuring himself Saturday during training camp in Whistler, B.C. Boeser, 25, was scratched for both of the split

2:00 PM ET ESPN Fantasy Goalies are an essential position, in both fantasy hockey and on the ice once the 2022-23 NHL season opens. You’re not raising your fantasy championship or the Stanley Cup unless you make the right decisions in net. So after an offseason at looking at fantasy hockey goalie rankings and live

1:14 PM ET ESPN News Services TORONTO — The Canadian government confirmed Monday that noncitizens entering the country — including professional athletes — will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning in October. The Associated Press reported last week that the decision was imminent. Removal of the vaccine mandate means unvaccinated Major

2:20 PM ET Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Predators have brought back former goaltender Pekka Rinne in a new role as a special alumni adviser. General manager David Poile announced the move Thursday. Rinne is the only player in franchise history whose number has been retired. Rinne, a native of Kempele, Finland, was Finland’s