As the NHL owners begin posturing in anticipation of another lockout, they have left their players with long faces, like the one that hung on Henrik Lundqvist on Tuesday afternoon when discussing the league’s decision not to allow its players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “I’m pretty disappointed, I […]
Read MoreAlain Vigneault is in the midst of the balancing act between rest and sharpness for his players that coaches in all sports deal with as the regular season winds down and the postseason awaits, and the Rangers’ headman is opting for rest. With three games remaining in the regular season, Vigneault said integral forwards Rick […]
Read MoreKeith Kinkaid is certainly taking advantage of some extra work with the Devils out of the playoff picture yet again. The 27-year-old might even be convincing coach John Hynes and management that he can be more than an occasional backup to No. 1 goaltender Cory Schneider. Kinkaid made 35 saves in posting his first shutout […]
Read MoreNASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Islanders still are scrapping and fighting for every point possible to preserve their very slim playoff hopes for another game. Nashville already has its postseason berth, and the Islanders took advantage of the Predators being just a bit more relaxed. Thomas Hickey scored 1:25 into overtime, and the Islanders won 2-1 […]
Read MoreSabres forward Kyle Okposo has spent the past three days in a Buffalo hospital undergoing a battery of tests to determine an undisclosed illness that has sidelined him for more than a week. A person with direct knowledge of Okposo’s status confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the player is in the neuro […]
Read MoreWASHINGTON — There is one decision on defense awaiting Alain Vigneault’s attention before the playoffs commence in Montreal next week, in which the coach likely will choose between sitting Nick Holden, Brendan Smith or Dan Girardi for Game 1, given the effectiveness of the Kevin Klein-Marc Staal pair over the past three contests. But there […]
Read MoreWASHINGTON — Before the last time the Rangers and Canadiens met in the playoffs, in the 2014 Eastern Conference finals, Henrik Lundqvist must have been reminded 100 times he had not won in cinq ans in Montreal. But the King was victorious at the Habs’ home rink in each of the first two games of […]
Read MoreThe luxury of the Rangers racking up points for the first three-quarters of the season is now they don’t have to worry about wins and can focus instead on things that will have more of an impact once the postseason starts. Because rest assured, they know what a challenge the first-round series against the Canadiens […]
Read MoreNow would be the time for The King to regain his throne. This has been Henrik Lundqvist’s worst season — a career-high goals-against average and career-low save percentage — since joining the Rangers in 2005, but the chance for redemption starts next week when the Rangers start what they hope is another deep playoff run. […]
Read MoreRALEIGH, N.C. — The Islanders’ last four games have been must-wins — and Jaroslav Halak has won them all. Halak stopped 29 shots in his second shutout of the season, and the fast-starting Islanders beat the Hurricanes 3-0 on Thursday night. Brock Nelson and Scott Mayfield scored early goals and Andrew Ladd added a power-play […]
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