MICHAEL MCLEOD

And in Dallas, where coach Peter DeBoer lay awake dreaming of coaching Jason Robertson with the Stars. While being an All-Star is old hat for the NHL's old guard of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and even unquestioned best player in the world Connor McDavid, the festivities this weekend in South Florida are a showcase for the league's next generation of stars, led by Hughes, Thompson and Robertson. Hughes is an All-Star for the second consecutive season, Thompson and Robertson each for the first time, and their emergence could upend the way the standings — and leaderboards — look for years to come. “He’s scoring in big moments,” said Rupp, an NHL Network analyst who will see Hughes up close this weekend in Sunrise. He’s making it look easy.”And, along with Hughes and Thompson, he's making it easier for the NHL not to lean on Crosby and Ovechkin, both of whom broke in more than 15 years ago.

Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will again be big parts of NHL All-Star Weekend.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the announcement had yet to be made on the NHL pulling out of Beijing. The NHL informed the NHLPA on Tuesday that it was retaining its right to withdraw from Olympic participation because there was a material disruption to the season, the person said. As a result, men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics will go on without NHL players for the second consecutive time. The NHL did not participate in the Olympics until 1998, which started a string of five in a row through Sochi in 2014. ___More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Pavel Buchnevich celebrated his birthday with his first career hat trick and the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Saturday for their third win over their Hudson River rivals in five days.

Four games were postponed because of players testing positive or quarantining under the COVID-19 protocol. DePaul’s previously postponed game at St. John’s on Jan. 2 has been rescheduled for Feb. 20. Major League Baseball last week proposed a one-month delay in starting spring training due to the coronavirus pandemic. ___The Cleveland Indians will not be allowing fans to watch their spring training workouts in Arizona due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AdThere has not yet been a decision on whether fans will be able to attend spring training games.

Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel (9) carries the puck past New Jersey Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich (17) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jack Eichel scored in a shootout, Linus Ullmark made 31 saves and the Buffalo Sabres beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Saturday. Victor Olofsson, Tobias Rieder and Eric Staal also scored to help the Sabres improve to 3-0-2 in their past five games. AdJanne Kuokkanen, Ty Smith and Andreas Johnsson scored for New Jersey in former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s first trip to Buffalo since taking over the Devils this offseason. Buffalo’s top free-agent acquisition assisted on two goals, tying Eichel for the team lead with nine points in eight games. RUFF’S RETURNRuff served as a Rangers assistant and Stars head coach since being fired by the Sabres in 2013.