The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final.

Viewership is up significantly in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, and women are the primary driver.

The Vegas Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine seasons, solidifying their status as a top expansion franchise in North American sports.

The Colorado Avalanche face a tough challenge in the Western Conference Final.

Tomas Hertl weaved his way toward the slot and broke a tie at 8:21 of the third period as the Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit Sunday night to beat Colorado 5-3 and move within a victory of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.

A two-goal swing over a disputed no-goal call in the first period that resulted in a three-goal deficit could have doomed Vegas on Sunday.

Nikolaj Ehlers got loose up the center of the ice and popped the puck past Jakub Dobes at 3:29 of overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday night to level the Eastern Conference Final at one game apiece.

Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev scored in a 2:07 span in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights stunned the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.

Three-time U.S. Olympian Meghan Duggan is leaving her player developmental job with the NHL New Jersey Devils to become general manager of the PWHL’s expansion franchise in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Carolina Hurricanes emerged from having 11 days between playoff series by giving up four goals in the first 11-plus minutes of a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens to open the Eastern Conference Final.

The Montreal Canadiens pounced for four first-period goals on slow-starting Carolina — coming off the longest postseason break in more than a century — and handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs with a 6-2 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Dylan Coghlan scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal to get Vegas rolling, Carter Hart made 36 saves and the Golden Knights opened the Western Conference final by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Wednesday night.

The Vegas Golden Knights’ appeal to have their punishment reduced for breaking media access rules has been denied by the NHL and they will lose a second-round pick in the draft this year.

San Jose has landed a pro women’s hockey franchise with the PWHL completing its ambitious four-team expansion process with a first entry into California.

The long wait in Montreal for the Canadiens' rebuilding plan to be complete has finally arrived.

Alex Newhook scored his second Game 7-winning goal of the postseason, this time 11:22 into overtime in the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

Two people with knowledge of the discussions tell The Associated Press that the PWHL is bringing women’s hockey to the Bay Area by choosing San Jose, California, as its fourth and final market during the league’s latest round of expansion.

Captain Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans scored 68 seconds apart late in the second period, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.

The Colorado Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference final after a thrilling comeback win against the Minnesota Wild.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime to give Vegas a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, moving the Golden Knights a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference final.

Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored their first goals of the postseason in the third period for Colorado as the Avalanche snapped back from a mid-series lull and beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon skated off with a bloody nose after being struck by a puck hit by teammate Devon Toews in the second period of Game 4 of their second-round NHL playoff series against the Minnesota Wild.

The Carolina Hurricanes are back in the Eastern Conference final for the third time in four seasons.

Kirill Kaprizov scored first and assisted on the next two goals as the Minnesota Wild delivered the Colorado Avalanche their first defeat this postseason with a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of their second-round series.

The Colorado Avalanche made a change in the net for the first time this postseason when they pulled Scott Wedgewood early in the second period of Game 3 of their second-round series after he allowed three goals to the Minnesota Wild.

Alex Newhook had two goals, again providing Montreal with some much-needed secondary scoring, and the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 to even their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Carolina and Colorado have put on a clinic for how to start the playoffs.

Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored on consecutive power-play opportunities in reviving Buffalo’s anemic special-teams unit, and the Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal and assisted on two more as the Colorado Avalanche rolled through Minnesota’s newest netminder, Filip Gustavsson, on their way to a 5-2 win over the Wild to grab a 2-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.

The Minnesota Wild are making a switch in net for Game 2, going with Filip Gustavsson on Tuesday night after Jesper Wallstedt gave up eight goals in a 9-6 loss to Colorado.

Ivan Barbashev scored off a terrific pass from Pavel Dorofeyev with 4:58 left to put the Golden Knights ahead for good, and Vegas went on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 on Monday night in the opener of their second-round series.

Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the NHL playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild began their second-round playoff series with a surprising 9-6 shootout.

Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and the Colorado Avalanche overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6 on Sunday night in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The Minnesota Wild will be without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin for the first two games of their second-round playoff series against Colorado because of lower-body injuries.

Logan Stankoven scored twice to continue his postseason tear and the Carolina Hurricanes smothered the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-0 victory Saturday night to open the second-round series.

Mitch Marner had two goals and an assist, Carter Hart made 21 saves and Vegas Golden Knights beat the Utah Mammoth 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 to wrap up the first-round series.

Cam York scored a playoff winner for the Flyers and threw his stick into the stands in celebration.

Quinn Hughes led Minnesota to its first playoff series victory in 11 years, scoring twice in the Wild’s 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Cam York's wrist shot in overtime gave the Flyers a 1-0 win over the Penguins and Philadelphia a 4-2 series win.

Another home loss in the playoffs has the Tampa Bay Lightning on the brink of an early vacation again.

Cam York scored in overtime, sending the Philadelphia Flyers to the second round for the first time in six years.

Alexandre Texier broke a tie 1:06 into the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.

The Minnesota Wild are going home with a chance to advance in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2015.

David Pastrnak scored on a breakaway 9:14 into overtime, and the Boston Bruins avoided elimination with a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman offered his unequivocal support for the ruling that upheld the Anaheim Ducks’ overtime goal against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.

Shea Theodore scored on a snap shot from the high slot with 51.5 seconds left in overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Utah Mammoth 5-4 on Monday night after squandering a three-goal lead, tying the first-round playoff series at two games apiece.

The Pittsburgh Penguins kept their season alive, edging the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in Game 5 to send the best-of-seven series back to Philly.

The Buffalo Sabres have shed the burden of a 14-year absence from the Stanley Cup playoffs that set a dubious NHL record and surged toward their next big thing.

Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang each scored goals, helping the Penguins avoid a first-round series sweep with a 4-2 win over the Flyers in Game 4 on Saturday night.

Matt Boldy scored on a deflection with 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Saturday in Game 4 to tie the first-round NHL playoff series.

The start of the NHL playoffs has already featured more penalty shots than the last three years combined.

Bowen Byram scored a minute after Boston missed a penalty shot, and Alex Tuch broke a third-period tie to help Buffalo come from behind and beat the Bruins 3-1.

Wyatt Johnston scored on a power-play deflection at 12:10 of the second overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild early Thursday for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

Nicolas Roy scored on a rebound 7:44 into overtime and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves, including a penalty shot, as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Los Angeles interim coach D.

The Carolina Hurricanes earned a double-overtime win against the Ottawa Senators on a night when they had an apparent winning goal overturned and a missed penalty shot in OT.

Jordan Martinook beat Linus Ullmark from the slot at 13:53 of the second overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Monday night.

Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots as the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres entered their first-round series against Boston facing a myriad of questions over their lack of playoff experience.

Mattias Samuelson broke a tie with 3:24 left and Buffalo overcame a two-goal deficit in the final eight minutes to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Sunday night in the Sabres’ first playoff game in 15 years.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored his third power-play goal 1:22 into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday night.

The Philadelphia Flyers silenced doubts about their young roster with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

The Professional Women's Hockey League is enjoying a major post-Olympic boost that's no better reflected than with the New York Sirens.

The return of NHL players to the Olympics after a 12-year absence lived up to the hype.

Nathan MacKinnon scored the go-ahead goal with 35.2 seconds left to help Canada survive another scare at the Olympics, rallying to beat Finland 3-2 in the semifinals and advance to the men’s gold-medal game.

Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland looks like a breakout star of the Milan Cortina Olympics after winning his third gold medal.

The NHL has postponed the Columbus Blue Jackets’ home game against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night because of a major winter storm that created dangerous travel conditions across much of the United States.

An entire generation of the best hockey players in the world will finally get a chance to play in the Olympics.

An approaching major winter storm is prompting a shuffling of an NBA game and dozens of college basketball games this weekend.

The International Olympic Committee says it's impressed with the new hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Games.

The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation says parts of the main rink for the Milan Cortina Olympics might not be fully finished on time.

Macklin Celebrini, the 19-year-old star for the San Jose Sharks, is heading to the Winter Olympics.

The Orlando Solar Bears announced that Sunday night’s home game against the South Carolina Stingrays has been postponed due to the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) player strike.

Spain will end 2025 as the top men’s team in the FIFA rankings after there were limited changes in the new standings.

The NHL remains cautiously optimistic about sending top hockey players to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February.

Hockey at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics will be played on slightly shorter ice than NHL regulation size.

Construction on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire with NHL players preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade.

While he didn’t participate in a parade, a Stanley Cup champion paraded around EPCOT’s World Showcase with the NHL’s famous trophy.

A group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Don Dundon has reached a tentative agreement with Paul Allen’s estate to buy the Trail Blazers and keep the team in Portland.

A Seattle Kraken ice hockey player and the team's mascot had a close call with a brown bear during a video shoot in Alaska.

The Stanley Cup is a little banged up, thanks to the Florida Panthers’ celebration of back-to-back titles.

The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the final.

Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett had his NHL playoff-leading 15th goal and the Florida Panthers moved to the verge of a second consecutive Stanley Cup title by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 5 on Saturday night.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce were among the celebrities that flocked to Amerant Bank Arena to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.

Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime for the fourth time this playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final and tie the series, erasing a three-goal deficit and bouncing back from allowing the tying goal in waning seconds of regulation.

There’s a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand’s locker.

The Edmonton Oilers took the ice for practice the day after the wheels came off in a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Florida Panthers lead the Stanley Cup Final 2-1 after routing the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3.

Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman says his right wrist got dislocated late in the Western Conference final when he was hit by Dallas' Mason Marchment.

The only times that Sergei Bobrovsky spent any time really reflecting on winning the Stanley Cup were the obvious moments.

Florida’s Aleksander Barkov thought the team meeting was over.

The Florida Panthers don’t play hockey every day.

This playoff run has felt different for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid wasn’t keeping his hands off the Western Conference championship trophy this time.

Dallas Stars starting goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled after giving up two goals on the only two shots he faced in the first 7:09 of a must-win Game 5 in the Western Conference final against Edmonton.

Florida coach Paul Maurice did not shake hands with the Carolina Hurricanes when the Eastern Conference final ended.

Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5.

The Carolina Hurricanes switched starting goalies again for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, going back to Frederik Andersen for Monday night’s win-or-else game against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Frederik Andersen returned to the net and stopped 20 shots for his fifth career playoff shutout, Logan Stankoven got the only goal Carolina needed and the Hurricanes won their first Eastern Conference finals game in nearly 20 years by beating the Florida Panthers 3-0 on Monday night to stave off elimination.