PATRICE BERGERON

Max Domi scored twice in the second period while Antti Raanta had 27 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 to win the deciding Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

“It’s going to be juicy,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said after scoring twice in a 4-2 win that forced Game 7 against the Kings. There could be more Game 7s on Sunday, with three other series at 3-2 heading into Friday night. A victory would be the franchise's 16th Game 7 win — an NHL record the team currently shares with Montreal. Carolina won Game 5 to retake momentum but was unable to eliminate the Bruins on Thursday night. “But if you told us that we've got to win one game to advance, we’d certainly take the opportunity.

The NHL is wrapping up the first round of the playoffs with a rare treat.

Hurricanes Bruins Hockey Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand (63) celebrates after scoring on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta (32) during the second period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Boston. The home team has won all six games in the series so far — an edge for Carolina, which will host Game 7 on Saturday. The winner will play either the Penguins or Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals; Pittsburgh leads that series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Friday night. Marchand broke a scoreless tie 46 seconds into the second period, taking a long cross-ice pass from Connor Clifton and skating to the right circle before wristing it over Raanta’s glove. Svechnikov made it a one-goal game early in the third before Haula and Forbort gave Boston back its cushion.

Brad Marchand scored one goal and assisted on another to lead the Boston Bruins past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 and send their first-round playoff series to a decisive seventh game.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne)BOSTON — (AP) — Brad Marchand had two goals and three assists, including the tiebreaker early in the third period, and the Boston Bruins beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Sunday to even their first-round playoff series at two games apiece. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Pastrnak had one of each for the Bruins. Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Carolina, and Game 6 will be in Boston on Thursday. Just 33 seconds into the second period, Nino Niederreiter backhanded it out to Staal for the one-timer that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead. RAANTA RETURNSRaanta left in the first period of the second game after a collision with Pastrnak.

Brad Marchand had two goals and three assists to help the Boston Bruins beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 and even their first-round playoff series a two games apiece.

Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists to help the Boston Bruins take their first lead against the Hurricanes all season and hold onto it for a 4-2 victory over Carolina in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes overcame the early loss of goalie Antti Raanta to beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

The eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been set since before the All-Star break.

Bruins Canadiens Hockey Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault, top, makes a save against Boston Bruins' Marc McLaughlin, bottom, during third-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP) (Graham Hughes)MONTREAL — (AP) — Erik Haula scored twice and the Boston Bruins beat Montreal 5-3 Sunday night as the Canadiens paid tribute to the late Guy Lafleur. The Canadiens celebrated the Hall of Famer, who died Friday at age 70, with a ceremony before the game. The Bruins were awarded a penalty shot at 18:03 of the first period when Mike Hoffman slashed Erik Haula. The Canadiens scored their first of the game at 1:51 of the second period on the power play.

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf says he will retire at the conclusion of the regular season.

The winningest goaltender in Boston Bruins history is calling it a career.

Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday.

Brad Marchand scored two goals 15 seconds apart in the first period and completed the hat trick with a short-handed goal in the second, leading the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

The Boston Bruins have signed goalie Tuukka Rask to a prorated, $1 million contract for the rest of the season.

Goalkeeper Tuukka Rask is getting closer to returning to the Boston Bruins after signing a professional tryout agreement with Providence of the American Hockey League.

The NHL has postponed all games for the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers through at least the Christmas weekend amid worsening COVID-19 test results across the league.

The NHL has postponed all games for the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers through at least the Christmas weekend amid worsening COVID-19 test results across the league.

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (Michael Dwyer)The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers were to play in an empty Bell Centre on Thursday night due to a spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases. Montreal says it has been assured it will be allowed to return to partial capacity at the Bell Centre beginning in January. The Bruins placed forwards Anton Blidh and Trent Frederic and goalie Jeremy Swayman in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol Thursday. Bergeron, Marchand and fellow forward Craig Smith went on the protocol list earlier this week. Hard-hit Calgary added two more players and another member of the team’s support staff to its COVID-19 protocol list.

The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers played in an empty Bell Centre on Thursday night because of a spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases.

U.S. sports leagues are seeing rapidly increasing COVID-19 outbreaks with dozens of players in health and safety protocols, amid an ongoing surge by the delta variant of the coronavirus and rising cases of the highly transmissible omicron mutation.

A person with direct knowledge of discussions tells The Associated Press that the NHL is reintroducing enhanced COVID-19 protocols.

Artemi Panarin scored the first of New York’s three third-period goals with 8:25 left and the Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 to give coach Gerard Gallant the best start in his first 20 games as coach.

Brad Marchand scored twice, Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves, and Boston beat New Jersey 5-2, ending the Devils' three-game winning streak. Then you get the empty net and that’s how you end up with three goals and you extend the lead. Marchand extended the advantage to 2-0 early in the second period with a power-play goal. Ruff smiled when asked if he ever gets sick of seeing the Bruins' top line of Marchand, Pastrnak and Bergeron. ... Devils F Tyce Thompson did not play because he was hurt in the win over the Islanders on Thursday.

Brad Marchand scored twice and Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves and the Boston Bruins beat New Jersey 5-2, ending the Devils’ three-game winning streak.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid ran away in the voting to win his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP after leading the league in points.

Experience is an invaluable ally in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon have been named finalists for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

Brock Nelson scored twice in another big second period by New York, Semyon Varlamov stopped 23 shots and the Islanders beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals for the second straight year.

Shoot it!’” Cassidy said on Sunday, a day after the Islanders beat Boston 4-1 in Game 4 to tie their second-round playoff series at two games. “When your best player hits the post on an open net, and it just kind of sits there. “At the end of the day, I don’t know if (the miss) makes a difference in the game or not,” Cassidy said. It didn’t happen.”Game 5 is Monday night in Boston, with Game 6 back at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night. “I obviously have bias, but I feel he should be the winner,” the Bruins coach said.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy knew it wasn't his team's night when David Pastrnak missed a wide open net with the potential go-ahead goal.

Casey Cizikas scored on a breakaway with 14:48 gone in overtime and Semyon Varlamov returned to the net to make 39 saves to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins and knotting their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Islanders Bruins Hockey Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrate their victory over the New York Islanders in Game 1 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (Elise Amendola)BOSTON — (AP) — David Pastrnak got his second career playoff hat trick, David Krejci had four assists and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Saturday night in the opening game of their second-round playoff series. Tuukka Rask finished with 20 saves as the Bruins kept most of the action at the other end of the ice, outshooting the Islanders 40-22. Sorokin stopped Pastrnak twice on one-timers from in close in the first period, but couldn’t hold off the Bruins’ sharp-shooter as he got his second career playoff hat trick. The Islanders had been able to match the Bruins through the first two periods despite the wide offensive disparity.

David Pastrnak scored his second career playoff hat trick, David Krejci had three assists and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders 5-2.

“We’re playing for each other and he’s obviously a key part,” Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said of Lee. The rest of the captains who are playing are making good on the sports cliché of leading by example. “The way he played, the way he showed up for every game, that’s a sign of a real true leader,” teammate Andre Burakovsky said. But certainly how he approaches the game, prepares for each game, each shift is something that reflects upon the entire team.”That's Bergeron, too. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Captains are leading the way into the second round of the NHL playoffs.

The Boston Bruins feel like they're playing themselves in a way against the New York Islanders in the second round.

Trade deadline acquisitions are already paying big dividends for teams that have advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs.

The St. Louis Blues were swept in the first round by Colorado after three players who said they were vaccinated against COVID-19 tested positive, landed on the league’s protocol list and were unavailable. “The rules (say) if you tested positive for COVID, then they retest the test and if it (came back) positive you have to quarantine for 10 days,” Kuznetsov said Tuesday. The NHL last week investigated testing irregularities that led to multiple false positives for the Blues and Vegas Golden Knights and found it to be a laboratory error. After 51 regular-season games were postponed, none have had to be pushed back so far in the playoffs. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Bruins Capitals Hockey Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal with center David Krejci (46) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Washington. Bergeron scored twice at crucial times after Pastrnak's highlight-reel goal, Rask made 40 saves and the Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games with a 3-1 victory Sunday night. Those were occasionally interrupted by “We want the Cup!” — the trophy the Bruins last won a decade ago after a 39-year title drought. It's a third consecutive first-round exit for Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals since they won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The longtime Bruins captain who lifted the Cup in 2011 signed with Washington on a one-year deal and turned 44 in March.

The Boston Bruins beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 to close out their first-round series in five games and advance in the playoffs.

Craig Smith scored 5:48 into the second overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals and a 2-1 lead in their East Division first-round playoff series.

Bruins Capitals Hockey Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrates his goal with defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48), right wing David Pastrnak (88) and center Brad Marchand (63) during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Brad Marchand scored 39 seconds into overtime after teammate Taylor Hall tied the game late in regulation, and the Boston Bruins rallied to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 Monday night, tying the East Division first-round playoff series at a game apiece. Marchand was Boston's OT hero in a game in which he made more noise for taking post-whistle penalties than producing. The Capitals and Bruins are certainly no strangers to it. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Brad Marchand scored 39 seconds into overtime and the Boston Bruins rallied to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 and even the East Division first-round series at a game apiece.

Brad Marchand had two of his three goals and set up another in Boston’s five-goal second period.

The Bruins' high level of play matched the picturesque setting with the lake and snow-covered mountains in the background. Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk scored for the short-handed Flyers, who have six players on the COVID-19 list. AdThere were plenty of goals as well, starting with Pastrnak’s 34 seconds into the game. The Flyers responded with two goals and took the lead when Couturier came out of the penalty box and took advantage of McAvoy’s broken stick. There were even more on Sunday, including some waving Flyers flags and others with Bruins paraphernalia.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Washington. In his first game since Jan. 19, Ovechkin scored in overtime to help the Washington Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 Saturday night in a showdown between the top teams in the NHL’s East Division. After Ovechkin missed the previous four games because of COVID-19 protocols, the high-scoring forward showed his career-long flair for the dramatic by beating Tuukka Rask with a perfect shot 28 seconds into overtime. “It was fun,” said Ovechkin, who also had an assist while being eased back in with 14 minutes of ice time. The Capitals beat the Bruins for the 17th time in 19 regular-season games dating to 2015.