SAN JOSE, Calif. — As Mackenzie Blackwood was peeling the tape away from his teal-infused goalie gear inside the very burgundy-and-blue home locker room at Ball Arena, a voice called out from across the room.

It was his new partner, Scott Wedgewood, who just days before was doing the same with navy blue and gold-laced pads.

“Don’t answer...Read more

DENVER — The Avalanche needs a break after a grueling five-week stretch of travel, but the club has also finally started to pile up points like it expects.

Joel Kiviranta had a hat trick to set a new career-high in goals and points, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves on Sunday night to help the Avs defeat the Seattle Kraken, 5-2, at Ball...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Speaking to the media Saturday before morning skate, John Tortorella said he expected to see Guy Gaudreau before the Flyers hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center later that night. What he didn’t expect was to get an earful.

“He has some thoughts,” Tortorella chuckled after the game when asked if ...Read more

A quick start by the Seattle Kraken and an early goal on Saturday night in Vegas only served to wake up the best team in the Pacific Division.

The Kraken dropped their fourth straight, falling 6-2 to the Golden Knights as Seattle continued to slide with the midpoint of the season approaching.

The Kraken (15-18-2) lost for the fifth time in six...Read more

The Wild won’t be able to snap their skid against the Jets any time soon, but they have a different funk festering.

They’re on a season-long four-game losing streak after the Wild were blitzed, 5-0, by first-place Winnipeg on Saturday at Canada Life Centre to get swept by their Central Division rival in back-to-back seasons.

Overall, the ...Read more

BOSTON — The two points the Bruins earned on Saturday were not exactly artfully gained, but they count nonetheless.

The B’s, not so fresh off a long road trip, ground out a 3-1 victory over the luckless Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden, handing the Sabres their 13th straight loss.

It was neither easy nor pretty.

Morgan Geekie scored a power-...Read more

NEWARK, N.J. — Add Saturday’s loss to the list of ugly games here in New Jersey.

The Penguins’ hearts seemed to be in the right place as they chased after a third consecutive victory. The execution? Not so much. Their passing and finishing were off all night and they lost, 3-0, against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

Jacob ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Coach John Tortorella said the games heading into the NHL-mandated holiday break were important.

Before Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers were on the losing end of three straight in which they were outscored, 17-8. So it wouldn’t have surprised anyone when they trailed 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 to ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Colorado Avalanche looked tired after one period Friday night, but one of their new goaltenders kept them afloat until the rest of the club found enough energy to grind out a win.

That script has been a familiar one during the toughest stretch of schedule the Avs have faced, and these points might prove to be incredibly ...Read more

DETROIT — Montreal was able to capitalize on a third-period power play Friday and the Red Wings did not, and that turned out to be the difference in a 4-3 Canadiens' victory.

Patrik Laine's power-play goal at 12 minutes, 2 seconds of the third period broke a 3-3 tie. Laine's blast from the flank was his seventh goal in eight games since ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild’s doozy of a weekend is living up to its difficulty.

Before facing the first-place Jets, the Wild were dumped, 2-1, by Utah Hockey Club on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center to end a miserable homestand with their season-high third straight loss.

Dylan Guenther’s second goal of the game broke a 1-1 tie at 10 ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights shook off a slow start and rallied to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

Center William Karlsson broke a 1-1 tie 3:44 into the third period. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo also scored for the Knights (21-8-3), who picked up their sixth win in seven games.

Goaltender Adin Hill ...Read more

Blackhawks 3, Kraken 1 at United Center

— Notable: The Kraken dropped their third straight game and fifth of seven, 3-1 in Chicago.

The first period was goal-free and penalty-free. Center Yanni Gourde stopped a certain strike from Chicago’s Joey Anderson, who watched the puck bounce off the crossbar and directly to him with Seattle ...Read more

The Bruins were tantalizingly close to finishing off their five-game road trip in style, but they just couldn’t close the deal.

The B’s lost a 2-0 lead, with the equalizer coming off the stick of Connor McDavid with 2:21 left in regulation, and Matthias Ekholm scored the overtime winner at 1:04 of the extra session to lift the Edmonton ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In the third period on Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings scored four goals — twice the number of shots the Flyers put on net.

The fatigue from playing back-to-back nights was clear, as the Flyers wasted Tyson Foerster’s first multi-goal game of the season to fall to the Kings at home, 7-3.

Momentum swung rapidly between the ...Read more