• The Canadian Press

    Canucks set to face Predators in first playoff appearance since 2020

    VANCOUVER — Expectations for the Vancouver Canucks were not high heading into the season. Asked in September if he expected the team to make the playoffs, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford hedged. “To be very to the point, the changes that we made, we have a playoff team if everything goes right,” he said. Things did go right. On Sunday, the Canucks will host their first home playoff game since 2015 when they kick off a first-round matchup against the Nashville Predators. Vancouver h

  • The Canadian Press

    Maple Leafs, Bruins set to renew playoff hostilities: 'Here we go again'

    BOSTON — Auston Matthews has closed the book on his staggering regular season. The Maple Leafs sniper came one shot — one crossbar — short of becoming just the ninth player in NHL history to reach 70 goals in a campaign. Toronto's star attraction and his teammates limped over the finish line with four straight losses to close out the schedule in games that were largely insignificant as Matthews pushed for the milestone. The slate now wiped clean, the Leafs' attention is squarely on the playoffs

  • The Canadian Press

    Kings hoping goaltender Cam Talbot can return to early form as Stanley Cup playoffs begin

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — It would be an understatement to say that Cam Talbot's season has been a roller coaster. The Los Angeles Kings, though, are hoping their veteran netminder's game is ascending heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. “My game is at a place where I like it, but there’s always room for improvement,” Talbot said. “Any time we get a practice day, which is often anymore, I try to take advantage of it.” Talbot signed a one-year contract with the Kings during the offseason, his f

  • The Canadian Press

    PWHL Montreal ready to set attendance record against Toronto at the Bell Centre

    MONTREAL — Danièle Sauvageau says there’s so much interest in the Professional Women’s Hockey League game at the Bell Centre that she’s searching for ways to outsmart the arena’s security. “People are after us like 'I need tickets,'” PWHL Montreal’s general manager said Friday. “I had an event this morning — 'How can we get tickets tomorrow?' I said 'well, maybe we could sneak you through the parking lot and get in through the back door.'” Montreal hosts Toronto on Saturday afternoon at the home