Capitals enter arena in adorable fashion, carrying armfuls of puppies

St. Louis eliminated Wild in Game 7; Colorado swept Predators to advance. The St. Louis Blues will play the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. St. Louis advanced with a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 on Thursday. Colorado swept...

Scoring first, discipline crucial for Boston; Carolina looks to hold serve at home, advance. 4:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SNE, SNW, SNP, TVAS, BSSO, NESN. The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes each will try to advance to the Eastern Conference Second Round with a win in Game 7 of the first round at PNC Arena on Saturday.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The blond girl in the twin French braids bounced into the interview room, stopping long enough to give her father a hug. Antti Raanta swung 5-year-old Evelyn into his lap, cradling her as the emotion swelled, as he spoke about this first season he has had to play without his own father.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Alexis Lafreniere could have been on the ice or in the street in his hometown of Saint-Eustache, Quebec, when it was time to pretend it was Game 7 he was always wearing the Montreal Canadiens' red, white and blue and playing at Bell Centre in front of 20,000-plus.

TORONTO -- Nicholas Paul scored two goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. Tampa Bay, which forced Game 7 with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6,...

Defeated Bruins in seven games to advance; have played New York, Pittsburgh once each in postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes will play the New York Rangers or Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round. Carolina eliminated the Boston Bruins with a 3-2 win in Game 7 of the first round...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Max Domi had two goals and an assist for the Carolina Hurricanes, who eliminated the Boston Bruins with a 3-2 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PNC Arena on Saturday. The home team won each game of the best-of-7 series. Carolina will...

CALGARY -- For Darryl Sutter, Game 7 pressure can be the best pressure, and the Calgary Flames coach doesn't want his team shying away from it. "In the long run, that's what separates you," Sutter said as the Flames prepared for Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, TVAS, BSSW).

The buzz around the rink as the Flames get set for the Stars in Game 6. "It's hard to end a team's season. They're going to be fighting extremely hard there and it's going to be a hard-fought game and it's going to be a fun one to be a part of."

Dallas needs big effort from top line; Calgary must stick to structure. The Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames each will try to advance to the Western Conference Second Round when they play Game 7 of the first round at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday. The Flames are looking to win their...

Lack of killer instinct also factor in seven-game loss to Lightning. The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday. Toronto set team records for wins (54) and...

The Stars get to play a Game 7 on Sunday, and that's a special thing. Of course, they earned this right, but they still need to see it as a great opportunity. "Pressure is a privilege," said Stars coach Rick Bowness. "Every day in this league is a privilege, and the pressure that comes with it is a privilege. That's one thing we talk to our guys about. Never be afraid of a challenge, never be afraid of the pressure. Embrace it. Want it. That's how we take it."

Defenseman facing discipline for illegal check to head against Stars forward Glendening. Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Saturday. The Calgary Flames defenseman is facing discipline for an illegal check to the head against Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening. The incident occurred...

Radio broadcaster Dave Mishkin recaps Tampa Bay's win over the Leafs in Game 7. While there were some difference-making individual performances in this game - notably from Nick Paul and Andrei Vasilevskiy - this victory was, first and foremost, a team win. It was, by far, the Lightning's best defensive...

NHL.com staff members make their picks for four series. The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a memorable one, with five of the eight series going seven games, and two of the Game 7s going to overtime. It was a memorable one for NHL.com writers and editors when...

Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek spent some time with media Friday morning to review the past season and give some insight of what's ahead for the Ducks. Verbeek is currently in Toronto, where tonight he will watch Ducks prospect Mason McTavish play for the Hamilton Bulldogs in Game 4 of their OHL Playoffs series vs. Mississauga.

The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will contest Game 7 of their first-round series at Rogers Place on Saturday night to decide who will advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You can watch the game on Sportsnet and CBC or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630CHED.

DALLAS -- Desperation is a great motivator. Knowing they were facing a do-or-die scenario, the Stars did what they had to do. They came out of the gates flying, jumped out to a two-goal lead and were able to score a timely goal late in the second period to regain it after letting Calgary back into the fight.

Rangers try to complete comeback against Penguins; Flames can advance with win at home vs. Stars. Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily in-depth look at the 2022 NHL postseason. There are two playoff games scheduled for Sunday, the 14th day of the postseason. On Tap. Pittsburgh Penguins...

Average goaltending, lack of adjustments also costly in six-game loss to Blues in Western First Round. The Minnesota Wild were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the St. Louis Blues, losing 5-1 in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round on Thursday. Minnesota (53-22-7), which set its...