Staal, Niederreiter lift Hurricanes past Predators 5-2
Jordan Staal scored twice and Nino Niederreiter beat Juuse Saros for the go-ahead goal early in the third period, helping the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators in the first game of the teams' first-round playoff series.
Necas lifts returning Hurricanes past Lightning 1-0 in OT
The Carolina Hurricanes take the opening faceoff against the Tampa Bay Lightning in an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)RALEIGH, N.C. โ Martin Necas beat Andrei Vasilevskiy at 1:12 of overtime and Carolina beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 on Thursday night in the Hurricanes' return from a pause due to COVID-19 concerns. Necas scored off a perfect feed from Jordan Staal on the left side, charging in to put the puck past Vasilevskiy's attempted save. Tampa Bay goaltender Curtis McElhinney remained the only Lightning player on Thursday's list. UP NEXTLightning: Tampa Bay visits Nashville on Saturday to start a two-game set.
The Latest: Colgate-Army men's basketball games postponed
(AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Colgate menโs basketball games this weekend at Army have been postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test result within Armyโs Tier 1 personnel. ___The Tennessee Tech menโs basketball team has its first schedule change of the season because of COVID-19 issues. ___Michigan State is planning to resume competing later this week after postponing three straight games due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the menโs basketball program. Staal said he was โthe first guy to test positiveโ and said he was โas surprised as anyone else โ really in shockโ after finding out. He said he was trying to be safe and follow health protocols before testing positive.
Canes' season paused, while Caps play on without 4 regulars
For Peter Laviolette, his Washington Capitals will keep playing for the next week without four prominent players who broke the rules. There's no indication the Capitals are being shut down, though they will have to play the next four games without captain Alex Ovechkin, No. The NHL defers to local authorities, and the minimum four games for the Capitals players relates to the District of Columbia's quarantine regulations. The Hurricanes have so far had three games postponed because of their outbreak and won't play for at least a week. I think thatโs really what weโre going to find out.โ___AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard and Stephen Hawkins contributed.
Drop the puck for summer hockey: NHL playoffs get under way
TORONTO, ONT Players watching the opening minutes of the first NHL game in several months marveled at the familiar feeling from half a continent away. The most unusual playoffs in league history got underway Saturday with games in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta. The dynamics are far different than usual: Its the middle of summer and all games are being played in empty arenas. But the big hits and fight from Game 1 provided ample evidence the Stanley Cup is still on the line. I hope this inspires a new generation of hockey players and hockey fans because Black lives matter, Breonna Taylors life matters.