Instant reaction from the Avalanche’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. 1. Four blind mice? We’re not going to say the zebras have been making stuff up this as they go, but … oh, to heck with it. We will. Darn straight, we will. Nathan MacKinnon gets tripped by Will […]

SEATTLE — Sticks lay slipshod on the sheet of ice that had just tilted in the one way that seemed impossible before this. All hockey equipment was neglected with no time remaining in the first period. Evading the forgotten twigs, skaters divided into three separate shoving matches within 20 feet of one another. A series that seemed tame into the […]

TAMPA, Fla. — Auston Matthews knows as well as anyone that Toronto’s job is not finished. The Maple Leafs took advantage of another late collapse by the Tampa Bay Lightning, moving to the brink of their first playoff series win in nearly two decades Monday night with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 of the best-of-seven matchup. Toronto hasn’t […]

SEATTLE — The Avalanche’s first-round playoff series has unfolded with an ironic plot twist: domination in the faceoff circle. Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol thinks the solution is to cheat more. “Honestly, if I’m being blunt, we’ve gotta be smart and cheat a little bit more,” Hakstol told reporters Sunday between Games 3 and 4 in Seattle. “Colorado is doing […]

TAMPA, Fla. — A series of fights between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs broke out in the third period of Saturday night’s Game 3. And the penalty sheet, after order was restored, resembled an NHL All-Star roster. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Toronto star Auston Matthews, two players with multiple NHL awards and honors and a […]

Evan Rodrigues is flying around the ice and sending opponents flying. The Avalanche winger is known more for his elusive puck play than packing a punch, but he brought a showmanship to Game 2 of the playoffs that Ball Arena desperately needed. “Everything ramps up a little bit in the playoffs,” said Rodrigues, who had postseason experience with Pittsburgh but […]

In the aftermath of a lifeless playoff opener, Bo Byram was careful to differentiate this Avalanche team from last year’s squad. Those Stanley Cup champions? They responded to postseason losses with remarkable poise. “We’re not the same team as last year,” though, Byram pointed out to The Post as a quiet locker room emptied out after a Game 1 playoff […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. BOSTON — Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is out for Game 2 against the Florida Panthers with an injury, coach Jim Montgomery announced Wednesday. Boston has a 1-0 series lead over Florida. The star center was a game-time decision for Game 1 but didn’t take part in pregame warmups. Montgomery said at the […]

The Seattle Kraken’s top defenseman agrees with an idea the Avs have pondered. As Vince Dunn evaluated the challenges of matching up against Cale Makar in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he made sure to highlight the Avalanche defenseman’s, well, actual defense. “He’s a very dynamic player back there not just offensively but defensively,” Dunn said before Game 1 Tuesday at […]

With each passing game, week and month over the regular season, Bo Byram figured his captain’s knee injury must be more serious than anybody initially thought. Nathan MacKinnon knew he’d play the rest of the year without Gabriel Landeskog a month ago. Coach Jared Bednar said the news wasn’t final until today, when the club announced the man who wears […]