Game 3 (@CAR): Hurricanes 5, Capitals 0 | Recap Day 2 of the NHL restart was just as exciting as the opener, as hockey fans were treated to fantastic goaltending performances, more upsets and a buzzer-beater.

Can the addition of John Tavares carry the rest of the Leafs to finally slay their demons? Qualification round, Game 1: Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers, 3 p.m. Overall, Fox’s week 3 average minute audience was 538,000, up 38 percent over last year’s singleheader. The New Jersey Devils have the No. Game 2 (@SJ): Golden Knights 5, Sharks 3 | Recap Welcome back to college football, Big 10 and Pac 12 conferences. Grade: B+. After one of the most challenging postseasons in NHL history, teams and players had to navigate an equally challenging start to the offseason. Coller: Playoff matchup index: Which series will be the closest?

Other teams ... not so much. ET). The 38-year-old goalie played well in making 34 saves, but the Hurricanes outlasted the Rangers with goals in each period and beat New York for the first time in five tries this season, when it counted the most. The Stars should welcome back Tyler Seguin, who missed Thursday's exhibition loss to the Predators, as well as Andrew Cogliano, who left the first period with an apparent leg injury. Carter Hart is so good, it isn't fair pic.twitter.com/4ZRtSfab6N. The Panthers have a skilled and talented forward group. The Islanders swept Sidney Crosby out of the playoffs for the first time in his career, while the Hurricanes eliminated the defending Cup champion Capitals in seven. His five points set a record for a rookie's playoff debut. The experimental camera angles might get some getting used to -- as will the artificial crowd noise -- but overall, it should be a great viewing experience. Grant's contract -- three years, $1.5 million in AAV -- is fine for a former Duck who is a known commodity. This was our first taste of round-robin play and I must say the obvious: The intensity just wasn't the same as qualification-round games. Alexander Romanov, a recent signing from the KHL, isn't eligible to play this summer for the Canadiens, but he sure is making a first impression with this bold introductory press conference choice: On his first real day with the Canadiens, Alexander Romanov is already the best dressed member of the team.


Check out the ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily every day of the postseason until the Cup is handed out in October. The Blue Jackets shocked the world with their first-round sweep of the Lightning, while the Bruins outlasted the Maple Leafs in a seven-game thriller... again. I'll be keeping an eye on Caps goalie Braden Holtby, one of the singular most fascinating players in this tournament. Brad Marchand is the league's preeminent agitator; he's constantly finding new ways to get into his opponent's heads, and his best stuff typically comes in the postseason.

Calgary Flames 4, Winnipeg Jets 1 (Calgary leads series, 1-0) | Replay. He's a top player in the NHL and someone I've gotten to know in the past few summers [training with him]. ET) The great goaltending mystery of the Predators will be solved on Sunday. WEPN will split its channels on Wednesday, airing the Yankees on 98.7-FM and the NBA Finals on 1050-AMThe broadcasters are Marc Kestecher, Doris Burke and Jon Barry. Game 2 (@NSH): Predators 2, Stars 1 (OT) | Recap The Avalanche are also celebrating good health, as Colorado welcomes a number of players back to their lineup that were injured at the end of the season -- including Hart Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon, center Nazem Kadri and winger Mikko Rantanen. ESPN Radio plans to cover four wild-card series, with games being streamed on ESPN and ESPNradio.com. Game 2 (@BOS): Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 1 | Recap The 5-foot-9 defenseman, playing in his home province of Alberta, scored two goals and notched an assist to pace the Wild. Petry had the game winner, but this game doesn't even get close to overtime without Price's 39-save performance. Looking ahead for the Penguins: Time for a seismic change? We'll be doing this every day until the Cup is awarded in October.

Kaplan/Peters: Looking ahead for the Avalanche: How to become the NHL's next superpower, Wyshynski: Cale Makar's warp-speed journey from Hobey Baker to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Wyshynski: When Joe Thornton speaks, the San Jose Sharks listen, Game 1 (@SJ): Sharks 5, Avalanche 2 | Recap He went after the back of his leg. Game 4 (@ STL): Blues 2, Sharks 1 | Recap The MLB Network hosts and analysts are participating in a Bracket Challenge for the Major League Baseball playoffs. The pending free agent is looking to make one last good run with this team, but he's coming off a career-worst season. Game 7 (@WSH): Hurricanes 4, Capitals 3 (2OT) | Recap. I was probably moving too fast for myself and I was going down. Sports; Sports on TV, September 14-20: NFL, U.S. Open, NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, MLB, MLS, Premier League, college football and more It's game day!!! Oh, and Kevin Fiala continued where he left off during the season, scoring a goal, while Alex Stalock notched the shutout in his second postseason start. 6 Nashville Predators vs. No. NBC Sports Network will televise the first two rounds on Tuesday at 7 p.m. NHL Network will televise rounds three through seven starting at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Physicality and grit (this is the series most likely to get some close looks from the Department of Player Safety). Racing from Belmont Park (and additional tracks) will be shown on MSG networks and Fox Sports 1 and 2. Way to take advantage of the relaxed dress code, Bruins. Tuesday, Oct. 6, and Wednesday, Oct. 7 – 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 – women’s semifinals, men’s doubles semifinals, 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 – men’s semifinals, women’s doubles semifinals, 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 – girls singles and doubles finals, 5-9 a.m.; replay, women’s final, men’s doubles final, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 – women’s doubles final, 5:30-9 a.m.; replay, men’s singles final, 2 p.m.; replay, men’s singles and women’s doubles finals, 6 p.m. Tennis Channel broadcasters include Ted Robinson, Brett Haber, Steve Weissman, Alex Faust and Noah Eagle for play by play. 9 Minnesota Wild (10:30 p.m. Through the first few weeks of the offseason, here's a report card on all 31 NHL teams. Will that end up being Ryan Miller again at a discount? Kaplan/Peters: Looking ahead for the Predators: To stay the course, or not stay the course, Game 1 (@NSH): Stars 3, Predators 2 | Recap At three years and $3.9 million in average annual value, with limited trade protection, Shattenkirk bolsters the right side of the defense and potentially gives Hampus Lindholm a new partner. Game 5 (@BOS): Bruins 4, Blue Jackets 3 | Recap Some teams handled all of this well. LA | MIN | MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI Game 1 of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals was the first Finals game shown on network television since 1980 and the first in prime time since 1973.

The NHL held pregame ceremonies before some of Saturday's high-profile games to address racial injustice, but none compared to the power of Dumba's speech prior to the Blackhawks vs. Oilers game. Game 2 (@SJ): Avalanche 4, Sharks 3 | Recap The Blackhawks won two series in five games en route to the 2013 Stanley Cup. Game 2 (@BOS): Blue Jackets 3, Bruins 2 (2OT) | Recap Carter Hart (21 years, 355 days) became the youngest goaltender in franchise history to earn a postseason win. Compete for a chance to win guaranteed cash prizes every round! ET). Game 7 (@BOS): Bruins 5, Maple Leafs 1 | Recap. I feel like Day 1 of this tournament is going to be fluky and exciting, and it has a good chance to produce a ton of goals (even though almost every exhibition game went under).

Although we'd give anything to watch our fav guy play in person, we'll be cheering loud enough he may just hear us anyway! TB | TOR | VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG. Game 5 (@STL): Stars 2, Blues 1 | Recap Game 7 (@SJ): Sharks 5, Golden Knights 4 (OT) | Recap, 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Schedule, scores, highlights, analysis, Doc Emrick's influence on the NHL's next generation of voices, #ThankYouDoc: Social media congratulates Doc Emrick, Early 2021 NHL draft rankings: Top 32 prospects, including a trio of Michigan stars, Devils sign veteran Kulikov for 1 year, $1.15M, NHL postpones Winter Classic, All-Star Game, AHL planning on alternatives to Dec. 4 start date, Senators sign forward Brown to 3-year contract, McCarthy to coach D on Laviolette's Caps staff, Calif. to allow fans at outdoor pro sports events, Offseason grades for all 31 NHL teams: Best signings, cap space, remaining roster holes, Seattle Kraken hire former NHL player Gary Roberts, six others, Grades for every big NHL free-agent signing: What Dadonov can do for the Sens, Live NHL free-agency tracker: Latest signings, analysis and buzz, Teams that drafted a new top prospect: Rangers' Lafreniere, Blackhawks' Reichel bring hope, 2020 NHL draft grades: Best picks, value steals, more for all 31 teams, 2020 NHL draft: Pick tracker and analysis for every team, Doc Emrick reflects on his unbelievable career, The Blues' path to repeating as Stanley Cup champions, How the Bruins get back to the Stanley Cup Final, Meet Barclay, the St. Louis Blues' dog training for a greater mission, What we think we know about the Stanley Cup Finals, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan O'Reilly are a study in contrasts, Vladimir Tarasenko is shining brightest in his biggest NHL moment, Colton Parayko and the Blues are playing for Laila Anderson, David Backes dreamed of a St. Louis Stanley Cup, is now determined to prevent it, Picks on the Stanley Cup winner, Conn Smythe. ET. Qualification round, Game 2: No. Chicago Blackhawks 6, Edmonton Oilers 4 (Chicago leads series 1-0) | Replay. The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are going to duel for the NBA championship, starting Wednesday. 3 Vegas Golden Knights | 6:30 p.m. A goalie controversy on one end, and the best goalie in the tournament on the other. -- Flames coach Geoff Ward, inevitably defending Matthew Tkachuk. It's not good for the game when somebody like that isn't in the game. Looking ahead for the Blue Jackets: One last push for Panarin, Bobrovsky, Duchene, Why the Blue Jackets want to win for Nick Foligno, The secret to Sergei Bobrovsky's playoff redemption tour, The brutal honesty of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Looking ahead for the Islanders: Don't rock the boat. Game 4 (@CBJ): Bruins 4, Blue Jackets 1 | Recap Tampa tied the NHL record for regular season wins, and failed to win a single game in the postseason. But this is a veterans' team, with David Backes (36), Ryan Getzlaf (35), Shattenkirk, Adam Henrique (30) and Jakob Silfverberg (30). Keep an eye on Micheal Ferland who was, uh, quite active throughout.

Saros had a tough start, allowing a fluky double-doink goal to open the scoring, though he battled back. Game 6 (@CBJ): Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 0 | Recap. Game 1 (@BOS): Bruins 4, Blues 2 | RecapGame 2 (@BOS): Blues 3, Bruins 2 (OT) | RecapGame 3 (@STL): Bruins 7, Blues 2 | RecapGame 4 (@STL): Blues 4, Bruins 2 | RecapGame 5 (@BOS): Blues 2, Bruins 1 RecapGame 6 (@STL): Bruins 5, Blues 1 | RecapGame 7 (@BOS): Blues 4, Bruins 1 Recap 1. Henrik Lundqvist got the surprise start for the Rangers in Game 1 and battled well, stopping 34 shots after allowing a goal on his first. Game 3 (@CAR): Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2 | Recap Game 6 (@STL): Bruins 5, Blues 1 | Recap Day 2 brings the start of the round-robin games among the top seeds and the rest of the qualification-round series, as the Eastern Conference postseason rolls on in Toronto while the West plays out in Edmonton. Game 3 (@STL): Jets 6, Blues 3 | Recap Check out the ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily every day of the postseason until the Cup is handed out in October.

Game 4 (@CAR): Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2 | Recap. The Lightning looked like a wagon in their lone exhibition game, a blowout against the Florida Panthers. Can Joe Milton put a stop to Michigan's quarterback carousel? TSN's excellent Winnipeg reporter, Sara Orlesky, says while Scheifele's injury isn't believed to be long-term, he's doubtful for Game 2, as is Patrik Laine.