JOHN TAVARES

Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves and the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are eager to leave nearly two decades of playoff futility behind them.

John Tavares scored 4:35 into overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 for their first NHL playoff series win in nearly two decades.

John Tavares scored with 21.3 seconds remaining in overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Florida 2-1 on Monday night to snap the Panthers’ six-game winning streak.

John Tavares scored his 400th goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs raced by the Penguins 5-2.

Phil Kessel matched the NHL record for consecutive games played, Chandler Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.

The NHL is wrapping up the first round of the playoffs with a rare treat.

The eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been set since before the All-Star break.

The NHL regular season is two weeks away.

Four people with direct knowledge of the player’s decision have told The Associated Press that Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel is changing agents while in the midst of a long-standing dispute with the team over how to treat a neck injury.

Captains are leading the way into the second round of the NHL playoffs.

The New York Islanders have evened their series with Pittsburgh by keeping Penguins star Sidney Crosby in check.

Postseason experience can be a valuable asset in the NHL playoffs.

Rewind to 2019 and early 2020 and that description fits the Tampa Bay Lightning, who added some grit and toughness to their talented core and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Lightning effect was clear as soon as NHL free agency opened. “You need guys that are going to have a little bit of sandpaper. “We maybe have taken a little bit of a step back from the most skillful lineup we’ve ever had to more of a balance between the will and the skill," Poile said. We certainly have a little bit more physicality, a little bit more grit and I think it’s probably and hopefully a better mix than we had last year.”___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NHL players could start participating in voluntary small-group workouts, and teams began opening their training facilities Monday. Players learned Thursday training camps can open July 10, pending an agreement on returning to play later this summer. Now, the players are expected to trickle back in preparation of the resumption of the season. Players started skating by the handful this week in places like Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Edmonton, while some teams waited to open their doors. Veteran Nashville general manager David Poile said that while almost a dozen players remained in the area, the NHL has instructed teams not to ask or encourage players to show up because this stage is voluntary.

The announcement came at nearly the same time the Pittsburgh Penguins revealed one of their players had tested positive for the coronavirus. The team said the unidentified player was not in Pittsburgh, was isolated after experiencing symptoms and has recovered. So far, nine NHL players have tested positive: five from Ottawa, three from Colorado and one from Pittsburgh. Everybody is used to a best of seven, Pittsburgh player representative Kris Letang said. Any team that is going to win five rounds, four rounds of best of seven ...

Staple Center is one of the possible locations the NHL has zeroed in on to host playoff games if it can return amid the coronavirus pandemic. Seven of the 10 locations the NHL has zeroed in on to hold playoff games if it resumes are American cities not restricted by Canadas 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Before the NHL commits to where games could be held, officials are planning for multiple scenarios. But that isnt stopping NHL executives from pitching the ability to host playoff games. None of us would agree to a situation where we are taking away testing from people that need it, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said.