Connor Hellebuyck is starting to again look like the goalie that was so dominant in the regular season for Winnipeg.

Mikko Rantanen has shown exactly why Dallas was willing to pay a hefty price to acquire him.

Mikko Rantanen carried the Dallas Stars past his former team in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

The Dallas Stars emerged from a seven-game series against Colorado, and the Edmonton Oilers rallied from down 2-0 to eliminate Los Angeles and move on in the NHL playoffs.

Mikko Rantanen would have never believed that he would have a hat trick in a Game 7 against Colorado.

Mikko Rantanen assisted on Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaking power-play goal with 3:56 left before completing a third-period hat trick with an empty-netter as the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 to wrap up the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Nathan MacKinnon received credit for a go-ahead goal with 10:56 remaining after the puck bounced off the shoulder of a Dallas player and the Colorado Avalanche staved off elimination by rallying to beat the Stars 7-4 in Game 6.

The wild-card berth has suited Minnesota well.

Nathan MacKinnon had a part in both of Colorado’s strange goals in the second period before adding an empty-netter late as the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 in the opener of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche are meeting in the playoffs again, this time in the opening round with Mikko Rantanen on a different side.

The Dallas Stars will begin the playoffs without top goal scorer Jason Robertson.

Kiefer Sherwood set an NHL record three weeks ago by accumulating the most hits in a season.

Mikko Rantanen tapped his heart as the video screen showed highlights of his Colorado Avalanche career, culminating with him hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment was helped off the ice during Friday night's game against the Minnesota Wild and taken to a hospital after being hit in the face by a puck.

Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers has been offered an in-person hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety to discuss his boarding and elbowing of Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.

AJ Greer scored his first goal for Florida early in the third period, Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola each had assists in their homeland and the Panthers beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 on Saturday to finish a two-game sweep in Finland.

The Florida Panthers have given out another big contract extension — this one, to their Stanley Cup-winning coach.

The first two weeks of the season have not been kind to a few of the top Stanley Cup contenders.

Joe Pavelski might be out of chances to win a Stanley Cup title after the Dallas Stars came up short again.

Mason Marchment scored for the first time since the playoff opener and the Dallas Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1.

Wyatt Johnston scored twice on the eve of his 21st birthday as the Dallas Stars pushed Colorado to the brink of elimination with a 5-1 win in Game 4 that came hours after Avalanche standout Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months.

Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer had so many emotions to process after a Game 7 victory over his former team.

Radek Faksa broke a tie in his return to the Dallas lineup, 20-year-old Wyatt Johnston scored in another Game 7 and the Stars beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Sunday night to wrap up the first-round series.

Jason Robertson scored a power-play goal to put Dallas ahead late in the second period after Tyler Seguin took a shot to the face and the Stars beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 5.

Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer went into this season a little worried about the potential hangover effect after that long postseason run that ended in a six-game Western Conference Final.

Paul Maurice walked away from coaching in the middle of last season.

The Vegas Golden Knights are in their second Stanley Cup Final in the franchise's six seasons a year after the only time they missed the playoffs.

The Western Conference Final isn't over yet, and suddenly feels much different.

Alec Martinez was part of the 2014 Los Angeles Kings team that erased a 3-0 first-round series deficit and beat Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks in Game 7.

Joe Pavelski scored on a power play at 3:18 of overtime and the Dallas Stars avoided a sweep in the Western Conference final with a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

Jonathan Marchessault and the Vegas Golden Knights are one more win from reaching another Stanley Cup Final.

The Vegas Golden Knights certainly know how to rally when they've fallen behind in these NHL playoffs.

The roles have changed for Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin with the Dallas Stars, and they have also played a little less this season.

Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer is 7-0 in Game 7s in his career after a 2-1 win over Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals.

Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston scored goals and the Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference final with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Kraken in Game 7.

Joe Pavelski became the oldest player ever with a four-goal game in the NHL playoffs, and did it in his return two weeks after going into concussion protocol.

Dallas coach Peter DeBoer hasn’t been shy to point out Minnesota was one of the most penalized teams in the NHL this season,.

Dallas center Joe Pavelski left Game 1 of the Stars’ playoff series after taking a massive hit from Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba, who was not assessed a major penalty for that after a lengthy replay review by officials.

Four men got on the NHL coaching carousel in the offseason and have all landed in the playoffs with their new teams.

Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will again be big parts of NHL All-Star Weekend.

Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner will require hip surgery and is expected to miss the upcoming season.

The San Jose Sharks have fired coach Bob Boughner and his staff two months after the regular season ended.

Pete DeBoer is jumping right back into coaching with the Dallas Stars about a month after he was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Dallas Stars have hired Peter DeBoer as their new coach.

Bruce Cassidy has been hired to coach the Vegas Golden Knights a week after being fired by the Boston Bruins.

The Vegas Golden Knights have fired coach Peter DeBoer after they missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin enjoyed the biggest moment of his career inside T-Mobile Arena in 2018, when he skated the Stanley Cup around the rink after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final.

Jack Eichel will make his debut with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored three goals and the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division 5-3 in the final 3-on-3 match of the NHL All-Star Game.

Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday.

The NHL is set to resume Tuesday with three games on the schedule after an extended holiday break.

NHL forward Jack Eichel arrives in Vegas with a set of questions for the Golden Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights have traded reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The New York Rangers have reached an agreement to hire Gerard Gallant as their next coach, a person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press.

Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson came through with timely goals for the Vegas Golden Knights in their 4-2 series win over Colorado.

Mikko Rantanen scored a power-play goal 2:07 into overtime, Philipp Grubauer outdueled fellow Vezina Trophy finalist Marc-Andre Fleury and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Vegas forward Ryan Reaves was suspended two games by the NHL for his roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct on Colorado’s Ryan Graves during the Golden Knights’ 7-1 loss in Game 1 of their second-round series Sunday.

Mattias Janmark notched his first career hat trick as the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Minnesota Wild with a 6-2 win in Game 7 of their opening-round series.

Players testing positive for the coronavirus late in the NHL's regular season and at the start of the playoffs affected multiple teams.

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

Reilly Smith capped a three-goal second-period surge by the Vegas Golden Knights with the go-ahead score in a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 63 of 65 shots from the Minnesota Wild over the first two games of their West Division playoff series.

The first-ever playoff game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers could be tough to top.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)WASHINGTON – Capitals players and coach Peter Laviolette sounded as if they'd lost after holding on to beat the New York Rangers 5-4 Sunday. Washington has won 10 of 11 games to move two points up on the second-place New York Islanders and looks primed for another deep playoff run. “If there’s a trend, we want to address it,” said Wilson, who has five points in four games since returning from a seven-game suspension. And their best players are producing: Ovechkin has 11 goals in 11 games and leads the team with 18; Kuznetsov has 12 points in 10 games and Jakub Vrana picked up his first point in five games. Keith Kinkaid made 17 saves for the Rangers, who have lost back-to-back one-goal games after a three-game winning streak.

Workers put the finishing touches on the temporary ice rink, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, built at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort, that will host two NHL games, this weekend at Stateline, Nev. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)STATELINE, Nev. – Some players snapped pictures of Lake Tahoe and the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains as they came out for their first look at the picturesque outdoor rink that will host a pair of NHL games this weekend. This is a drop the mic type outdoor rink. The guys really, really enjoyed it today. The only thing we’re missing is fans.”AdWith the COVID-19 pandemic limiting attendance at games, the NHL took the opportunity to hold a pair of outdoor games at a unique setting unlike the 30 previous outdoor games at stadiums.

“I’m feeling quite well but, of course, scarred by the experience.”The first month of the NHL's pandemic-shortened season has been a bumpy one. From Jan. 13 through Saturday, 120 players from 26 of 31 teams have spent at least one day on the COVID-19 list. Minnesota and New Jersey are scheduled to return Tuesday, while the Philadelphia Flyers, who currently have seven players on the NHL COVID-19 list, are on pause until at least Thursday. AdThe NHL had 22 players on the COVID-19 list on Jan. 30, and that number ballooned to a season-high 59 on Friday. Rapid tests return results within a half hour and augment the PCR daily tests which were already taking place.

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) reacts after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. San Jose was given the unbalanced schedule because of local restrictions that banned contact sports and practices, forcing the Sharks to hold training camp in Arizona. DEBOER’S RETURNThe game is the first back in San Jose for Vegas coach Peter DeBoer, who was fired by the Sharks in December 2019. He was hired last January by Vegas but hadn’t faced San Jose until Saturday. AdSIMEK SIDELINEDSharks D Radim Simek left in the second period after taking two hard hits from Marchessault.

CORRECTS TO SHOOTOUT, INSTEAD OF OVERTIME - St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) scores on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) in the shootout of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS – Missing all their coaches, Max Pacioretty and the Vegas Golden Knights still managed to earn a point. David Perron and Brayden Schenn scored in a shootout Tuesday to give the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 victory over Vegas. Pacioretty got his seventh career hat trick for the Golden Knights, who were without their entire coaching staff because of COVID-19 concerns. The Golden Knights were 1 for 6 with a man advantage and are 3 of 26 (11.5%) this season.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, file photo, San Jose Sharks' Erik Karlsson, of Sweden, skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)A disappointing 2019-20 season kept the San Jose Sharks out of the NHL bubble when the season restarted following the long break for the coronavirus. The Sharks are set to open the season on an eight-game road trip before their first two scheduled home games Feb. 1 and 3 against Vegas. San Jose has six of eight games on the road after the opening two home games, hosting Anaheim on Feb. 13 and 15. The Sharks then come back home Feb. 26 and are scheduled to play 24 of their last 38 games in San Jose.

FILE - In this March 9, 2020, file photo, St. Louis Blues' Alex Pietrangelo (27) and Florida Panthers' Aleksi Saarela (28) chase after the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in St. Louis. The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms on a $61.6 million, seven-year contract with top free agent Pietrangelo, a person with direct knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)Alex Pietrangelo heard it can snow in Las Vegas and wasn't worried about bundling up his four children if necessary. After leaving the Blues he led to the 2019 title to sign a $61.6 million contract with the Golden Knights, Pietrangelo hopes to play a big role in getting the young franchise to the top of the NHL. Talking with Foley and seeing the other moves the Golden Knights have made to move into perennial Cup contention convinced Pietrangelo to put St. Louis in his past and sign with Vegas.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson formally retained Boughner as San Jose's coach Tuesday, removing the interim tag to make him the ninth full-time head coach in franchise history. He’s very open-minded in looking to find solutions.”Boughner also hired Rocky Thompson as his associate coach and John Madden as an assistant coach. Mike Ricci, the former Sharks forward who became an assistant under Boughner, will be an NHL development coach. Thompson succeeded Boughner as the head coach at Windsor in 2015, and he won the Memorial Cup in 2017. He spent the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, Columbus' top affiliate.