BARRY TROTZ

Steve Yzerman’s pursuit of a new head coach for the Detroit Red Wings, which began eight weeks ago when Jeff Blashill was dismissed, should be completed soon. Barry Trotz, who turns 60 on July 15, was the most prominent available candidate and interviewed with the Red Wings and Jets, among other teams. He later won division titles in each of his two seasons as head coach with the Toledo Walleye, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate. Others Yzerman might consider include NHL assistants Mike Vellucci (Pittsburgh) and Spencer Carberry (Toronto), AHL Syracuse head coach Benoit Groulx. Denver head coach David Carle and former Swedish national coach Rikard Gronborg.

Would he consider the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings? Trotz is believed to have at least spoken to Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Red Wings need someone to instill strong defensive principles after finishing second-from-last in goals-against average. Lalonde served as head coach of the Toledo Storm, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate, for two seasons from 2014-2016. More: Red Wings’ coaching search not a quick, simple process

The same could apply to former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, 59, the other high-profile coaching free agent who has one year remaining on his contract with Toronto at $5 million. Quenneville (Chicago in 2010, 2013 and 2015), Tortorella (Tampa Bay in 2004) and Julien (Boston in 2011) have won Cups, but that’s not a prerequisite for the rebuilding Red Wings. Former Swedish national coach Rikard Gronberg has been linked to the Red Wings because of the team’s history of success with Swedish players. When former Red Wings GM Ken Holland promoted Blashill from Grand Rapids in 2015 to replace Babcock, it was the obvious choice, given Blashill’s AHL success and familiarity with the organization. Yzerman’s first coaching hire with the Red Wings will not be an easy decision and likely will take some time.

The New York Islanders have hired longtime Barry Trotz assistant and right-hand man Lane Lambert to succeed him as coach.

The New York Islanders on Monday hired longtime Barry Trotz assistant and right-hand man Lane Lambert to succeed him as coach. General manager Lou Lamoriello announced Lambert as Trotz's replacement a week after firing the Stanley Cup-winning coach who had one year left on his contract.

The New York Islanders fired head coach Barry Trotz on Monday after the team missed the playoffs. Could he be a fit for the Red Wings?

The New York Islanders have fired Barry Trotz after four seasons in a stunning move. Prior to that, Trotz coached four seasons in Washington, culminated with the franchise’s first Cup championship in 2018. After dismissing Jeff Blashill following seven seasons, Yzerman said last week that he is not focused on a particular type of candidate. Lane Lambert, Yzerman’s former teammate and a longtime assistant under Trotz, is a potential candidate. More:Yzerman keeping open mind in coaching searchPros, cons of potential Red Wings coaching candidates

The New York Islanders have fired coach Barry Trotz after missing the playoffs in his fourth season with the team.

Eight players on the team are currently under the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

Andrei Vasilevskiy had 18 saves and Yanni Gourde scored a short-handed goal to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 1-0 in Game 7 of their NHL playoff semifinal series.

The Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t lost consecutive postseason games in over two years and haven’t faced a winner-take-all challenge since 2018.

Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves and the New York Islanders got goals from Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock to beat the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup semifinals.

For the second year in a row, the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in the semifinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but this year feels a little bit different compared to 2020. The Lightning come into the series as the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, having just eliminated the Central Division champion-Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, and seem very determined to pull off a repeat. Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)New York is riding high heading to the semis once again. In last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Lightning knocked off the Isles in six games, before Tampa went onto win their first Cup since 2004. What: Stanley Cup SemifinalsWho: (3) New York Islanders vs. (2) Tampa Bay Lightning (Game 1)When: Sunday, June 13Time: 3:00 p.m.

Experience is an invaluable ally in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The NHL has fined Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy $25,000 for his criticism of the officials after Game 4 of Boston’s second-round playoff series against the New York Islanders.

Mathew Barzal scored one power-play goal and assisted on another, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 shots to give the New York Islanders a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins and a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy knew it wasn't his team's night when David Pastrnak missed a wide open net with the potential go-ahead goal.

The Boston Bruins feel like they're playing themselves in a way against the New York Islanders in the second round.

Trade deadline acquisitions are already paying big dividends for teams that have advanced to 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.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots, Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock each had a goal and an assist and the New York Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 in Game 4 Saturday to even the first-round series.

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.

In one of the many shockers from the opening first few games of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the underdog New York Islanders upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in game one this past Sunday sure was up toward the top. Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)Kyle Palmieri’s goal opened the scoring in the first, with the teams trading goals throughout the remainder of regulation. That was when Palmieri beat Penguin netminder Tristan Jarry for his second of the game to give New York the 1-0 series lead. If the Penguins want to come out on top in game two, one thing will need to be better: goaltending. What: NHL PlayoffsWho: (4) New York Islanders vs. (1) Pittsburgh Penguins (NY leads series 1-0)When: Tuesday, May 18Time: 7:30 PM ETWhere: PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pa.)Channel: NBC Sports NetworkStream: FuboTV (7-day free trial)

Kyle Palmieri’s second goal of the game 16:30 into overtime lifted the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their first-round series.

There used to be a thing called the Governor’s Cup, a trophy presented to whichever team won the annual regular season series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will face a familiar foe as they begin their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Anthony Beauvillier scored twice and Semyon Varlamov stopped 28 shots for his league-leading sevent shutout of the season as the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 3-0 to clinch a playoff spot for the third straight season.

Daniel Sprong scored twice in injured Alex Ovechkin's place on Washington’s top line , Ilya Samsonov made 21 saves and the Capitals beat the New York Islanders 6-3.

Mathew Barzal had three goals and two assists, Jordan Eberle scored twice, and the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8-4.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal with the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils, Friday, March 26, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin scored twice, Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves and the Washington Capitals rode their best players to a 4-0 victory Friday night and two-game sweep of the New Jersey Devils. Ovechkin has scored 10 times in his past 10 games and has a team-best 17 goals this season. Nicklas Backstrom scored his 13th goal of the season, while Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson each had two assists. With Ovechkin rolling, the Capitals have won nine of their past 10 games and are back atop the East Division.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield each had a goal and an assist and the New York Islanders beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory. New York beat Buffalo for the fifth straight time this season, outscoring the Islanders 19-7 in those five meetings. Cal Clutterbuck extended the lead at 8:45, sending a wrist shot past Hutton for his second goal this season. AdMayfield made it 4-1 with his second goal of the season at 15:29, firing another high shot past Hutton. IRON MENThe Islanders have three players with consecutive game streaks of last 250 games: Lee 292, Brock Nelson 269 and Barzal 256.

San Jose's Erik Karlsson (65) handles the puck against Minnesota Wild's Nick Bjugstad (27) in the third period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in St. Paul, Minn. San Jose won 5-3. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)With an outbreak delaying the Dallas Stars opener, Rick Bowness got to watch a lot of hockey in the first couple of nights of the NHL season. The San Jose Sharks have been the NHL's nomads since they opened training camp in Arizona because of a ban on contact sports by Santa Clara County, California. “We’re staying in 5-star hotels, get to play hockey, so I can’t complain,” defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. Ad___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Chandler Stephenson won a Stanley Cup title two seasons ago with the Washington Capitals, the team he was still playing with at the start of this season. He was fired by San Jose in December and hired a month later after the Golden Knights parted ways with Gerard Gallant, the coach who took them to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season two years ago. Tampa Bay's free-agent additions last summer were Maroon and veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, then defenseman Zach Bogosian became available in February when Buffalo terminated the 12-year veteran's contract. I think guys like Patty (Maroon), guys like Barclay, they kind of allow us to play with our chests a little bit puffed out. New York hasn't been to a Stanley Cup final since 1984, a year after winning its fourth title in a row.

TORONTO, ONT Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper took exception to the Columbus Blue Jackets being referred to as a blue-collar team. Is that a positive or a negative? Cooper said Monday, a day before his Eastern Conference second-seeded Lightning open the first round of the NHL playoffs against the seventh-seeded Blue Jackets. Thats in the history books forever, Cooper said, noting how both teams have made various changes to their lineups. Id call them a really good team.Familiarity is breeding respect among the East opponents entering the first round. The Islanders hold a 5-2 playoff series edge over Washington.

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2016 file photo, Canada's Sidney Crosby hoists the trophy following his team's victory over Europe in the World Cup of Hockey finals, in Toronto. The closest comparison to the NHL's summer restart is the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. You kind of have a short, abbreviated training camp and then youre right into it. It was early September 2016, and the Pittsburgh Penguins captain stepped on the ice in Ottawa for Canadas training camp ahead of the World Cup of Hockey. New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz, who was an assistant when Canada won the World Cup, considers that tournament the closest comparison because he anticipates the same frantic shifts of momentum.

In this photo provided by the Dallas Stars NHL hockey team, interim head coach Rick Bowness watches practice in Frisco, Texas, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. You get out there and you miss it, the Dallas Stars coach said. You realize how much you enjoy being out there.The NHLs oldest head coach still worries about COVID-19 but not enough to stop doing his job. Im going to have to adjust to it, there is no question. The average age of the 24 head coaches in the playoffs is just under 54, the second-oldest behind the NBA among North Americas four major professional sports leagues.

Voluntary player workouts have been going on for more than a month, but full NHL teams will be together Monday for the first time since March. (Its about) trying to make sure that when you come back your hips and groins are all right, Copp said. Its a two-week sprint from home cities to Toronto for Eastern teams and Edmonton, Alberta, for their Western counterparts. The NHL is prohibiting teams from revealing injury or illness information as a way to project player privacy with the novel coronavirus. But I think everyone is just kind of amped and ready to go.___For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Brock Nelson scored twice and six other Islanders connected as New York routed the hapless Red Wings 8-2. The league-worst Red Wings were out of it early, and Thomas Greiss made 34 saves to back the Islanders. The Red Wings are 3-10-0 in their last 13 games and 5-20-0 in their last 25. We have to be way better than that, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. The Red Wings scratched Ds Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson plus F Brendan Perlini.

Sometimes they dont go in.Eberle finally ended that drought with two goals Monday night, and Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves to lift the New York Islanders over Detroit 4-1, extending the Red Wings winless streak to 10 games. The Islanders nearly pulled off a second straight shutout against the struggling Red Wings. Just a bad bounce.Eberles second goal came with 6:36 left in the third. The Red Wings have been outscored 28-5 over their last six. Red Wings: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

The Islanders won 5-2. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)UNIONDALE, NY Since opening the season with three losses in four games, the New York Islanders have been unbeatable thanks to sheer teamwork. Anders Lee had a goal and two assists in New York's three-goal third period, and the Islanders beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 Friday night for their eighth straight win. The Lightning had won seven of their previous nine meetings against the Islanders since start of 2016-17 season. The previous time the teams met at Nassau Coliseum last Feb. 1, Greiss and Vasilevskiy battled to a scoreless tie before the Lightning won in a shootout.