Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov score hat tricks, Wild get record-filled 10-7 victory over Canucks
Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov each had hat tricks and three assists for the Minnesota Wild, who faced a three-goal deficit in the second period before storming back with six unanswered goals and hanging on for a record-filled 10-7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
The Latest: ACC tourney players, coaches get tracing devices
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Atlantic Coast Conference will expand use of KINEXON SafeTag contact tracing devices by equipping players, coaches and Tier 1 personnel for its upcoming menโs and womenโs basketball tournaments. SafeTags measure proximity between users to provide school medical officials with contact tracing data when an individual tests positive for COVID-19. All 15 ACC schools used the devices inside team facilities during the regular season to mitigate the spread of the virus. An ACC release stated that the technology identified several high-risk close contacts of a positive case within the league. Bars, restaurants and music venues will also be able to close two hours later, at 2 a.m., instead of at midnight.
The Latest: NHL down to a season-low 8 players on COVID list
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The NHL is down to a season-low eight players on the COVID-19 list after play on Tuesday night, five of them on the Philadelphia Flyers. Thatโs a marked improvement in the 11 days since the league had a season-high 59 players on the list. The Flyers have moved into third among NHL teams, with players spending a combined total of 98 days on the list, one more than Buffalo. He joined Nellie Fox (1959), Dick Allen (1972) and Frank Thomas (1993, 1994) as the team's only MVP winners. ___The West Coast Conference menโs and womenโs basketball tournaments will be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Latest: NHL's COVID-19 list down to 13 players
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The NHLโs COVID-19 list is now down to 13 players, marking the second-lowest total since the league first began publishing it on Jan. 13. His addition came the same day four Wild players were removed from the list: Jonas Brodin, Victor Rask, Carson Soucy and Cam Talbot. Los Angeles Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou was also cleared after spending a league-high 21 days on the list. The professional hockey team started in 2013 in the Central Hockey League, helping fill the void after the Ontario Hockey Leagueโs Brampton Battalion moved to North Bay. The New Jersey Devils still lead all NHL teams in both the number of players and the number of combined days on the COVID-19 list.
The Latest: Memphis-Houston men's basketball game postponed
Now their first scheduled game with Houston has been added to the postponement list. ___The Big 12 has announced the reschedule dates for nine womenโs basketball games postponed this season because of COVID-19 protocols. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Thursday that Louisville's men's basketball game at Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Ad___Saturdayโs men's basketball game between Texas A&M and Florida has been postponed due to COVID-19. It's the third straight Florida men's game affected by the coronavirus.
NHL revises virus protocols; Colorado is 5th team shut down
New York Rangers coach David Quinn of the New York Rangers stands behind the bench during the team's NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Pool Photo via AP)The NHL revised its virus protocols in a bid to keep the shortened season on track, but not before a fifth team was idled by COVID-19 problems. Hours after the league announced changes visible in arenas and important behind the scenes, Colorado joined the growing list of U.S.-based teams shut down for virus concerns. Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog joined teammate Tyson Jost on the league's COVID-19 unavailable list Thursday. Bettman said fewer than half the players in protocol have been because of a confirmed positive test and many of those were asymptomatic.
The Latest: Sharks to open home schedule hosting in Arizona
All rights reserved)San Jose Sharks' Dylan Gambrell, right, tries to hold back Minnesota Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The San Jose Sharks will open their home schedule in the desert. The Sharksโ first two home games will be Feb. 1 and 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights at Gila River Arena, home of the Arizona Coyotes. The Sharks held training camp in Arizona due to a ban on contact sports in Californiaโs Santa Clara County. ___The Arizona womenโs basketball team has postponed Sundayโs game against Colorado due to COVID-10 protocols within the program. The Bucknell menโs and womenโs basketball games against Lehigh scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday are also postponed and will be rescheduled.
NHL cancels 2021 Minnesota Winter Classic, All-Star Weekend
The NHL won't take it outside and open 2021 with the Winter Classic in Minnesota but still hopes to get the hockey season going around the start of the new year. The league on Thursday canceled the Winter Classic scheduled for Jan. 1 at Target Field in Minneapolis and All-Star Weekend that was set for late January in Sunrise, Florida. No guarantee of being able to host fans led to the cancellation of the two signature events. The league hopes to bring them back to those cities in future years. โThe NHL has given us every indication that the Winter Classic is coming to the State of Hockey and Target Field when it is safe to do so and our fans can fully embrace it,โ Wild president Matt Majka said.
Goalies get shuffled in NHL free agency; Lightning depleted
Jacob Markstrom left Vancouver to sign a six-year, $36 million contract with the Calgary Flames. The Wild quickly addressed their goaltending needs after trading Devan Dubnyk to San Jose, by signing Cam Talbot signing a three-year, $11 million deal. โ Veteran forward Wayne Simmonds was among the first free agents to sign, reaching a one-year $1.5 million deal with the Maple Leafs. With starting goalie Corey Crawford leaving for New Jersey in free agency, the Blackhawks also signed goalie Malcolm Subban to a two-year, $1.7 million contract. โ The Senators and newly acquired goalie Matt Murray agreed to two-year, $25 million deal.
NHL targeting Jan. 1 to begin next season
Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday night the NHL is targeting a Jan. 1 start for next season. That declaration came after recent talks between the league and NHL Playersโ Association. NHL teams are expected to get camps of at least two weeks, just as they did before the expanded playoffs over the summer. Free agency opens Friday, with the NHL looking to speed through the offseason while planning to play in 2021. โItโs kind of been refreshing to get back and have somewhat of a tentative date for when weโre going to be coming back,โ Washington Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon said.
Minnesota Wild trade Dubnyk, Donato to Sharks for picks
(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King, File)The Minnesota Wild traded goalie Devan Dubnyk and forward Ryan Donato to the San Jose Sharks in two separate deals on Monday, continuing their makeover under general manager Bill Guerin. The Sharks sent their fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft for Dubnyk and also received Minnesota's 2022 seventh-rounder in return. The Wild now own two 2021 picks from the Penguins, who traded next year's first-rounder to Minnesota for forward Jason Zucker. Donato, who is the son of former Bruins stalwart Ted Donato, has 29 goals and 28 assists in 130 career NHL games. The 26-year-old Soucy had seven goals, seven assists and a team-leading plus-16 rating in 55 games in his first full NHL season.
NHL releases 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs exhibition, qualifiers, round-robin schedule
Maple Leafs, 4 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 6 : Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets, TBDFriday, Aug. 7 : Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets*, TBDSunday, Aug. 9: Blue Jackets vs. Lightning, 4 p.m.Wednesday, Aug. 5 : Lightning vs. Bruins, 4 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 6 : Capitals vs. Flyers, TBDSaturday, Aug. 8 : Bruins vs. Capitals, TBDSunday, Aug. 9: Flyers vs. Lightning, TBDWestern Conference (Edmonton)(5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago BlackhawksSaturday, Aug. 1 : Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 3 p.m.Monday, Aug. 3 : Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 10:30 p.m.Wednesday, Aug. 5 : Oilers vs. Blackhawks, 10:30 p.m.Friday, Aug. 7 : Oilers vs. Blackhawks*, TBDSaturday, Aug. 8: Blackhawks vs. Oilers*, TBD(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona CoyotesSunday, Aug. 2 : Coyotes vs. Predators, 2:30 p.m.Wednesday, Aug. 5: Predators vs. Coyotes, 2:30 p.m.Friday, Aug. 7 : Predators vs. Coyotes*, TBDSunday, Aug. 9: Coyotes vs. Predators*, TBD(7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota WildSunday, Aug. 2 : Wild vs. Canucks, 10:30 p.m.Tuesday, Aug. 4 : Wild vs. Canucks, 10:45 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 6 : Canucks vs. Wild, TBDFriday, Aug. 7 : Canucks vs. Wild*, TBDSunday, Aug. 9: Wild vs. Canucks*, TBD(8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg JetsSaturday, Aug. 1 : Jets vs. Flames, 10:30 p.m.Monday, Aug. 3 : Jets vs. Flames, 2:30 p.m.Tuesday, Aug. 4 : Flames vs.