Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning are used to being atop the NHL scoring race, but for most of the first half there was a sizable gap between the l

We are firmly into the second half with a neck-and-neck-and-neck race for the top of the fantasy podium. Connor Hellebuyck will surely start getting some additional rest later in the season, so the race at the top right now is between Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.

While some award races– like the Vezina and the Selke– seem to be over already, others, like the Hart Trophy, look like they’ll come down to a photo finish. But with around

All these years later, the descriptions practically write themselves. Brayden Point? He glides. Nikita Kucherov? He creates. Anthony Cirelli? He bleeds. Those are all compliments, by the way. Shorthand for a signature style of play.

To mark the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series. Today, we look at the race for the Hart Trophy, given annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team in the NHL as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Konecny has been on a steady rise. He has led the Flyers in scoring each of the last three seasons and four of the past five. An All-Star last February, he finished the 2023-24 season with a career high in goals (33) and points (68), and he’s on pace to shatter his best numbers with 35 goals, 59 assists and 94 points this year.

Columbus (22-17-7) is on a 6-0-1 run, led by Zach Werenski, who is tied with Makar in goals (15) for the lead among NHL defenseman and one behind him in assists (36) and points (51). The Blue Jackets defeated the Islanders 2-0 in Columbus on Oct. 30, but New York (18-20-7) has won six straight against the Blue Jackets at home.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.

Isn’t this it for Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, champions of lost chases in the free-agent world of baseball? Isn’t this it, after last season’s disaster, after the previous season’s playoff blunder,

Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov joined teammate Victor Hedman in an exclusive club during Saturday's win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Saturday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens provided hockey fans with one of the more exciting games of the season, while giving both fan bases a free ride on an emotional roller coaster.