Wyatt Johnston scored on a power-play deflection at 12:10 of the second overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild early Thursday for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are getting ready to start a first-round playoff series that has been expected for months.

Jake Oettinger made 33 saves through overtime, Wyatt Johnston scored the shootout winner and the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 to tighten the race for first place in the division, Western Conference and league standings.

Mikko Rantanen will miss at least two weeks for the Dallas Stars after sustaining a lower-body injury in the Olympics.

Slovakia is back in the men's hockey semifinals at the Olympics in Milan four years after the small central European country won its first medal in the sport with bronze in Beijing.

The NHL has issued an automatic one-game suspension to Mikko Rantanen after the Dallas Stars forward’s second major penalty and ejection for boarding in a span of three games.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension through 2034.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan has repeatedly said he wants the team to compete more in every aspect.

Glen Gulutzan has returned to a much different situation in Dallas.

An 84-game season is coming to the NHL as part of an extension of the collective bargaining agreement.

The U.S. named Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy as its first six players for the 2026 Olympics.

Connor Brown scored after getting hit in the mouth by a skate, Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for his third shutout of the postseason and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 on Friday night to even the Western Conference final.

It's really not as bad as it sounds for the Dallas Stars that Mikko Rantanen has gone four playoff games in a row without scoring a goal.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall and Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones have gone from playing for a rebuilding team in Chicago to battling in the Eastern Conference final.

The NHL’s playoff final four has a very familiar feel.

Winnipeg Jets fans have showered Jake Oettinger with chants referring to his role as the USA Hockey backup goalie to Connor Hellebuyck during the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year.

Mikael Granlund had his first career playoff hat trick, Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots and the Dallas Stars beat Winnipeg 3-1 to take a 3-1 series series lead over the top seed in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, including on the tiebreaking goal off Alexander Petrovic's skate as the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Sunday to take 2-1 lead in the second-round Western Conference series.

Mikko Rantanen’s NHL playoffs-record streak of consecutive goals involved in has ended at 13 for the Dallas Stars.

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.

Wyatt Johnston scored 9 seconds in for the quickest goal ever to start a playoff game for the Dallas Stars.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to the lineup and played his first NHL game in nearly three years Wednesday night in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 3.

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.

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.

Jack Roslovic got his No. 96 jersey back, and he’s wearing it well.

Sellers around the NHL from Philadelphia to San Jose, Mikko Rantanen and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers were winners at the trade deadline.

Mikko Rantanen is heading back to the Western Conference.

The Colorado Avalanche made a big splash on the eve of the NHL trade deadline by getting center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders.

Defensemen Seth Jones and Ryan Lindgren and forward Gustav Nyquist were on the move as three Central Division teams got a jump on the NHL’s looming trade deadline.

The second half of the NHL season begins Saturday with 14 games coming out of the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Facing the prospect of Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to trade the star forward and bolster the Avalanche’s roster for the future.

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade.

The U.

Tyler Seguin scored the tie-breaking goal in the second period and added an empty-netter in the third and Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger made it all hold up, powering the Stars to a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference second-round series.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, Philipp Grubauer was stellar in stopping 33 shots and the Seattle Kraken eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche with a 2-1 win in Game 7.

Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, including an empty-net goal in the closing seconds, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 to force a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.

The NHL took advantage of holding All-Star Weekend in South Florida by holding two Skills Competition events outside in the sun.

Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin each scored two power-play goals, Mikko Rantanen had four assists and the fast-skating Colorado Avalanche began their Stanley Cup title defense with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Colorado Avalanche are making Nathan MacKinnon the highest-paid player in the NHL’s salary cap era.

The parade through the streets of Denver to celebrate the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup title offered a little bit of everything.

The city will celebrate the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup title with a parade through the streets of downtown Denver.

The Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup showed the value of speed and skill in a league dramatically tilting in that direction.

The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Colorado Avalanche were stymied in their quest to close out the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each had a goal and an assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored four times in the second period and beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s no secret Tampa Bay has played more hockey over the past two years than any other team in the NHL.

The fast-flying Colorado Avalanche have zoomed out to a 2-0 series lead over Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Colorado Avalanche overwhelmed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Stanley Cup Final is a showdown between the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche.

The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning face the best in the West Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Wednesday in Denver.

The Colorado Avalanche didn't need to be fully healthy to sweep the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final.

Artturi Lehkonen scored 1:19 into overtime, and Colorado rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 Monday night, completing a four-game sweep in the Western Conference final and sending the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2001.

Nazem Kadri had three assists in a 2:04 span in the second period, backup Pavel Francouz stopped 24 shots for his second career playoff shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

J.

Nazem Kadri scored three goals, including two during a four-goal second period barrage, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference series.

Josh Manson scored 8:02 into overtime, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his return to the net from an eye injury, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in Game 1 of their second-round series.

The New York Rangers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

J.

Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and the Colorado Avalanche clinched a playoff spot with a 6-4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguin.

Alex Galchenyuk was the only scorer in the shootout and the Arizona Coyotes rallied to beat Colorado 3-2, snapping the Avalanche’s 18-game home winning streak.

Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen scored, Pavel Francouz made 23 saves for his third career shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 16 games.

Logan O’Connor scored twice in a 22-second span in a five-goal second period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Rangers 7-3, ending New York’s seven-game winning streak.

Keep track of all the NHL players selected to represent their countries at the Beijing Olympics.

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.

Alex Pietrangelo scored his first goal of the postseason to break a tie and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 in Game 6 to advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals.

Mark Stone scored on a breakaway 50 seconds into overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 and take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Jonathan Marchessault and Max Pacioretty scored 45 seconds apart in the third period to lift the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.

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.

Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog each scored twice as the well-rested Colorado Avalanche made quick work of Vegas with their speed, beating the Golden Knights 7-1 in a skirmish-filled Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

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

Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves and Gabriel Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to lift Colorado to a series sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 5-2 win in Game 4 of the West Division series.

Nathan MacKinnon finished his first career playoff hat trick with an empty-net goal to help the Colorado Avalanche pull away late for a 6-3 win over St. Louis in Game 2 after the Blues avoided a pregame virus scare that nearly sidelined several players.

Tyson Jost scored two of Colorado’s five second-period goals as the Avalanche clinched the West Division and the top overall seed in the NHL playoffs with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Six Challenger tennis tournaments scheduled for Canada this year have been canceled because of the pandemic.

Colorado Avalanche right wing Joonas Donskoi reacts after scoring a goal against the Arizona Coyotes in the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, march 31, 2021, in Denver. Donskoi scored three times during Colorado’s five-goal first period, and the Avalanche beat the Arizona Coyotes 9-3 on Wednesday night in front of a smattering of boisterous fans. “Everybody was fired up and I think we showed it.”Donskoi secured his second career hat trick over a 3:27 span. AdAndre Burakovsky and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also scored in a wild first period that included Arizona goals by Michael Bunting and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Gabriel Landeskog finished with two goals, Mikko Rantanen added another and Burakovsky scored his second with 3:11 remaining on an assist by Donskoi.

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) races for the puck against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period of of Outdoor Lake Tahoe NHL hockey game at Stateline, Nev., Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli))STATELINE, Nev. – Nathan MacKinnon scored a dazzling goal more than nine hours after assisting on another to highlight a most unusual and lengthy outdoor game at Lake Tahoe that the Colorado Avalanche won 3-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Although it’s fair to say that none of those had the picturesque setting of this rink located on the 18th fairway of a golf course on the shores of Lake Tahoe and surrounded by trees with snow-covered mountains towering in the background. Fleury made 36 saves for Vegas and fell to 0-3 in three career outdoor game starts. AdPART 1The Avs controlled the play under the sun, getting an early goal from Girard and outshooting Vegas 17-8 in the first 20 minutes.

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. “It was entertaining hockey, but it was a little sloppy,” Bowness said. “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

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, right, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Denver. Tarasenko makes his return after early season shoulder surgery that limited him to three goals in 10 games. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Ditto for St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues and Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hiatus allowed time to heal and now the top two teams in the Western Conference return as Cup favorites. The two teams get things rolling Sunday in Edmonton by facing each other to kick off a round-robin tournament to determine seeding in the West. It should be a fun ride.”Back on the ice for the Blues is forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who underwent shoulder surgery in late October.