Penguins top Lightning 2-1 to advance to Stanley Cup Final

The hours before the biggest game of Bryan Rust's life were restless. The nap he tried to sneak in never materialized. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward's mind was simply too busy. "I was just sitting up there looking at the ceiling," Rust said.

Kucherov's excellence driving Lightning against Penguins

The bigger the playoff moment, the more Nikita Kucherov shines. The young Russian has a knack for scoring when Tampa Bay needs it most, which is one of the reasons the Lightning are within one victory of reaching the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year.

Confident Lightning feel Penguins haven't see their best

The Tampa Bay Lightning are back home after splitting the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, feeling good about themselves, though hardly satisfied. "We've got to play better to win this series, there's no doubt," coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday, adding the team has yet to "put our best foot forward" against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Lightning and Penguins set for East finals

On the calendar, the gap between the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning met and Friday night's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is less than three months. Within the lifespan of a season, it seems a lot longer.

Jaromir Jagr returning to Florida Panthers on 1-year deal

Jaromir Jagr is returning to the Florida Panthers. The 44-year-old has agreed to a one-year contract to return to the club. The team announced the agreement Thursday. Jagr had a team-best 66 points this season. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division title and set franchise records for points and wins, before falling in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Islanders.

Stamkos skates, but not close to returning to Lightning

Steven Stamkos is serving as an inspiration for the Tampa Bay Lightning as the defending Eastern Conference champions attempt to make a deep playoff run without him. The team's captain and leading scorer was back on the ice with teammates Tuesday, participating in shooting and skating drills for the first time since undergoing surgery for a blood clot discovered...

Florida Panthers eliminated from playoffs

The New York Islanders' long playoff drought is over. John Tavares tied the score in the final minute of regulation and got the winner at 10:41 of the second overtime, leading the Islanders past the Florida Panthers 2-1 Sunday night and into the second round for the first time since 1993.

Panthers lose in overtime, trail 2-1 in first-round series

Thomas Hickey saw an opening in overtime, went to the net and gave the New York Islanders a big win in their Brooklyn postseason debut. Hickey scored 12:31 into the extra period to lift the Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Game 3 of their first-round series, giving New York a win in its first playoff game at the Barclays Center.