John Tavares News

Wayne Simmonds seemed destined to continue the Flyers-only streak for the cover of NHL '14, following Claude Giroux's appearance last year.

Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh and Washington's Alex Ovechkin are once again finalists for the Hart Trophy, while John Tavares of the New York Islanders is also in the running for the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

What you see is not so much an NHL hockey player as it is a metaphor for one of the oldest debates in the sport.

We've had some technical hiccups over the last few days , so apologies to readers and regular commenters if things haven't worked as well.

For a brief spot in time, the New York Islanders were the darlings of the NHL . The ne'er-do-well franchise of the past two decades had missed the playoffs in five consecutive postseasons, and failed to advance past the Eastern Conference quarterfinals since 1993.

He joins the Blackhawks' Patrick Kane and the Lightning's Martin St. Louis as finalists for the award, given "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Moulson had only four penalty minutes in the 48-game season, tied with San Jose's Logan ... (more)

The award annually honors players who are good at hockey and remarkably tolerant of tools who are not good at hockey doing stupid things to try to get such players to be less good at hockey.

It was locker room cleanout and exit interview day on Long Island yesterday, as the players, coaches and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum maintenance crew officially closed the books on the lockout-shortened 2013 NHL season.

So the WHL's top 2013 bantam draft pick will wait a season before joining the Vancouver Giants on a permanent basis.

Why have we gathered today, around his nondescript, unpainted pine casket in an empty parking lot? To say goodbye to the 2013 edition of the New York Islanders , who were laid to rest last weekend surrounded by the people who loved them best: their opponents.

Apr 26, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center.

The New York Islanders were eliminated from the first playoff appearance in quite some time over the weekend, falling in Game 6 to the Pittsburgh Penguins .

It could have been on the cover of NHL 14. It could have been sitting in the aisles of every retail store in North America, scaring children from sea to shining sea.

Perhaps the Penguins breathed the loudest sigh of relief. They were pushed hard by the New York Islanders and were driven to overtime in Game 6. They got the series-clinching goal from the most unlikely of sources: defenseman Brooks Orpik, marking his first goal all season.

The Islanders look on after losing in overtime in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Islanders beat the Penguins in almost every stat last night but just could not beat them on the scoreboard.

Wow, what a brutal end to such an emotional season. Thinking back to that early February 5 game losing streak, how it was just supposed to be another one of those seasons.

He even sat out 25 percent of the games in this strike-shortened 48-game regular-season with a broken jaw.

Brooks Orpik's first career playoff goal was an overtime winner, as his point drive with 7:49 played in the extra session sent the Pittsburgh Penguins to a series victory over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

The only game of the day features the Pittsburgh Penguins travelling to Nassau County Coliseum to face the New York Islanders.