Lightning stay alive in bid for three-peat
DENVER (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning spoiled Colorado’s party to stay in the hunt for a third straight Stanley Cup title, beating the Avalanche 3-2 on Friday night in Game 5. Ondrej Palat scored with 6:22 remaining and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots in front of a raucous crowd hoping to celebrate the Avalanche’s first championship in 21 years. The Cup was all shined up and in the building, too. It’s heading back to Tampa for Game 6 on Sunday night, with the Lightning down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Nikita Kucherov and Jan Rutta also scored for the Lightning. Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar had goals for Colorado.
Hawks set to hire Richardson
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks are nearing a deal with Luke Richardson to become their next coach, turning to the former NHL defenseman to help lead their already painful rebuilding process. Richardson and the Blackhawks are working on a contract, according to a person familiar with the talks, and the move could be finalized as soon as next week.
