IAN COLE

Ian Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-1 to take Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are among the contenders looking to get over the hump this year and win the Stanley Cup.

The eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been set since before the All-Star break.

Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau each had a goal and an assist for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-2 victory over Carolina.

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired goaltender Devan Dubynk from the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Greg Pateryn and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft.

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.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Tyler Toffoli will remember the Los Angeles Kings' 3-1 win over Colorado on Saturday night at the Air Force Academy for so many reasons. Aside from Tofolli's hat trick, Kopitar said he took in many memorable moments in the NHL's second service academy game. At 6,621 feet above sea level, this was the highest altitude ever for an NHL game. This was the Avs' second outdoor game and the Kings' third. This is the second outdoor game played at a service academy.

The former Red Wing scored many of his 243 goals in front of the net, redirecting pucks past goaltenders. He played in the NHL from the 1996-97 season through the 2011-12 season. Net-front play is critical in every NHL game simply because goalies tend to stop shots they can see. They're going to dig their edges in and not going to move. Goalies, while the puck travels from stick to stick, stay on the move ever so slightly so that they can see what they're trying to stop.