Yahoo! Sports - NHL News

• Coach Laviolette to return to Hurricanes (AP)

  The Carolina Hurricanes know their coach will be back next season. They're still waiting to find out whether two of their aging defensemen will join him. General manager Jim Rutherford said Friday that the team would retain coach Peter Laviolette, who in 2006 led the Hurricanes to their only Stanley...

• Wings ready to eliminate Stars in Game 5 (AP)

  The Detroit Red Wings sound as if the Western Conference finals have lasted long enough. They're ready to eliminate the Dallas Stars on Saturday in Game 5 and earn a spot in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since winning a title in 2002. "We want to finish...

• Penguins hope day off gets them on track (AP)

  

  Evgeni Malkin could have talked with...

• Flyers D Timonen could return for Game 5 (AP)

  Kimmo Timonen's return from injury suddenly seems much closer than that of Philadelphia Flyers defense partner Braydon Coburn. The All-Star was all but ruled out for the season a week ago, on the eve of the Eastern Conference finals, when it was revealed he had a blood clot in his...

• Panthers GM Martin to stay through '12 (AP)

  Jacques Martin has reached an agreement to remain with the Florida Panthers as general manager through the 2011-12 season, the team said Friday. Martin was stripped of his duties as head coach last month but said he would stay on as general manager. He said then the two jobs were...

• Pens' Talbot may not stay on Staal line (AP)

  The Pittsburgh Penguins got back into a game that looked hopelessly lost by replacing the more physical Jarkko Ruutu with the faster Max Talbot at center Jordan Staal's line. Staal, adjusting on the fly to a new linemate, scored twice in 11 minutes of the third period as the Penguins...

• Red Wings C Franzen out for Game 5 (AP)

  NHL playoff goal-scoring leader Johan Franzen will miss his fourth straight game when the Red Wings face Dallas in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Saturday. Detroit general manager Ken Holland says Franzen has been cleared for light workouts. But Holland says the center would need to practice with...

• Nash propels Canada to worlds final (AP)

  Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal to put Canada in the title game of the world hockey championships with a 5-4 win over Sweden on Friday night. On Sunday, Canada will face Russia, which advanced to the final with a 4-0 shutout of Finland. It's the first time the two...

• Russia tops Finland 4-0, reaches final (AP)

  Evgeny Nabokov made 23 saves for his second straight shutout, and Sergei Fedorov scored the opening goal to help Russia beat Finland 4-0 on Friday for a spot in the world hockey final. Seeking its first world title since 1993, Russia will face Canada on Sunday after the host country...

• Preds owners committed to young talent (AP)

  Last summer, Predators general manager David Poile had to strip several key players off his team to save money on salary. This year the team has new ownership committed to keeping Nashville's young talent from leaving. Want proof? Start with the seven-year, $31.5 million contract handed out to forward Martin...