Articles by Doug Stolhand

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Forward Maxim Afinogenov thinks it’s time he sought a fresh start after nine seasons in Buffalo, while defenceman Teppo Numminen hasn’t made any decision as to whether he’ll retire after completing his 20th NHL campaign

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have a sense of renewed optimism heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.After suffering a rash of injuries, the Flames faltered down the stretch and watched the Vancouver Canucks pass them to win the Northwest Division

RALEIGH, N.C. – They brought back a former coach, traded for a fan favourite and now the Carolina Hurricanes have returned to an old habit – winning

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks can see a lot of themselves in the St. Louis Blues.The two teams, who will face off in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, have been the hottest clubs in the NHL since the end of January and both have similar keep-it-simple, hard-working styles when they are on top of their games

NEW YORK – John Tavares is about to get a better idea of where his future might lie.The NHL holds its draft lottery Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET) with five teams having a chance at landing the No

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward Darren Helm from Grand Rapids.Helm, 22, has yet to score a regular-season NHL goal but scored two in last year’s playoffs as the Red Wings made their run to the championship

ARLINGTON, Va. – When Alex Ovechkin cranks up the DVD player to review his playoff debut, he’ll see some very un-Ovechkin performances.Take last year’s Game 4 between his Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers

DALLAS – Mike Modano is in no hurry to decide whether he’ll come back for another season with the Dallas Stars.And he’s apparently not in the mood to talk about it, either

EDMONTON – Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was more than happy to talk about his team’s disappointing season Monday – but not his future with the club

PHILADELPHIA – The Flyers’ run from worst team in the NHL to Eastern Conference finals died a year ago in Pittsburgh. They pick up this year’s post-season run where they left off, ready for some retribution against the Penguins

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild left-winger Andrew Brunette will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee.Despite the torn anterior cruciate ligament, Brunette still managed to play the final three months of the season

The underdogs always seem to have a chance in the first round of the NHL playoffs.There’s no shortage of examples from over the years of the little guys knocking off a team that finished well ahead of it during the regular season

Canada is bringing some new blood to the IIHF World Hockey Championship.The team’s initial roster includes three players that were selected in the top five picks of last year’s NHL draft – Steve Stamkos, Drew Doughty and Luke Schenn

The New York Rangers’ showdown with Alex Ovechkin and the free-wheeling Washington Capitals should be the feature series in the opening round of playoffs in the NHL’s Eastern Conference

NEW YORK – Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo is the NHL’s first star of the week after stopping all but one shot over three games.Blues goaltender Chris Mason and Bruins winger Phil Kessel were the second and third stars

TORONTO – Luke Schenn’s rapid rise from green rookie to competent big-leaguer was one of the bright spots in another non-playoff season for the Toronto Maple Leafs and playing in the IIHF World Hockey Championship will further enhance his development

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche brass feel the organization has lost its way so general manager Francois Giguere is out of a job.Giguere was fired one day after the team finished last in the Western Conference for the first time since moving to Denver in 1995

Results Sunday:IIHF Women’s World Championship At Hameenlinna, FinlandGold Medal GameU.S. 4 Canada 1IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship Preliminary RoundAt Moorhead, Minn

Scoring summaries from Sunday’s NHL games:Red Wings 0 at Blackhawks 3First Period1. Chicago, Ladd 15 (Seabrook, Byfuglien) 7:292. Chicago, Toews 34 (Kane, Havlat) 11:29Penalties – Bolland Chi (hooking) 11:54, Burish Chi (slashing) 12:50, Byfuglien Chi (hooking) 17:17

Movements in the world of hockey:National Hockey LeagueCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS-Reassigned C Jacob Dowell to Rockford (AHL).