NHL playoff hockey has one absolute, and it's this: There are none. At least when it comes to teams populating the postseason field.Every new season inevitably produces teams putting the league on notice (we've arrived!) while simultaneously issuing eviction notices (you're out!) to previous postseason incumbents.Who doesn't love a little parity? And maybe a little hope: Could this season end…

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard played in his first preseason game with the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, and fans of the Original Six franchise were ready.So was Bedard, who had two assists in Chicago's 2-1 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues."I felt pretty good and comfortable and stuff, but I think I could do a lot better," Bedard said.…

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the first two months of the regular season after having back surgery Thursday.Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois announced Vasilevskiy, a five-time NHL All-Star and the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, underwent a successful microdiscectomy Thursday morning to repair a lumbar disc herniation.BriseBois said Vasilevskiy informed the team in August that he…

Three seasons ago, Tage Thompson was not yet Tage Thompson.He was a 23-year-old forward with the Buffalo Sabres, hitting a career high of eight goals and best known for being one of several players in the 2018 Ryan O'Reilly trade with St. Louis. But then he scored 38 goals in 2021-22. That was his breakout. He followed that up with…