Joe Smith

Well, it’s officially over now. While the have known for a little while that their playoff hopes were slim, they were eliminated from contention after Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the at Ball Arena; they trail by nine points with four games left. This is just the second time in the last 12 seasons that Minnesota will not be in the postseason. Advertisement One reason why is the Wild’s record against the top three teams in the Central (Avalanche, , ), as they fell to 0-10-1 in those games after Tuesd…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Tristan Broz, the former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher from Bloomington, Minn, came through with the overtime goal for Denver to beat Boston University 2-1 in an men’s Frozen Four semifinal game at Xcel Energy Center. “That’s what every kid dreams of, doing something like that for your team,” Broz said. Advertisement The Terriers, in their second straight Frozen Four, took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a short-handed goal by Luke Tuch. But the Pioneers started to t…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston College continued to roll, delivering a convincing 4-0 win over Michigan on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center to reach the men’s Frozen Four national championship game. The Eagles will be in their first title game since 2012 and will face Denver, which , on Saturday. Advertisement “Probably the two best teams in the country,” said Boston College winger Gabe Perreault said. “So I’m not surprised it’s us in the end.” Perreault’s all-freshmen line with Will Smith and Ry…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Two nights before maybe the biggest game of his life so far, was asked to do one of the very few things he’s not so good at: Sing. Celebrini, 17, the expected No. 1 pick in , was at a team dinner with Boston University’s hockey team at the Capital Grille in downtown Minneapolis. The Terriers were playing one of their favorite games, “Shoe Check,” where teammates try to sneak something onto each other’s shoes (butter, etc.) under the table, and if they’re caught when a glass is…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — was among the many devastated Boston University players Thursday night. He pulled his No. 8 sweater over his head in a somber dressing room following the Terriers’ overtime loss in the Frozen Four semifinals. But the next step awaits Webber, 23, with the senior defenseman telling The Athletic he plans to sign his entry-level deal with the and join the team Sunday in Toronto. The hope, Webber said, is for him to join Toronto on their upcoming road trip to Florida, which begins…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Before David Carle entered a raucous dressing room Saturday night, the party had already started. There was a group circle and a popular University of Denver chant. There was some singing and dancing. Players alternated between yelling, “Party!” and Matty!“ after goalie Matt Davis, the unmistakeable MVP who had had the game of his life in shutting out top-seed Boston College. They raised the national championship trophy, which was theirs again for the second time in three years…

TAMPA, Fla. — general manager Julien BriseBois said Wednesday he has started preliminary conversations with and his agent, calling it a priority to get the captain re-signed this offseason. “I am very hopeful,” BriseBois said. Stamkos, 34, a pending unrestricted free agent, has said he wants to stay with the Lightning, the only team he’s played for since they made him the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He’s a two-time Cup champion and the face of the franchise. Stamkos said he was last sum…

Before Jon Cooper’s exit interview news conference Wednesday, he opened up with an apology. Cooper, the ’s longest-tenured coach, had come under fire for saying following Monday’s season-ending loss that you “might as well put skirts” on goalies. He commented on in Game 5 against the . Advertisement “As you know, we had a pretty disappointing series loss the other night and I made an inappropriate analogy about goalies in skirts,” Cooper said. “That is one of those moments, if you could just re…

TAMPA, Fla. — One of the first things general manager Julien BriseBois did after the team’s plane landed late Monday night was pull captain aside for a quick conversation. The season had just ended in a Game 5 loss to the , and that meant the clock was ticking on Stamkos hitting free agency July 1. Advertisement After putting off contract talks all season, BriseBois decided to connect with the face of his franchise right away. He called agent Don Meehan the next day. The message to Stamkos is…

TAMPA, Fla. — The insist their Cup window hasn’t closed. “It’s wide open,” winger said. The skeptics are there, though, pointing to back-to-back first-round defeats and an aging core. After a near-dynasty run to two Stanley Cup championships, three Cup Finals and 11 straight playoff series wins, the Lightning have now lost three straight series, the latest to their in five games. Advertisement The outside perception is that something has to change. They need to rework their roster. Make a big…