Hockey

BROSSARD — Martin St. Louis carried an underlying belief in himself throughout his playing career, beating the odds to reach the Hall of Fame. Now head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, that confidence is becoming contagious. St.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone was coming back from a lacerated spleen , Tomas Hertl was still trying to find his form after knee surgery and Alex Pietrangelo underwent an appendectomy as the playoffs neared.

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Ty Emberson to a two-year contract extension, the NHL club announced Saturday. The contract carries an average annual value of US$1.3 million.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk skated with the Florida Panthers in practice on Saturday, a sign that he may be ready to rejoin the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Peter Laviolette was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Saturday, ending his tenure after two seasons, the second of which was a massive underachievement of missing the playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will renew playoff hostilities Sunday — the first time the provincial rivals have faced off in a post-season Battle of Ontario in more than two decades.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The spotlight has been on Marc-Andre Fleury all season, with the soon-retiring goalie who has the second-most victories in NHL history winding down his farewell tour with the Minnesota Wild .

OTTAWA — It has taken longer than expected, but the Ottawa Senators are in the NHL playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Minnesota Wild (45-30-7, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-10, in the Pacific Division) Paradise, Nevada; Sunday, 10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -189, Wild +158; over/under is 5.

New Jersey Devils (42-33-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, in the Metropolitan Division) Raleigh, North Carolina; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hurricanes -211, Devils +173; over/under is 5.