Welcome to your daily dose of the latest NHL news and NHL scores for Thursday, May 21, 2026. As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to heat up with the conference finals officially underway, the off-ice business is moving just as fast for teams looking to lock in their leadership for the future. Today, all eyes are on Western New York and the Rocky Mountains.
Buffalo Sabres Lock Up Lindy Ruff with Two-Year Contract Extension
In what is undoubtedly the biggest piece of NHL news today, the Buffalo Sabres have officially signed head coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year contract extension, keeping the legendary bench boss in Buffalo through the 2027-28 season.
The announcement comes just two days after the Sabres suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the second round. Despite falling short of the Eastern Conference Final, Ruff’s impact on this organization has been nothing short of miraculous. At 66 years old, Ruff took a struggling roster and engineered a “worst-to-first” turnaround. Not only did Buffalo win their first Atlantic Division title, but they famously snapped their agonizing, league-record 14-season playoff drought.
Ruff, who currently stands as a Jack Adams Award finalist for coach of the year, stated during his press conference that while he’d rather still be playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he is heavily committed to finishing what he started. Backed by GM Jarmo Kekalainen, Ruff has restored a winning culture in Buffalo, making this extension a highly praised move across the league.
Last Night’s NHL Scores: Golden Knights Strike First in Colorado
Transitioning from off-ice transactions to on-ice action, we have all your crucial NHL scores from yesterday, May 20. The highly anticipated Western Conference Final got underway at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
The Vegas Golden Knights silenced the hometown crowd by securing a massive 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. A glaring storyline from the matchup was the absence of Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar, who shockingly missed Game 1. Vegas capitalized on Colorado’s missing defensive anchor, leveraging their aggressive forecheck to steal home-ice advantage right out of the gate.
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