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Hockey fans, today's Connections: Sports Edition is for you. All four categories are hockey-related. If you're struggling with today's puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic's own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Fire it into the net!
Green group hint: Lord Stanley's hardware.
Blue group hint: Where hockey teams play.
Purple group hint: Put the biscuit in the basket.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Types of hockey goals.
Green group: Last four teams to win the Stanley Cup.
Blue group: NHL arena names.
Purple group: Hockey terms that are also food items.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 18, 2026.
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is types of hockey goals. The four answers are empty net, even strength, power play and short-handed.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is last four teams to win the Stanley Cup. The four answers are Avalanche, Golden Knights, Lightning and Panthers.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is NHL arena names. The four answers are Ball, Canadian Tire, Capital One and TD.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is hockey terms that are also food items. The four answers are apple, biscuit, grinder and icing.
