Group: User Level:
Posts: 276 Joined: 12/17/2014 IP-Address: saved

| LOS ANGELES -- Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar scored power-play goals, Jonathan Quick made 17 saves in his sixth shutout of the season, and the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff spot with a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night. Jerseys Cheap Authentic . Kopitar, Jeff Carter and rookie Tanner Pearson each had a goal and an assist for the surging Kings, who have all but locked up third place in the Pacific Division and a first-round post-season matchup with California rivals San Jose or Anaheim. Thomas Greiss stopped 28 shots for the Coyotes, whose playoff hopes have been hurt by three straight losses. Phoenix and Dallas are even in eighth place in the Western Conference with 85 points apiece, but the Stars have seven games still to play -- two more than the Coyotes. Phoenix hadnt been shut out since a 2-0 loss to Columbus on Jan. 2, but the Coyotes managed few good chances against Quick and the Kings formidable defence. Quicks shutout was the 31st of his career, leaving him one shy of tying Rogie Vachons franchise record. Quick, whose six shutouts are second-most in the NHL behind Bostons Tuukka Rask, passed Vachon to become the winningest goalie in Kings history last month. Pearson scored his third career goal and Alec Martinez had two assists for the Kings, who had lost three straight to Phoenix. Los Angeles has been outstanding since the Olympic break, winning 14 of 18 on the way to its fifth consecutive playoff berth. The Kings have won seven of eight over the past two weeks, solidifying their post-season plans after a prolonged skid before the break. Los Angeles took the lead just 1:20 after the opening faceoff when Jeff Carter feathered a beautiful cross-ice pass to Pearson, who dropped to one knee to take the shot. Pearson, the Kings first-round pick in 2012, has earned a regular lineup spot after just 22 games in his rookie season. Doughty scored early in the second period, putting a shot behind Carters moving screen. The two-time, gold medal-winning defenceman played an outstanding two-way game, passing and shooting with the formidable skill showcased while playing for Canada in Sochi. Carter scored on an end-to-end rush midway through the third period, forcing a turnover and blowing a shot past Greiss. Kopitar scored his 25th goal of the season 40 seconds later on a vicious one-timer, giving the Slovenian centre six 25-goal seasons in his career. Los Angeles (45-26-6) needs one more victory to match the franchise record of 46, done three times previously. The Kings, who have won eight straight road games, visit the Shark Tank on Thursday night to open a four-game trip. NOTES: C Martin Hanzal went to the Phoenix dressing room for several minutes in the first period after getting hurt by an elbow from Jordan Nolan, who received a minor penalty. ... Martinez has 14 points in his last 16 games. ... Greiss made his fifth straight start in place of Mike Smith, who has an injured right knee. Jerseys Cheap Paypal . Olivieri, at city hall to help kick off ticket sales for the Aug. 5-24 event to be held in four Canadian cities, said Wednesday that Canada has a new generation of talent on the rise that can make its name just as Sinclair did at the same event in 2002 in Edmonton. Jerseys Cheap Online . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner.MANCHESTER, England -- As Champions League rallying cries go, Gerard Pique struck an unusually downbeat tone for a Barcelona player. Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. "Maybe they dont fear us as before," Pique said on Monday, "because in the last two years we didnt win the Champions League." Uncertainty is seeping into the squad that was previously lauded as the greatest-ever, having won the Champions League three times since 2006. And it is showing as the round of 16 begins. Such pessimism, though, seems at odds with Barcas current outlook. The team is already through to the domestic cup final and top of the Spanish standings, albeit only on goal difference in a three-way tussle with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, while Lionel Messi has 10 goals in 10 games since returning from a two-month injury layoff. "We are a team with a lot of players who won the World Cup (with Spain), the Champions League, leagues," said Pique, a former defender at Citys rival, Manchester United. "We can still be the best, but we have to show the world we can do it. Tomorrow is a great chance." It is also a chance to shift the attention away from Barcas most damaging crisis in years. Club president Sandro Rosell abruptly quit last month as he fights a lawsuit alleging he misappropriated funds by hiding the real cost of the signing of Brazil striker Neymar with false contracts.. Cheap Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys. The saga has taken some of the sheen of footballing perfection off a Catalan football institution that is owned by its members and prides itself as being "more than a club." "We know within the club maybe in the last six months there were some things that we could not control (as) the players," Pique said. "All we can do is tomorrow on the pitch show the world we can still be the best." Their opponents, seen by some pundits as a "Mini-Barcelona," are on a turbo-charged mission -- funded by Abu Dhabi -- to become a global force. Not only is Citys board room populated by former Camp Nou executives, but the team attempts to play with similar stylish, short-passing moves. "City is one of the greatest teams in the world right now," coach Gerardo Martino said through a translator. "They are very similar to us, maybe they are a bit more direct but they have good possession ... if we dont have the ball its just pointless to turn up." Perhaps, thats not what the visiting fans want to hear. Losing over two legs would be hard for Martino to take, given the four-time European champions are taking on a team in its first knockout phase, and is third in the Premier League. "For the last six seasons, Barcelona has made it to the semifinals and the fans are used to that," Martino said. "It would be difficult to understand that we didnt go through." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
|