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CHICAGO -- On Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings were in Anaheim for Game 7 of their second-round series against the top-seeded Ducks. On Saturday, they travelled 1,700 miles to Chicago on the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Not much rest for Los Angeles, but certainly better than the alternative. Watch Game 1 on TSN and TSN GO, today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The Kings will take on the Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon in a short turnaround from their series-clinching 6-2 victory over Anaheim. It is a rematch of last years Western Conference finals, when the Blackhawks won in five games on the way to their second Stanley Cup title in four seasons. "Im not sure about the energy part of it," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said Saturday, "but I know how we handle losses and how we handle wins and how we handle travel, so you know theyre going to be honest in their preparation. You can trust that part of it. "Itll be certainly about putting forth their best effort, I know that." Los Angeles is making its third consecutive appearance in the Western Conference finals after the Kings rallied past San Jose and Anaheim in the first two series. The Sharks had a 3-0 lead in the first round, and the Ducks led 3-2 in their series against the Kings. Chicago has been waiting for its next opponent since it beat Minnesota 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks had a similar break after they eliminated St. Louis in the first round. "I think the days off helps every team this time of year, get some rest, allows you to prepare for your opponent," Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. "At the end of the day, once that puck drops, I think both teams are going to be ready to play." The break also provided more time for Chicago forward Andrew Shaw to get healthy. The tenacious centre missed the final five games of the Wild series with an apparent right leg injury, but he skated before the Blackhawks practiced on Saturday and could return after Game 1 against the Kings. Los Angeles is hoping for the return of injured defencemen Robyn Regehr and Willie Mitchell. Mitchell has missed eight games, but is skating again. Sutter said he could return against Chicago. "You have a muscle injury that was related to a knee injury," Sutter said after practice at the teams facility in El Segundo, California. "Cant (be) one of those deals where you get a guy for five minutes. You need to know that you get him for the whole game." The status of Shaw, Regehr and Mitchell could be a factor in a matchup of the NHLs second-highest scoring team in Chicago and the stingiest team in the league in Los Angeles. "Theyre obviously defending champs, and we want to take that back," Kings forward Jarret Stoll said. "We know what it takes to win and weve tasted that and it tastes pretty good. So we want to get it back from them." Los Angeles was the defending champion when it took on Chicago in the playoffs last year. But the banged-up Kings were unable to keep up with the high-flying Blackhawks, who got a hat trick from Patrick Kane in the clinching double-overtime victory in Game 5. Chicago is 9-2 against Los Angeles over the past two years, outscoring the Kings 35-24. "Theyre playing really well right now so weve got to be focused on what theyve been doing the last couple series," Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook said. "Theyre never out of a game or a series. If we get up, we have to step on their throats. If were down, we have to work like hell to get back. "But at the end of the day we have to play our game and focus on what weve been doing well throughout the playoffs, get better at that and be the team that we can be." Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... . Can it be repeated? The Roughriders are fairly well positioned heading into the off-season. Yes, they have some big ticket free agents to deal with but ones they should be able to retain. Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... . The Pelicans had seven players in double figures and stayed in the game despite foul trouble all night for big man Anthony Davis. Davis ended up playing the fourth quarter with four fouls, providing enough of a presence on both ends of the floor to allow his teammates to go strong to the hoop. Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... . - The Baltimore Ravens and left tackle Eugene Monroe reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday. Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... . -- Jed Lowrie and Oakland are hoping Saturdays ninth inning against Houston will carry over to the rest of the season for the Athletics. Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... . Hockey Canada announced the roster on Monday, naming 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders to the team. For additional coverage, watch SportsCentre and Thats Hockey for in-depth reports and analysis.SOCHI, Russia – Mike Babcock has to hope the constant tinkering is just about done. The Canadian head coach has been shuffling his deck of impressive cards from the moment his team touched down here in Russia, searching for the right mixture that will yield a second consecutive gold medal. Babcock will employ his fourth different set of forward combinations at Wednesdays quarterfinal against Latvia. Only one line gained any kind of traction during the preliminary round, a trio that includes Jonathan Toews, Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau. "Weve changed our lines, in my opinion – same at last Olympics – too much," said Babcock. Stingy in their defensive game in wins over Norway, Austria and Finland, the Canadian squad has not been the potent offensive machine one might expect with such an overwhelming talent base. In fact, the defence, led by the polished Drew Doughty with four goals, actually outscored the forwards – only three of whom have scored – in the preliminary round. All of which explains the continued juggling. And unlike say the American team, who has thrived behind the work of Toronto linemates, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, Canada has not yet benefited from any of the NHL pairs it brought to Sochi. Though reunited once more, Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz have failed to establish their Pittsburgh connectivity. Toews and Patrick Sharp landed together for one largely quiet game. And the scary Anaheim duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf has just a single goal and will try its third left winger in Jamie Benn against the Latvians. "Were just trying to find some ways to have better execution and generate some more chances," said John Tavares, likely to be paired with a mix that includes Sharp, Rick Nash and perhaps Martin St. Louis. "When we get our chances, weve got to put them in. Were not giving up a whole lot and we are controlling the game so I think those are good signs. I think that will lead to good things, especially with all the talent we have and the ability to create chances that we have." As promised – and perhaps to the recent chagrin of Babcock, based on the above remarks – Canada has not remained patient with any of the combinations it blended up. Carter, for instance, played one subpar game with Crosby and was promptly the 13th forward at the outset of game two. With talent bursting at the seams of the roster, the rationale behind shuffling what doesnt appear to work is understandable. "I think the one thing weve learned over time is if its not there, chemistry-wise, move," assistant coach Ken Hitchcock said before the tournament began. "Dont sit there and wait on it because [if] its not there early it aint there later." The challenge, of course, is that chemistry can take time to develop, but in a tournament that numbers two weeks, waiting really isnt an attractive option, though in some cases may be warranted. EEvgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin, as fearsome a twosome as imaginable, remained together for each of Russias four games despite combining for just two goals.dddddddddddd They did, however, see a new left wing in their qualification round match against Norway with Alex Semin replaced by Alex Popov. Whether that patience will be rewarded remains to be seen. In the case of Crosby, who has just two assists with a rotating cast of linemates, part of the fallout would seem to stem from the absence of Steven Stamkos, projected to be Ovechkin to Crosbys Malkin here in Sochi. The Canadian captain has played with eight different line combinations in 11 Olympic games dating back to Vancouver in 2010. "I think youre always aware of who youre playing with and what their strengths are," said Crosby, "but I dont think it changes what you do out there. I dont think you really have a chance to over-think too much. As far as what youre doing individually, its more your game plan as a team is whats going through your mind, rather than who youre necessarily playing with. All the guys here are so good, I think you can just read off each other, no matter who youre playing with." Babcock is betting on that being Kunitz, who rejoins Crosby and Patrice Bergeron against the Latvians. "Obviously I love playing with him," said Kunitz. "I have the tendencies and the chemistries when we play together in the NHL. We still have to go out and execute better … We have to make sure we go out and produce offensively. We have to make sure we go out and produce offensively, but make sure were working every shift, getting that momentum going forward every time somebody else gets on the ice." Outside of re-adjusting various combinations, Babcock is also pushing his group to attack the front of the net and middle of the ice with more regularity. They were largely held to the perimeter by a savvy Finnish squad in the final game of the preliminary round – all part of the ongoing adjustment to the international ice surface. An emphasis among players also centered around more puck possession and less of the dump-and-chase game preferred in much of the NHL. "It hasnt been easy to get to the front of the net, but weve controlled the play," said Tavares. "Theres been some times where teams are trying to slow us down and make it tough for us to get there." Handed just four power plays in three games, the Canadians are also hunting for more opportunity with the man advantage. Unlike the forward combinations, the defence pairings have remained rock-solid thus far and considering how well Canada has played overall defensively, with almost no chances against in the 2-1 overtime win against the Finns, a huge injection of offence might not be necessary to repeat with gold. But with potent obstacles from the U.S. and Russia potentially down the line, an improvement from the present is likely needed. Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... Ulogujte se da bi ste vidjeli ovaj Link... ' ' '
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