Thumbs up to the Los Angeles Kings, for making us believe in something we cant see. Jeremy Maclin Jersey . Who could see the Kings winning the first round of last seasons Stanley Cup playoffs after losing the first three games against San Jose? All that happened in three subsequent rounds became more believable because, by then, it was assumed that the Kings were capable of winning against any difficult odds. They brought that reputation into this season, and so a third Stanley Cup in four years is going to seem possible til its not. After five losses in six games, the Kings needed some of their inner strength against St. Louis on Thursday, and it went missing as they fell behind 3-0. But three goals werent enough for the Blues just as three games werent enough for the Sharks. The Kings rallied to win Thursdays game 6-4 (insert here a line about Martin Brodeurs shaky goaltending…if you wish) and the Kings said what you knew theyd say--We are a team that can do this because weve done this. They did it last season as a third-place finisher in their division. The current standings say theyre nothing more than a wild-card team. They dont look like the best team in the league, but if they say they feel they are and can prove it when it counts, they win all arguments to the contrary with evidence that trumps doubt. -- Thumbs down to the Washington Capitals for denying Swedens entry in the World Junior Hockey Championship the services of forward Andre Burakovsky and for then sending Burakovsky to their Hershey AHL affiliate. When an NHL team keeps a player out of the World Junior Championship because it doesnt want to be without him in its own lineup, it is fully understood and accepted. But all NHL teams should feel an obligation to make available any teenagers in their systems who will not be in their lineups over the holiday period. Sure, the Capitals can say they might need to recall Burakovsky, or they want him to get personalized coaching help in Hershey, but the junior tournament is important for hockey, and those who are good enough to play in it should be playing for their countries if theyre not playing regularly for their NHL teams. One wonders what Washington would have done with an American player under similar circumstances. And lets add a thumbs down to the Halifax Mooseheads for trading Team Canada goalie Zach Fucale a week before his first world junior game. He knew it was coming. So what? It shouldnt have come until he got home. Morgan Cox Jersey . -- Jonathan Vilmas season is over and his future on the football field is in doubt. Nico Siragusa Jersey . The 2014 edition will be the ninth meeting between the Caps and Vikes in a tradition that dates back to 2005. "Since the original Whitecaps, the club has enjoyed fantastic support from fans in Victoria and all across Vancouver Island," said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi.TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry sat at his locker nursing a headache in the moments after the Toronto Raptors loss on Sunday, the product of a misplaced knee. The Raptors were thoroughly dismantled by a speedy Phoenix Suns team in a 121-113 loss, but Lowry and coach Dwane Casey insisted there would be no lingering pain after a rare defeat at home. "Its not a systemic problem, its one game, we knew we werent going to go undefeated the rest of the way," Casey said. "That team right there, theyre fighting for their playoff lives like we are, and theyre a quality team in the west. "Its not like its the end of the world." Lowry scored 19 of his 28 points in the third quarter against the run-and-gun Suns, but his standout effort wasnt enough as the Raptors (37-28) lost at the Air Canada Centre for just the fifth time in the last 16 games. There were some scary moments with about a minute-and-a-half to go when Lowry went down in a scramble for a loose ball, and was ploughed in the head by first one of PJ Tuckers knees and then the other. "Ive got a headache. . . These (TV camera) lights are killing me right now," Lowry said, shrugging off any suggestion of a concussion. "PJs not a dirty guy, Ive known him for a while. He even apologized after the game. . . . Hes a strong dude, so it hurt." Terrence Ross finished with 22 points while Amir Johnson had 20, DeMar DeRozan finished with 17, and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 15. Gerald Green scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to top the Suns (38-27), while Goran Dragic added 19, and Markieff Morris had 16 point and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Raptors had been red-hot the past several weeks, positioning themselves for their first playoff appearance in six seasons. Theyd gone an Eastern Conference-best 11-3 since Feb. 10 heading into Sundays game and sat first place in the Atlantic Division. But the hungry Suns also have the playoffs in their sights. They went into Sunday trailing Memphis by a game-and-a-half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. "Thats a helluva team right there," DeRozan said. "(We can) just learn from it. We battled, a lot of stuff didnt go our way. . . It was just a tough night overall. The Suns outran the Raptors all afternoon, and led by as much as 14 points before taking a 96-90 advantage into the fourth in front of a crowd of 18,717 energetic fans at the Air Canada Centre. The visitors pulled ahead by 15 a couple of times in the final 12 minutes before a basket and free throw by Lowry made it a seven-point deficit witth 4:08 to play. Kamalei Correa Jersey. But on the Suns next trip down the floor, Morris grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put the game virtually out of reach. "Theyre up and down," Lowry said. "They got out. . . 121 (points), thats their type of game. We dont want to have a type of game like that, we want to hold teams under 100, under 90 preferably." Rebounding proved problematic for the Raptors all afternoon, with Suns owning a whopping 45-26 advantage on the boards. "Again, no time to panic," Casey said. "I dont think were going to see that type of speed and quickness -- at least I hope not -- the rest of the way." The Raptors frustration showed at times. Casey was slapped with a technical for arguing a call, then DeRozan collected a tech when he kicked the ball in anger. "It was just tough when youre going out there playing hard and sometimes you dont get a call that youre fighting or dying for and that we may need at a critical time," DeRozan said. Both teams shot well, the Suns going 50.7 per cent from the field to Torontos 49.4. There was plenty of energy from both teams in a first-quarter shootout. The Raptors and Suns combined for 10-for-14 from three-point range. The Raptors led by as much as nine, but Marcus Morris drained two consecutive threes to put the Suns up 37-35 going into the second. "The guys seemed really focused tonight," said Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek. "They came out right from the start, they had the energy. Maybe it was the one oclock game that were not used to playing; they thought it was a great opportunity. I thought were on ESPN or something." The Raptors went 0-for-8 to open the second quarter until a John Salmons pull-up jumper more than five minutes in. The Raptors ended the quarter with a 10-2 run and when Ross drained a three, and pumped one fist in the air, it pulled Toronto to within two points. The Suns led 61-59 at halftime. The Raptors fell behind by 14 points with just under six minutes to play in the third, when Lowry almost single-handedly got them back in the game. He scored 10 points in the final 3:38 of the quarter and the Raptors went into the fourth trailing 96-90. NOTES: Raptors forward Patrick Patterson missed his fifth game with an elbow injury. Casey said he will be evaluated again Monday. . . The Raptors are on the road for two games -- Tuesday at Atlanta and Wednesday at New Orleans -- before returning home to host Oklahoma City next Friday . . . The Raptors had won three in a row against the Suns before a 106-97 loss in Phoenix on Dec. 6. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '