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An won three golds and a bronze in Sochi.
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings are a mountain to climb, and the size of the challenge comes home the closer you get. Jeff Driskel Jersey . The New York Rangers finally had a first-hand look in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, mounting an early assault before Los Angeles knocked them back to win 3-2 in overtime. Asked to compare the physicality of the well-drilled Kings to the three teams the Rangers have beaten in the playoffs to date, New York coach Alain Vigneault neatly summed up the challenge before the Blueshirts. "Philly was a physical team and they played on the edge," he said. "Pittsburgh played more of a skill game, but they also had quite a few players that played on the edge. Montreal was a real structured team. So they were three different opponents. "This one here is structured. Theyve got skill. Theyre physical. So makes it a pretty big challenge." You can add battle-hardened to that list. In the dog-eat-dog Western Conference, the Kings have come to the final the long way. They have had to run the gauntlet of San Jose, Anaheim and Chicago -- teams that finished 15, 20 and 11 points, respectively, ahead of New York in the regular season. And they did it without home-ice advantage. "Were a team thats just never going to go away," said Los Angeles forward Kyle Clifford. "Doesnt matter what the score is, were going to play our hardest and do what we do best." The Kings, who clawed their way back to dominate the second half of Wednesdays game, have already given the Rangers plenty to chew on. The New Yorkers, nestled in a five-star cubbyhole on the beach, had the day off Thursday to ponder the challenge. "To be able to be away from the game is a good thing, but at the same time I think if you ask every guy on our team, where were at mentally right now is were at the rink still," said forward Derek Stepan. "Guys are evaluating their own games, getting ready to make adjustments and get ourselves ready for Game 2." That comes Saturday, and Vigneault wasted little time challenging his players to up their game this time. "One thing is real evident to me, and it should be to our whole group, is were not going to beat this team if we do not all bring our A game," Vigneault said. "It is that strong of an opponent that were playing against. "We had Hank (goalie Henrik Lundqvist) that brought his A game last night. We had a couple guys. I dont want to name who, I think brought their A game. But our B game wont do it. Were not going to win if we bring our B game to the table. "Theyre one of the best teams Ive seen in a long time. Areas to exploit, they dont jump out at you. Were going to have to be better than we were." Unlike in the Eastern Conference final series against Montreal, where Vigneault and Habs coach Michel Therrien poked and prodded each other verbally, Vigneault has been all business so far in the final. He seems to be staring at the Kings, like a career bank robber pondering how to take down a state-of-the-art safe. The Rangers coach says his team knew going into the series what was needed to win. "Its something that we discussed -- how good the opponent was. And thats a challenge. At this time of the year to win, you got to bring your A game. Thats each and every player. When we played Game 6 against Montreal, each and every player brought his A game. Its not an easy thing to do. But against this opponent, I do believe our expectations are to win, (weve) got to find a way to do it." Vigneault is no strangers to the challenge, having crossed paths with the Kings many times during his years as coach of the Canucks. "They were a good team in the years past," he said. "Theyre a real good team now. Theyve obviously got more experience. They play their game plan to a T and they dont deviate in any shape, way, or form so that makes it real challenging for the opposition." Captain Dustin Brown says part of the secret of the Kings success is their familiarity. "For our team, its just a result of us being together for a long time. I think that goes a longer ways than most people think," he said. "When it gets really hard, really tough, you know the guy next to you very well. You know what hes going to do in those types of situations." Worrying for the Rangers is the fact the Kings, who fell behind 2-0 in the first period only to rally and outshoot New York 20-3 in the third, can be better. Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter acknowledged his team was sluggish following the quick turnaround from the gruelling series with Chicago. "Guys are not machines," he told a media availability at a hotel adjacent to their practice facility. "We can play a lot better," he added. "Its way better when youre not chasing the lead." Sutter did his bit to inject some life into his team, changing up the lines in the first period as soon as he saw some players did not have their legs under them. The Kings also had an off-day Thursday. Tyler Eifert Jersey . It was the quickest three-goal sequence in Olympic history, with the latter two coming just eight seconds apart. Kessel, Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne all scored twice for the Americans, and Molly Schaus made 10 saves in her Sochi debut. Jessie Bates III Jersey . "Hes over there," the first baseman said. "You dont need to talk to anybody else." Indeed, Peralta did it all as the majors top team won again.MONTREAL -- Charles Hamelin is confident that he wont stop at just one gold medal at the world short-track speedskating championships. Three weeks after winning gold in the 1,500 metres at the Sochi Olympics, Hamelin did it again Friday as he cruised to the win in the opening event at the Maurice Richard Arena. The 1,500 used to be the weakest event for the Ste-Julie, Que., skater, but now he seems to own the distance as he easily finished ahead of Han Tianyu of China and bronze medallist Park Se Yeong of South Korea. Earlier this week, the 29-year-old Hamelin announced that he will continue to skate at least four more years until the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. "In the 1,500 metres, every time I go on the podium now it proves that the work Ive done in the last four years has really paid off," he said. "Its proof that Im improving year after year. "Thats a big part of why I wanted to continue for four more years. You can see Im still strong. After a big event like Sochi, I was able to come back and refocus on what I need to do here. Im ready." Now he hopes to avoid the bad luck that followed his Olympic gold. In Sochi, he inexplicably fell in the heats of both the 500 and 1,000-metre events, dashing his hopes of sweeping the individual distances. He said the world championships are different because, instead of waiting a day or two between skates like at the Olympics, he will be back on the track Saturday for the 500 metres and the mens relay heats and again on Sunday for the 1,000, the 3,000, and, he hopes, the relay final. "Momentum is a big part of it and right now, its on my side," he said. "I had a great race and I know Im stronng in the 500 and 1,000 metres. Andy Dalton Jersey. " Hamelins goal is to win the overall title, which goes to the skater who does best cumulatively in the individual events. He has come second for that honour twice, but has never won it. He said the first rule is to avoid a disqualification in any race. The large crowd of mostly school children in the stands was worried that might happen when, halfway through the race, Hamelin nearly crashed into a South Korean. He managed to stay upright and then pass Han on the final lap to claim the win. Race officials did not call a foul. "He passed me on the outside and came back really quickly in front of me," said Hamelin. "He was one or two centimetres from hitting my blades. "It could have been a disaster for me, but I was able to control myself and not push too hard or lose too much speed. For him, the race was kind of over. It was a scary moment in the race." Hamelins biggest rival in recent years, five-time overall world champion Victor An of Russia, formerly known as Ahn Hyun-Soo of South Korea, never mounted a challenge and finished fourth. An won three golds and a bronze in Sochi. Wu Dajing of China was fifth ahead of South Koreans Lee Han-Bin and Sin Da Woon. Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., and Charle Cournoyer of Boucherville, Que., were eliminated in the semifinals. South Korea swept the podium in the womens 1,500. Shim Suk Hee finished first ahead of Kim Alang and Park Seung-Hi. Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., was caught at the finish line by Park and settled for fourth. Marianne St-Gelais lost in the semifinals while Marie-Eve Drolet was beaten in the heats and was classified 22nd.Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '
- Created: Nov 12 '18
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