The Los Angeles Kings spent much of the season waiting for their role players to step up.
The contributions they had been seeking finally came Jordan Mills Jersey , putting the Kings on the verge of making the playoffs.
Dustin Brown had a short-handed goal, and Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Clifford also scored to help Los Angeles move back into third place in the Pacific Division with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.
Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for the Kings, who are one point ahead of Anaheim and can secure a postseason berth by earning one point from their final two games.
”It’s a big step,” Brown said. ”Things have to go really wrong for us and really good for other teams, but you’re never in until you’re in.”
Alexander Kerfoot had a power-play goal and Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots for the Avalanche.
Colorado leads St. Louis by one point for the second Western Conference wild card, but the Blues have a game in hand. The Avalanche host the Blues on Saturday in the final game of the regular season for both.
”We have a young team, but there are still no excuses,” Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. ”We know we should be in the playoffs. We are a good team and we’ve worked hard all season. We’ve got to get creative.”
The Kings played more than 56 minutes with just five defensemen after Derek Forbort was injured when he was checked into the boards by Gabriel Bourque. Alec Martinez played a career-high 32:11, one of four Kings defensemen to play at least 20 minutes.
”You ask big minutes out of those guys Vontae Davis Jersey , to dig in and play with different partners, possibly play the wrong side and different matchups than you’re accustomed to,” Kings coach John Stevens said. ”I thought that effort on the back end in terms of how far they dug in and how hard they competed was excellent.”
Stevens could not update the condition of Forbort, who left the dressing room on crutches and unable to put any weight on his right leg.
While their defensive depth was pushed to the limits, the Kings got some much-needed offense from their bottom two lines.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead at 9:29 of the first period thanks to an opportunistic goal by Mitchell. Bernier was caught by surprise when Nate Thompson’s shot hit the boards and bounced into the crease, jumping into the air to avoid sending it back into his own net. Mitchell charged in to score his sixth of the season.
Brown made it 2-0 at 12:32, scoring his 24th on a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle.
Clifford scored on a wraparound two minutes into the third period to restore a two-goal lead for the Kings after Kerfoot cut the deficit to 2-1 at 4:33 of the second, going top shelf over Quick’s glove for his second goal in two games.
Clifford ended a run of 12 games without a goal. Mitchell hadn’t scored since Feb. 20.
”You see what guys are willing to do this time of year and emotionally invest in a game,” Stevens said. ”I thought everybody was willing to dig in when the game mattered. We all know the enormity of this game for both teams http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/marcus-murphy-jersey , and we knew it was going to take a second and third effort on a lot of plays to get it done.”
NOTES: The Kings swept the season series against the Avalanche, limiting them to one goal in each of the three games. … Avalanche forward Colin Wilson had an assist after missing the previous five games with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Kings: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
—
Tight end Greg Olsen realizes there’s a sense of urgency to win a Super Bowl ring now for a returning core group of Carolina Panthers who are fast approaching the end of their NFL careers.
Julius Peppers is 38 years old. Mike Adams is 37. Thomas Davis is 35. Ryan Kalil is 33, and has already said this year will be his last. The roster includes 19 players that are 29 or older, including Cam Newton.
”Yeah, I mean, I want to get one for them – but I want to get one for myself, too,” joked the 33-year-old Olsen as the Panthers reported to Wofford College for the start of training camp on Wednesday.
Olsen knows how difficult that can be, particularly when competing in the toughest division in football. Three NFC South teams won at least 10 games last season and reached the playoffs.
Carolina won 11 games – and was a wild card team.
Olsen is among 21 holdovers from the NFC Championship team that went 17-1 three seasons ago before losing to the Denver Broncos 24-10 in the Super Bowl.
”Coming so close and realizing just how hard it is to get there and fall short adds to that urgency Chris Ivory Jersey ,” Olsen said. ”A lot of us have been playing this game a long time. We know there is no guarantee in anything. So you have to take advantage when you can. … There is no telling how many years go by until you get a shot at another one.”
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he feels that sense of urgency among some of his veterans, but is confident the players will ”approach things the right way and build to where we want to be.”
While the core of the team remains mostly intact – the exceptions being Jonathan Stewart, Charles Johnson and Kurt Coleman, who were released – the Panthers will have the challenge of adapting to three new coordinators.
Eric Washington takes over the defense after Steve Wilks became the second Carolina defensive coordinator to leave for an NFL head coaching job in two years.
Norv Turner, who once coached Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin to a pair of Super Bowls in the early 1990s with the Dallas Cowboys, replaces offensive coordinator Mike Shula after the Panthers finished 19th on offense last year.
Chase Blackburn is the new special teams coordinator.
The defense and special teams won’t change much, but the offense is expected to look noticeably different under Turner, who will be in charge of getting the most out of Newton Jerry Hughes Jersey , one of the game’s most dangerous dual-threat QBs.
Newton combined for 45 touchdowns passing and rushing with 10 only interceptions in 2015 to earn league MVP honors. In the two years since his production has dropped off with 52 combined touchdowns with 30 interceptions.
Newton is learning a new scheme under Turner, but at least he’s healthy.
Last year he missed most of the offseason workouts and the early portion of training camp recovering from shoulder surgery as the Panthers eased him back in.
Wide receiver Devin Funchess said Newton is full of energy this summer and ”ready to rock.”
Carolina is to build on four trips to the playoffs in the last five seasons.
Christian McCaffrey said the Panthers have their eyes set on winning a Super Bowl and nothing less – something the second-year running back believes is ”absolutely” possible.
”We have the guys, we have the talent and we have the leadership,” McCaffrey said. ”We have some unbelievable coaches as well. So we are excited.”
NOTES: Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said Peppers (shoulder), wide receiver Fred Ross (hip), tight end Chris Manhertz (foot) and defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. (ankle) will start training camp on physically unable to perform list, and wide receiver Curtis Samuel (ankle) will begin on the non-football injury list. Hurney was optimistic all have a chance to be ready for the regular season. … Hurney said the Panthers will look to sign a tight end with Manhertz injured.
Thema drucken
20.09.2018 09:22
Antworten
