Vegas is on its way [url=http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ryan-kalil-jersey]Ryan Kalil Jersey[/url] , beating the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Tuesday night and becoming the first expansion team in league history to sweep its first playoff series.
”All season long, I didn’t know any records about expansion teams,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ”We just do what a regular team would, we just play the game and try to win. That’s it.”
Brayden McNabb scored against his former team in the second period and Fleury stopped 31 shots as the Knights finished off their fourth one-goal victory of the series. It was the goalie’s second shutout of the playoffs.
”I didn’t picture this happening, me scoring a goal against the Kings,” McNabb said, ”but it feels real good to get this win and finish this series.”
The Knights poured into the net to hug Fleury at the final horn. Vegas fans in the crowd chanted the goalie’s name in celebration.
”We knew we were getting a superstar when we got him,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”He has playoff experience and he’s been a part of three Cups and he makes us better. LA put on the pressure on him but he was huge for us.”
The Knights became the second team to win their first four playoff games, joining the 1970 Pittsburgh Penguins.
McNabb scored from the right circle, beating Jonathan Quick’s glove [url=http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-quandre-diggs-jersey]Quandre Diggs Jersey[/url] , at 4:04 of the second for his first career playoff goal. The Kings left the defenseman exposed in last year’s expansion draft and the Knights snapped him up.
The Kings pulled Quick in the closing seconds, when Dustin Brown skated straight toward the net and just missed.
”That’s what the playoffs are all about. It’s so close,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. ”It’s not like we were blown out of the water.”
Brown also hit the left post with 10 minutes to go in the third, typical of the close calls that failed to generate goals for the Kings in the series. They outshot the Knights 31-21 in the game.
”It was crazy in the final minute of the game. They were buzzing around,” Fleury said. ”We had to keep pushing to the very end.”
Facing elimination, the Kings came out aggressively and outshot the Knights 14-8 in the opening period. Quick stopped two shots on goal during the only power play in the period when Adrian Kempe was sent off for hooking.
”I thought our hockey team got better through the series,” first-year Kings coach John Stevens said. ”Tonight was our best game and created the most quality chances, just didn’t finish off.”
Quick made 20 saves and allowed seven goals in the series, but he and the Kings couldn’t duplicate the rally they pulled off in 2014. Los Angeles lost its first three games to the Sharks in the first round that year and went on to win the series and eventually the Stanley Cup.
”We just got knocked out of the playoffs. I don’t care what the score was,” defenseman Alec Martinez said. ”It’s a lot of disappointment in this room. We can’t forget how this feels.”
Vegas [url=http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-mario-addison-jersey]Mario Addison Jersey[/url] , the third expansion team since 1968-69 to clinch a playoff berth, awaits the winner of the series between Anaheim and San Jose, which the Sharks lead 3-0.
The Kings managed just three goals in the series and lacked offensive punch from Kopitar (one goal) and wingers Brown and Tyler Toffoli (no goals).
Brown fired a team-high six shots in the game, while Toffoli had three and Brown two.
Toffoli took a puck to the face, drawing blood from his nose to his mouth. He got stitches and returned 10 minutes later.
NOTES: Quick had a 1.55 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage. … Fleury earned his 66th playoff victory, breaking a tie with Dominik Hasek for 11th on the NHL’s all-time list among goaltenders. … The Kings fell to 12-31 all-time in Game 4s. … Retired Hall of Fame Kings announcer Bob Miller attended the game.
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The Dallas Stars will move forward with their new coach and a familiar young face after missing out on the NHL’s top free agent.
General manager Jim Nill started another long offseason for the Stars without postseason play by hiring coach Jim Montgomery out of the college ranks in early May. On the first day of free agency Sunday, right wing Valeri Nichushkin signed a $5.9 million, two-year contract to return to Dallas after the last two seasons playing at home in Russia.
Nichushkin was the 10th overall pick by the Stars in the 2013 draft, and had 64 points (23 goals, 41 assists) while playing 166 games in three seasons by time he was 21 before returning to Russia and playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Now he is back in the NHL at age 23.
”Over his past two seasons in the KHL and with the national team [url=http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-michael-roberts-jersey]Michael Roberts Jersey[/url] , he has continued his growth and development as a hockey player,” Nill said. ”He is a fantastic addition to our depth at forward and we look forward to his return to our club.”
The Stars were one of six teams who met last week with John Tavares, the New York Islanders captain who on Sunday agreed to a $77 million, seven-year deal to play for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tavares could have been a big boost for the Stars, who have missed the playoffs eight of the last 10 seasons. Dallas still has high-scoring All-Star forwards in captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. They also have goaltender Ben Bishop, who got a new backup Sunday.
Free agent goaltender Anton Khudobin signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Stars after a backup role in Boston last season behind Tuukka Rask. Khudobin has played in 147 games with 135 starts over the past nine seasons with four different teams.
Dallas also signed 12-year veteran right wing Blake Comeau to a $7.2 million, three-year contract after he spent the past three seasons in Colorado. Defenseman Roman Polak got a $1.3 million, one-year deal after 54 games for Toronto last season.
The 32-year-old Comeau, the Islanders’ second-round draft pick in 2004 [url=http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ryan-grant-jersey]Ryan Grant Jersey[/url] , had 13 goals and 21 assists last season with the Avalanche. That included three short-handed goals.
”His elite speed makes him a disruptive defensive presence and he fits well with what head coach Jim Montgomery is trying to accomplish,” Nill said.
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who is second in Stars history with 215 wins but had become a backup to Bishop, is an unrestricted free agent.
The Stars lost left wings Antoine Roussel ($12 million, four years with Vancouver) and Curtis McKenzie ($3 million, two years with Vegas), and defenseman Greg Pateryn ($6.75 million, three years with Minnesota) in free agency Sunday.
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