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LOS ANGELES -- Even after three games and a cross-country flight in the previous five days, the Los Angeles Kings came out roaring at home with a three-goal first period against Winnipeg. Jared Abbrederis Packers Jersey . Coach Darryl Sutters team knows all about peaking for the post-season after its Stanley Cup title run two years ago, and the Kings are counting down the games until they can try it again. Anze Kopitar scored two goals in the first period, Jonathan Quick made 24 saves, and the Kings beat the Jets 4-2 Saturday night for their sixth straight victory. Trevor Lewis and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings, who havent lost since March 17. Marian Gaborik and Willie Mitchell had two assists apiece as Los Angeles took a big early lead and cruised to its 14th win in 17 games. "I dont think there is any coasting goes on, period," Sutter said. "Youre just trying to refine parts of your game, very simple. You are trying to take care of your own business first. Youre not a playoff team until you clinch the playoff spot." The Kings are just a couple of wins away from clinching their fifth straight playoff trip and a first-round matchup with San Jose or Anaheim. After 4 1/2 weeks of outstanding play out of the Olympic break, theyre all but locked into third place in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles has won 13 of 16 since Sochi, with three one-goal losses between two lengthy winning streaks. Kopitars third multigoal game of the season was set up by another strong offensive game from Kings newcomer Gaborik, who had his second multipoint performance on Los Angeles top line. "We have a chance to finish very strong and prepare for the playoffs," said Gaborik, who has eight points in his past nine games with Los Angeles. "This team works well in a system. Everybody is on the same page. Everybody is trusting each other. Its like one big machine." And that machine steamrolled the Jets in the opening 20 minutes. Matt Halischuk and Blake Wheeler scored in the third period for the Jets, who hadnt visited Los Angeles since Jan. 3, 1996. Ondrej Pavelec gave up three goals in the first period before getting pulled, and Al Montoya stopped 12 shots in the final 40 minutes. Winnipeg has lost four of six and 10 of 13, its playoff hopes dwindling to a faint prayer. The Jets trail eighth-place Phoenix in the Western Conference standings by nine points with seven games to go and three teams between them. The erstwhile Atlanta Thrashers finally have appeared in every NHL road arena since their move to Manitoba in 2011, but they couldnt keep up in the first period against their surging hosts. "We got taught a real good lesson in the first period about being ready to play a hard game," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. "We were just giving up so much ice and backing up. The last two periods, we were ready to play. Theres a learning lesson for some." The Kings went ahead just 2:42 in when a sharp-angled shot somehow got past Pavelec for Lewis career-best sixth goal of the season. Lewis didnt score in his first 38 games of the season, but the grinding forward has four goals in March. Kopitar then scored when a rebound of Gaboriks shot banked off his skate and in for the Slovenian centres 23rd goal. Gaboriks shot sent Winnipeg defenceman Mark Stuarts stick flying into Pavelecs chest. Kopitar scored again late in the period, muscling past the Winnipeg defence for a rebound backhand. "There is no explanation," Wheeler said of the Jets early effort. "They came out with the kind of energy you need to start a hockey game. We didnt. Thats what happens. After the opening period, we figured it out a little bit." After a scoreless second period, Halischuk scored his first goal since Dec. 14 from right in front of Quick, banging home Evander Kanes pass from below the goal line in the corner. Quick made an amazing facedown save with 1 minute to play, sticking his right leg into midair to block a long Winnipeg shot. NOTES: The Kings have outscored their opponents 19-11 during their winning streak. ... Los Angeles has 44 victories, two shy of the regular-season club record with seven games to go. ... Mitchell had his first multipoint game since April 5, 2012. The stay-at-home defenceman missed all of last season with injuries, and he had seven points in his first 69 games this season. Paul Hornung Packers Jersey . Jones had to work hard against Korean skip Kim Jisun and didnt hold a lead until the seventh end. Jones, lead Dawn McEwen, second Jill Officer and third Kaitlyn Lawes were 8-0 going into the game and had already clinched a berth in the semifinals. Packers #80 Jersey . And in that time span, the Tampa Bay Lightning have remained near the top of the Eastern Conference without star forward Steven Stamkos.CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Minutes after wrapping her second straight LPGA Tour victory and third of the season, Yani Tseng was looking ahead to the first major championship of the season. "I cant wait to start on Thursday," the top-ranked Taiwanese star about the Kraft Nabisco Championship. On Sunday in the Kia Classic, she closed with a 2-under 70 for a six-stroke victory. She finished at 14-under 274 on La Costas Legends Course and has had at least a share of the lead after all eight rounds the last two weeks. "Today the first hole, I just kind of felt like every day is the same," Tseng said. "I didnt feel like today was Sunday. I didnt feel like I had a three-shot lead. I just focused on playing one shot at a time. I think I did a good job to just kind of focus on myself." At 23, Tseng became the second-youngest player to reach 15 LPGA Tour victories. Nancy Lopez was 22 when she reached the mark. Tseng won the LPGA Founders Cup last week in Phoenix and also won the LPGA Thailand in February. She led the tour last season with seven victories -- including major victories in the LPGA Championship and Womens British Open -- and finished the year with 12 worldwide titles. "I think it is her work ethic," said Brittany Lincicome, 11 shots back at 3 under. "She has put a lot of effort into being No. 1. She has definitely raised the bar for the rest of us." South Koreas Sun Young Yoo had a 71 to finish second. "I think I played pretty good," Yoo said. "I just didnt make the short ones out there. It was a little too bumpy. She (Tseng) played great. There is nothing I can say. Yeah, it was fun to watch." Shanshan Feng shot a 67 -- the best round of the day -- to tie for third with South Koreas Jiyai Shin at 7 under. Shin had a 74. Tseng began the round with a three-stroke lead over Shin. The straight-hitting Shin birdied the second holee to pull within one, but struggled with her putter, missing par ties of 3 feet or closer on Nos. Casey Hayward Packers Jersey. 6, 12 and 15. Tseng chipped in for birdie on the par-4 fifth and also birdied the par-4 ninth. She made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and took a six-stroke lead when Shin bogeyed the par-4 16th. "You can see in her face she has a lot of confidence," Shin said. "Even her swing, too, she has a great follow-through and good alignment right now, so that makes her strong." Tseng had a three-putt bogey from 30 feet on the final hole, her only three-putt green of the week. She will be seeking her sixth major title this week at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage. Last year in the Kraft Nabisco, Tseng had the 54-hole lead, but closed with a 74 and lost to Stacy Lewis. It was the last time in seven events that Tseng has lost going into the final round with the lead. "I was very, very close last year," Tseng said. "But when I look back, I was very happy that I didnt win because thats why Im learning. If you keep winning, you dont know what youre going to learn. "Last year was a huge experience for me, and Im just heading into next week and Im look forward to it. I know what Im going to do and still play one shot at a time, be patient, and I love that golf course. The golf course suits me pretty well and suits my game." With the victory Sunday, she earned her 23rd point toward qualifying for the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame. Twenty-seven points and 10 years of service on the LPGA Tour are needed for induction. "The Hall of Fame is my dream since I was young," Tseng said. "The first year on the your, I mean, that really is my big dream. So I always keep that in my mind, and I try to win every tournament, focus on every tournament to see how can I improve." Tseng also won $255,000 and a Kia Optima Limited. ' ' ' |
