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Matt Cooke still says he is a changed man. Cheap Patrick Chung Jersey . Less than a day after the NHL handed the Minnesota Wild forward a seven-game suspension for his knee-on-knee collision with Colorado Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie, Cooke reiterated to the media Thursday that he had no intention of hurting his opponent. "It was not my intent to collide knee-to-knee. Meant to finish my check," he said. The suspension has thrust Cooke back into a negative spotlight. From 2004 to 2011, he was suspended five times for a total of 27 games prior to his most recent conviction. Nonetheless, Cooke is adamant that his questionable decisions are a thing of the past. "Since March 20, 2011, Ive been a changed player," he said. "Stats prove Im a changed player." Cooke has 48 hours to appeal the decision, first to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. If Bettman upholds six games or more, Cooke then has seven days to file an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. He has yet to say whether or not he will appeal the ban. If the suspension is not fully served in this years playoffs, it will continue on next season. The Avalanche have a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Thursday. Cooke is apologetic for his action and says he is "disappointed" Barrie will miss any time due to injury. However, Avalanche coach Patrick Roy told reporters ealier in the day that the damage has already been done. "(Even if Cooke gets) 10, 15, 20 games, were still playing without Tyson," said Roy. Rob Ninkovich Mens Two ToneJersey . The Browns have relaxed their media limitations to see rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel practice. Donta Hightower Youth Red Jersey . For Kyle Lowry, its become an accepted reality. He will be traded. The question is, when and where? The Raptors point guard is widely believed to be next on general manager Masai Ujiris chopping block after the first domino - Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend - fell last week.LOS ANGELES -- The struggling Los Angeles Kings wont play another game for 20 days because of the Olympic break. That will give them plenty of time to savour Robyn Regehrs first career overtime goal and try to figure out how to score more often. The 33-year-old defenceman connected 2:33 into the extra session, giving the Kings a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night after a 10-game stretch in which Los Angeles was 1-8-1. It was only the eighth goal by the Kings in a span of eight games, including a 5-3 loss to Chicago on Monday. "Its important that we got a win," captain Dustin Brown said. "This team has been struggling and were trying to find a way to break through. Going on a two-week break with a taste of a win in our mouths is important, and it feels good. We have a good team here. Its just a matter of fighting our way through it." Jonathan Quick outdueled fellow Olympic goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with 24 saves and Jake Muzzin scored the tying goal early in the third period, helping Los Angeles end a four-game losing streak. Bobrovsky, last seasons Vezina Trophy winner, stopped 18 shots and lost for just the third time in 13 starts. Jack Johnson scored Columbus goal during a power play early in the first period. Regehr used teammate Jeff Carter and Blue Jackets defenceman Denis Savard as a screen before slapping his second goal of the season past Bobrovsky from the top of the left circle. Both of his goals have come against Columbus. "The guys gave me a hard time before the game about scoring that goal on these guys a couple weeks ago in their building, and I just got a good opportunity tonight," said Regehr, who played in his 1,000th regular-season game Saturday. "Mike (Richards) did a great job at locking the puck up the wall in overtime, Jeff was doing a really good job with the screen, and it was just a matter of putting the puck on the net after that." The Kings, 0-for-6 on the power play, got the equalizer with 16:51 left in regulation and the teams skating four-on-four. Muzzin cruised down the slot and converted Anze Kopitars centring pass for his fourth goal after staggered penalties to Columbus Nikita Nikitin for hooking and Slava Voynov for tripping. "Our team played a very strong road game tonight," Johansen said. "Credit to L.A., they really stuck to their game and ffound a way to win. Cheap Vince Wilfork Jersey. Theyre a big-bodied team over there. We had to match the physicality, and I thought our team toughness in here showed out on the ice. Our guys played a hard and heavy game, but Quick made a few big saves on us." Quick, 10-2-0 in his last 12 games against Columbus, is one of six Kings players who will go to the Olympics -- along with equipment manager Darren Granger. "You want all the guys that are going over there to play in the gold medal game, because they deserve it," coach Darryl Sutter said. For the second straight game, the Kings gave up a power-play goal in the first 2 minutes. Johnson got a cross-ice pass from Ryan Johansen in the right circle and beat Quick to the glove side with a 35-foot wrist shot while Tyler Toffoli was off for hooking. It was only the second goal in 53 games and fourth this season for Johnson, who was acquired by Columbus in a trade that sent Carter to Los Angeles in February 2012. The Kings, who were outshot 10-2 in the opening period, got their first power-play opportunity 1:50 before intermission. But the final 38 seconds of the man advantage were negated when they were assessed another bench minor for too many men. Another Kings power play was cut short early in the second period, when Brown was sent off for charging with 14 seconds left on Brandon Dubinskys goalie interference penalty. Los Angeles next power play came at 9:21 of the second, after R.J. Umbergers delay-of-game penalty. But Quick had to be sharp to thwart rapid-fire short-handed attempts by Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov just outside the crease. "We didnt have the start that we wanted to in the game, and weve been on a terrible run here in the last month. So were really happy to get this win," Regehr said. "It was a very important game for us. Now we can enjoy the break, then come back and get to work." NOTES: Former Kings broadcaster Pete Weber is in a St. Paul, Minn., hospital after undergoing a successful heart procedure. Weber currently is the TV play-by-play man for the Nashville Predators. ... All four Blue Jackets players who will be competing at the Sochi Olympics were born in Russia -- Bobrovsky, Tyutin, Anisimov and Nikitin. Slovakian-born RW Marian Gaborik, a two-time Olympian, withdrew Thursday due to his slow recovery from a broken collarbone that occurred on Dec. 21 and required surgery. ' ' ' |
