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PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 4:09 am 
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The New York Rangers returned home Sunday with a bad taste in their mouth. Unable to hold a two-goal lead on three occasions in their 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings, the Rangers had plenty to rue in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final at Staples Center on Saturday night. But they were especially upset at a non-call early in the third period when Dwight King scored to pull the Kings to within one at 4-3. As Justin Williams moved the puck to Matt Greene at the point, the six-foot-four 230-pound King headed to goal as he had done all night. Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh engaged him at the top of the blue paint and soon King, McDonagh and goalie Henrik Lundqvist were tangled together like a three-headed octopus. King somehow managed to tip Greenes shot from the point as Lundqvist was unable to move. Marian Gaborik scored 5:38 later to tie it at 4-4 and Dustin Browns tip-in of a Willie Mitchell shot ended the drama at 10:26 of double overtime. On the wrong end of two overtime contests, the Rangers trail two games to none going into Game 3 Monday at Madison Square Garden. Asked it was goalie interference on the King goal, a tight-lipped Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said: "Ask the NHL." Goalie interference is not reviewable under the current rules. Lundqvist was clearly unhappy, throwing his arms up in disbelief after the goal as he was pinned under King and McDonagh. He talked to the referee during a TV timeout soon after, seeking an explanation. Lundqvist said after the game that he just wanted consistency, pointing to a goalie interference penalty to Rangers forward Benoit Pouliot in the second period. "If they dont call that, you cant call that they called in the second period," said Lundqvist, who thought Pouliot had been pushed into Jonathan Quick. "We have the same play and they score. Like I said, I dont think its a penalty but youve got to stop the play if the goalie cant move in his crease. And its not like Im outside the crease. I play pretty deep. Just be consistent with it." Kings forward Jeff Carter was called for goalie interference in the first overtime period, after contact with Lundqvist that left the New York goaltender taking his time to get his equilibrium back. Still Rangers forward Derek Stepan also didnt like what he saw on the King goal. "I dont really want to get myself worked up right now," he said. "From my point of view, I think that their (Kings) goal shouldnt have even happened. But Im not the one making the calls, Im the one playing. Im not the one that saw what he saw and we go from there." King was a thorn in the Rangers side all night, screening Lundqvist on Willie Mitchells second-period goal. Vigneault tried to look at the positives. "Both games we had opportunities," he said. "We didnt get it done. Were going home in front of our great fans. Were going to be ready for the next game. " The non-call was just one of many talking points. Like the Kings, the Rangers were punished for mistakes. And they had chances to score, with Jonathan Quick stopping Brad Richards at point-blank range in the third and Chris Kreider hitting the post in overtime. Lundqvist pointed to the razor-edge margin in the first two games. "Its just one bounce here and there and its a different score. We came up short in two games. Now we have to go home to New York and turn this around." Stepan said the goal for New York was simple. "Just relax and play. Weve got to make sure we take care of ourselves, get home and get that Garden rocking." Los Angeles was judged to have yielded 33 giveaways Saturday, to 15 from New York. Thats 51 giveaways from LA in two games, compared to 25 for the Rangers. Kings centre Anze Kopitar is expecting a Rangers pushback at Madison Square Garden. "We can play better hockey. And weve done it before. Everybody knows that were going to have to do it at MSG because their building is going to be loud," Kopitar said. "Im sure theyre going to be very desperate. Theyre going to throw everything at us that theyve got and were going to have to match all of the above." The Rangers loss came despite leading 4-2 after 40 minutes. That snapped their 10-0 record when leading after two periods this post-season. Forty-eight teams have taken a 2-0 series lead since the Stanley Cup final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939. Of those clubs, 43 (89.9 per cent) have gone on to win the Cup, including the 2012 Kings. Home teams sweeping Games 1 and 2 of the Cup final have gone 32-3 (.914 per cent). But two of the exceptions were recent with Pittsburgh (2009 against Detroit) and Boston (2011 against Vancouver) rallying to win the Cup. Kareem Hunt Youth Jersey .C. -- Martin Kaymer set a U. Tanoh Kpassagnon Jersey . And thats about it. After the Salukis 73-65 loss at Murray State on Tuesday night, Hinson called his players "uncoachable," "a bunch of mamas boys" and compared the disciplining of his young team to housebreaking a puppy. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Yout ... -Jersey/.3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday. Patrick Mahomes II Chiefs Jersey . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. Patrick Mahomes II Youth Jersey . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday.TORONTO - Nearly eight years ago, the Raptors took a low-risk chance on an intriguing prospect out of Texas when they used a second-round draft pick to select the position-less P.J. Tucker. Tucker, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound bull, had the build of a power forward trapped in the frame of a shooting guard. By all accounts he was a misfit, destined to end up in the leagues scrapheap with the vast majority of its second-rounders. During his rookie season, Tucker played 21 games for Toronto, bouncing back and forth from the D-League before he was waived by the team less than a year into his NBA journey. After playing in six countries over the next five years, Tucker returned to the league and put up career-highs as a 28-year-old starting for the Phoenix Suns last season. The league has changed and, as a result, so has the need for players that are able to easily adapt. Enter Iowa State senior and Toronto-native Melvin Ejim, who is hoping to hear his named called sometime during the second round in this months draft. Like Tucker and many talented prospects before him, Ejim has been labeled a "tweener" - a hybrid player stuck in between positions as a result of size, strength or skill set. For a long time, the term carried a negative connotation in NBA circles. Who will he defend? How does he fit in? Now its become the norm. Tweeners, combo guards, stretch fours. As teams continue to challenge the defence with smaller, quicker lineups, the NBA is evolving into a league void of prototypical positions. On Thursday, the Miami Heat will begin their pursuit of a third consecutive title led by LeBron James, perhaps the most unique basketball player weve ever seen, capable of playing and guarding four or five positions on the floor at a high level. Last week, Oklahoma City was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals with three point guards on the court together down the stretch of Game 6. The team that ousted them and Miamis opponent in the Finals, the Spurs possess the versatility to match up with almost any style of play, thanks in large part to their versatile wings - Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Boris Diaw. Ultimately, what position you play is less important than the underlying question - can you play? At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Ejim is confident that theres a place for him and his well-rounded game on an NBA team. "I think it depends on how you look at the word tweener," he said following Wednesday mornings pre-draft workout in the Raptors practice facility at the Air Canada Centre. "If you see it as a valuable thing, then I think that I bring a lot of stuff. I think that Im a small forward and I bring versatility to be able to defend bigger guys, I have a strong body that can do a lot of things defensively. Then offensively [Im] versatile, can shoot the ball aand play inside and out.dddddddddddd And if you dont consider those good things, then I guess tweeners a bad thing." Ejim, the Big 12 Conference player of the year, has fully embraced his basketball identity. "Its better than being called a glue guy," he said of the tweener label. "Ive yet to see anyone say, yo, youre a tweener, we dont really do tweeners over here," Ejim joked. "And honestly, its not even about being a tweener, its about being a player. If youre somebody that can go out and play basketball on different levels and play at different positions, then youre valuable, youre a good player." Following Tuesdays auditions, a pair of combo guards, Jordan Clarkson and Nick Johnson - also expected to go in the second round - echoed a similar sentiment. Versatility will also be a valuable commodity when the Raptors make their first-round selection at pick no. 20. UCLAs Kyle Anderson is a point guard in a 6-foot-9 body, athletic Clemson product K.J. McDaniels can defend multiple positions, while NC States T.J. Warren projects as a versatile and unconventional scorer. All three wing players are expected to workout in Toronto later this week. "Its almost a positive in todays game," said Dan Tolzman, director of scouting for the Raptors. "You want the flexibility that if a team goes big against you, you have the ability to just shift guys over a spot and keep your best players out there. I think the same goes the other way. If guys go small, youd like to have perimeter players that can bang down low and can rebound hard when youre in a small ball game. I think its just the progression of the game." Working out alongside fellow Canadian Khem Birch, a Montreal-native out of UNLV, Ejim impressed the Raptors, not only with his versatility and commitment to defence but with his approach, maturity and professionalism. "He came in [wearing] slacks and a nice button-down shirt," Tolzman said of Ejim. "He looked like he was coming to an interview and I think that clearly it resonates with us because this is a professional job interview for these guys." With a couple second-round picks at 37 and 59, the Raptors could consider selecting the hometown product, who would be a welcomed addition within Dwane Caseys system. Although his skill set continues to fly under the radar in a talented, wing-heavy draft class, its not hard to envision him catching on with a team and working his way into a rotation, not unlike Tucker in Phoenix. "His niche in my opinion will be as a defensive player," Tolzman said. "Hes a strong defender and I think the level of intensity he plays with bodes well for guys that focus on defence because when they give their all, they impact the game somehow, even if their shots not there." 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