Neues » a Stracevic in Frankfurt, Barry Hatton in Lisbon and James

ANAHEIM, Calif. Cam Reddish Hawks Jersey . - The width of Alec Martinezs shin guard was the difference between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks in their playoff series opener. Corey Perry had the puck on his stick with a nearly open net early in overtime, but Martinez managed to block the shot by the Ducks best goal-scorer. It happened in an instant, but both players were still thinking about the pivotal play a day later as they prepared for Game 2 on Monday night. "I guess I channeled my inner goalie, playing in the driveway when I was younger," Martinez said Sunday after the latest round of congratulations for his game-saving block. "I just tried to get in front of it, and maybe got a little bit lucky, too." No hockey game turns on one play, and the Kings wouldnt have even made it to overtime without Marian Gaboriks tying goal with 7 seconds left in regulation in their 3-2 win. Several minutes after Martinezs big save, Gaboriks game-winner put the Kings up 1-0 in the second round with their fifth consecutive playoff victory. Both teams expect a long, taxing series between evenly matched opponents with a thorough mutual familiarity. They wont be surprised if more games in the series come down to one blocked shot, one extra pass or one big save. Perry still wont soon forget his missed opportunity to put the Ducks in front in the series. "Ive seen it a few times," said a grimacing Perry, who scored 43 goals in the regular season and two more in the first round against Dallas. "I was up for a while. You think about what it could have been. "He made a great play," Perry added. "I thought I had an open net, and obviously I tried to put it in, but he just got his leg on it, and I missed the rebound. Hopefully its a different bounce next time." Even before the late theatrics, the Southern California rivals first playoff meeting was every bit as entertaining as expected. The Kings have little trouble winning on the road, while the Ducks were a dominant home team this season — but neither team is likely to have a distinct home-ice advantage. "I thought the atmosphere was great," Kings forward Justin Williams said. "A lot of times when youre on the road, all you want to hear is silence. But there wasnt even much silence when we scored. There was a lot of Kings fans there and a lot of support for us, so that was the extra added element to the game. Usually when you score an overtime goal, its crickets in the building, and we heard a little something, so Kings fans are making their way down the freeway." Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne all had big moments for the Ducks, who controlled play for long stretches and got a strong performance from new starting goalie Jonas Hiller. Anaheim still couldnt capitalize on its opportunities to pull away, failing to crack the NHLs best defence with its habitually struggling power play. The Ducks might have more offensive ability than the Kings, but they also know it wont matter unless it leads to goals. "We didnt bury our few chances," Getzlaf said. "I dont think theyve changed much. Theyre still the team we know. Theyve just upped their intensity, and weve got to match it." The defence-minded Kings have been impressive offensively during their playoff winning streak. Los Angeles has 21 goals in its last five games, and Anze Kopitar has become the post-seasons leading scorer so far. The Kings are scoring well, but their defensive depth became even shallower in victory: Veteran defenceman Jeff Schultz could make his debut for Los Angeles in Game 2 if injured Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regehr must sit out. Down to five healthy defencemen for much of Game 1 at Honda Center, the Kings still managed to limit the Ducks to two goals. "I had a little chat with (coach Darryl Sutter), and he said, Just go out there and play," said Schultz, who played for Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau in Washington during his 399 games of NHL experience. "Its hard to replace a guy like Robyn, but I feel like Im capable of doing a similar job to what he can do." Jabari Parker Jersey . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Dikembe Mutombo Jersey .com) - The Dallas Mavericks had a five-game winning streak snapped last time out, but theyll try to get back into the winners circle Sunday evening when the Milwaukee Bucks pay a visit to American Airlines Center. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Allen-Crabbe-City-Edition-Jersey/ . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more.MONACO, Monaco - For Monaco, life without Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez has proved less difficult than expected. At least in the Champions League.Leonardo Jardims team has been struggling with consistency in the French league but lost only once on Europes biggest stage so far this season. Despite a poor offensive record, it only needs a draw at home against Zenit on Tuesday to qualify for the knockout phase.Monaco can even top Group C depending on Bayer Leverkusens result at last-placed Benfica.Here are some things to know ahead of Tuesdays matches:___BERBATOV HITTING FORMMonaco could qualify with a goalless draw and by doing so become the first team to have ever progressed from the group stage with only two goals scored — the side current tally.Monaco has been struggling for goals since the departures of Falcao and Rodriguez, but the good news for Jardim is that Dimitar Berbatov has finally returned to form.The former Manchester United striker has looked rejuvenated over the past week, finding the net three times, including a brace in a 2-0 win over Toulouse on Friday as Monaco posted consecutive wins only for the second time this season.___RACISM ALLEGATIONSZenits 4-0 thrashing of FC Krasnodar on Saturday sent the St. Petersburg side into the Russian leagues three-month winter break with a seven-point lead. It also restored confidence after some mixed recent form at home and in Europe, including three defeats in the preceding five games in all competitions. But theres a racism row brewing after striker Hulk accused Russian referee Alexei Matyunin of telling him that he did not like black people.That referee was previously found to have racially abused a player from Russias North Caucasus in 2011, but cleared on appeal. Zenit coach Andre Villas-Boas has said he believes Hulk and the Russian Football Union has yet to decidee whether it will investigate. Spud Webb Jersey. Zenits Alexander Kerzhakov and Javi Garcia are injured and have not flown out with the team to Monaco.___LEVERKUSENS POOR EFFICIENCYBayer Leverkusen is through but still hoping for first place in the group, although captain and midfielder Lars Bender is not travelling to Lisbon because of an abdominal muscle injury. Bender aggravated the injury in the 1-0 loss on Saturday at Bayern Munich.Director Rudi Voeller said Leverkusens goal in Lisbon is clear: We want to win the group.Leverkusen looked good against Bayern in the first half, but was outplayed in the second and was lucky to escape having conceded a solitary goal. Still, it is one of the few teams in the Bundesliga that has troubled Bayern. Had Karim Bellarabi converted his chance early in the match, the outcome might have been different.___BENFICAS WOEAlready out of the tournament, Benfica is trying to avoid another unhappy milestone. If the Lisbon club doesnt beat Bayer, it will have recorded its worst-ever group campaign.Benfica also went out at the group stage in the past two seasons, when it dropped into the Europa League.The second-tier competition also brought disappointment, though: Benfica reached the final in the last two seasons, but lost both times.___HOW THEY ADVANCELeverkusen will be guaranteed first place with a win at Benfica, or if it draws and Monaco fails to win.Monaco will progress with a draw, which will be enough to top the group if Bayer loses. Monaco will also finish first if it wins and Leverkusen fails to grab three points in Portugal.Zenit will qualify with a win and can seal the groups first place if Leverkusen loses. Benfica is condemned to fourth place whatever its result.___Nesha Stracevic in Frankfurt, Barry Hatton in Lisbon and James Ellingworth in Moscow contributed to this report. ' ' '