oal of the playoffs

Dwight Kings fifth goal of the playoffs proved to be the difference as the Los Angeles Kings downed the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 in Game Three to move within on game of a sweep and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. Ahmad Bradshaw Black Friday Jersey . King was a valuable secondary contributor during the regular season, putting up five goals and 14 points in 27 games after he was called up from the AHL, but he now has five goals in a dozen playoff games and getting that kind of production from a rookie in modest playing time (under 12 minutes per game in the playoffs) is yet another reason why the Kings are unstoppable right now. The Coyotes started strong, registering 11 shots on goal in the first period and scoring the games first goal, when Daymond Langkow found the net 1:03 into the second period, but they lost their momentum shortly thereafter. The Kings have barely played from behind at all in this years playoffs and only let the Coyotes hold the lead for 2:07 before Anze Kopitar netted the tying goal on a breakaway. In any case, the Kings outshot the Coyotes 20-8 over the last two periods, territorial dominance that pretty effectively sealed the Coyotes fate. Lauri Korpikoski and Taylor Pyatt led the Coyotes with three shots on goal, but it was more telling that Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata had none. That happened to Vrbata only three times all season, and none after December 14. (He had no shots in the first game of the playoffs too, but played only 30 seconds due to injury.) It seems a reasonable indication that Vrbata missed big centre Martin Hanzal, who was suspended for Game Three after a hit from behind on Kings captain Dustin Brown in Game Two. While Doan didnt manage a shot on goal, he did dish out a game-high 11 hits. In the battle of hitting captains, Dustin Brown delivered nine, while defenceman Drew Doughty had eight. The Kings once again had a healthy 28-19 shot advantage, even though Jeff Carter, Dustin Penner and Justin Williams all went without one. There hasnt been much indication that the Coyotes are going to present any threat to the Kings in this series. Over the last seven games, the Kings have killed 27 shorthanded situations and they have outshot Phoenix 116-70 through the first three games, so its hard to imagine what circumstances will be necessary for the Coyotes to mount a significant rally in this series. Scott Cullen can be reached at [e-mail] and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Greg Toler Black Friday Jersey ... thanks to every "buddy" that was involved. T.Y. Hilton Black Friday Jersey . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday.TORONTO - As rumours surrounding the future of Kyle Lowry - this summers biggest free-agent prize at his position - begin to swirl, the most reasonable question that comes to mind is, what took so long? The Raptors breakout point guard has been the subject of recent speculation, originating at ESPN, connecting him to the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The parties are said to have "mutual interest". Often, where theres smoke theres fire, but thats not always the case in the NBA, especially not at this time of the year. Smoke, in this case, comes with the territory. Fresh off a career season, leading the Raptors to an unexpected division title, Lowry is poised to become a coveted commodity in unrestricted free agency when he officially hits the open market on July 1. If the Heat are the first team to come knocking, they assuredly wont be the last. Why wouldnt Miami be interested in Lowrys services? The Heat are less than a week removed from a disheartening trip to the NBA Finals, where they looked vastly inferior to the San Antonio Spurs in a five-game elimination. Their current point guard, Mario Chalmers - also a soon-to-be free agent - was notably ineffective en route to losing his starting job late in the series. And Lowry? Why wouldnt he want to play in South Beach? Under the right circumstances, accompanied by a suitable contract, you would be hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to play in one of the leagues most desirable destinations with LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet. Therein lies the caveat, and its a big one; money. The Heat, under their current construction, can only offer so much of it. Firstly, in order for Miami to put together a passable offer to Lowry or any other prominent free agent, James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would need to opt out of their contracts - owing them each more than $20 million over the next two season - to renegotiate smaller deals. Udonis Haslem would likely have to do the same. Lowry, underpaid for most of his eight-year career, has been one of the leagues bargain players, earning just over $6 million last season. At best, Miami - or any other capped out team - may be able to offer something in that neighbourhood. From a Raptors perspective, nothing has changed since Masai Ujiri addressed the point guards future six weeks ago, making Lowry the teams top offseason priority. "Its very important for us, in terms of continuity," said the Raptors general manager that afternoon, asked abbout the likelihood of re-signing Lowry. Johnny Unitas Black Friday Jersey. "For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here." "I think well be fair with Kyle and well figure it out and I think its important. So well go through that process but were optimistic stuff will happen." They remain confident to this day and much of that stems from the fact that they can offer Lowry more than any other team, while also providing him the platform to lead a winning team with a cast that hes comfortable with. The 28-year-old is staring down his first super-sized NBA contract and in a league where so much can change in three-to-four years, there are no guarantees that another one will follow. Certainly, if hes willing to sacrifice in exchange for a better chance at competing for a championship hell have that opportunity but for a player entering his prime, one with a young family to support, it would be surprising to see him leave that much money on the table. With the Raptors he could double the size of his most recent contract, a four-year $23 million deal signed back in 2010. As you might expect, Lowry and his representatives will test the market, see whats out there and leverage the interest hes sure to get from other teams. As he wisely pointed out during a midseason wave of rumours following the trade of his best friend Rudy Gay, its a business. The Raptors will also have a big decision to make, holding the 20th pick in next weeks draft, five days before teams are able to sit down and meet with their free agent point guard. Would they select a lead guard as insurance? "I think the biggest thing is to not make draft decisions based on that, on your current roster and your current situations," Dan Tolzman, the Raptors director of scouting, said last week. "You keep it in the back of your head and youll take it into account when youre drafting players but if the most talented guy or the highest guy on your list happens to be a position that your loaded up with you can work stuff out later." "So I dont think you really approach the draft like, okay we need a point guard because we dont know what the situation is. But at the same time if the best player on the board is a point guard, well figure it out." And so it begins. For four months, primarily in the next two, the game shifts from the court to the boardroom, podium and social media sphere. The sound of sneakers squeaking and whistles whistling are replaced by rumours, bravado and conjecture. Buckle up. ' ' '