wild card Peter Polansky beating

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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Sitting in another jubilant dressing room deep inside another dazed road arena, Anze Kopitar simply stopped trying to explain the Los Angeles Kings big-game brilliance. In nearly every tight playoff spot over the last three years, his Kings have emerged and advanced -- even when they end the career of hockey icon Teemu Selanne along the way. Kopitar knows the Kings tenacity cant be easily defined, and its almost impossible to capture. But it has taken them all the way back to the Western Conference finals after they finished off the rival Anaheim Ducks in grand style, 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night. "Its hard to say what it is, but its all in this room," said Kopitar, the Kings leading scorer. "We dont look outside too much. We believe in this room. We knew this would have to be our best game of the series, and it was." Justin Williams, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards scored in an overwhelming first period. The Kings advanced to their third straight conference finals by improving to a jaw-dropping 6-0 when facing elimination this spring. Los Angeles has won two seven-game series as it heads to Chicago for Game 1 on Sunday. Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Tanner Pearson also scored, and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves to help the Kings claim the first post-season Freeway Faceoff series with back-to-back wins over their top-seeded Southern California rivals. "Were built for the playoffs, for sure," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said. "We struggled during the regular season. I dont know the reason why, but were always ready for when it really counts." The Kings added to their 7-1 record in elimination games over the past two years, showing the remarkable poise that has led to eight playoff series victories in three seasons. They earned a rematch with the Blackhawks, who eliminated them in five games last spring. The 2012 Stanley Cup champions led 5-0 late in the second period in Anaheim, never allowing the Ducks to get going in their own building. Los Angeles shredded rookie goalie John Gibson for four goals in the first 22:02, and the Ducks lost a Game 7 for the second straight year. "Really tough emotions right now," said captain Ryan Getzlaf, who scored one goal in the series. "They came out and played the way they can play. They know what theyre doing in these situations." The defeat likely ended the career of the 43-year-old Selanne, who intends to retire. Both teams paid tribute to the Finnish Flash after he took the final shift, eventually waving a melancholy goodbye to his Anaheim fans. "Its got to be a lot of happiness later, but it is hard right now," Selanne said. "It was going to be ending in a great celebration or a big disappointment, and we didnt get the win." Kings fans chants of "This is our house!" echoed through Honda Center, where the Ducks were one of the NHLs best home teams during the best regular season in franchise history. The Kings got stellar performances from their best big-game players. Quick improved to 3-0 in Game 7s. Williams kicked off the first-period onslaught with his sixth goal in six career trips to Game 7. Williams also has six assists in those deciding games. "Im proud of my numbers in Game 7, but the one Im most proud of is 6-0," Williams said. Gaborik scored six goals in the series four games in Anaheim, giving him an NHL-best nine goals in his first post-season with the Kings. Gaborik, Williams and Richards are unbeaten in six career trips to Game 7; Carter improved to 4-0. The 20-year-old Gibson was overmatched, yielding four goals on 18 shots before getting pulled for Jonas Hiller, the dependable veteran benched twice by coach Bruce Boudreau in the seasons final weeks. Boudreau dropped to 1-5 in his six career trips to Game 7s with Washington and Anaheim, losing all five times at home. "The first period was like men against boys, quite frankly," Boudreau said. "They were bigger, stronger, more determined. Everything we said we didnt want to do, we did." Corey Perry scored early in the third period, but also missed a penalty shot and got denied on a second-period breakaway on his 29th birthday. Kyle Palmieri scored late in the second period. The game was an unsightly farewell to Selanne, whose 21-season NHL career began in Winnipeg in 1992 and included parts of 15 seasons in Anaheim. He scored 684 regular-season goals, but had just two goals in 12 playoff games this spring. "It will be great memories I will live with for the rest of my life," Selanne said. "I would never have expected to have this kind of career. I am very thankful for that." Game 7 also might have been a finale for Saku Koivu. The 39-year-old Finnish centre said hell wait several weeks before deciding whether hell retire after 18 NHL seasons. NOTES: The Kings again played without injured veteran defencemen Willie Mitchell, who missed his eighth straight game, and Robyn Regehr (sixth straight). ... Los Angeles is the 17th team in NHL history to win a Game 7 twice in the same post-season run. The New York Rangers also have done it this spring. ... The visiting team has won five of the six Game 7s in the current playoffs. NHL Jerseys Outlet .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. Custom NHL Jerseys . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. Fake NHL Jerseys . Dwyane Wade followed a few days later. NHL Jerseys Sale . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again.TORONTO -- For the second straight tournament John Isner didnt get to play on centre court. And for the second straight tournament he bowed out in his first match. Isner, the 10th seed at the Rogers Cup, lost to Croatian Ivan Dodig, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 on the grandstand court Monday night at Rexall Centre. The match was originally scheduled for the afternoon in the stadium, but a lengthy rain delay wreaked havoc on the days schedule. "Obviously it was not easy," said Dodig, who was playing his first singles match in 10 weeks because of a broken rib. "It was long day for us, and of course changing the court its also a little bit like making you to think about it." Isner, who was not made available to speak to reporters, lost his opening match at last weeks Citi Open to Steve Johnson and told reporters in Washington that he didnt think he "deserved" to play on a secondary court. Storms in the Toronto area caused play to be delayed two hours, and Isner and Dodig didnt get the centre-court spotlight. That went to 13th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat fellow Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(3), 6-1. The nightcap on centre court featured Canadian wild card Peter Polansky beating 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz 7-6(5), 6-4. Polansky, who grew up in nearby Thornhill, Ont., last won a match in Toronto in 2010 when he upset Austrias Jurgen Melzer. He said this felt like a bit of deja vu -- notably because this was by the same score -- but this time the 26-year-old had to bounce back from a challenge on what he thought was match point. "There was a little bit of nerves trying to pull through and hold for the match," Polansky said. "When he hit that forehand wide, I was pretty excited." Polansky will face second-seeded Roger Federer in the second round Tuesday night. He said facing the 17-time Grand Slam champion will probably be one of the highlights of his career. Monday night represented another low light for Isner, who dominated with his big serve but couldnt handle Dodigs throughout the night. Dodig broke the six-foot-ten American in the third set and was able to finish things off from there. "Hes the guy who can beat everybody, and as well a great player for many years," Dodig said of Isner. "You couldd see that there was not so many breaks.dddddddddddd Its tough for both of us, for me to return to him and for him as well. Hes going aggressive and he wasnt missing a lot today." In other night action, American qualifier Michael Russell beat Frances Nicholas Mahut 6-3, 6-3 and Spains Feliciano Lopez beat 14th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(7), 3-6. Earlier in the day, Frances Julien Benneteau had little trouble dusting off former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, 6-1, 6-2. Benneteau and Hewitt endured two rain delays, the second of which lasted two hours. "I tried to keep the same momentum and the same rhythm of the match," Benneteau said. "I just tried to stay focused to be able to play the same way." Benneteau was leading 4-1 in the first set when the first brief rain delay occurred. He was up 4-2 in the second when storms moving through the Toronto area halted his and every other match taking place. "The rain delay, its never easy but its for both players," he said. "I had two break points before, 15-40 and then a deuce. So its never easy." Benneteau also said its never easy facing Hewitt, even though the Aussie is 42nd now and 11 years removed from being atop the world rankings. "Hes a great fighter and to beat him you have to play solid," Benneteau said. "You have to do a good match. Its the kind of player that if your level is not good enough, you dont win." To open the tournament on centre court, 15th-seeded Marin Cilic got pushed to the limit before beating Denis Istomin, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. The Croatian said Istomin was dealing with a shoulder injury that led to some unpredictability. "He had some shots were coming off good, some not, and it was difficult to know what was going to come," Cilic said. "It got a bit complicated." In other early action, Frances Jeremy Chardy beat Argentinas Federico Delbonis, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, French qualifier Benoit Paire defeated Colombian Alejandro Falla, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, and American qualifier Tim Smyczek downed German qualifier Tobias Kamke, 6-3, 6-2. The Rogers Cup Hall of Fame induction ceremony was also postponed because of the weather. Stefan Edberg and former Rogers Cup Master of Ceremonies Don Goodwin will now be inducted Tuesday night. ' ' '

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