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LOS ANGELES -- Dustin Brown figured his Los Angeles Kings had climbed too many post-season obstacles over the past two seasons to end their current playoff run without even a single victory. With an unusual offensive burst, the Kings proved their captain correct and headed back to San Jose with a flicker of hope. Justin Williams and Marian Gaborik scored two goals apiece, and the Kings emphatically avoided first-round playoff elimination with a 6-3 victory over the Sharks in Game 4 on Thursday night. Brown had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Toffoli scored on his 22nd birthday during a three-goal second period as the Kings dodged a series sweep with a win that could plant a seed of doubt in their dominant California rivals minds. "Theres a lot of pride in here," Brown said. "Weve been through a lot as a group, and this is one more challenge. Theyre still in command of the series, but were not going to stop trying." Game 5 is Saturday in San Jose. The defence-first Kings were outscored 13-5 in the first two games at the Shark Tank before losing Game 3 in overtime, but the back-to-back Western Conference finalists finally produced a strong two-way performance when they faced an early playoff exit. Jonathan Quick made 36 saves for Los Angeles, which chased Sharks goalie Antti Niemi on Gaboriks beautiful goal early in the third period. The final minute of the rivals third post-season series in four years was marred by more goonery and shenanigans, including a wild fight between San Joses Brent Burns and Los Angeles Robyn Regehr after the final buzzer. "Were trying to just make it a series now," said Williams, who got his first two goals of the post-season after dropping off the Kings top line. "Its obviously not like a Game 7, but it was do or die for us, so we had to lay that on the line. It wasnt your typical Kings game." After three scoreless games, Brown had a key early assist and an empty-net goal for Los Angeles, which got points from 12 players in Game 4 after just 10 Kings scored in the first three games combined. Gaborik has three goals in his first four playoff games with the Kings, who are getting what they sought when they acquired the Slovak star from Columbus last month. James Sheppard, Matt Nieto and Joe Pavelski scored for the Sharks, who couldnt finish off the second playoff sweep in franchise history. San Jose again played its swarming offensive game for long stretches, but got none of the fortunate deflections and hustle-created luck of its Game 3 win. "I thought we had some intensity to our game and I thought we were as desperate as they were, but we didnt execute anywhere near the way they did," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "Its quite easy to pinpoint some of the mistakes that we made, and for us to have success moving forward, that has to get cleaned up quickly." Los Angeles shuffled its top line for Game 4, putting Gaborik and Brown, who hadnt scored in the series, alongside centre Anze Kopitar. The changes paid off just 4:08 in when Brown pushed the puck down the wing and flung it in front for Gaborik. San Jose evened it with 7.3 seconds left in the period on Sheppards first goal in 21 career playoff games. After Williams put the Kings back ahead, the Sharks pulled even again on Nietos chip shot off defenceman Alec Martinezs shoulder. Instead of deflating, the Kings kept pushing. After Williams reclaimed the lead by tucking in a long rebound off the end boards, Toffoli swept home a loose puck that deflected off Andrew Desjardins glove in the final minute of the period, sending Los Angeles into the third with a standing ovation. Alex Stalock made several big saves in his NHL playoff debut after relieving Niemi, setting up a difficult decision for McLellan before Game 5. "I dont necessarily think the scoreboard did us justice," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. "I think we played a pretty solid game. I think they just got some more of the puck bounces tonight, but we showed a lot of fight. We came down here and did what were supposed to do. Now we have to go home and do our job." Williams thought he had completed a hat trick with 8:50 to play, but his goal was waved off due to a cross-checking penalty on Jarret Stoll in front of the Sharks net an instant earlier. Pavelski scored on a rebound moments later during the power play, but Quick kept the Sharks scoreless the rest of the way. NOTES: Nieto, a Long Beach native, scored in both games at Staples Center against his favourite childhood team. ... Sheppard was the 12th Sharks player to score a goal in the series. ... The Kings havent been swept in a playoff series since 2000. San Jose earned its only sweep in the first round against Vancouver last spring. ... Pau Gasol and Larry David watched the game from seats on the glass. Joe Berger Jersey . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). Will Sutton Jersey . Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture. Black Friday Eric Kendricks Vikings Jersey Sale, Authentic Womens Eric Kendricks Jerseys Cyber Monday Deals. Make that, almost always subjective. Saturday at Carrow Road, the spirit of fair play trumped the rulebook, costing Norwich City three points. Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . "I was so nervous," Hadley said Sunday after winning the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory. "I did not eat well last night. Jarius Wright Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Bruce Arthur, National Post My thumb is down to Russias national mens hockey program, which is still making reverberations a week after Sochi. After falling in the quarter-finals for the second straight Olympics, Russias NHL stars came back angry. As Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin were unhappy for many reasons, but most of all resented the programs bias towards KHL players, which greatly distorted playing time, pairings, strategy, and felt like a punishment to Russian stars who dont play at home. Russia was one of the worlds great hockey powers, and a worthy rival to Canada; now its a mess, riven by petty rivalries. Its a shame, really. The Russians havent won a best-on-best tournament since the 1981 Canada Cup, and somehow they feel further away than ever. Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is down to the International Olympic Committee for the mess it made of the Nicklas Backstrom gold medal game allergy pill fiasco. As a member of Swedens hockey delegation said, the IOC destroyed one of the greatest days in Olympic hockey history for the country. Backstrom, who did test positive for pseudo-ephedrine, didnt disagree with that assessment. The IOC first tested Backstrom last Wednesday. In the three days that followed, they never did do a second test. The Swedish team was not informed of Backstroms status until two hours before game time. Now dont get me wrong, the Swedes could have had Nicklas Baackstrom, Ralph Backstrom, and all the Backstroms you can name available for the gold medal game and the result wouldnt have been different.dddddddddddd What they didnt need was an unnecessary disruption, born of IOC ineptitude. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is down to John Tortorella, not for his most recent apology but for the continual need to apologize. This time, the Canucks coach launched into a mea culpa after saying he favored Sweden in the Sochi final because he wanted his Swedish Olympians - Daniel Sedin and Alex Edler - to return with smiles on their faces. Tortorella wears blinders. Professionally, he sees the small picture, nothing beyond his team. Belatedly, of course, he grasped context - Vancouver … Canada. So four weeks after apologizing for losing his mind between periods against Calgary, he again was at a microphone wearing a hair shirt and a tight expression. Thats Tortorella, the never-ending sorry. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to the excellence shown by Canadas Gold-medalists in curling - Jennifer Jones and her rink from Winnipeg and Brad Jacobs and his rink from Sault Ste. Marie. We used to take for granted Canadas worldwide dominance in curling, and then we didnt, because as good as the Canadians continued to be, several other countries showed they were capable of winning world titles. Not that Jones and Jacobs allow Canada to rest on its laurels, but the Sochi results were very impressive, and hows this for proof of Canadas wealth of curling talent - the Brier is underway in Kamloops and the field is strong with Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Koe, John Morris, and Brad Gushue. And imagine talking about a strong field that doesnt include Jacobs, Glenn Howard and Kevin Martin. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys China ' ' '
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