[arry J]

ANAHEIM – One of the things Bruce Boudreau did after taking over as Anaheim Ducks coach was have some inspirational quotes painted on the teams dressing room walls at the Honda Center. Nike Hyperdunk 2017 Flyknit . Words from Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, John Wooden, Jerry West, Vince Lombardi and Roy Williams are now there to be viewed by players on a daily basis. Does Boudreau have a favourite saying? "No, I think theyre all good. I think theyre all inspirational and the whole goal of those quotes was, quite frankly, who wrote them," he explained. "It wasnt some normal guy. These guys were champions and they talked about hard work and they were willing to do the hard work and thats how they became champions." Winning has not come easy to Boudreau in the NHL playoffs. His teams have won six division titles and posted a .663 winning percentage in 517 regular-season games, but never advanced past the second round of the post-season. His record in the playoffs as a NHL head coach is 27-28 entering Wednesday nights Game 6 showdown with the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. On Tuesday, the 59-year-old bench boss was asked whats the biggest challenge he faces coaching at this time of year. "Winning," he responded immediately. "The competition is so picked up from the regular season. You watch the pre-season and you go, Wow, this is a really good game, and then the regular season goes on and you go, How can it get any tougher than this? The playoffs come and you think the regular season is a piece of cake compared to what youre going through here. "Its knowing when to practise hard and when not to practise hard, when to make it easy and just keep building them up. Usually youre saying the same message so theyve heard the same message for eight months so you dont want them to get tired of it." The message may be the same, but Boudreau has made a number of changes that have helped turned the tide in his teams second round series against the Kings. "Hes a coach who isnt afraid to make moves in terms of personnel," said Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano. "Hes not a coach that gets set in his ways in terms of the lineup or guys playing in certain positions. He has confidence in guys and hes good with the players in terms of giving them confidence. If hes going to move guys around, hes good at communicating with guys about that. Hes a coach that makes adjustments to other teams." After the Ducks lost the first two games of the series, Boudreau called up defenceman Sami Vatanen from the American Hockey League and played him 20 minutes a night, including on the power play. The Ducks have scored four man-advantage goals in the three games since the Finn was recalled from Norfolk. In general, Vatanen has given the Ducks blue line a different dimension and helped them move the puck more easily against the notoriously stingy Kings. But the adjustments didnt end with Vatanen. In Game 4, Boudreau made the bold decision to start 20-year-old John Gibson, a goalie with zero NHL playoff experience and only three games of regular season experience, over veteran Jonas Hiller, who had won Game 3 in relief of the injured Frederik Andersen. Gibson posted a 28-save shutout in his debut and followed that up with a steady 39-save win on Monday night. After first-line winger Matt Beleskey went down with an injury, Boudreau elevated 21-year-old Devante Smith-Pelly, who had generated some quality chances, but failed to register a point in the series through three games, to the top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Smith-Pelly has since scored three goals and fired eight shots on net over the last two outings. "I think two things come to mind," said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy when asked what makes Boudreau a good coach. "Just the confidence he gives his players. I know when I first came here that was just eyeopening for me. He puts players in a position where they can be successful and more often than not, playing for him, they are." Lovejoy was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Ducks for a fifth-round pick during the 2012-13 season. Under Boudreau, he has moved into a top pairing role alongside Cam Fowler. "Then theres his ability to roll four lines and three sets of D," Lovejoy continued. "I think that when youre a defenceman playing nine to 12 minutes a night, you get out there to not make a mistake. Its impossible to have a tight gap when you dont play a lot so we roll four lines, we roll three sets of D and I really think that helps. And, I think, come crunch time, Getzlaf and Perry havent played 26 minutes. Theyre fresh. Theyre ready to go and to carry the rest of the team when the time comes." And while Boudreau is easy for players to like, he is not afraid of making tough calls. In the first round of this years playoffs, Boudreau benched beloved future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars. It was move that, considering Selannes stature in the game and the dressing room, could have backfired. Instead, the move seemed to spark Selanne, who has two goals against the Kings and picked up an assist in the Game 5 win. "He cares," said Getzlaf, the Ducks captain. "Thats the biggest thing with him. He cares about each of us individually and that makes you want to play harder for him." But the knock against Boudreau has been that he cant get it done in the post-season. Boudreaus Washington Capitals came close to making the conference finals in 2009, pushing the Penguins to Game 7 before ultimately being blown out in the decisive game. "Well, the difference last time was we were down 3-2 going into Game 6 in Pittsburgh and had to win and we did," Boudreau said. "This time, were up 3-2 so I keep telling my wife, Its a different circumstance, so hopefully a different result. "As you go on, the steps get harder and harder and harder and the one thing I have learned in a very brief time is that when they talk about the Cup being the hardest thing to win [theyre right]. I mean, were not even halfway there and [were] realizing how tough it is. This is a heck of a journey you have to make and, again, [youre] trying to keep it fresh, because were not even out of the second round." Last year, the Ducks squandered a 3-2 first-round series lead against the underdog Detroit Red Wings before losing Game 7 on home ice. Getzlaf has noticed that Boudreau has made a subtle change in his approach. "Hes evolved," Getzlaf explained. "Hes done a great job in calming himself down. Bruce tends to get a little wound up at times, emotional in the game and thats good at times." And while Boudreau has managed his emotions better, he is still the same fun-loving guy, who always seems willing to talk hockey with reporters long after the formal media session ends. "I get asked this question a lot and I maintain that youre not going to tell quirky stories about your boss on camera so Im not going to tell them about mine," Lovejoy said with a laugh. "Ive loved playing for Bruce. I think everybody in the locker room does too, but you can ask somebody else for those stories." "At the end of the day, Bruce is a players coach," Cogliano said. "A coach you can approach, talk to and hes up front with you and I think thats why a lot of guys like him." Scarpe Under Armour Uomo Stephen Curry Two Suprise Party Mid Bianche/Azzurro . -- Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias says he has stress fractures in both legs and isnt sure when hell be able to play again, leaving the Tigers two weeks to fill his spot for opening day and perhaps a lot longer. Curry 3 Under Armour . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. 403 Forbidden . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- George Springer has more home runs in the past four games than any Kansas City player does this season. Springer homered in his fourth straight game and went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and five runs scored in the Houston Astros 9-2 victory over the Royals on Monday night. "Springer was absolutely tremendous, just line drive after line drive," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "He was special. The two doubles and the home run, the great catch in right field and scoring from second base on a bloop single that not many guys would have been able to score on. He impacted the game in every phase tonight. "This guy is a three-way player. He can impact the game when hes in the batters box. He can impact the game on defence. He can impact the game on the basepaths. He brings it every day, is what I love about him." The Astros have won three straight, matching their longest winning streak this season, and they snapped a six-game losing streak to the Royals. Springer led off the eighth with a home run against Louis Coleman, his fifth homer in four games. The Royals home run leader has four. Springer is the first Houston rookie to homer in four straight games. Lance Berkman was the previous Astros player to do it, in July 2010. "Hes impressive," said Eric Hosmer, robbed by Springer of an extra-base hit with a superb catch to end the seventh inning. "He plays hard and doesnt get cheated at the plate. He drives the ball." Springer also had two doubles and became the first Astros player to score five runs in a game since Cody Ransom on Sept. 24, 2007, against St. Louis. Springer extended his hitting streak to eight games, and is 8 for 16 with 11 RBIs and 10 runs in the past five. It was a magical night for him. "I guess," Springer said. "But at the same time, Im just trying to help the team win and whatever way I can do it, Im happy to help." Scott Feldman (3-2) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits over six innings. "I thought Scott did a tremendous job with his secondary stuff," Porter said. Uomo/Donna Under Armour UA Stephen Curry One Camp Mid Blu Arancia Viola Argento. "His curveball had a really good bite and he did a good job for six strong innings." Royals rookie starter Yordano Ventura was led off the field by a trainer in the third inning after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. The hard-throwing right-hander is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday. "He was getting under pitches and his velocity dropped in the third inning," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I came out and decided to check it. I talked to him in the second inning and he said, Yeah, its good. I went out and he told me he was feeling a little something in the back of his elbow, but its on the outside, not on the inside." Ventura (2-5) went 2 2-3 innings, yielding five runs on seven hits and three walks before being replaced by Michael Mariot. "In the third inning, I threw a few pitches and it started to feel a little weird," Ventura said. "I felt something unnatural. It was a little uncomfortable, unnatural, and I decided to say something." The Astros had a season-high 16 hits, including a career-high four from Marwin Gonzalez, who had a double, an RBI and a run scored. Alex Presley added three hits and Dexter Fowler reached base five times with two hits and three walks. The nine runs matched an Astros season high. Lorenzo Cain had four hits, equaling his career high, and drove in a run for the Royals, who have lost five of seven. NOTES: Royals 2B Omar Infante (lower back) was activated from the disabled list and doubled in the first inning. RHP Casey Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. ... Astros RHP Brad Peacock, scratched from Fridays scheduled outing with forearm stiffness, threw a bullpen session and was given the OK to start Thursday against Baltimore. ... Royals LHP Bruce Chen, on the disabled list with a bulging disk, threw a 25-pitch simulated game. Chen could soon go on a minor league rehab assignment. ... The Astros recalled OF Robbie Grossman from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '