Wild Coyotes: Lack of Discipline Gives Kings Victory, 2-0 Lead

Two ejections later, Phoenix is down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings.

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The first was Shane Doan, nailing King's forward Trevor Lewis into the boards from behind. The Coyote captain was thrown out of the game, with LA already leading the game 2-0. 

The second was Martin Hanzal, with a very suspension-worthy hit  on King's captain Dustin Brown. Brown was just past the goal line when Hanzal hit him in the numbers, causing Brown to slam his face into the boards and surrounding glass. This would lead to yet another Los Angeles goal by Jeff Carter--his third of the night.

Phoenix played "like a defeated team" as NBCSports so bluntly put it. Two individual ejections, a third matching misconduct for the Coyotes and Kings, as well as goaltender Mike Smith's chop to the back of Dustin Brown's legs. They were having enough trouble trying to score; being shorthanded only made things worse. Phoenix had times where they would get a scramble in front of LA's Jonathan Quick, playing out at the top of his crease. But those times were few and fruitless.

Meanwhile, Jeff Carter was making the most of his night in Arizona.Two goals in the second period (though one maybe should be credited to Kopitar), and a goal late in the third gave Carter three of his four goals in the playoffs, and his first playoff hat trick. 

Contrary to the score, however, Mike Smith had a solid night for the Phoenix Coyotes. He handled 36 of the 40 shots that Los Angeles fired on him (at the other end, Quick had 24 saves for the Kings). But when your team is giving up 40 shots a game, managing only 24, and scoring zero...it's going to be impossible to win. 

The Kings have now won nine road games in a row. And they are nearly as deadly back home in the Staples Center. Phoenix will have to work some magic to make this a series again; as of now, they have been dominated by the Kings, and dug themselves into a deeper hole with the undisciplined play they have exhibited. They need smart play--and they need goals.

Game 3 will be in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Who is Saying the Rangers Will Be Tired Now?

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After playing 14 games, including four overtime ones, and having to win both series so far in must-win Game 7s, everyone thought the New York Rangers would come out tired. After all, no team who has played that many games has ever gone on to win the Stanley Cup. None of this matters to the Rangers. They knew they were ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils came into the series well-rested, coming off five days off following their defeat of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The first two periods of Game 1 felt like a heavyweight bout. Both teams had their chances, but neither one conceded a goal. With two of the best netminders in the league in this series, it came as no surprise. Long-time Devils goaltender Marty Brodeur is one of the all-time greats, and the hometown crowd at Madison Square Garden let him have it, like they always do. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is a Vezina Trophy nominee once again. He is certainly one of the best in the game today. With play basically level through the first two periods, one of the teams needed to come out and make a statement in the third period.

That team turned out to be the Rangers right away. Less than a minute into the period, rookie Chris Kreider set up defenseman Dan Girardi for the nice goal. Girardi has struggled some defensively in the playoffs, so hopefully the goal will help boost his confidence. Midway through the period, Kreider found the net himself on a beautiful power-play goal. Less than a month ago, Kreider was a college student. In his thirteen games in the playoffs so far, he has clearly showcased his talent for all to see. The Devils tried to battle back, but Lundqvist would have none of that. Lundqvist finished with 21 saves and his fifth career playoff shutout. Center Artem Anisimov's goal late in the period sealed the win for the Rangers.

The Rangers confidence is booming following such a decisive Game 1 victory. They dominated the third period, so all momentum heading into Game 2 belongs to them. The Devils will look to find answers before the next game begins. In particular, they will need to figure out ways to try and beat Lundqvist, which is easier said than done. The Devils did show some rust in Game 1, so that should be gone the rest of the series. I expect them to play better in Game 2, and a win would be huge heading home. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night at 8:00 PM EST on NBCSN.

Manchester City Wins First Premier Title Since 1968

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Manchester City has been considered to be the second-rate team of their city for decades. They have had to live in the shadow of their bitter rival, Manchester United. Today, Manchester City needed a win over Queens Park Rangers. If they won the match, it would mean that they would win their first Premier League Title since 1968. Not only would they win it, but they would keep their inner-city rival, Manchester United, from winning the title. With United's 1-0 defeat of Sunderland in the books, City knew they were playing a must-win game.

Neither Manchester City or Queens Park Rangers played particularly well in the first-half. In the 39th minute, City pieced together some nice passing to set up a short angle shot for Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentinian's shot found the net, thanks in part to some poor goalkeeping work by Patrick Kenny. The lackluster half came to a close, but at half-time, QPR received news that a loss could potentially mean relegation from the Premier League. Wanting desperately to avoid that fate, QPR came out with a renewed energy to begin the second half. It didn't take long before that energy forced a mistake by City's defender Joleon Lescott. Lescott attempted to head the ball clear, but his header ricocheted backwards to the feet of QPR's Djibril Cisse, who buried the equalizer.

With the match still level at 1-1, Man City caught a break when QPR's captain, Joey Barton, got issued a red card in the 55th minute for elbowing Carlos Tevez in the face. Despite being down to ten men, QPR's defense refused to give in. In the 66th minute, QPR was rewarded when an unmarked Jamie Mackie headed home a ball from Armand Traore. The panic began to set in for City and their fans as they felt the title slipping away. Into stoppage time, they went still down 2-1. About a minute into stoppage time, City earned a corner. David Silva's beautiful ball into the box found the head of Edin Dzeko, who finished in cleanly. City's late heroics weren't over yet. Forward Sergio Aguero's shot found the bottom right corner. City's improbable comeback was complete.

The two late goals secured Manchester City's first Premier League Title since 1968. Granted that some of this success is due to the money that was spent to bring in many of these players. Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour has made more than a $1 billion dollar investment since purchasing the club from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2008. The real credit though has to go to the players. In what was a crazy and surprising Premier League season, Man City was the most consistent club by far. As a result, they are unquestionably the most deserving of the title. The atmosphere of Manchester, England has changed today. No longer does United remain forever supreme. Today belongs to City's players, coaches, fans, and everyone associated with the club.