LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings are a mountain to climb, and the size of the challenge comes home the closer you get. nfl jerseys china . The New York Rangers finally had a first-hand look in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, mounting an early assault before Los Angeles knocked them back to win 3-2 in overtime. Asked to compare the physicality of the well-drilled Kings to the three teams the Rangers have beaten in the playoffs to date, New York coach Alain Vigneault neatly summed up the challenge before the Blueshirts. "Philly was a physical team and they played on the edge," he said. "Pittsburgh played more of a skill game, but they also had quite a few players that played on the edge. Montreal was a real structured team. So they were three different opponents. "This one here is structured. Theyve got skill. Theyre physical. So makes it a pretty big challenge." You can add battle-hardened to that list. In the dog-eat-dog Western Conference, the Kings have come to the final the long way. They have had to run the gauntlet of San Jose, Anaheim and Chicago -- teams that finished 15, 20 and 11 points, respectively, ahead of New York in the regular season. And they did it without home-ice advantage. "Were a team thats just never going to go away," said Los Angeles forward Kyle Clifford. "Doesnt matter what the score is, were going to play our hardest and do what we do best." The Kings, who clawed their way back to dominate the second half of Wednesdays game, have already given the Rangers plenty to chew on. The New Yorkers, nestled in a five-star cubbyhole on the beach, had the day off Thursday to ponder the challenge. "To be able to be away from the game is a good thing, but at the same time I think if you ask every guy on our team, where were at mentally right now is were at the rink still," said forward Derek Stepan. "Guys are evaluating their own games, getting ready to make adjustments and get ourselves ready for Game 2." That comes Saturday, and Vigneault wasted little time challenging his players to up their game this time. "One thing is real evident to me, and it should be to our whole group, is were not going to beat this team if we do not all bring our A game," Vigneault said. "It is that strong of an opponent that were playing against. "We had Hank (goalie Henrik Lundqvist) that brought his A game last night. We had a couple guys. I dont want to name who, I think brought their A game. But our B game wont do it. Were not going to win if we bring our B game to the table. "Theyre one of the best teams Ive seen in a long time. Areas to exploit, they dont jump out at you. Were going to have to be better than we were." Unlike in the Eastern Conference final series against Montreal, where Vigneault and Habs coach Michel Therrien poked and prodded each other verbally, Vigneault has been all business so far in the final. He seems to be staring at the Kings, like a career bank robber pondering how to take down a state-of-the-art safe. The Rangers coach says his team knew going into the series what was needed to win. "Its something that we discussed -- how good the opponent was. And thats a challenge. At this time of the year to win, you got to bring your A game. Thats each and every player. When we played Game 6 against Montreal, each and every player brought his A game. Its not an easy thing to do. But against this opponent, I do believe our expectations are to win, (weve) got to find a way to do it." Vigneault is no strangers to the challenge, having crossed paths with the Kings many times during his years as coach of the Canucks. "They were a good team in the years past," he said. "Theyre a real good team now. Theyve obviously got more experience. They play their game plan to a T and they dont deviate in any shape, way, or form so that makes it real challenging for the opposition." Captain Dustin Brown says part of the secret of the Kings success is their familiarity. "For our team, its just a result of us being together for a long time. I think that goes a longer ways than most people think," he said. "When it gets really hard, really tough, you know the guy next to you very well. You know what hes going to do in those types of situations." Worrying for the Rangers is the fact the Kings, who fell behind 2-0 in the first period only to rally and outshoot New York 20-3 in the third, can be better. Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter acknowledged his team was sluggish following the quick turnaround from the gruelling series with Chicago. "Guys are not machines," he told a media availability at a hotel adjacent to their practice facility. "We can play a lot better," he added. "Its way better when youre not chasing the lead." Sutter did his bit to inject some life into his team, changing up the lines in the first period as soon as he saw some players did not have their legs under them. The Kings also had an off-day Thursday. cheap jerseys from china . For Kyle Lowry, its become an accepted reality. He will be traded. The question is, when and where? The Raptors point guard is widely believed to be next on general manager Masai Ujiris chopping block after the first domino - Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend - fell last week. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . The Olympic hockey rookies will face top-seeded and 2006 Olympic champion Sweden on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Kopitar, who plays for the Los Angeles Kings, is the only NHL player on the Slovenia squad. His father, Matjaz, is the national teams coach.TORONTO -- Just 24, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones recently became the proud owner of a Bentley. "God is good, man. Definitely," Jones said with a smile Wednesday when the subject of his US$190,000 Bentley Continental GT came up. Former champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida drives a Toyota back home in Brazil. "Its a regular car. Theres nothing too special about it," he said through an interpreter. Sporting contrasting styles as well as wheels, the two mixed martial arts stars are headed for a collision Dec. 10 at UFC 140 at Torontos Air Canada Centre. "This is a fun one, I like this fight stylistically," UFC president Dana White told a news conference to promote the card. UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in April drew a UFC-record gate ($11 million) and crowd (55,724). Not surprisingly given those numbers, White and Jones were both generous in their take on Toronto. "This is without a doubt the strongest (MMA) market on the planet," said White. Added Jones: "I really look at Canada as the mecca when it comes to our support base." Jones (14-1) is perhaps the hottest fighter on the UFCs books, not to mention its youngest ever title-holder. At six foot four, the former junior college wrestling champion has an 84.5-inch reach -- the longest in UFC history at any weight class. Joness wingspan makes him hard to attack. Opponents have come at Jones at their peril. With an unpredictable arsenal of punches and kicks on his feet and a savage ground attack, Jones has sent more than a few fighters to hospital. Machida, as calm as they come, is unfazed by the whirling dervish that awaits him in the cage. "I guarantee that on Dec. 10 Ill be well-prepared and I can overcome his athleticism with my technique," the 33-year-old Machida said simply. The six-foot-one Machida (17-2) is fast and elusive, coming from a unique family and fighting background. His father Yoshizo Machida came to Brazil when he was 22 to test his karate skills. Just five foot six, he developed his own form of karate to combat bigger men. It is based on defence, harkening back to the days when warriors fought with swords and one hit could cause death. Lyoto Machida darts in and out when he fights, attacking with punches and kicks then retreating. Cheap NFL Jerseys. A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he is also accomplished on the ground but it is his fluid striking attack that turns heads. "I think distance is one thing I think Machida does a lot better than most people," said Toronto welterweight Claude Patrick. "Hes in and out very quickly, covering a lot of ground quick ... While Jones has that natural reach, I think Machida covers that ground pretty well." The only men to have beaten the Brazilian are Mauricio (Shogun) Rua, who took away his title in their second fight, and former champion Quinton (Rampage) Jackson, who won a close decision. Machida rebounded from those losses with a devastating knockout of Randy (The Natural) Couture at UFC 129. He faked a left leg kick then lashed out with his right, connecting flush with Coutures face. The kick felled the Hall of Famer, removing a tooth in the process. Most fighter have found it hard to hunt Machida down in the cage. "Anyone can be solved by a solid punch on the chin," said Patrick, "which was the solution to Machida when he lost. "Nobodys really exposed him so to speak," he added. "Hes still very elusive, great footwork, great striking. But if you get hit, you get hit. Same thing could happen to anybody that steps into the Octagon. "I think itll be a very interesting fight and footwork will probably be the determining factor." Jones, who is coming off a successful title defence against Jackson, said he will deal with Machidas style by "just really being myself." "Im very aware of the fact that hes never competed against anyone like me, and Ive never competed against anyone like him," said Jones, who spends hours watching his opponents. "So the name of the game is really just to study -- and figure out tendencies and take it from there." Bookmakers have already established Jones at a 4-1 or 5-1 favourite to beat Machida. Jones was originally slated to face another former champion in Rashad Evans. But Evans is still recovering from a hand injury and had to step aside. Tickets for the Toronto card go on sale later this week. wholesale jerseys ' ' '
