Xbox360 » Bishop’s 38 saves were his most in a shutout

EL SEGUNDO Authentic Jarvis Landry Jersey , Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Kings believe they are still Stanley Cup contenders, even after being swept by the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. How close they are to that goal might be reflected in how negotiations go with defenseman Drew Doughty this summer.General manager Rob Blake said Friday that working out a contract extension with Doughty is the team’s top priority. The Kings and Doughty can begin holding talks on July 1, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.”I always wanted to be an LA King and I want to stay an LA King,” Doughty said.Doughty is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy presented to the league’s top defenseman after winning it in 2016. He had 10 goals and 50 assists in his most productive NHL season yet, but Doughty believes he can still improve his scoring output.”I wasn’t too happy with my goal totals this year,” Doughty said. ”I think I only maybe scored one or two one-timer goals, which in my career probably half of my goals are one-timer goals, so I was pretty disappointed about that this year. I can definitely improve on that and have an even better season and hopefully set some new career-highs.”The Kings scored just three goals in four games against the Golden Knights. Developing a more reliable offense is the one glaring weakness that needs be addressed, and lifting the Stanley Cup for the third time is a reasonable goal provided it gets solved going into next season.”Everybody is still here that was here in ’14 and almost in ’12 for that matter, too Authentic Bradley Chubb Jersey , so we’re not that far off,” center Anze Kopitar said. ”It’s going to take a lot of work, yes, but we’re not far off.”CAREER YEARSKopitar set personal bests with 35 goals and 57 assists while averaging a career-high 22:05 of playing time. His 92 points represented a 40-point improvement over his lackluster 2016-17, leading Kopitar to joke he is ”aging like wine.” Dustin Brown had 61 points to top his previous high of 60 set in 2007-08, his fourth season in the league. Doughty broke free with 60 points after reaching the 50-point plateau once in the previous seven seasons. Doughty’s usual defensive partner, Jake Muzzin, had 42 points. Even depth forward Trevor Lewis got into the act with 26 points and 14 goals in his most productive campaign.FORWARD THINKINGRookie Adrian Kempe was fourth on the team with 16 goals despite not finding the back of the net in the final 29 games of the regular season. Stepping in at center when Jeff Carter missed 55 games following surgery to repair a cut tendon in his ankle, Kempe showed a surprising toughness to go along with his natural quickness. If Kempe can continue to develop, he could decrease the reliance on Kopitar http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/bradley-chubb-jersey , who will be 31 when next season starts, and the 33-year-old Carter.”I’m pretty sure he’ll be the first one to tell you he can offer more, and that’s a learning process,” Kopitar said. ”That’s his first full year in the league. Speaking from experience, it takes a little bit of time to figure out your routines and what’s working for you and what’s not.”LOOKING FOR DEPTHShort of dealing in the offseason, the Kings should return essentially the same roster next season. Speedy forward Tobias Rieder is a restricted free agent, and Torrey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent. The 25-year-old Rieder showed some chemistry with Carter, posting four goals and two assists in 20 games. Defensemen Christian Folin and Kevin Gravel are both unrestricted free agents.HOME IMPROVEMENT NEEDEDThe Kings went 23-15-3 at home, the second-fewest wins by a playoff team. It seemed like they were getting better as the season went on, going 9-4-0 down the stretch Womens Bradley Chubb Jersey , only to lose both home playoff games and fall to 0-5 at Staples Center in their last two postseasons. Their 118 goals at home in the regular season was tied for 21st in the NHL. The power play contributed 25 percent of that output, underscoring the need for 5-on-5 improvement.COMING ATTRACTIONClearly in need of more contributors on offense, center Gabriel Vilardi could be an option for the Kings next season. Selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 draft, Vilardi has been a force in the OHL playoffs with 11 goals and nine assists in his first 12 postseason games. Vilardi also has the size and 200-foot game that fit a Kings team that still emphasizes defense.— DALLAS (AP) The Dallas Stars needed a big performance from goaltender Ben Bishop to maintain their position in the playoff race, and they got one.Bishop made 38 saves, and Dallas blanked Calgary 2-0 on Tuesday night for his 24th career shutout and fifth this season.”Ben was great, and he did an outstanding job,” Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. ”Held us together and it’s two points.”Those points allowed the Stars to remain in the first Western Conference wild card spot and prevented Calgary, which sits just outside the second wild card position, from moving ahead of them.”There were some chances Authentic Phillip Lindsay Jersey ,” Bishop said, ”but I think the guys did a good job of just a one and done. There (weren’t) too many sustained chances there where they were getting two, three whacks. Sometimes you’ve got to come up and make the saves.”Bishop made 17 of them in the second period, when Dallas increased its lead to 2-0 on a power-play goal by Tyler Seguin, his 32nd.Devin Shore scored the first goal with just 39 seconds left in the first period. He skated past Calgary’s Dougie Hamilton to the left faceoff circle and lifted a wrist shot over goalie Jon Gillies.Bishop’s best work was during a Calgary 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:55 midway through the first period. The Flames managed only two shots on goal but had other good chances.Calgary came into the game with nine power-play goals in the previous six games but missed on all six man advantages.”We had to get something on the power play, especially that 5-on-3,” Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. ”I saw what it did to their bench. Their crowd obviously recognizing a good kill, and I thought they got a little energy from it when it didn’t happen.”Bishop was really good tonight. We had a lot of chances. We just couldn’t get anything by him.”Midway through the second period, Seguin scored on the power play, taking a cross-ice pass from Jamie Benn low in the right circle. Seguin beat goalie Jon Gillies with a wrist shot into the upper right corner.Gillies took his first loss in six NHL games. He stopped 24 shots.”He gave us a chance http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/phillip-lindsay-jersey ,” Gulutzan said. ”I thought they made a real nice play on the first goal, and even the second goal, if Seguin gets a shot from there on the east-west pass like that he’s not going to miss too many times.”On the Stars’ third power play of the second period, Bishop stopped 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 short-handed rushes by the Flames.”What did we give up?” Hitchcock said. ”Thirty scoring chances?”We need a lot better play by a lot more people.”Shore’s goal was his first in 11 games.”The puck was coming up the wall and it kind of seemed there was nobody on Dan Hamhuis’s side. Remi Elie won his battle in their zone and it was a nice pass by him to come right out to me,” Shore said. ”I was gonna shoot and did a quick fake, and it went in.”NOTES: Bishop’s 38 saves were his most in a shutout this season. His best save total for any game this season is 39. … Dallas LW Antoine Roussel went off for interference in the first period, bringing his penalty minutes over 100 for the fifth time in seven seasons. Five seconds later, D Marc Methot joined Roussel in the penalty box. … Gillies had won his first three decisions, including the two games before Tuesday. … The Stars had been 1 for 20 on the power play over eight-plus games before Seguin’s goal. … Calgary was 9 for 21 with a man advantage in the previous six games. . Each team had seven minor penalties.UP NEXTFlames: Complete a two-game trip on Wednesday at Colorado.Stars: Play the third in a five-game homestand on Thursday against Tampa Bay.—