NEW YORK, N. E.J. Gaines Jersey .Y. - Henrik Lundqvist wasnt happy going into Game 6 against Montreal. Given the hook midway through the previous game of the Eastern Conference final, the US$100-million-plus Rangers goalie had been doing a lot of soul-searching. "You have so many highs. You have a few lows where youre questioning a lot of things, but then you just have to make up your mind," Lundqvist said after Thursdays 1-0 series-clinching win over Montreal. "You cant have any excuses. You just have to go out there. "I kept telling myself all day, believe in what youre doing. Ive been in that spot before. It gets silly, you get pulled. You have a tough game, but you just have to stay confident." The mental review concluded, Lundqvist returned to world-class form. In dispatching the Canadiens to win the series four games to two, Lundqvist only had to deal with 18 shots. There were stretches of inactivity for the stylish Swede but he had to be razor sharp on a couple of occasions. Lundqvist, in 20 playoff games this season, leads the NHL with a .928 save percentage and ranks second with a 2.03 goals-against average. New York will need more of the same in the Stanley Cup final. "He was totally focused," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of his goalie. "He was probably a little upset tonight coming into the game. I dont know if it was because of the opportunity or if he was upset with the way it ended in Montreal in Game 5. "But he was definitely focused, and those are not easy games to play. I mean, there is not a lot of work, but youve got to stay sharp. He stayed really sharp." The biggest save came in the second period off Thomas Vanek. It was an amazing circus-like save with his arm and then blocker as Lundqvist, who lost his stick in the process, corkscrewed his body to stop the close-range shot that deflected off a diving defenceman. Asked what he thought of the play, Vigneault replied: "Same thing you did. Wow." The Rangers scored soon after to book a ticket to their first Cup final in 20 years. When the final whistle blew, the normally ice-cool Lundqvist threw his arms up in the air and pumped them in celebration, before being mobbed by his teammates as New York celebrated its 11th trip to the final. The Rangers will open the championship series next Wednesday in either Chicago or Los Angeles. "Its going to be a great challenge," said Lundqvist before knowing the identity of his opponent. "Were going to play against a really good team. Its about, for us, in the room to remind each other that this is such a special moment that you have to grab it. You have to make sure youre ready and play your absolute best. "Youre not going to get that many opportunities. Ive been here for nine years. This is my first final, and now its all about preparing the right way and try to leave it all out there." In front of Lundqvist, the Rangers can roll four lines. Vigneault started the fourth line of Dominic Moore, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett against the Habs in Game 6 and they responded with the lone goal on the night. The goal came through nose-to-the-grindstone resolve as the Rangers outworked a tired Montreal quintet to keep the puck in the Habs end. Left alone behind the goal, Boyle sent a perfect pass through defenceman Francis Bouillon and Moore snapped a shot past Dustin Tokarski on the stick side. The Rangers rely on goaltending and penalty killing to limit the opposition offence. Its a recipe that worked well against Montreal, other than Game 5 when Lundqvist was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots. New York also has speed in the form of Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello and others. There are Cup winners in Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis. And first-class defencemen in Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. There is character galore. Moore and St. Louis have had to endure personal tragedies in recent time, but found refuge at the rink, according to Vigneault. The team is well-drilled and does the little things well, although there was a tendency to take poor penalties against Montreal. Behind the bench, Vigneault is a calming presence. In a year that saw the Rangers wobble out of the starting gate, forced to play on the road for most of October due to Madison Square Garden renovations, Vigneault kept the train on the tracks while changing the team culture. Lundqvist also endured a rocky start, going 8-11 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in his first 20 games. "We did change a lot of things going into the season. I think it was a time where we had to find ourselves a little bit as a group," the goalie said. "But personally, I think it was my toughest start in my career, my 12, 13 years as a pro, if I combine the Sweden years. "So its definitely a tough test. But it feels better when you turn it around and good things start to happen. Its been a great ride so far, especially the second half of the season. Its been a lot of fun to be around the guys, thats for sure." Lundqvist, in the final year of a six-year, US$41.25 million deal, signed a seven-year contract extension worth US$59.5 million that will make him the NHLs highest-paid goalie. The win that moved the Rangers into the final came a year to the day that New York fired fiery coach John Tortorella, who is worlds apart from Vigneault. "I personally just like how calm he is," Lundqvist said of Vigneault. "Obviously, he changed a lot the way we play, so it was a big change early on in training camp and the first couple months for us to adjust and for me to adjust. It was a little different game. But he was very patient and calm and understood the process for us to get there. Its going to take a while to get there. "But obviously having Tortorella for almost five years and having that coaching style and then A.V. comes in, theyre opposites. As a player, you learn from both, and I enjoy both. But its refreshing when you see a new coaching style that you havent had before and the way he handles pressure situations. ... Hes pretty consistent with the way he talks to us good or bad." Vigneault is the picture of calm, although he is no automaton. "Yeah, he gets worked up. Hes a human being, and hes a coach," said Richards. "Coaches have to do things sometimes to get things going. But his worked up is different than other peoples worked up. Different from my worked up and your worked up, everybody has different ways of showing it. "I think youve just got to be around it and be behind closed doors, and youll know when he wants a little more of a practice or a little more preparation or whatever hes doing. He still sets the tone when you see him that day, if things need to be changed or need to be worked on." Damarious Randall Browns Jersey . Listen to the Rangers vs. Kings live on TSN Radio starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also stream the post-game press conferences live on TSN. Austin Corbett Jersey . -- Patrick Kueng of Switzerland was nearly flawless as he captured his first World Cup and halted Aksel Lund Svindals streak of four straight super-G victories on Saturday. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Zane-Gonzalez-Jersey/ .com) - Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is set to return Tuesday against Nashville after sitting out the past two games because of a minor upper body injury.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Derek Norris wasnt too surprised to hit a three-run home run on a 3-0 count in the first inning. The Athletics catcher was only mildly shocked when he did the same thing the next inning, in nearly the exact same situation with the same count and on the same pitch. Norris hit a pair of three-run home runs off Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez to back Scott Kazmirs fifth win and Oakland beat Washington 9-1 on Sunday to complete a series sweep. "Theyve given me the green light a few times this year and it just hasnt really worked out the way it did today," said Norris, who drove in a career-high six runs. "Everyone knows (Gonzalez) has good stuff and you have to get on him early. It just happened to work out a little bit better than it initially was planned out to be, not once but twice." Both of Norris home runs came on identical two-out pitches from Gonzalez, who pitched four seasons in Oakland. The two players were part of a 2011 trade between the teams. In the lineup because of a left-hander on the mound, Norris blasted a 3-0 pitch from Gonzalez over the wall in left with two outs in the first. Oakland led 4-0 when Norris came up in the second, again with two runners on. Gonzalez (3-3) ran the count to 3-0 before Norris hammered the ball down the left field line for his fourth home run this season. "They had the same feel to them, same swing," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Obviously the two swings of the bat put the game in completely different context. He has that ability." Its the first multi-homer game of Norris career. The six RBIs are tied for the most by an Athletics catcher since 1914. That it came on Mothers Day and against his former team made it more memorable for Norris. "It was one of those special days," Norris said. "Ive never hit two home runs in a game. It still feels surreal." Nick Punto added two hits and three RBIs while Brandon Moss singled twice and doubled. Oakland has won four straight since dropping five of six against Boston and Seattle. Kazmir (5-1) bounced back from his first loss of the year to pitch seven scoreless innings while allowing only four hits. He struck out four and didnt walk a batter for the fourth time this season. Thhe As completed their majors-leading fourth series sweep with another blowout of the Nationals. Darren Fells Browns Jersey. Oakland, which shut out Washington in the series opener, outscored Washington 21-4. Punto added an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the seventh. It was a rough return to the Coliseum for Gonzalez, who pitched for the As for four years and was making his first start against his former club. Washingtons left-hander laboured through 4 1-3 innings and gave up seven runs and nine hits. He struck out four and walked three in his worst outing in Oakland since giving up 11 earned runs to Minnesota on July 20, 2009. Gonzalez was also caught on TV yelling at a teammate in Washingtons dugout after the second. Earlier in the inning, the Nationals allowed a high pop-up by Yoenis Cespedes to fall to the turf and roll foul. Cespedes eventually walked before the next batter, Norris, hit his second two-out home run of the day. "Just couldnt find the strike zone," Gonzalez said. "Mistake pitches, left them up in the zone and good hitters made contact." Kazmir and the As bullpen did the rest. Joe Savery pitched the eighth and Jim Johnson worked the ninth to complete the seven-hitter. Before the game, Washington placed first baseman Adam LaRoche on the disabled list with a right quad strain. LaRoche, who has five home runs and 21 RBIs, joins Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and outfielder Bryce Harper on the DL. Without its top three hitters, Washington did little offensively. Kazmir retired the side in order five times in the first six innings, and the Nationals were on the verge of being shut out for the second time in three days until Zach Walters RBI single off Johnson with two outs in the ninth. NOTES: The Nationals swept a three-game series from Oakland at home in 2005, the only other time the two teams have faced one another. ... Washington called up 1B Tyler Moore from Triple-A Syracuse to replace LaRoche. Moore batted seventh and went 0-for-3. ... RHP Jordan Zimmerman (2-1) carries a 2.92 ERA into his start Monday at Arizona. ... Oakland RHP Jesse Chavez (2-1) pitches the opener against the White Sox and has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of his seven starts. Wholesale Jerseys 2018 NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Black China NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo China Jerseys Stitched Jerseys China NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Throwback Cheap Stitched Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Hoodies NFL Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Stitched Jerseys ' ' '
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