ST. LOUIS (AP) The NHL All-Star Game could be headed for St. Louis if planned improvements to Scottrade Center are completed.The Blues and
the city are in the midst of a $64 million renovation of the 24-year-old
facility. The first phase – including a new scoreboard
Buffalo Sabres Hoodies Womens , new restrooms, three new concession stands, LED lighting, a new sound system and other infrastructure improvements – is already done.”I
think it’s fair to say, if all the upgrades are completed … there will be an
All-Star Game here,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters before the
Blues hosted the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. ”I can’t give you the
date so I’m not making an official announcement or reward, but there’s no reason
why we couldn’t have an All-Star Game here.”St. Louis hosted the Chicago
Blackhawks in the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium a year ago.”We brought the
Winter Classic here knowing that it would be successful,” Bettman said. ”They’re
great hockey fans and they’re great sports fans here in St. Louis. And we knew
that it was a sensitive time and it would be good for the city. It reinforced
everything I felt about this market as a sport and hockey market.”Bettman also
addressed the scrutiny surrounding coach’s challenges for goalie interference.
He said he believes the rule is being called correctly, but the intensity of the
reviews has overblown the issue.”We’re going to probably be looking at
fine-tuning exactly how we do this, but I think it’s getting a disproportionate
amount of attention
Buffalo Sabres Hats Womens ,” Bettman said. ”With respect to coach’s challenges on offside, we went with the two-minute penalty, maybe that’s something we go with
goaltender interference.”Bettman pointed out coaches have been more selective in
challenging for offside since the stakes were raised. Last year at this time
there had been 77 coach’s challenges for offside calls, and this year there have
been 40. BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings took
advantage of the Buffalo Sabres‘ second-period meltdown to snap a three-game
skid and keep pace in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff
race.Kopitar and rookie Michael Amadio each had two goals in a 4-2 win, which
the Kings broke open by scoring three times on consecutive shots over a span of
5:35 on Saturday afternoon.”I think our second period was huge, not just getting
the three goals but just dictating the game,” said Kopitar, who upped his
team-leading total to 25 goals. ”I thought (today) was a step in the right
direction, but we’ve got to continue going.”Article continues below ...Los
Angeles improved to 31-22-5 and vaulted into 10th place in the West
Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys , a point ahead of the idle Colorado Avalanche.The win was also the Kings’ first in Buffalo since a 4-1 victory on Feb. 21, 2003.
Los Angeles had gone 0-6-2 in its previous eight trips to Buffalo, and was
1-12-2 plus a tie in its previous 16 visits dating to the start of the 1993-94
season.”I don’t think we were worried about the 15-year drought in here, but we
had a three-game slide that we certainly wanted to stop,” Kopitar
said.Frustration boiled over for the Eastern Conference’s last-place Sabres.The
press box shook with the loud sound of a door slamming, and Sabres general
manager Jason Botterill was spotted leaving the team’s booth shortly after
Kopitar scored his first goal to put the Kings up 2-0.Sabres forward Jason
Pominville wasn’t surprised upon being informed of what happened.”I would’ve
probably done the same thing,” Pominville said of Buffalo’s lackadaisical effort
through 40 minutes.”The one thing we control is our effort and the energy we
bring,” he said. ”Some nights, we’re just not bringing it. I really don’t get
it.”The Sabres didn’t wake up until the third period, when Marco Scandella
scored 30 seconds in with a blast from the blue line that sailed over goalie
Jonathan Quick’s right shoulder. Then Rasmus Ristolainen scored during a
scramble in front with 3:18 left.Quick stopped 33 shots
www.flamesshoponline.com , while Dustin Brown had two assists.Buffalo’s Robin Lehner was yanked after
allowing four goals on 30 shots. Chad Johnson finished with six saves in the
final period.Kopitar’s first goal summed up Buffalo’s dreadful
performance.Sabres forward Benoit Pouliot lost his balance while trying to play
the puck just inside Buffalo’s blue line. The puck dribbled to Brown to set up a
2-on-1 break. Brown fed Kopitar, who wound his way across the front of the net
and easily deposited a shot into the open right side with 7:58 left in the
second period.The Kings scored twice more in a span of 1:29.Kopitar made it 3-0
with 3:54 left. He was set up for a one-timer in the left circle by Alex
Iafallo, who beat the Sabres’ defenders to a loose puck behind the Buffalo
net.Then, Amadio scored his second when Sabres defenseman Justin Falk got turned
around. Amadio stepped around Falk, and snapped a shot inside the right post.The
only knock Kings coach John Stevens had was how his team eased up in a third
period during which Los Angeles was outshot 18-6.”I thought we kind of got off
page a little bit, and they made a big push in the third period that we weren’t
ready for,” Stevens said.NOTES: The Sabres are 2-6-1 in their past nine home
games and 8-17-4 overall at home. Buffalo’s fewest home wins in an 82-game
season is 13, set in 2013-14. … Iafallo was a fan of the Sabres growing up in
Eden, New York, just outside Buffalo. Though Iafallo had a large contingent of
friends present for his first game at Buffalo
Calgary Flames T-Shirts Womens , the Kings rookie’s parents weren’t among them. They were instead in Columbus, Ohio, to be with Iafallo’s sister, Juliana, who
was being honored as part of Ohio State women’s hockey team’s senior weekend. …
Sabres C Ryan O’Reilly entered the day leading the league with 867 faceoff
wins.UP NEXTKings: Continue their seven-game trip at the Chicago Blackhawks on
Monday night.Sabres: Host the Washington Capitals on Monday afternoon.—
