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ANAHEIM – It would have been a heck of a story. On Saturday night, Teemu Selanne was poised to become the hero in Game 1 of the first-ever Freeway Series between southern Californias two NHL teams. The long-time Anaheim Duck, who wears No. 8, had scored at 8:08 of the third period to put the home team up. It was a script worthy of Hollywood. But the Los Angeles Kings provided a twist ending, scoring with seven seconds left and winning in overtime. Only hours before his goal the 43-year-old Selanne, who is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, sat in his dressing room stall and expressed genuine excitement at the prospect of experiencing another first this late in his decorated career. This is the first time in any sport that two teams from this area have battled in the playoffs. "This is something that even I havent faced before so Im very happy that this happened, because even last year was very close, but now its real and its going to be another great experience in my career," Selanne said with a big smile. The Ducks missed out on a date with the Kings last season, because they were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings. "I was just thinking about that the other day and its funny that its never happened," said Selanne. "Theres something special about this." Only days ago it appeared as if Selannes career was headed toward an inauspicious end. He was made a healthy scratch in Game 4 of Anaheims first-round series against the Dallas Stars. It was a bitter pill for the proud Selanne to swallow, but he has responded the right way. "He sat out that one game in the Dallas series and I dont think he was very happy about it, which was natural," said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. "Thats what you want to see out of guys. You dont want him to be satisfied by that. He upped his game and hes been great ever since." Selanne had two assists in the thrilling Game 6 come-from-behind win in Dallas. His goal in Game 1 against the Kings snapped a 13-game drought dating back to the regular season. He has put eight shots on net the last two games as his playing time has increased (more than 14 minutes in each of the last two games after posting a high of 11:31 in the Dallas series). Even more impressive than the points has been his physical play. The 6-foot, 198-pound Selanne was last on the Ducks during the regular season with just 15 hits, but you wouldnt have known it based on the last couple of games. "I thought the last two games hes been really good," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "Hes found a little bit of a fountain of youth, hitting guys, which really isnt his game, but hes committed to the cause and hopefully he gets enough rest where he can do the same thing in Game 2." It was Selannes hit on Robyn Regehr that forced the 6-foot-3, 222-pound Los Angeles defenceman from the game in the Ducks-Kings curtain raiser. "He hit Regehr, knocked him over and Regehrs one of the biggest guys in the league," said Ducks forward Nick Bonino. "Thats what the playoffs are all about: getting out of your comfort zone, hitting guys, making physical plays and thats why teams win." "Im strong too, you know," Selanne quipped while flexing when asked if he was surprised he was able to knock Regehr down. So, is Selanne getting his second wind now that hes in the second round for the first time since 2009? "I think so," he said. "Playoffs, you know, is more physical hockey. Thats not really my style, but I can play physical too." But even with Selannes contribution the Ducks still ended up on the wrong end of a 3-2 overtime result in Game 1. Boudreau said the Ducks internal statistics showed they held the Kings to just three scoring chances during five-on-five play. "I dont know when weve ever held a team to that," he said. "Were not depressed. Id be more depressed if we didnt play any good and we lost. I liked the way we did a lot of the things." Corey Perry had a glorious chance to end it in overtime. With Kings goalie Jonathan Quick out of position, the 43-goal scorer in the regular season had an open net to shoot at, but was foiled by a sliding Alec Martinez, who was able to block the shot. Needless to say, Perry had trouble sleeping Saturday night. "Yeah, I was up for awhile. You think about what it couldve been," he said. "Ive seen it a few times. I thought about it ... He made a great play." Selanne, a veteran of 22 NHL seasons, has been around long enough to know how a team can collect itself after a disheartening defeat. "You just cant get too high even if you win," said Selanne, who won a bronze medal with Finland during Februarys Sochi Olympics just one day after a crushing loss to rival Sweden in the semi-finals. "Enjoy a little bit or be down a little bit, but then just forget it and keep going. You can always learn something win or lose and just go from there." There was a clear lesson for the Ducks in Game 1: their power play, which generated six shots while failing to score on four chances, can be much better. "Thats one area we want to fix, because all great teams they have a great power play and that can make winning so much easier. Our power play, the whole year, has been a little bit up and down," said Selanne. Anaheim finished 22nd in power-play efficiency during the regular season converting on 16 per cent of its chances. The Ducks do have seven power-play goals in the playoffs, which is tied for the league lead, but four of the goals came during one game (Game 5 against the Stars). "We got to generate some opportunities," said Getzlaf. "We moved the puck around pretty well, but we didnt really generate a whole lot. I think that starts with getting some shots through against a team where its not easy to get pucks to the net. Their D do a good job blocking shots and we just got to get that mindset that were going to take it to the net a little bit more." And while the Ducks believe they can do a better job with the man advantage they werent about to get down on themselves even though they have squandered home-ice advantage. "I dont think we had a weak link [Saturday] night," said Selanne. "We deserved better than that, but its hockey and the goals matter and we couldnt put the game away. Game 2 is a new opportunity." Theres a reason Anaheim has a healthy confidence when it comes to battling Los Angeles. The Ducks won four of the five games against the Kings in the regular season and the one loss came in a shootout. "Theres no secrets between these two teams," Selanne explained. "Theyre very, very close matches, tight-checking, low-scoring and whoevers going to do the little things better [will win]. It could go either way." This is a burgeoning rivalry. Bad blood is building, but there is also a healthy respect between the clubs. The Ducks were impressed, for example, watching the Kings dig out from an 0-3 hole against the San Jose Sharks in the first round. "It was actually fun to watch. Its remarkable, unbelievable so, you know, you got to give a lot of credit to those guys," said Selanne. "They have a team that just keeps coming and, it was funny, even though they lost Game 3 you could see the confidence level building higher and higher and then they really started believing and they almost had another gear and the Sharks they didnt have that." Bottom line: the Kings are more than a worthy adversary even though Anaheim finished 16 points ahead of them in the regular season standings. "You need everyone to play 60 minutes at least at your own level and sometimes you need to over-achieve to win the game. Every team is as good as their weakest link. Thats the beauty of team sports," said Selanne, outlining the recipe for success. So the stage is set for an epic battle as a savvy veteran aims to keep his NHL career alive and help Anaheim win the first-ever Freeway Faceoff. And if Game 1 was any indication its going to be a special series. On Saturday, fans from both sides chanted proudly at the Honda Center. They were rewarded for their passion with a thrilling finish. "It was unbelievable. Cant ask more than that," Selanne said when asked about the atmosphere. "Both teams and the fans have been waiting for this matchup for a long time so lets enjoy it." Manny Ramirez Jersey . Matt Carkner got back into the Ottawa lineup, and made his presence felt right away by settling his clubs score in a one-sided fight with Rangers forward Brian Boyle. Omar Vizquel Jersey .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-corey-kluber-jersey/. The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo. Jason Kipnis Jersey .28 for a combined time of 1:14.70, also an Olympic record. Lee won the gold medal, defending her title from the Vancouver Games. Eddie Robinson Jersey . Icardi is living with the ex-wife of former teammate Maxi Lopez, and the Sampdoria forward refused to shake Icardis hand before kickoff. Walter Samuel and Rodrigo Palacio also scored for Inter while Lopez had a penalty saved. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Passed over in the NFL draft in April, quarterback Jeff Tuel settled on signing with the Buffalo Bills a few days later with the sole objective of cracking the teams roster. As of Monday, the raw rookie out of Washington State is in line to start in the Bills season opener against New England Sept. 8. "I came here to play football, and thats what Im doing," Tuel said. "It just explains, you can never expect. You never know whats going to happen in this league. "Its why youve got to be ready." Tuel is in this position because of a string of injuries that have hit the Bills quarterback position. Veteran Kevin Kolb is out indefinitely after sustaining a concussion -- the third of his seven-year career -- in a 30-7 loss to Washington on Saturday. Then theres rookie first-round pick EJ Manuel, who might not be ready to play because hes still recovering from a left knee injury he hurt in a 20-16 win over Minnesota a week earlier. The Bills did sign free agent Matt Leinart on Sunday, but the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner needs time to become familiar with the offence. Should Tuel start against New England, he would be the first undrafted rookie directly out of college to start in Week 1 for any team since the NFL merger in 1970, according to STATS LLC. This is not exactly what rookie coach Doug Marrone envisioned when he intended to have his starter in place within 10 days of the season. "Well, I dont know if Id use the word crazy," Marrone said. "But I would say a little bit of adversity, for sure." And that wasnt the only unsettling news to greet the Bills, who returned to practice in preparing for their preseason finale against Detroit Thursday. Top cornerback Stephon Gilmore will miss between six and eight weeks after breaking his left wrist against Washington. Its an injury that further depletes a cornerback position that already lacks experienced depth behind Leodis McKelvin. Running back C.J. Spiller has been excused to be with his family near Jacksonville, Fla., where his step-grandfather Hubert Allen Jr. allegedly killed two people and shot two others before killing himself on Saturday. Marrone said the team has been in contact with Spiller, but theres no timetable as to when hell return. Chris Hairston, who was supposed to compete for the starting right tackle job, was placed on the season-ending reserve/non-football illnesss list.dddddddddddd Hairston has not practiced after opening training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list. And two-time Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd didnt sound entirely thrilled to be back in Buffalo after practicing with the team for the first time since signing his one-year, $6.9 million franchise tender last week. Byrd said he didnt want to be a distraction, but acknowledged being "disappointed" when Buffalo applied the franchise tag in March to prevent him from testing free agency. Byrd declined to say whether hes asked to be traded. He wouldnt directly answer a question regarding his chances of playing in Buffalo next season. Byrd only noted that the Bills have the option to place the franchise tag on him again next year. The two sides failed to negotiate a long-term deal before a July 15 deadline. That left Byrd the option of accepting the tender or losing pay once he began missing regular season games. Byrds not sure how ready hell be to open the season after having missed the entire off-season of practice "Only time will tell," he said. The problem is the Bills are quickly running out of time, and healthy bodies. At the least, Buffalo has some reinforcements at quarterback, with Leinart and Thaddeus Lewis each making their practice debuts. Lewis was acquired Sunday in a trade that sent linebacker Chris White to Detroit. Tuel, 22, found it strange providing offensive tips to a 30-year-old Leinart, a 2006 first-round pick. "It was odd," Tuel said. "The last time I saw Matt, I was watching him in the Rose Bowl in the national championship play Texas, and I was in the stands. I was like in eighth grade." The injuries to Manuel and Kolb have at least provided Tuel additional practice and playing time than most third-stringers usually get. In three preseason games, hes combined for 31 of 43 for 299 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Leinart is happy to get one more chance to prove himself after spending the entire off-season looking for a job. After spending his first four seasons in Arizona, hes on his third team in as many years. "Im just excited just to be here obviously and humbled and just thankful for the opportunity," said Leinart, who is expected to play Thursday. "Obviously, I know nothing is guaranteed ever. But Im excited to be playing football. "I was getting bored." 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