LOS ANGELES -- Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings have returned from the Olympic break with a revitalized game and a sharpened playoff focus. [url=http://www.thecowboysfansmall.com/c-40-cowboys-ezekiel-elliott-jers ey.aspx]Ezekiel Elliott Jersey[/url] . The Carolina Hurricanes have neither, and

LOS ANGELES -- Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings have returned from the Olympic break with a revitalized game and a sharpened playoff focus. Ezekiel Elliott Jersey . The Carolina Hurricanes have neither, and they realize theyre running out of time to get it. Alec Martinez scored the tiebreaking goal on a power play with 11:45 to play, Quick made 24 saves, and the Kings beat the Hurricanes 3-1 Saturday for their third victory in four days since the break. Mike Richards scored his second goal since late November and Justin Williams added an empty-net goal for Los Angeles, which has roared out of the break with three wins in three cities in about 70 hours. The low-scoring Kings put up eight goals at Colorado and Calgary before holding off Carolina in their return to Staples Center. After five scoreless power plays in the first two periods, the Kings finally converted on their sixth. Captain Dustin Brown got the puck behind the Carolina net and fed it to Martinez, who blasted a shot from the slot for his first goal since Jan. 9. "Its no secret we werent happy with our game before the break started," Martinez said. "We worked on a lot of things, and we knew that when we came back, this would be crunch-time, playoff hockey." After two straight trips to the Western Conference finals and a Stanley Cup championship in 2012, the Kings know a few things about post-season grit -- and they know theyll need it just to reach the playoffs this time. Los Angeles had a 1-8-1 stretch shortly before the Olympic break, falling back to the pack in the conference playoff race. The Kings are thoroughly revived after their time off and an eventful Olympics, which included gold medals for Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter along with two surprising victories for Slovenia and Anze Kopitar. The rest of the Kings got several days off and several more days of practice, and both appear to be paying off. "Weve got to bring our best every night right now," Quick said. The Kings have won four straight overall, and Quick appears to be in top form after starting for the U.S. Olympic team in Sochi. He followed up his shutout of the Flames on Thursday with another strong performance against the Canes, including a handful of spectacular saves over the final two periods. Andrej Sekera scored and Anton Khudobin stopped 28 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost three straight on their five-game road trip out of the break. Carolina has lost four straight overall, and the Hurricanes must visit NHL-leading Anaheim and powerful San Jose over the next three days. "We didnt have a lot of good scoring chances, but the ones we did, we didnt capitalize on them," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "Weve played nine periods now (since the break), and I think were happy with seven of the nine, but we havent gotten any points. Were playing hard and playing well defensively, but were not generating the offence we need to get ahead in these games." Carolina played without forward Alexander Semin, who was scratched with a lower-body injury. The Russian Olympian was hurt Thursday at Dallas, but might return Sunday in Anaheim. "Hes one of our best players, so it hurts having him out," Carolina centre Riley Nash said. "But guys have to fill (the void)." Los Angeles had a fruitless 4-on-3 advantage for 1:09 during the first period, but went ahead in the final minute on a sharp-angled shot by Richards, the veteran centre whose scoring touch has deserted him this season. The goal was his first in 13 games since Jan. 18 and just his second in 37 games since Nov. 25. The Hurricanes tied it up just 41 seconds later on a goal by Sekera. The Slovak Olympians floating shot banked off Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr and beat Quick with 15 seconds left in the first. "We played well and didnt give them a whole lot," Nash said. "It just seems like were finding ways not to win games and not to get points." NOTES: Carolina visited Staples Center for the first time since Oct. 21, 2010. ... Carolina D Jay Harrison was a healthy scratch. He had played in 13 straight games. ... Los Angeles scratched C Jordan Nolan and dressed young F Tanner Pearson for his 10th career NHL game. ... Wayne Gretzky watched from a seat on the glass. L. P. Ladouceur Jersey . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Jeff Heath Jersey . Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseballs model franchises. http://www.thecowboysfansmall.com/c-13-cowboys-tony-romo-jersey.aspx .K. Subban and Matt Duchene will be the two skaters sitting out the teams opening game.WASHINGTON -- Dwight Howard played the role of NBA rain delay entertainer, playing one-on-one with some kids from the front row and playfully rejecting their shots. Maybe a baseball team should borrow him the next time some summer storms are in the forecast. The pair of stoppages, due to a leak in the Verizon Center roof on a rainy day, would have been more than enough to make the game memorable, but why stop there? Lets have Howard and his heavily favoured team play like gangbusters each time the water was mopped up. Then blow a 25-point lead. Then come from five down in the fourth quarter to win it. Yep, that Houston Rockets 114-107 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night was somethin else altogether. "The craziest game ever?" Howard said. "Yeah, I would say that." Long after the delays of 35 and 22 minutes, James Harden tied the score with a driving layup with 2:33 to play, then gave the Rockets the lead again -- this time for good -- with a three-point play with 1:54 remaining. He finished with 25 points to lead the Rockets, who made only four field goals in the final period yet closed with a 17-5 run. "It was a long game," Harden said. "A leakage in the court. Ive never been a part of something like that before." Neither had Howard, who ran the gamut of good and bad. He did the most to keep the fans engaged during the interruptions in play, signing an autograph or two and playing with the youngsters. The crowd reacted with exaggerated gasps when Howard would slap a shot in the seats -- "They told me to protect the house," Howard joked -- and cheered when one of the kids scored. "Ive got to work on my defence," Howard deadpanned, "if I want to get defensive player of the year." Howard also dominated the game well into the second half before falling apart in the fourth quarter, committing four turnovers and missing both of his field goals and all four free throw attempts. He finished with 23 points. "I did OK," Howard said. "I think in the second half I didnt finish like I needed to. I wasnt as aggressive as I was in the first half." Teerrence Jones added 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin added 18 points and eight assists for the Rockets, who are 1-1 halfway through a four-game road trip. Kyle Wilber Jersey. John Wall led Washingtons comeback and finished with 23 points and 10 assists, Trevor Ariza had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Kevin Seraphin -- another catalyst in Washingtons surge -- had all of his season-high 18 points in the second half. The Wizards lost their fourth straight home game and fell to 2-14 against teams that are currently .500 or better. "Now I wish they would have just cancelled it," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. The leak caused the officials to hit the pause button 9 seconds into the second quarter and again at the start of the second half. Trash cans and an array of towels were spread at the midcourt line close to the scorers table. Several people were in the rafters, apparently trying to solve the problem. The wet mess was an obvious black eye for the Wizards franchise, and the team seemed intent on matching it with their play. After shooting 62 per cent in the first quarter, Washington made only 6 of 24 field goal attempts (25 per cent) for the rest of the half. The Rockets went on a 34-13 run to seemingly break open a tie game after the first delay. The towels and trash cans reappeared after halftime. Wittman said the leak was finally stopped after a tarp was laid on the arenas roof. The Rockets, already with a 17-point lead, again were able to get themselves in gear faster than the Wizards, going on a 15-7 run after the restart. But the Wizards eventually regrouped and came back. Then the Rockets came back. The wet floor never did. "Obviously weve had a lot of rain here," Wittman said. "And obviously theres a hole up there somewhere." NOTES: The Rockets are 11-3 against the Eastern Conference; the Wizards are 3-9 against the West. ... Houston F Chandler Parsons missed his third consecutive game with a sore right knee. ... Washington has lost seven of eight at home, another frustration for Wittman. "We just go out and play like its an AAU game," the coach said.