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." Nick Nelson Jersey . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. Tahir Whitehead Jersey . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend. http://www.footballraidersmall.com/Youth...n-Elite-Jersey/. Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov. Gareon Conley Raiders Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Brandon Parker Raiders Jersey .com) - The New York Jets have named Mike Maccagnan their new general manager.VANCOUVER -- Roberto Luongo wont have any family joining him next month when he suits up for Canada at the Winter Olympics. The same goes for Swedens Daniel Sedin. The Vancouver Canucks teammates are both concerned over security at the Games in Sochi, Russia, after a series of threats and terrorist attacks in the region. Two suicide bombers killed 34 people in the southern Russian city of Volgograd in December, and officials say they are hunting three more potential attackers -- including one believed to be in Sochi. "Its definitely on my mind, Im not going to lie," Luongo said after practice on Wednesday. "I think were all a little bit concerned. Were definitely going to keep an eye on it over the next few weeks." Sedin, who is set to compete for Sweden along with his twin brother Henrik, said he was "absolutely" concerned about the news coming out of Russia, including email threats on Wednesday against a handful of European countries set to participate at the Olympics. The threats were largely dismissed as a hoax, but the concern over security in Sochi is serious. "We talk about it quite a bit. Its nothing you can really joke about," said Sedin. "Its in the back of your head for sure." Luongo, the odds on favourite to start for Canada in its first game Feb. 13 against Norway, and Sedin both said safety is the main reason their families wont be travelling to Russia. Sedin added that if family members wanted to join him and his brother, he would discourage them from making the trip. An Islamic militant group in Dagestan -- which is located about 500 kilometres from Sochi -- claimed responsibility for the bombings in Volgograd in a video posted on Sunday. The video also contained a threat to strike the Olympics. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby voiced similar concerns to those of Luongo and Sedin to reporters in Pittsburgh on Sunday. "Obviously everybody watches the news and knows that theres been things happening fairly close to there," said Crosby, who will captain the Canadian team. "From what weve been told, I think theyre going to do everything they can to make sure its safe and secure. Were going over to play and focus on that. "Its not something everyones totally worried about, but I think its hard not to think about it when things are happening kind of close to there." Luongo is not the only Canadian Olympian advising his family to stay at home. Fellow goaltender Mike Smith doesnt want concern over his young family to affect his play while in Sochi. "Me having two young kids, my wifes also expecting numbeer three, theyre not going to go.dddddddddddd. Its not worth it," said Smith on Wednesday before his Phoenix Coyotes played the Calgary Flames. "Its not worth it for myself, thinking about is she okay whenever Im not with her. Its something thats unfortunate but thats just how it is." Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk, who will suit up for the United States in Sochi, said back in December that American hockey officials told him that security will be "very tight." "I know they mentioned things about different actions they were going to take as far as making sure everythings secure," he said. "It seemed like they were on top of all that." Minnesota Wild defenceman Ryan Suter, who will also play for the Americans, said after practice Wednesday that his wife and two young children wont be travelling to Russia. The long trip is part of the reason, but Suter said recent news about terrorist threats made the decision "a little bit easier." Another American Olympian, Suters friend and Wild teammate Zach Parise, also advised his parents and relatives not to come. He said the situation is "nerve wracking, thats for sure." Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kanes parents travelled to Vancouver in 2010 to cheer for him and Team USA. He said Wednesday his mother, a sister and his girlfriend are planning to come to Russia, despite the safety concerns. "They understand whats going on," Kane said. "Its their choice to go over there, and they wanted to. Ill take the support for sure." Kane said hes not worried about security in Sochi. "You hear different things about it, so obviously youre going to think about it," he said. "But at the end of the day, what can we really do about it? Its not our job to worry about that stuff. If something happens, its completely out of our control. If youre worrying about that, then your heads in the wrong place. I think we have to be worried about going over going there and playing well as a country and a team and enjoying your time over there, too." The same goes for Kanes teammate, Jonathan Toews, a member of Team Canada. Toews said his parents and girlfriend will be in Sochi, despite "that thought in their head" about the danger. 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