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It hasnt been all that long since teams were patterning themselves after the Los Angeles Kings. The St. Louis Blues were basically a Missouri version of the Kings. The Washington Capitals became the Eastern Conference version.But that was so 2014. Speed is the thing now and the Kings suddenly look a little slow.Well, not to everybody.We have four or five world-class skaters, said Kings GM Dean Lombardi. You think Jeff Carter cant skate? You think Anze Kopitar cant skate? Drew Doughty cant skate? Trevor Lewis is a world-class skater. Were not slow. Were big ... Because were big and physical, thats all people look at.And we hadnt even told him yet that were concerned the Kings are getting old too.Thats the Kings in 2016 in a nutshell. There is still greatness there. Doughty and Kopitar are in the top three in their respective positions in the NHL. Jonathan Quick is on the short list of goalies most would be thrilled to start a Game 7.Theres a championship DNA.But boy, are there questions. Have the players tired of coach Darryl Sutter? Is there enough speed to keep up with the next-generation Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers? When did the San Jose Sharks pass them as the better team?This will either be the season that the Kings squeeze another chance at glory out of their Stanley Cup roster or the season it becomes apparent it needs to do a San Jose- and Boston-like rebuild to pump young talent into the roster.There are too many proven winners to take the Kings lightly this season -- but too many real concerns about depth, durability and depreciation to feel great about them.Best new facesIf the Kings are to return to glory, its the old faces who will get them there. Last year, Lombardi made a splash in acquiring Milan Lucic but couldnt make the finances work to keep him around long term. Finances were a big reason that Lombardi couldnt aggressively improve his team from last year. Los Angeles locked up its core, along with many of the depth players from the Stanley Cup teams, and is betting they can keep it going moving forward.Teddy Purcell was a nice depth signing and has shown an ability to play up and down the lineup in his career. Hes probably best suited on a third line but has played with high-end talent like Connor McDavid and Steven Stamkos in the past and is capable of filling a spot in the top six if necessary.Lombardi continued his value shopping by adding depth on defense with the signing of Tom Gilbert. A knee injury shortened Gilberts 2015-16 season, but if he can stay healthy and return to form, the 33-year-old could be a nice addition. At Gilberts age though, those are big ifs.Biggest unknownsWhat made the Kings great in the past is you knew exactly what you were getting. This was a big, heavy team that played a demanding but effective brand of hockey that resulted in them dominating possession for long stretches. They were relentless, and by the third period, they usually wore the opposition down. That also takes a toll on the players.Dustin Browns game has fallen off a cliff. He has now scored just 11 goals in consecutive seasons and its clear his production wont match his contract. Marian Gaborik?isnt healthy -- again. His speed changes the dynamic of the Kings lineup, and its a huge unknown how many games hell play during the course of the season. The Kings lean heavily on Quick, who has settled in as a goalie who can be expected to produce a .917 save percentage each year. For a guy considered one of the best in the world, thats underwhelming.Sure thingsThe Kings have two sure things, and theyre what makes this a team that you can never count out: Doughty and Kopitar. Its such an advantage to have a world-class No. 1 defenseman and No. 1 center on the roster. Good teams have one. Only the lucky few have two and those are the teams usually playing well into the spring.Despite all the questions surrounding the Kings, Sutter can count on getting nearly half a game out of Doughty each night -- and that the Kings will control play during his shifts.And in Kopitar, the Kings have a premier two-way center who stacks up with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews as the best in the world.When Kopitar is on the ice, the Kings can count on him shutting down the opposing center and thats invaluable.He always focuses on the defensive game, said Canucks center Henrik Sedin. Hes a terrific player. Its a tough matchup for anyone who goes against him.PredictionThese are no longer the powerhouse Kings you could comfortably pencil in as a Western Conference finalist, but as long as Doughty and Kopitar are around, theyre going to be competitive. Third place in the Pacific. Air Force 1 Mid Uomo . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Air Force 1 Outlet Italia . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.airforce1outletitalia.it/scontate-air-force-1-alte-graphic.html . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Air Force 1 Alte Nere .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Air Force 1 Scontate Uomo . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Another week, another game with an Odell Beckham Jr. one-handed catch and touchdown. Another week in which he sets team and league records.Beckham iced the New York Giants 17-6 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday with a one-handed touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. He finished with six catches for 64 yards and the score, and now has 10 touchdown catches in his last 10 games.Beckham has at least 10 touchdowns in each of his three professional seasons. He is the first player in NFL history with 80-plus catches and 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three years.And he expects more.I hate saying it like this and I hope it doesnt get taken wrong, but Im very greedy with myself, Beckham said. I expect more out of myself, no matter what it is. Its almost never enough. Its unfair for me to do that, but its just how Ive always been. Its never going to be enough for me, in a sense. I just need a way to find that balance.When the Giants needed Beckham most Sunday he came through with his two biggest plays of the game. With 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, on third-and-10, quarterback Eli Manning?hit Beckham for a 25-yard reception on a deep out pattern.It wasnt a highlight-reel play, but it was the biggest play of the game, according to Beckham. It kept the drive alive with the Giants holding a tenuous 10-6 lead.Moments later, Beckham reached out with his left hand near the goal line and the ball stuck like Velcro for a 4-yard touchdown.It just kind of happens, Beckham said of the one-handed grabs hes made famous ever since his catch against the Dallas Cowboys during his rookie year in 2014. You practice it and practice it. Thats why you practice right-hand layups and left-hhand layups.dddddddddddd Its just kind of -- I dont know.These kinds of plays from the Giants star wide receiver may seem normal to him. They leave everyone else in awe, including his own quarterback.Yeah, it was a great catch, Manning said. One-handed, that is what he can do, so that is not uncommon, but a great job going down and making that catch. It was a huge play. Getting seven points right there was obviously big, making it a two-score game -- so he made some big-time plays for us today, and it was good to get the touchdown right there.Beckham and Manning have something working between them. Beckham has caught more touchdown passes from Manning (34) than any other player who has worked with the QB. The third-year receiver passed Plaxico Burress (33) on Sunday afternoon.More important to Beckham, the Giants (10-4) are winning. They went 6-10 in each of his first two seasons. The team could double that two-year victory total and go from 12 to 24 after this year.The Giants are on the verge of a clinching a playoff spot. A victory Thursday night in Philadelphia would do it.Thats what you play for, Beckham said. If Im not mistaken, I mean I know I dont come here to play ... at the end of the day, each and every game youre going to get paid no matter what your performance was. But that is not OK with me. All of that stuff, I feel like I want to play enough legendary Sundays and the rest is going to take care of itself.Im not here for anything else but to win games and be on a team full of ballers, everybody doing their thing. Its a great thing, a great feeling when its that way. ' ' '