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MONTREAL – The perseverance of Marty St. Louis continued to shine and inspire his teammates in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals as St. Louis scored 4:35 into the game and added an assist in a 7-2 Rangers win that gave New York a 1-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens. Ryan McDonagh tied a team record for most points by a defenseman in a playoff game with a goal and three assists but the rallying cry around St. Louis in his time of need also served as a major factor in the Rangers fourth straight win. "Its been an emotional time for everybody but the guys have been behind me and supporting me," St. Louis said after Game 1. "Their effort is unbelievable. We feel really close right now and were trying to keep feeding off that." Since his mother passed away suddenly on May 8, Rangers forward Marty St. Louis has found solace in the shelter of his team and hockey. With his team trailing 3-1 in their second round series with the Penguins, St. Louis decided to keep playing and while he didnt register any points in their 5-1 victory that night, his presence served as an inspiration that got even greater when he scored in their Game 6 win on Mothers Day. Since his mothers passing, St. Louis now has two goals and two assists and the team is feeding off his strength. "Its been a week of emotions," said goalie Henrik Lundqvist who made 20 saves in Game 1. "Playing in the playoffs is so intense; you try to perform at a high level. At the same time a teammate trying to go through a rough time, so you try to be there as a support, and it makes you think a lot about a lot of things, not only hockey. So you go back and forth. Pay attention to your game and what you need to do, and obviously, other things are important in your life. But I think as a group in dealing with it the right way, we come together and work for one another, and you could see that in the Pittsburgh series. Games 5, 6 and 7, we played really well as a team, and we were on the same page. I think tonight we started the game really well. We set the tone the way we were playing and played just a smart game." On Friday night the wake for St. Louis mom was held in nearby Laval and the 38 year-old veteran didnt return to the team hotel until almost midnight. On Sunday, the team will accompany St. Louis to the funeral. "Its been very emotional for our whole group," head coach Alain Vigneault said following the game. "Hes handled it in an incredible way that probably has helped our team come closer together. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for our group but we need to be there to support him." James Murphy is the host of Murphys Hockey Law Radio Show on Sirius/XM NHL Network Radio Doug Flutie Youth Jersey . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. Thurman Thomas Bills Jersey . Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball.com/authentic-matt-milano-bills-jersey/ . - The Florida Panthers are getting some Army training to finish off their preparations for the season. Josh Allen Womens Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Ed Oliver Womens Jersey . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks.CARSON, Calif. -- Although the Los Angeles Galaxy opened their MLS title defence with the result Landon Donovan wanted, hes hoping they dont regret their missed chances to make it even better. Sean Franklin scored on a dramatic 27-yard strike just after halftime, and the Galaxy began their run at a third straight league championship with a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday night in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals. Franklins first goal in more than five months provided a small advantage for the third-seeded Galaxy when the clubs head to Utah on Thursday for the second leg. The Galaxy were good, dominating possession and effectively shuttering Reals attack, but they could have been even better. Donovan and Robbie Keane had numerous chances up front throughout the match, but repeatedly failed to provide additional cushion for the Galaxy. "We put a lot of pressure on them throughout the night, so theres going to be some cracks," Donovan said. "Robbie and I need to do a better job with our counterattacks. Usually were better than that. I have a feeling were going to have a lot more chances Thursday as the game goes on as they open up and expose themselves, and were fine with that." Jaime Penedo posted his fifth shutout in 10 MLS matches for the Galaxy, who are in search of their league-record fifth MLS Cup title. Los Angeles is trying to become the first MLS team to win three consecutive titles despite losing two key components of its previous championship teams: star midfielder David Beckham and goal-scorer Mike Magee. The Galaxy are in prime position to make that run, but a couple of extra goals would have helped from an otherwise one-sided game. Keane barely missed a goal on a breakaway in the 85th minute, pushing a low shot just wide of the far post. The Irish international star scored 16 MLS goals for the second straight regular season. "We certainly left a few chances out there, but we cant score every time," Keane said. "I wwasnt connecting with the ball properly.dddddddddddd You have nights like this. Its not something Im going to lose any sleep over." Salt Lake, which had a four-game unbeaten streak and a lengthy break before the playoffs, might have a sleepless night after an ineffective performance at StubHub Center. Los Angeles largely controlled the flow against second-seeded Salt Lake in a matchup of franchises with three of the last four MLS titles between them. "On a different night, Keane and Donovan are going to kill you on those," Real coach Jason Kreis said. "We werent good enough. We gave the ball away cheaply so many times in so many dangerous spots. ... Players need to be better. Were just missing some simple passes. Our better players need to be better, and they will." Keane and Donovan both missed on impressive runs in the opening minutes, and Reals Chris Schuler slid in from behind to knock the ball off Donovans foot at the goalmouth in the 42nd minute. But Franklin thrilled the Galaxys lively sellout crowd in the 47th minute when he collected an errant pass from Keane well outside the penalty area and put a rocket of a shot inside Nick Rimandos left post. Franklin, a stalwart defender, hadnt scored since May 26. "The ball just came out on top of the box, and I had time and space to hit it," Franklin said. "Once I opened my eyes up, the ball was in the back of the net." Real had its best chance in the 80th minute, but substitute forward Devon Sandoval fell down on contact with a Los Angeles defender while closing in on Luis Gils pass in front of the Galaxy goal. Los Angeles entered the playoffs unbeaten in four straight games after allowing just one goal in its entire October schedule. The Galaxy have never lost in the two-leg conference semifinals since MLS adopted the playoff format in 2003, advancing eight times. These clubs met in the MLS Cup final in 2009, with Real Salt Lake winning its only league title on penalty kicks. ' ' '