THE ROANOKE TIMES 3Sunday, June 1, 2014

CHICAGO — Jonathan Quick would rather be resting up than staring at yet another seventh game.

There’s not much he can do about that now.

A wild and memorable Western Conference final

between the Los Angeles K i n g s a n d Blackhawks comes down to a win-or-go-home Game 7 tonight in Chicago.

“ I g u e s s we can get

used to it,” Quick, the Kings’ goalie, said after a 4-3 loss in Game 6 on Friday night in Los Angeles. “We don’t want to be used to it. If you play Game 7s throughout the whole playoffs, it is going to be pretty tough on your body. Whatever. We’re in this situation. Before the series if we were asked, ‘Would you want to go to Game 7 against Chicago?’ and be put in that spot, a one-game thing, I think we would take it.”

It’ll be the third Game 7 of the postseason for the Kings, who dropped the first three games in the opening round against San Jose and then went the distance with Anaheim. They blew a 3-1 series lead to Chicago, and now, it comes down to this.

The winner hosts the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday.

While the Kings tried to put aside their frustration after missing out on two opportu-nities to clinch the series, the Blackhawks were breathing a little easier after taking Game 6.

“It’s nice to see that resil-ience not only in this game but in this series so far,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “We’re giving ourselves a heck of a chance going home for Game 7.”

The Blackhawks were just about out of it after dropping Game 4. Back-to-back losses in Los Angeles left them in a 3-1 hole and on the brink of elimi-nation after knocking out the Kings in the conference finals last year on the way to the championship.

Instead, they jumped back into it with two thrilling vic-tories.

There was that epic dou-ble-overtime victory in Game 5 at home with Michal Han-dzus scoring the winner, and Game 6 Friday was about as tense. The Blackhawks sur-vived thanks to a late surge by Patrick Kane after the teams traded leads in the third peri-od.

Chicago led 2-1 after Kane and Ben Smith scored in the second. But there were two big swings in the third.

The Kings looked like they were on their way up 3-2 after Drew Doughty beat a screened Corey Crawford with a wrist shot for his third goal in four games to tie it and fed Alec Martinez for a score.

Kane, whose career has been defined by big plays at the biggest moments, wouldn’t let the Blackhawks fade. He set up Duncan Keith for the tying goal with 8:26 left and fired in the winner from a patch of ice near the painted Stanley Cup logo with 3:45 left.

So the series comes down to a Game 7, the third of the postseason for the Kings, who are 6-0 in elimination games this year. The Blackhawks have won nine of their past 11 elimination games.

“We know that we can still beat this Chicago Blackhawks team,” Doughty said. “But we also know it’s not going to be easy either. They’re going to have their best game in this Game 7, especially in their home rink.”

It would help if they con-tained Kane.

He has come up big in the past two games. He had two goals and an assist Friday and four assists in Game 5.

— Associated Press

’Hawks force Kings to Game 7

NHL

Patrick KaneOn a roll for the Blackhawks.

PARIS — The closest thing to intrigue or drama involv-ing Rafael Nadal on Saturday came after his 31st consecutive French Open victory conclud-ed.

That’s when the eight-time champion revealed that a pain-ful back is slowing his serves — and, all in all, giving him more trouble than his opponents so far.

For now, leave the on-court theatrics to others. Wimble-don champion Andy Murray, for example, was clutching at aching hamstrings while being taken to 7-all in the fifth set by No. 28 Philipp Kohlschreiber before their third-round match was suspended for fading light. No. 23 Gael Monfils acknowl-edged tanking a set en route to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 victory over No. 14 Fabio Fognini, who was docked a point for chucking his racket near a ball boy.

“They make a good show for the crowd,” Nadal said. “Long match. Crowd involved. Good for tennis.”

Well, aside from the fact that Monfils and Fognini combined for more than twice as many unforced errors, 137, as win-ners, 66.

Nadal’s play was much cleaner: During the entire course of his 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 win against 65th-ranked Leon-ardo Mayer of Argentina, the No. 1-seeded Spaniard made 10 unforced errors — two in the first set, three in the second, five in the third.

He’s dropped a total of 19 games through three matches.

More worrisome would be his back, which also acted up in January during a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final.

“During my career, I had [a] few problems. ... Hopefully will not be [the] case” the rest of the way in Paris, Nadal said.

Next for Nadal is 83rd-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who beat Jack Sock of the Unit-ed States 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Another American, Donald Young, lost in five sets to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, leaving No. 10 John Isner as the last U.S. man.

Before this French Open, Lajovic had a 10-21 career record in tour-level matches, never winning two in a row.

“I saw him play a few times on TV. Sure, it’s great to have new players on tour, young

players on the tour that are coming strong. Hopefully not too strong,” Nadal said with a smile. “We’ll see on Monday. I hope to be ready.”

Asked whether he would seek advice from another Ser-bian, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, before facing Nadal, Lajovic joked: “Yeah, I will try to ask everybody [for] some tips.”

Nadal cruises to win, admits back trouble

By Howard Fendrich

Associated Press

The eight-time champion has had little trouble beating his opponents but is in pain.

After California Chrome’s trouble-free trips in the Ken-tucky Derby and Preakness, the chestnut colt with four white feet will be running in the Bel-mont Stakes with a bull’s-eye on his back.

Trainer Art Sherman believes California Chrome can

become horse racing’s f irst Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 when he races at the Belmont

Stakes. Win, and the horse becomes racing’s next super-star.

“I feel more confident com-ing into this race than I did any race,” said Sherman, who at 77 is training the best horse of his long career. “I’m getting pumped up.”

So are those aiming to knock off the champ and prevent his-tory from being made on June 7.

At least nine horses are expected for the 1 1⁄2-mile Belmont; the field will be set Wednesday when entries are due and post positions drawn. The race appears to be a mix of returning rivals and newcomers to the Triple Crown trail.

Ride On Curlin will test California Chrome again. The colt finished second, beaten 1 1⁄2 lengths in the Preakness, and was seventh in the Derby. He and California Chrome will be the only horses to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year.

“I’ve gotten closer to Cali-fornia Chrome more than anybody else has this year,” Ride On Curlin’s trainer Billy Gowan said, “and with a little added distance maybe we can take him.”

The Belmont is the longest of the three races. The distance can tire out a horse that has run on the compressed five-week schedule of the Triple Crown. No 3-year-old has run that far in its life, and few will be asked to ever do it again.

“Some horses absolutely do not want to go a mile and a half,” Gowan said, “and some horses thrive on it.”

Commanding Curve, sec-ond in the Derby to California Chrome, is rested and ready to face his rival again after skip-ping the Preakness. His trainer,

Dallas Stewart, wouldn’t mind playing spoiler.

“There are a handful of horses that are capable of beat-ing him even on his best day at this distance,” he said. “The horse has really had two perfect trips. It may or may not happen on Belmont day. If he gets in a little bit of trouble, how is he going to handle it?”

Sherman draws his confi-dence from seeing California Chrome’s progression during his current six-race winning streak. The trainer has been back at his Southern Califor-nia base since the Preakness, watching videos of his colt’s daily gallops and talking with his son and assistant trainer Alan, who is at Belmont with the horse.

“I can’t believe a horse bounces back like he does,” the elder Sherman said. “He looks alert. He’s doing great at train-ing.”

California Chrome has bulked up by 40 to 50 pounds in the last two weeks.

“He’s a different horse now, he’s maturing, he’s very confi-dent in himself,” Sherman said. “He’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here, let’s see you outrun me.’ He doesn’t want any horse passing him.”

Two other Derby horses are expected to run in the Bel-mont after bypassing the Preak-ness: Wicked Strong, fourth at Churchill Downs, and Samraat, who was fifth.

The expected newcomers to the Triple Crown trail are Commissioner, Matterhorn, Matuszak and Tonalist, who won the Peter Pan at Belmont on a sloppy track. Commis-sioner was second in that race.

Only 11 horses have swept the Kentucky Derby, Preak-

ness and Belmont. There have been 11 Triple tries since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978, the most recent being Big Brown in 2008. He won the first two legs, then was eased by jockey Kent Desormeaux and didn’t finish.

I’ll Have Another won the first two legs in 2012, but was scratched on Belmont eve with a tendon injury. Doug O’Neill, a California-based trainer, is rooting for California Chrome and Sherman to achieve what his camp did not.

“What a wonderful horse he is,” O’Neill said. “He hasn’t missed a beat.”

After winning the first two legs to set up a Triple try, Cali-fornia Chrome cleared another hurdle when New York racing officials ruled he could wear his favored nasal strips in the Bel-mont, as can any other horse in the race.

“It opens up his air passage and gives him that little extra oomph that he needs, especially going a mile and a half,” Sher-man said. “Any time you can have a good air passage that means a lot for these thorough-breds.”

Another factor helping California Chrome is having veteran Victor Espinoza as his pilot. He was aboard during War Emblem’s failed Triple Crown bid in 2002, when the horse stumbled out of the gate and failed to fire in the Belmont.

Before Affirmed swept the Triple Crown, 25 years had passed between Citation in 1948 and Secretariat in 1973. So tough is the task that the cur-rent 36-year gap is the longest ever.

“I think they’re going to see a champion,” Sherman said.

Horses line up to stymie latest Triple Crown bid

By Beth Harris

Associated Press

California Crome’s trainer is confident his horse will be become racing’s next superstar.

French OpenPARIS — A look at the French

Open on Saturday:

Men’s seeded winners: No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 5

David Ferrer, No. 19 Kevin

Anderson, No. 23 Gael

Monfils.

Men’s seeded losers: No. 14

Fabio Fognini, No. 32 Andreas

Seppi.

Women’s seeded winners: No. 4 Simona Halep,

No. 6 Jelena Jankovic, No.

10 Sara Errani, No. 15 Sloane

Stephens, No. 23 Lucie

Safarova, No. 27 Svetlana

Kuznetsova, No. 28 Andrea

Petkovic.

Women’s seeded losers: No. 5 Petra Kvitova, No.

11 Ana Ivanovic, No. 22

Ekaterina Makarova, No. 26

Sorana Cirstea.

On court today: No. 2

Novak Djokovic vs. No. 13

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 4

Roger Federer vs. No. 18

Ernests Gulbis, No. 6 Tomas

Berdych vs. No. 10 John Isner,

No. 7 Andy Murray vs.

No. 28 Philipp Kohlschreiber

(to resume at 7-7 in the fifth

set of a third-round match),

No. 8 Milos Raonic vs. Marcel

Granollers; No. 7 Maria

Sharapova vs. No. 19

Samantha Stosur, No. 8

Angelique Kerber vs.

No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard,

No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro

vs. Ajla Tomljanovic, Garbine

Muguruza vs. Pauline

Parmentier.

Associated Press | File May

Victor Espinoza and California Chrome will attempt to break a 36-year Triple Crown drought in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

BELMONT

STAKES

Saturday6:52 p.m. post, WSLS

Associated Press

Rafael Nadal returns a shot from Leonardo Mayer on Friday in the French Open.

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