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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended for one game Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrier during Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

”I thought it was a bad hit Authentic Jason Sanders Jersey , but it’s not for me to decide,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said after Vegas’ 1-0 victory Wednesday night. ”The referee didn’t think it was a penalty but I’m sure people will look at that hit and make a decision on it.”

Doughty will miss Game 2 on Friday night in Las Vegas. He delivered the blow at 9:58 of the third period, sending Carrier to the locker room for the remainder of the game.

”I thought you had two teams that played a real good hard, honest game,” Los Angeles coach John Stevens said following his team’s practice on Thursday. ”That was my interpretation. I think both teams upped their intensity and both teams understand the importance of the battle on the puck and there’s usually some kind of physical confrontation that comes from that.”

Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves, who was a healthy scratch for Game 1, didn’t agree with the hit.

”Obviously, it’s a hit to the head, it was pretty blatant,” Reaves said. ”I don’t know if the ref maybe had a bad angle on it, but I’m sure the league will deal with it the way they need to. You never need to hit a guy in the jaw. … If I’m in that game I’d probably try and go do something about it. Maybe I can calm that situation down.”

Vegas wing James Neal, who played with defending Western Conference champion Nashville last season, said the Golden Knights knew things could get heated against the Kings.

”When you play teams like L.A. Washington Redskins Jerseys Womens , a heavy team, it’s going to be a physical game,” Neal said. ”We knew what to expect, especially being Game 1 of the playoffs. Everything’s ramped up a little bit extra, guys are out there going a little quicker, it was definitely physical.”

And while the Kings outhit Vegas, 68-59, Stevens scoffed at the notion Game 1 was an overly physical game.

”I think the teams played hard, I’m not sure where that number comes from, but I don’t think anybody would be playing tomorrow if those numbers were accurate,” Stevens said. ”I don’t want to sound disrespectful when I say this, but sometimes I don’t even know where they’re situated when they are marking those stats. There’s such a variety in the way those are gauged building to building that we usually go and look at our own stats.”

Said Kings wing Dustin Brown: ”It was a physical game, (but) I don’t think there was nearly as many hits as the stats credited. Some buildings you can kill a guy and not get credit for a hit.”

Josh Rosen jogged onto the field as an Arizona Cardinal for the first time on Friday and took a moment to reflect.

"When I stepped in the huddle Bob Uecker Jersey ," the young quarterback said, "I kind of looked at the guys and I'm like, 'This is pretty cool.'"

Rosen was the center of attention, as usual, on the first day of Cardinals rookie minicamp, starting out slowly but finishing with a crisp performance capped by a long TD pass to fellow rookie and camp roommate Christian Kirk.

Although he may have to wait awhile, Rosen is the Cardinals' quarterback of the future after the team traded up five spots to take him No. 10 overall in the draft. He's already signed his contract with Arizona.

After Friday's workout, he talked about how he's approaching his new job and even touched on how he deals with being such a lightning rod for criticism 鈥?mainly centering on his personality and often from people who don't really know him.

"You ignore it," Rosen said. "It's only hard if you make it hard. If you're Googling your name every other day and trying to like reach out to people, yeah, you can make it harder on yourself. But as far as I know if you keep your phone limited to messages and calls and you don't read too much. The only thing that matters are the guys in the building and that's what I'm trying to keep it at right now."

He said he's had a couple of conversations with Larry Fitzgerald, the 14-year veteran who is among the most-admired players in the game for his behavior on and off the field.

"He's probably one of the greatest to ever do it," Rosen said. "So I'm just trying to emulate every little thing he does Durham Smythe Jersey Elite , how he approaches the game as such a professional. There's a lot to take from it."

He's also heard from Sam Bradford, the player signed to be Arizona's opening-day quarterback next season. Bradford offered to help in any way with Rosen's development.

"I think it speaks to him as a person how he's willing to sort of embrace the competition but also embrace sort of the team aspect," Rosen said. "And I'm the same way. Regardless of starter or backup, I want the Arizona Cardinals to do the best possible, because I want to be in the Super Bowl. If that means for this year the best way to do that is to have Sam start, then so be it. But I'm helping, I'm going to push him every single day and likewise I would hope he would do the same thing with me."

The most important thing for him to show on his first day, Rosen said, was "demeanor."

"Even if I don't know what's going on, at least act like I know what's going on," he said. "... Be confident, be firm, snap the ball Youth Ronald Jones II Jersey , get back and do it again."

In truth, new Cardinals coach Steve Wilks is impressed with how quickly Rosen is picking up the offense of coordinator Mike McCoy.

"Phenomenal," Wilks said. "The guy's extremely smart. We said that from Day 1. He's picking up the offense. He's doing a great job there, taking control of the huddle and getting everybody in line. No questions about that from the standpoint of his leadership."

Although Rosen said that nine teams 鈥?later amended to three to reflect the QBs selected ahead of him 鈥?made big mistakes on draft night, Wilks said, "I don't think he's out to try to prove anything to anyone.

"He's being his own person. We have accepted him for the person that he is and the player that he is. I don't think we have a problem at all. We've had our talks and it's all about football and staying focused and really concentrating on that."

Rosen, Wilks like to say, "is wired different, and I like that."

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