Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for his 11th career playoff shutout http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mike-mcglinchey-jersey , Shea Theodore scored in the first period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Wednesday night to win the franchise’s first playoff game.

The expansion club will try to take a 2-0 lead in its first-round playoff series Friday night.

”It’s another first for our organization, it’s a big playoff game and I love the way our team responded,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”Both goalies made some real key saves. It really wasn’t a 1-0 game, it was probably a 4-3 game for somebody, but the goaltending was excellent. Everybody had a big part of us winning the hockey game tonight.

Fleury got his first playoff shutout since last May, when his Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 1-0 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

”They’re a big team, they like to shoot from the points with a lot of guys in front of the net and trying to screen and tip pucks; maybe I got a few little more sticks in my legs than the (regular) season, and my face, but it’s all part of the playoffs,” Fleury said. ”I felt good, but my teammates were great also. They helped me out a lot, blocking shots and grabbing guys in front of the net, so it makes my job a little easier.”

The Kings, who entered with a combined 928 games of playoff experience, outhit the Golden Knights http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-james-daniels-jersey , 68-59. But it was Vegas that came out looking like a seasoned bunch ready for the postseason. Just like the Golden Knights mascot who slayed a bumbling king at center ice during a pregame show, Vegas was physical from the start.

William Carrier led the team with 10 hits, and Vegas’ aggressive forechecking kept Los Angeles off its game throughout. But Carrier’s diligence on the offensive end seemingly frustrated Los Angeles’ veteran defenseman Drew Doughty, who slammed his shoulder into Carrier’s jaw in the third period. The hit sent the left wing to the locker room for the remainder of the game, while drawing the ire of Gallant.

”Obviously we all seen what happened with the hit … I thought it was a bad hit, but it’s not for me to decide,” Gallant said. ”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.”

The Golden Knights have dealt with a rash of injuries down the stretch of the regular season, including Carrier, who Gallant said is day-to-day.

Theodore got on the board 3:23 into the first. Tomas Nosek came from behind the goal to fire a pass to Theodore, and he blasted a wrist shot through traffic for the Golden Knights’ first playoff goal.

”It was a great play by Nosey and sometimes you’ve just got to get `em on net and that’s kind of the goals that happened in the playoffs,” Theodore said. ”We knew they were going to come out hard, they’re a physical team. But I feel we are, too. We’re a fast team and we can counter that. We were putting pucks in great positions … so when you can kind of put it in the corners and forecheck hard, I thought we did a good job of that tonight.”

The Kings http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-deadrin-senat-jersey , who were 0 for 3 with a man advantage, blew a chance to tie it in the second period, when Doughty’s rebound found Dustin Brown, who was staring into an empty net 2 feet away. He lifted his shot over the goal.

”I thought our guys played hard tonight and I thought we created some opportunities to get some offense, but I think we’ve got to make it a lot tougher on (Fleury) seeing the puck,” Kings coach John Stevens said. ”They’re a good offensive team, they create on the rush, they create in the zone and their power play is dangerous. So, we’re going to have to be good defensively to have success in the series.”

NOTES: The Golden Knights were 34-5-2 in the regular season when scoring first, second in the NHL. … NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance for the first playoff game in Las Vegas. … Los Angeles, which allowed a league-low 202 goals and had the league’s best penalty-killing unit, stopped the Golden Knights on all three of their power plays. … Los Angeles has won 10 of the last 12 playoff series it has played, but it has lost 21 of the last 29 series in which it has lost Game 1. … The Golden Knights wore Humboldt Broncos stickers on their helmets in honor of the junior hockey players who were killed when their bus crashed on a Saskatchewan highway.

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— If training camp and the preseason opener have indicated anything positive to the Chicago Bears, it’s young talent at key positions could be deeper than anticipated.

Rookie outside linebacker Kylie Fitts and several other Bears outside pass rushers have stepped up at a need area, while seventh-round draft pick Javon Wims is giving an indication competition for jobs at wide receiver will be fierce.

“I think for all of us outside ‘backers it’s a young group http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-justin-bethel-jersey , so we all have a lot to show out,” Fitts said.

Fitts made a sack and four tackles Thursday night in the Bears’ 17-16 Hall of Fame Game loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

It’s not the first time this summer the Bears’ sixth-round draft pick from Utah has been harassing quarterbacks. In training camp, he’s almost been too effective as he made contact or got too close to Mitchell Trubiski, Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray.

“We had to get on him the last couple weeks and even in OTAs on staying away from the quarterback,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.

With the start of preseason games, Fitts can finally finish off sacks.

“He plays extremely hard,” Nagy said. “I have to sometimes remind him to make sure to stay away from the quarterback and the throwing motion and he actually came up to me and apologized to me for it. But you can’t fault a kid for trying to play hard trying to get to the quarterback. So I told him ‘when we get to the preseason, do it as much as you want.’ “

The Bears needed someone to complement outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, and signed former 49ers defensive end Aaron Lynch. Lynch hasn’t practiced due to a hamstring injury, and Nagy said he’ll likely miss another preseason game.

They also have veteran Sam Acho, who has been a reserve for three seasons in Chicago.

So when Fitts and second-year outside linebacker Isaiah Irving each came up with a sack Thursday, and the pass rush piled up eight sacks, the position seemed less of a problem.

“I feel really comfortable with that,” Nagy said. “And again, having Lynch out right now is a struggle Billy Price Color Rush Jersey , just because we want him out there. But we’ve got to be safe with him and make sure he’s 100 percent when he’s back.

“But once we get him back with Floyd and Acho and you have these other guys, these younger guys that are coming up, I feel like we’re in good shape at that spot and have depth there.”

Except for a minor arm injury, Fitts has been healthy through camp. He finds it refreshing after injuries kept him off the field his last two college seasons, and likely caused a slide in the draft.

“Last season it was tough sitting out all those plays, but I just ignore, don’t think about injuries. I just come out and think about performing really well,” Fitts said.

Like Fitts, Wims also fell in the draft. He went in the final round after a productive year at Georgia.

So Wims said he has something to prove, and Thursday did it with game-highs of seven catches for 89 yards.

“He did a good job using his size and he also did a good job using his release moves, so that was a positive,” Nagy said. “And then in regards to some details, he had some sloppy routes too.”

Wims is just another in a large group of receivers to excite Bears offensive coaches. Veterans Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Kevin White and Josh Bellamy http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-tre_quan-smith-jersey , and rookie Anthony Miller have also been productive in practice.

At 6-foot-3, Wims not only lined up outside, but also in the slot.

“I think the great thing about this offense is all receivers have got to know all positions,” Wims said. “Everybody. You kind of have got to be position-less, and just be plugged in at spots.”

The next test for both young draft picks will be continuing their progress Thursday at Cincinnati

“Usually, the biggest thing that you see happen when a guy has a good game — whoever that is; any position — sometimes, those young guys then start to think, ‘OK, I did a lot to help myself out and now I can kind of coast into practice or coast into the next game,’ ” Nagy said. “And that’s not the case.

“So our message to them is that’s over with now. You did that, you played well. Now improve on that and build (on) those blocks.”

NOTES

Safety Deon Busy (left hamstring) and cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (groin) were injured in Thursday’s game and did not practice Saturday. … Nagy said prior to the opener that talks were “stalemated” between the agent for first-round draft pick Roquan Smith and the team as the holdout continues. Nagy said Saturday there have been no new developments and the sides haven’t talked again.