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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Defenceman Robyn Regehr agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, passing up free agency this summer to stick with the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Kings announced the deal while the team travelled to Chicago for the start of the Western Conference finals on Saturday. Regehr has appeared in just 12 regular-season games and 13 playoff contests with the Kings, who acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres on April 1 in a trade for two second-round draft picks. But from his first game with the Kings, the 13-year NHL veteran has splendidly filled the physical void left by injured Kings defencemen Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene with relentless, hard-hitting defence and penalty-killing proficiency. Regehr also has three assists while partnering with high-scoring defenceman Drew Doughty. "They told me that they wanted me to be a good defensive defenceman, physical guy, help out on the penalty kill, things like that, so I had a real good understanding of the things they wanted me to work on," Regehr said Thursday before his deal was announced. "(Coach) Darryl (Sutter) had mentioned that they felt they were missing a veteran presence during the season because of injury. To try to come in and help out that way, thats what they felt they needed." The 33-year-old Regehr would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, but general manager Dean Lombardi previously said he would aggressively attempt to re-sign Regehr before free agency. Regehr has said hes grateful to be with a championship contender after missing the playoffs in his four previous seasons in Calgary and Buffalo, and the Kings are grateful to have a stable veteran presence on the back end. "We needed that defensive presence and that physical guy," Doughty said of Regehr on Wednesday. "For the most part, our D corps wasnt the most physical. We were more good passers. We didnt have that physical presence. In bringing him in, hes helped out a lot. Hes been a great guy to have. We all love him, and hes a big part of where we are right now." Regehrs return in the fall solidifies the Kings blue line during a potentially busy summer. Veteran defenceman Rob Scuderi is an unrestricted free agent, while defencemen Slava Voynov, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez and Keaton Ellerby are restricted free agents. Greene has returned to the Kings lineup after a back injury kept him out for almost the entire regular season, while Mitchell wont play at all this season after two knee surgeries. Lombardi has said he doesnt know whether the 36-year-old Mitchell, who will make $3.5 million next season, will be healthy for training camp in the fall. Regehr is in the final days of a five-year, $20 million contract signed when he was with the Calgary Flames, his team for his first 11 NHL seasons. He also played for Canada at the Turin Olympics in 2006. Regehr and Sutter reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals with Calgary in 2004, but lost to Tampa Bay. Regehr hadnt made it past the first round of the post-season again until this spring with the Kings. The speed of Regehrs transition to a major role with the Kings has impressed his coach and teammates, but Regehr acknowledges it wasnt as seamless as it appeared to be. "I wouldnt say it was easy, because theres so many things that are new," Regehr said. "I didnt really know anyone on the team. There were new players, new city, new equipment, new everything. The way that teams play isnt always the same, so youre adapting to that. Its an unsettling feeling. I would say maybe thats the best way to explain it, but you just try to work on as many things as you can." Cheap Air Max 95 Canada Fast Shipping . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Air Max 95 Canada Sale . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. http://www.clearanceairmax95canada.com/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Discount Air Max 95 Canada . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Air Max 95 Canada Outlet .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. NEW YORK -- Two weeks ago, the New York Rangers were rolling along, playing nearly unbeatable hockey and seemingly scoring goals at will.Now, theyre facing some adversity with a pair of key injuries and their first losing streak of the season.The Rangers won 10 of their first 13 to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division while averaging a league-leading 4.23 goals per game. They had won five straight, scoring at least five in each victory.Since then, the Rangers have totaled 21 goals -- including seven in a win at Vancouver last Tuesday -- while going 3-2-1 over the last six. Theyve followed that season-high scoring outburst with their first back-to-back losses, 4-2 at Columbus last Friday and 3-2 in a shootout at home against Florida on Sunday night.Now the first-place Rangers start a home-and home series at the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins -- just one point back in the Metropolitan -- on Monday night.New York captain Ryan McDonagh believes the team needs to attack the net and distract the opposing goalie to improve its scoring chances.Try to get on the inside a little bit more, take away the goalies eyes and hopefully get some rebound goals, deflection goals and make it a little bit tougher on the goalie, he said. Both nights the past two, (the goalie has) seen a lot of the pucks and thats a big difference there.Center Derek Stepan agreed with that assessment.Everyone is going to tell you that you have to get pucks and bodies to the net, you have to get screens, he said. Goaltenders are too good nowadays, (if) they see the puck they are going to make the save.During their strong start, the Rangers were rolling out four lines with a mix of speed and skill. They were getting contributions throughout the lineup, led by speedy free-agent addition Michael Grabner (11 goals). J.T. Miller leadss the team with 17 points, and McDonagh and fellow defenseman Brady Skjei are tops with 11 assists each.ddddddddddddEven though the output has slowed, they still began the week leading the NHL with 76 goals -- 16 more than the next-closest team -- and are the only team in the league with 14 players with 10 or more points. And of their 13 wins, eight have been by three or more goals.Though the Rangers got a point in the latest loss, the first time going beyond regulation this season, and moved into sole possession of first place in the division, that was no consolation to goalie Henrik Lundqvist.A point is always a point (but) we were looking to get two, he said.The Rangers scoring dip has been exacerbated by the loss of two key forwards in the last week. First, rookie right wing Pavel Buchnevich (four goals and four assists in 10 games) has missed the last four games due to back spasms and is out indefinitely. Then center Mika Zibanejad (four goals, 10 assists) broke his left leg sliding into the end boards early in overtime Sunday night. Hes expected to be out six to eight weeks.Every teams got injuries and we dont expect to be any different than anybody else, coach Alain Vigneault said. Every coach says in these moments its an opportunity for somebody else to get more ice time, and were confident whoever we decide to put in that spot will do the job for us.Vigneault didnt expect to call anyone up from AHL Hartford right away to fill the void, pointing to the teams 12 healthy forwards on the roster.Weve got some options there in the middle with Josh (Jooris) and (Brandon) Pirri that play in the middle, and Oscar (Lindberg) obviously, he said.---Follow Vin Cherwoo at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP ' ' '