NEU » a Dodge Charger R/T to outlast Del Worsham

LOS ANGELES -- Sharks forward Raffi Torres was suspended for the rest of San Joses second-round playoff series against Los Angeles on Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Kings forward Jarret Stoll during the opener. The NHL announced the suspension a few hours before the Kings hosted the Sharks in Game 2. Stoll wasnt expected to play for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Stoll didnt return to Game 1 after Torres hit him late in the second period of the Kings 2-0 victory. Torres got only a minor penalty for charging on the hit, and coach Todd McLellan and captain Joe Thornton echoed Torres belief that the hit was completely legal. The NHLs Department of Player Safety sharply disagreed while handing down a fourth suspension for Torres, considered a repeat offender in dangerous hits under the leagues collective bargaining agreement. Torres flew to New York for an in-person hearing Thursday. While playing for Phoenix last season, Torres received a 21-game suspension -- initially 25 games -- for a high hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs. Torres was suspended for two games in January 2012 for charging Minnesota defenceman Nate Prosser, and he sat out four games in April 2011 for a hit to the head of Edmontons Jordan Eberle while playing for Vancouver. Stoll was bent forward while trying to play a bouncing puck when Torres approached him from the side for a violent hit. Stolls head snapped back violently before he fell forward onto the ice. In an explanatory video released by Brendan Shanahan, the NHLs senior vice-president of player safety, he said Stolls head was "the principal point of contact" in the hit, creating grounds for suspension. Although Torres initially made contact with Stolls right shoulder, Shanahan ruled that the shoulder hit was only a glancing blow, as evidenced by the direction both players travelled after the contact. Torres claimed he had changed his ways during a largely incident-free season with Phoenix and San Jose, his sixth team in six seasons. He has been a dependable depth forward this season for the Sharks and Coyotes, scoring 18 points with just 17 penalty minutes in 39 games. The Kings lose much more in the absence of Stoll, their veteran third-line centre. Stoll is a faceoff specialist and a top penalty-killer with a strong two-way game. Brad Richardson, who played 13 playoff games during the Kings championship run last year, is expected to take Stolls spot in the lineup. Los Angeles hasnt disclosed the nature of Stolls injury or a timetable for his recovery. Torres, Thornton and McLellan all claimed the hit was completely legal, while Kings coach Darryl Sutter called it "careless." Torres and Stoll are friends after three seasons as teammates in Edmonton from 2005-08. "We were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didnt see anything wrong on the play," Thornton said Wednesday. "Its unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again." McLellan prepared for Torres likely absence by moving Joe Pavelski onto the Sharks second line on the left wing with Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. Scott Gomez moved into Pavelskis spot on the third line, and Tim Kennedy is likely to suit up on the fourth line. Cheap Clearance Shoes Online . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Cheap Shoes Free Shipping . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. http://www.cheapshoesfastshipping.com/ . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Cheap Shoes Fast Shipping . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Cheap Shoes Sale Online .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. BRAINERD, Minn. -- Antron Brown and Ron Capps gave Don Schumacher Racing a sweep of the rain-delayed final rounds of the NHRA Northwest Nationals on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway.The Top Fuel and Funny Car finals were moved to Minnesota after they were washed out two weeks at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. They were run during the third round of qualifying in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.Brown had a 3.747-second pass at 320.13 mph in his Top Fuel dragster to beat Steve Torrence. Brown has four victories this year and leads the season standings.All of our boys were pushing hard on that one. The track was tight and it just gobbled it up. It felt good and we got it done. Its another Wally on the shelf.In Funny Car, Capps had a 4.014 at 322.42 in a Dodge Charger R/T to outlast Del Worsham for his milestone 50th career victory and fifth of the season. He also leads the standings..ddddddddddddMy family is here and this medal is going to my daughter who was in Seattle, Capps said. This trophy is going back to Seattle to all the fans back in Seattle and Oregon. Its going to make its rounds and I think they are going to be a little more rowdy out there.The Pro Stock final between Vincent Nobile and Aaron Strong will be run in two weeks in Indiana because Strong skipped the regular Brainerd competition.In the Brainerd event, Matt Hagan topped the Funny Car qualifiers with an NHRA time record of 3.822 seconds at 333.82 in a Charger.Brown led in Top Fuel, Nobile in Pro Stock, and Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Brown had a 3.679 at 328.30, Nobile powered his Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.597 at 209.17, and Sampey had a 6.830 at 196.64 on a Buell. ' ' '