(SportsNetwork.com) - For most of 2014-15 the Los Angeles Kings havent looked much like a team that has won two of the last three Stanley Cup titles, The defending champions hope a clash against last springs Western Conference finals combatant can get them back in the win column, as the Kings welcome the Chicago Blackhawks for Wednesdays battle at Staples Center. The Kings outlasted Chicago in seven games last season for the Western Conference title before L.A. beat the New York Rangers in five for its second title since 2012. However, the Cup hangover has hit Los Angeles hard this season and the club enters Wednesdays action three points out of a playoff spot in the West. L.A. entered the All-Star break on a four-game skid and is hoping to pick up its first win tonight since notching a home win over Toronto on Jan. 12. The Kings final tilt before the break was last Wednesdays 4-2 loss at San Jose. Logan Couture had two goals and an assist to lead the Sharks. Dustin Brown scored the only goal of the game for the Kings, who have lost seven of eight. Jonathan Quick gave up three goals on 24 shots. Weve got to do a better job in certain areas, Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr said. You cant afford to give up two power-play goals against and really expect to win too many games, especially on the road. L.A. will take the ice tonight without former All-Star center Mike Richards, who was placed on waivers Monday. Richards, a member of both Kings championship teams, cleared waivers Tuesday and has been assigned to the teams AHL affiliate in Manchester. Richards, who turns 30 in February, has seen his production decline in recent seasons and has just five goals and 15 points in 47 games for Los Angeles in 2014-15. He was an All-Star in two consecutive seasons from 2009-10 with the Philadelphia Flyers and had a career-high 80 points in the 2008-09 season. The veteran forward is owed $23 million over the final four years of his contract and counts for $5.75 million against the salary cap. The waiver move lowered Richards cap hit by $925,000. Despite winning just once during a seven-game homestand earlier this month, the Kings still own a respectable 15-6-6 mark in L.A. this season. The club will begin a five-game road trip this Saturday in Boston. The Blackhawks have won four straight in the regular-season series against L.A. and they notched a 4-1 win at the Staples Center on Nov. 29. Chicago has claimed three straight and seven of the past eight meetings in the City of Angels. Chicago enters tonight tied with St. Louis for second place in the Central Division. The clubs are two points ahead of Winnipeg and five behind first- place Nashville. The Blackhawks won their final two games before the All-Star break. Chicago posted a 6-1 home win over Arizona on Jan. 20 before claiming a shootout win the following night in Pittsburgh. Last Wednesdays 3-2 win over the Penguins marked a positive start to a seven- game road trip for the Blackhawks and pushed their away record this season to 14-8-1. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each scored during the shootout help the Blackhawks down the Pens. Kane and Toews also represented Chicago at All-Star weekend along with defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and goaltender Corey Crawford. Marian Hossa tallied a goal and an assist, David Rundblad also scored and Crawford made 33 saves for the win. I think we played smart tonight, said Toews. Its a good road win. The Blackhawks will continue their trek by staying in California for a pair of games this weekend. Chicago visits Anaheim on Friday before taking on the Sharks this Saturday. Quick is expected to start tonight for L.A. and is 6-13-1 with a 2.78 goals against average in his career against Chicago. Crawford is 7-3-0 with a 2.56 GAA in 10 lifetime appearances versus the Kings. Dave Schultz Jersey . Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia will have surgery on his left shoulder this week and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/831q...penguins.html.J. -- All those records, all for naught. Darius Kasparaitis Jersey . The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. Peter Mahovlich Jersey PHOENIX -- Theyre former Yankees, clubhouse neighbours and, potentially, new platoon partners with the Milwaukee Brewers. That gaping hole at first base might be filled in 2014 by lefty Lyle Overbay and righty Mark Reynolds. Each player signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, meaning theyll have to prove themselves -- again -- to stick around. "Its really an uncomfortable feeling," said manager Ron Roenicke, drawing on his own experiences in the majors. "I like that theres competition but I tell you what its a nervous time. I dont have fond memories of spring training." This spring, its Overbay and Reynolds who will be trying to impress Roenicke. Reynolds, 30, has a feast-or-famine reputation with 202 homers in his seven seasons in the majors with a career .233 average. He has struck out at least 154 times in each season since 2008, including 223 strikeouts in 2009. But Roenicke sees some hope in the stats. Last year between the Indians and Yankees, Reynolds had 154 strikeouts with 51 walks, about a 3-to-1 ratio. "He sees pitches. He waits for the pitch he wants to hit," Roenicke said. "Hes not up there hacking at everything, and I think thats the difference." Its a little tough on Reynolds having to win a job going into his eight season in the majors. He is back in the National League though, where he came up with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. "Honestly, I was just looking for the best place to get at bats. Come in and have a good spring and kind of prove myself all over again," Reynolds said. Reynolds isnt usually that far from Overbay. Theyve got lockers right next to each other in the clubhouse. On Wednesday, there they were sitting next to each other taking a brief break during a sunny afternoon in the dugout during batting practice. And there waas Overbay yelling out to Reynolds across the usual morning clubhouse din to pass on a reminder that it was time for a meeting.dddddddddddd Overbay, 37, is back in Milwaukee for the first time since the 2005 season. It was after that season that Overbay was traded to Toronto in a deal that opened up first base for Prince Fielder. Since then, there have been stops in Pittsburgh and Arizona before spending 2013 with the Yankees. Overbay hit .240, though he did have a renaissance of sorts with 14 homers and 59 RBIs, both highs for him since 2010. It was with the Yankees, with the aid of hitting coach Kevin Long, that Overbay said he got the lower half of his body on track with his swing for the first two-thirds of the season. Overbay said he got untracked again the last two months, so he wanted to focus this off-season on regaining what he lost. "Sometimes when results arent happening, you resort back to your other path," Overbay said Wednesday. "So those are the kinds of things I wanted to get in muscle memory, so that when I came here and I could it through this whole year." He might potentially be the best defensive first baseman on the Brewers roster. Overbay is also a solid clubhouse presence who appears comfortable with what he needs to do in the latter part of his career. No guarantees yet with the Brewers. Besides Reynolds, returning veteran Juan Francisco, along with younger or less heralded players like Hunter Morris and Sean Halton are also in the mix at first. But without taking a swing in a game, Overbay has made an impression Roenicke. "I like what he has to say out there. I like what some of the younger guys have already come to me and said about him, that doesnt happen that often," Roenicke said. "So hes a guy that were really happy to have in camp." ' ' '