LOS ANGELES -- Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings have returned from the Olympic break with a revitalized game and a sharpened playoff focus. Ben Poquette Jersey . The Carolina Hurricanes have neither, and they realize theyre running out of time to get it. Alec Martinez scored the tiebreaking goal on a power play with 11:45 to play, Quick made 24 saves, and the Kings beat the Hurricanes 3-1 Saturday for their third victory in four days since the break. Mike Richards scored his second goal since late November and Justin Williams added an empty-net goal for Los Angeles, which has roared out of the break with three wins in three cities in about 70 hours. The low-scoring Kings put up eight goals at Colorado and Calgary before holding off Carolina in their return to Staples Center. After five scoreless power plays in the first two periods, the Kings finally converted on their sixth. Captain Dustin Brown got the puck behind the Carolina net and fed it to Martinez, who blasted a shot from the slot for his first goal since Jan. 9. "Its no secret we werent happy with our game before the break started," Martinez said. "We worked on a lot of things, and we knew that when we came back, this would be crunch-time, playoff hockey." After two straight trips to the Western Conference finals and a Stanley Cup championship in 2012, the Kings know a few things about post-season grit -- and they know theyll need it just to reach the playoffs this time. Los Angeles had a 1-8-1 stretch shortly before the Olympic break, falling back to the pack in the conference playoff race. The Kings are thoroughly revived after their time off and an eventful Olympics, which included gold medals for Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter along with two surprising victories for Slovenia and Anze Kopitar. The rest of the Kings got several days off and several more days of practice, and both appear to be paying off. "Weve got to bring our best every night right now," Quick said. The Kings have won four straight overall, and Quick appears to be in top form after starting for the U.S. Olympic team in Sochi. He followed up his shutout of the Flames on Thursday with another strong performance against the Canes, including a handful of spectacular saves over the final two periods. Andrej Sekera scored and Anton Khudobin stopped 28 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost three straight on their five-game road trip out of the break. Carolina has lost four straight overall, and the Hurricanes must visit NHL-leading Anaheim and powerful San Jose over the next three days. "We didnt have a lot of good scoring chances, but the ones we did, we didnt capitalize on them," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "Weve played nine periods now (since the break), and I think were happy with seven of the nine, but we havent gotten any points. Were playing hard and playing well defensively, but were not generating the offence we need to get ahead in these games." Carolina played without forward Alexander Semin, who was scratched with a lower-body injury. The Russian Olympian was hurt Thursday at Dallas, but might return Sunday in Anaheim. "Hes one of our best players, so it hurts having him out," Carolina centre Riley Nash said. "But guys have to fill (the void)." Los Angeles had a fruitless 4-on-3 advantage for 1:09 during the first period, but went ahead in the final minute on a sharp-angled shot by Richards, the veteran centre whose scoring touch has deserted him this season. The goal was his first in 13 games since Jan. 18 and just his second in 37 games since Nov. 25. The Hurricanes tied it up just 41 seconds later on a goal by Sekera. The Slovak Olympians floating shot banked off Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr and beat Quick with 15 seconds left in the first. "We played well and didnt give them a whole lot," Nash said. "It just seems like were finding ways not to win games and not to get points." NOTES: Carolina visited Staples Center for the first time since Oct. 21, 2010. ... Carolina D Jay Harrison was a healthy scratch. He had played in 13 straight games. ... Los Angeles scratched C Jordan Nolan and dressed young F Tanner Pearson for his 10th career NHL game. ... Wayne Gretzky watched from a seat on the glass. Larry H. Miller 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. Thurl Bailey Jersey . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. SAN ANTONIO -- The Portland Trail Blazers were feeling good about themselves after withstanding a barrage from the San Antonio Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 24 points, and Portland overcame San Antonios second-half rally to beat the Spurs 109-100 on Friday night. "To beat the best team in the West on their floor -- that sticks out," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "We showed a lot of resolve at both ends of the floor. I thought we had a good defensive game throughout, except for the stretch in the third quarter when they hit the 3s." Damian Lillard had 21 points and eight assists and Mo Williams added 13 points as Portland snapped San Antonios six-game winning streak. Matthews shot 6 for 7 on 3-pointers, including going 3 for 3 in the final 4 minutes to snuff the Spurs hopes. "My teammates were finding me," Matthews said. "They did the hard job and all I had to do was knock the shots down." Manu Ginobili had a season-high 29 points, and Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli added 14 points each for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 13 points and Tony Parker added 12, but the two combined for just eight points in the second half. "It was really intense," Lillard said. "We both played physical. There were a lot of fouls called, but that was how we knew we were going to win the game. Just keep playing the same way and sticking with it." San Antonio (31-9) still holds the Wests best record, but came in with something to prove. The Spurs are aware of the criticism that they cant beat an elite team, having now gone 1-8 against the Wests remaining top-five teams and the Easts best, Indiana. "No, we dont ignore anything," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Its like when we started the season the first thing we did was watch Game 6 in Miami (of the NBA Finals, which the Spurs lost in overtime). We look everything square in the eye and talk about what we need to do" The Spurs needed to control Aldridge and Lillard, but struggled to contain either. Portland was controlling the contest when Popovich was ejected with 7:18 left in the third quarter after drawing two technical fouls during a San Antonio timeout and the Trail Blazers leading 65-55. "We knew eventually they would find their way back into the game, especially after Pop got tossed," Lillard said. "He looked like he wanted to get tossed because he just kept going off. I knew that that would spark something in their team. They got some calls they made some shots." Popovich began his rant a minute earlier when Diaw fell to the court defensively after taking a bump from Aldridge that Popovich thought was a foul. Official Mark Ayotte issued the first technical after Popovich was screaming and following him around. The technical only further incensed Popovich, who was attempting to push aside his assistants to reach Ayotte when official Bill Kennedy issued a second technical. The tirade sparked the fieryy Ginobili, who scored 18 straight points to close the quarter and help San Antonio outscore Portland 33-12 following Popovichs ejection. Andrei Kirilenko Jersey. . "I got in the game and I had two wide-open shots, both went in," Ginobili said. "Things started to happen. They found me on a 3-point shot. I started to feel more confident and the whole situation was exciting. Things went our way in that third quarter." After starting the game 2 for 8 on 3s, Belinelli and Ginobili made the teams next three attempts to pull San Antonio to 73-66 with 3:31 left in the third. Ginobili closed the quarter by making three free throws after inducing C.J. McCollum into a foul and then driving, hitting a 3-pointer and then driving into the lane from the right side of the 3-point line to the left side of the basket and spinning in a reverse layup with his left hand to give the Spurs a 78-77 lead entering the fourth. Portland regained the lead at 88-87 on Aldridges 16-foot jumper with 6:21 remaining. After the teams exchanged leads for a few minutes, Aldridge and Matthews proved unstoppable. Aldridge scored eight of Portlands 11 points late in the game, and his jumper gave Portland a 97-93 lead. San Antonio then began to double Aldridge, which left Matthews free to hit from long range. He made three consecutive 3s, with his final giving Portland a 105-96 lead with 1:25 remaining. "We couldnt keep that emotion up," Ginobili said. "Every time we made a run or played good defence, then they would get a 3 or an isolation for Aldridge and a bucket." Ginobili sat for most of Portlands run, with his only points in the final quarter came on a one-hand dunk with 31.7 seconds remaining. Lillard only had three points in the fourth, but he had four assists in guiding the team to shoot 60 per cent in the quarter. Parker, who wore a compression sleeve on the bruised right shin, had trouble staying in front of Lillard. The second-year guard had 14 points in the first half and committed just one turnover in 18 minutes. "I wish I was 100 per cent tonight, but it happens," Parker said. "Ill play, Ill play on Sunday (at home against Milwaukee). It will all get better with time." NOTES: Spurs F Matt Bonner left the game midway through the first quarter after suffering a nasal fracture on an elbow from Thomas Robinson. Bonner did not return and his status is unknown for Sundays home game against Milwaukee. ... First-year assistant Jim Boylen took over as head coach when Popovich was ejected. Boylen was hired from Indiana after San Antonio lost long-time assistants Mike Budenholzer and Brett Brown in the off-season to head coaching positions in Atlanta and Philadelphia, respectively. ... Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington and relief pitchers J.P. Arencibia and Neal Cotts were in attendance along with team executives. ... Kennedy told Terry Stotts, "We cant get them all right," after the Portland coach kept haranguing him about a foul assessed on Lopez following his block of Ginobili. ' ' '