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SEATTLE (AP) From his office about 1 http://www.officialflames.com/authentic-adidas-jaromir-jagr-jersey ,000 miles away from T-Mobile Arena, Tod Leiweke has watched the Stanley Cup playoffs with a growing appreciation for what is taking place in Las Vegas.He was keeping an eye on the Golden Knights even before he became president of Seattle Hockey Partners LLC, the group looking to bring an expansion NHL franchise to the Pacific Northwest. Once he took charge of Seattle’s efforts , Leiweke’s interest intensified, just as Vegas began its run to the upcoming Stanley Cup Final.”They’re playing the game with great joy and they’re having fun and it’s just inspirational to watch,” Leiweke said. ”We’re absolutely loving it and living vicariously through them.”The Golden Knights’ success in their inaugural season has been unprecedented as Vegas prepares for Game 1 on Monday night against the Washington Capitals. It’s also seemed to have heightened the expectations for the next wave of NHL expansion.Seattle is on deck. If the NHL awards the city a franchise, it could be on the ice as early as the 2020 season. It would require a $650 million expansion fee and a renovated arena. There’s also talk of future growth, with Houston mentioned regularly as a possible destination for the league.NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has met with new Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who is certainly more open to acquiring an NHL franchise for Houston than former owner Les Alexander. Seattle is certainly further ahead in the process by showing interest, but Houston has the arena and a potential owner already in place for the near future.For now all the focus is on what’s happening in Seattle. And if Leiweke is feeling any additional pressure for his potential franchise given Vegas’ success on and off the ice, he’s not showing it.”Well, to tell you the truth, I guess someone could interpret it that way that there’s all of a sudden this unusual pressure on us but in fact all they’re doing is helping us,” Leiweke said. ”They’re showing us how successful this league could be Johnny Gaudreau Jersey Kids , the brilliance of the game, they’re showing us what happens when a team comes together and plays inspired hockey. We don’t at all see it as anything other than just a great thing for the National Hockey League. Those that come before us will set the table for us. When I think about what they’ve done my endorphins go off and I have such admiration and we’re truly inspired by it.”The indications about six weeks ago, when Leiweke was hired, led those involved in the expansion process to believe some type of conditional approval would be granted by the NHL Board of Governors during their June meeting, to be followed by full approval in September. The staggered approach was to make certain construction on the arena would begin in late October as scheduled.That has changed. Bettman told The Associated Press this week that the Seattle expansion won’t be formally addressed next month.”What we have said to the people – David Bonderman’s group – is we’re on your timetable. There’s information that needs to be gathered after information is submitted. We have to finish doing our due diligence and our homework. We need to have the timetable understanding as to when the building’s going to get done. We can move as fast or as slowly as you want. There’s no rush,” Bettman told the AP. ”We’re in the middle of the process. They’re doing their homework, and they’re proceeding on two fronts because they’ve got to renovate a building and they’ve got to pursue the team and they’re doing both very nicely. They’re working with the city, they hired Tod Leiweke.”Is it going to be on the June agenda? No. After that, could it be September? Could it be the annual meeting in December? It’s possible.”Leiweke was hoping to have a true rooting interest in the finals, but the Tampa Bay Lightning were ousted in the Eastern Conference finals by the Capitals. Leiweke was the CEO of the Lightning from 2010-15 and was part of the group that turned around the organization, both with its on-ice success and in the stands, rejuvenating a fan base that had slumped following Tampa Bay’s title run in 2004.The experience in Tampa Bay gave Leiweke an understanding of what it’ll take for Seattle to have a successful franchise. And while it may not be on par with what Vegas is accomplishing, Leiweke sees no reason why Seattle won’t have a chance to be a contender from the start.”I won’t be foolish enough to say we’re going to make it to the Stanley Cup (Final) in our first year but I believe that we can absolutely build a team that is long-term competitive here,” Leiweke said. ”So when we think about this we don’t say look Mark Giordano Jersey , we’re resetting a goal and our goal is to make the Stanley Cup in year one. But our goal is to replicate a good part of what they’ve done by building an incredibly competitive program where those players are proud to pull on that sweater.”—AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals ST. LOUIS (AP) Duncan Keith and the Chicago Blackhawks did their part to spoil the St. Louis’ playoff chances.The star defenseman scored a power-play goal with 8.5 seconds left and the Blackhawks beat St. Louis 4-3 on Wednesday night.Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist, Andreas Martinsen and Blake Hillman also scored, and Jean-Francois Berube made 30 saves. The Blackhawks beat the Blues for the first time in three meetings this season.”We’re trying to win the game,” Keith said. ”At the end of the day, it’s a bigger game for them but I thought we did a good job of matching their intensity and for us it’s fun to play in a game like that. … There was something on the line so it was a little easier to get the fire going little bit.”Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn each had a goal and an assist for the Blues. They have lost four straight to fall a point behind idle Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.Robert Bortuzzo also scored for the Blues, and Jake Allen made 22 saves in his 14th straight start.”We played terrible in the third from myself out,” Allen said. ”It’s unacceptable especially at home against a team that really has nothing to play for except beat us.”Hillman scored a short-handed goal, his first in the NHL, midway through the second to cut the Blues’ lead to 3-2. He is the fifth Blackhawk to score their first career goal this season.”It’s probably the hardest one-timer I’ve ever taken in my life,” said Hillman, who was playing in his second NHL game. ”I closed my eyes and it went through a couple of bodies and luckily Allen didn’t see it.”DeBrincat tied it at 3 at 8:30 of the third with an unassisted goal, before Keith found the net for the first time in 22 games.”It’s been awhile since he scored obviously, but we did some good things as the game progressed and drew the penalty and got a break,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.Bortuzzo opened the scoring at 4:16 of the first period with his fourth goal of the season.Martinsen tied it for Chicago at 8:57 with his first goal of the season Youth Matthew Tkachuk Jersey , firing a wrist shot that trickled between Allen’s legs after the Blues failed to clear the puck twice.Schenn regained the lead for the Blues just 47 seconds into the second period, putting home a rebound from Vince Dunn’s shot from the high slot. Schenn’s 27th goal is a career high.Tarasenko made it 3-1 at 5:44 of the second. St. Louis took advantage of a Chicago defensive line change and Schenn sprung Tarasenko for a breakaway.FANCY STICK WORKJust 52 seconds into the game, Jaden Schwartz had a wrap-around attempt into a wide-open net, but Keith got his stick on the goal line to block the puck until Berube could get his glove down. The play was reviewed and it was determined that the puck did not cross the line.”I just tried to do what I could there to get everything I could, all the pressure on my stick, because I knew he had some momentum coming around there and was trying to wrap it around, the lane wasn’t there,” Keith said. ”A little luck too in that regard, but Berube ended up getting over there and taking the pressure off.”NOTES: Blues D Alex Pietrangelo played in his 615th career game, one shy of Bob Plager for second-most by a defenseman in franchise history. … The Blackhawks will honor Hall of Famer Stan Mikita before Friday night’s home game against the Blues. Mikita’s grandsons will take the ice on his behalf during the national anthem and highlights of Mikita’s career will be played. … Blues prospect G Ville Husso (San Antonio) was named to the 2017-2018 AHL All-Rookie team. … Blackhawks prospect D Adam Clendening was selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week after scoring two goals and five assists for the week ending April 2.UP NEXTThe teams will meet again Friday night in Chicago.