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PITTSBURGH -- Faced with the choice of his hockey life, Jarome Iginla figured he couldnt go wrong. As the hours before the March 28 trade deadline ticked away and the suitors for the Calgary Flames longtime captain dwindled down to Boston and Pittsburgh, the six-time All-Star understood both franchises provided him the chance to win his first Stanley Cup. Only one, however, included the added bonus of playing with good friend Sidney Crosby. And when the Penguins quite literally lured Iginla east in the middle of the night, the ripple effect forced the Bruins to a backup plan that turned out better than they imagined. Spurned by Iginla, the Bruins acquired Jaromir Jagr from Dallas hours later. Now the two clubs -- and their two high-profile late additions -- find themselves in each others way as the Eastern Conference finals get set to begin Saturday. "I knew that there was a possibility this would be the case," Iginla said. One that just as easily could have arisen if Iginla opted for Boston instead. While it appeared for a few hours the Bruins had the inside track, the Olympic gold medal winner insists he didnt back out of a deal with Boston when the Penguins swooped in at the last minute. "I never said yes and then no," Iginla said. Though the Bruins initially disagreed -- claiming an agreement was in place -- they have since moved on, adding a necessary part in Jagr to lead to a showdown that has felt inevitable for the last three months. "I always thought you had to go through them to get to where we want to go at some point," Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "Its been well chronicled, the Iginla stuff and the Jagr stuff, so were happy with who we got." So are the Penguins. The 35-year-old Iginla has fit in almost seamlessly in Pittsburgh, picking up 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 regular-season games despite being shuttled between the first and second lines while occasionally being moved away from his natural position at right wing. Things have been more settled in the post-season. Coach Dan Bylsma placed Iginla on the second line with reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin and All-Star forward James Neal. The results have been sublime. Iginla quietly rolled up four goals and eight assists in the opening two rounds of the playoffs, his powerful shot and ability to create a little havoc in front of the opposing goaltender perfectly complimenting Malkins deft passing and Neals sniper-like instincts. "You want to play together and play hard and not disrupt (their chemistry)," Iginla said. "So you find different places to go and contribute. Is that going to the net? Getting out of the way in certain positions? Knowing where we all like pucks? I think its just kind of tying everything together and Ive been enjoying it and I think its been getting better and better." The result is just the second trip to hockeys final four in Iginlas 16-year career. He led the Flames to the Cup finals in 2004 only to fall to Tampa Bay in seven games. Four straight first-round exits followed before the bottom fell out. Calgary was heading to its fifth straight season on the outside of the playoffs looking in when general manager Jay Feaster approached Iginla and asked him if he would consider waiving his no-trade clause. Iginla wanted to help the Flames rebuild almost as badly as he wanted a shot at the Cup. A brief conversation with Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero convinced him the best chance to do both sat with the Penguins. Pittsburgh sent the Flames college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick in the 2013 draft for one of the best players of his generation, one still trying to get his hands on his sports most coveted chalice. The move proved refreshing in more ways than one. Iginla and fellow newcomers Jussi Jokinen, Doug Murray and Brenden Morrow, became de facto roommates at a downtown Pittsburgh hotel. Iginla found wearing a jersey without a "C" on it liberating. He has kept a decidedly low profile since his arrival, speaking to the media only occasionally while letting Crosby handle the duties that come with being the voice of the franchise. Dont misunderstand. Iginla isnt hiding but simply enjoying a rare taste of relative anonymity. "Its been a nice change," Iginla said. One that will likely come to an end if the Penguins make it to the next round. Iginla is the latest in a long line of veterans who have uprooted their lives -- think Ray Bourque going from Boston to Colorado -- in pursuit of glory. He will become one of the faces of the finals if the Penguins advance. Iginla is more than ready to handle it. If anything, hes proven hes adaptable. Iginla played at least 19 minutes 17 times with Calgary this season, a number hes topped just three times in 24 games with the Penguins. Yet Bylsma has yet to hear Iginla mention it, and he doesnt expect to. Neither do his teammates. "I think youll have a hard time finding somebody in this world to fit in better anywhere," Murray said. "Hes a great guy and hes obviously a good player. He demands respect right away." Even if respect from the Bruins will come in the form of bodies being thrown into Iginlas path at every turn. He welcomes the challenge, even if the guys slamming him are the ones that could have been his teammates. All thats over now. Any leftover hard feelings with the Bruins is just so much collateral damage. "I knew Boston was a great team," Iginla said. "It was one of those situations when I (chose Pittsburgh) that I knew there was a big possibility wed be in this situation, and here we are. Im looking forward to the challenge." Fake Shoes . JOHNS, N. Fake Shoes For Sale . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. https://www.fakeshoeswholesale.com/ . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Clearance Shoes . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Fake Shoes From China . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints and pass-rushing lineman Paul Kruger have agreed to contract terms, two days after the veteran was surprisingly released by the Cleveland Browns, according to a person familiar with the deal.The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced.Kruger has started 46 games for Cleveland in the past three seasons, during which hes had 18 sacks, including a career-high 11 in 2014.Last season, however, he was credited with 27 tackles, his fewest since 2011, and 2+ sacks, his fewest since 2010. When he was released earlier this week, Kruger said the Browns made absolutely the wrong decision.His signing with New Orleans was first reported by NFL.com.The seven-year pro began his career in Baltimore and played for the 2012 Ravens squad that won a Super Bowl. Kruger was credited with nine sacks, an interception and forced fumble during that regular season, and added 4+ sacks and a forced fumble in the playoffs, including two sacks in the Super Bowl.Kruger also played in the Superdome during his college career, winning a Sugar Bowl when his 2008 Utah team defeated Alabama.ddddddddddddBefore adding Kruger, the Saints had several young players vying to fill a pass-rushing role on the opposite side of the line from Pro Bowl end Cameron Jordan.Hauoli Kikaha, a second-round draft choice in 2015, was a leading candidate until he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during an offseason practice.Kasim Edebali, who was second on the Saints with five sacks last season, was among the front-runners. Obum Gwacham and Davis Tull also were rotating in at that spot.Edebali had two sacks in the Saints preseason opener against New England, but New Orleans has had trouble generating pressure from its defensive front in the past two preseason games, and that was among the issues coach Sean Payton cited as very concerning after last weeks exhibition loss to Pittsburgh.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '