MOSCOW (AP) Most Gabriel Landeskog Jersey Kids , but not all, of Russia’s top sports stars are backing Vladimir Putin in this weekend’s presidential election.Ahead of Sunday’s vote, a host of Olympic gold medalists and NHL player Alex Ovechkin have thrown their support behind Putin. Ovechkin even launched a ”Putin Team” campaign on social media.On the other side, there’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov.The former No. 1-ranked tennis player is the only major Russian athlete to back opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been barred from taking part in the election.With Putin poised to win as much as 70 percent of the vote, according to state pollsters, Kafelnikov told The Associated Press he won’t vote. Navalny has called on his supporters to boycott what he sees as an unfair election.”You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand (that Putin will win),” said the 44-year-old Kafelnikov, who stopped playing professionally in 2003. ”My choice, who I was willing to give my voice to at the election, he was not allowed to run for the presidency.”Sports stars have long been a fixture in Russian political campaigns, while boxer Nikolai Valuev and tennis player Marat Safin are among a host of athletes who have represented the United Russia party in parliament. Kafelnikov said he, too, was approached in 2003 to take a parliamentary seat for the party, but declined because he felt he wouldn’t be allowed to express his real views.”After two days thinking, I thought something is a bit dodgy and I don’t want to be involved,” he said. ”My voice isn’t going to be counted as whatever I think. So I said I don’t want to be there just for pressing the button (to vote).”Athletes are being increasingly exploited as symbols of prestige for those in power, Kafelnikov said.”I always thought sports and politics should not collide together on the same path, should be completely separate. Unfortunately as of late … someone’s using the professional athletes for their own benefit http://www.avalancheshoponline.com/authentic-j.t.-compher-jersey ,” he said. ”I’ve been always open-minded and people obviously know that Yevgeny Kafelnikov is not for sale. There is no chance that I could sell myself for something like this.”I’m sure other athletes who are supporting so-called Putin’s team, they do have a choice but they’ve chosen the path which they’re comfortable with. I’m not going to judge each one, why they did this.”Kafelnikov’s 24,000 followers on Twitter are treated to a mix of political commentary, occasional banter between him and Navalny, and copious chat about Kafelnikov’s beloved Spartak Moscow soccer team.It’s a contrast to Ovechkin’s Instagram, where the Washington Capitals forward launched his Putin Team in November. It started as a loose affiliation of athletes and other celebrities sharing a hashtag, but has since become a formal campaign organization which held a rally Sunday in central Moscow’s Gorky Park.Ovechkin said in November he had ”a good relationship” with Putin, who gave Ovechkin and his wife a tea set when they married last July.”I just support my country, you know? That’s where I’m from, my parents live there, all my friends,” Ovechkin said. ”Like every human from different countries, they support their president.”Golos, a non-governmental organization which monitors possible election violations, flagged up Sunday’s Putin Team rally. Promises of free gifts for attendees could be seen as bribery, the watchdog said.Putin Team did not respond to a request for comment on that accusation. It also hasn’t said who funds the organization, which has offered valuable prizes such as GoPro cameras to its supporters.Besides Ovechkin’s group, Putin also has soccer goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev Youth Matt Nieto Jersey , heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin and biathlon champion Anton Shipulin as registered campaign surrogates.Putin held a rally on March 3 at Moscow’s vast Luzhniki Stadium, which will host the soccer World Cup final in July. With him was 15-year-old figure skating gold medalist Alina Zagitova, fresh from the Olympics in Pyeongchang, and the entire gold medal-winning men’s hockey team. Zagitova’s participation prompted concerns from some opposition activists that the Putin campaign was improperly using a child for electioneering.Putin himself practiced judo in his youth, and some of his former partners went on to become billionaires under his rule. Now he tends to play hockey, often scoring numerous goals in televised exhibition games against former NHL players.Many Russian athletes rely on the government for their livelihood. In most Olympic sports, the Sports Ministry wields wide-ranging power over funding, and even hires and fires individual coaches. Many of Russia’s top clubs in soccer and hockey are funded by state-controlled companies.It’s hard to say exactly how many Russian athletes back Putin wholeheartedly or have opposition sympathies.Kafelnikov said he doesn’t believe athletes are coerced into backing the government, but added he’s in contact with other opposition-minded athletes who don’t talk politics openly.”I’m sure there are plenty. I’m hoping so,” he said. ”There are some who share my thoughts toward what’s happening and what’s going to happen. I do have some supporters.” LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the fastest teams in hockey. The Los Angeles Kings do not.And when the Leafs hit the Staples Center ice in full flight, the Kings were caught a bit flat-footed.Nazem Kadri scored two power-play goals and John Tavares had a goal and two assists in the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 victory Tuesday night.Morgan Rielly and Andreas Johnsson also scored in the Leafs’ fourth win in five games overall and their seventh win in eight road games this season. Frederik Andersen made 22 saves as Toronto’s burgeoning powerhouse swept its two-game season series with NHL-worst Los Angeles by a combined 9-2.“We were moving our feet from the start,” said Toronto’s Mitch Marner, who had two assists despite needing a few stitches after Alex Iafallo’s stick hit him in the mouth in the second period. “We drew penalties with our speed. That’s something we haven’t done (much) this year. Our whole team came out ready to play, and we made it hard on their (defense).”Toronto opened a three-game California road swing with another dominant performance, leading 2-0 just 6:12 in and getting 11 shots on net before Los Angeles got its first. The Maple Leafs scored three power-play goals and continued their impressive start to the season despite the continued absence of holdout William Nylander and star Auston Matthews, who missed his seventh straight game with a shoulder injury.Kadri said the Leafs dominated “by being fast. I think that’s the identity of our team, and we wanted to use it to our advantage.”Tavares scored a goal in his third consecutive game, connecting on the power play in the first period for his 11th goal of the season. The star forward already has 22 points in 18 games during his debut season with his hometown team.“(Tavares) has been great,” said Rielly Mikko Rantanen Jersey , who leads all NHL defensemen with 23 points after getting a goal and an assist. “We’re 18 games in, and he’s been outstanding. He’s been a leader. He’s been a 200-foot player. He’s been putting the puck in the net.”Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, who have lost three straight while scoring just two combined goals since winning their debut under interim coach Willie Desjardins last week. The NHL’s lowest-scoring team went 3-4-0 on a seven-game homestand.“We’ve got to pull our stuff together here quickly and win some games,” Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar said. “We’ve been talking for a while now. If we don’t get our minds to it and actually get it done on the ice, it doesn’t mean anything.”Johnsson’s goal early in the second period put Toronto up 4-1 and chased Peter Budaj, who stopped 15 shots. He was replaced by Cal Petersen, who stopped 15 shots in his NHL debut.The Kings are down to their top two AHL goalies after Jack Campbell joined Jonathan Quick on injured reserve this week with torn meniscuses in their knees.“I was a little surprised” to get put in the game, Petersen said. “I didn’t hear the coach right away. It was an exciting moment, and I got to face a shot right away, which helped. I was just trying not to make it bigger than it is.”But even LA’s normally sturdy penalty-killing units struggled against Toronto, giving up multiple power-play goals for only the second time this season.Kempe ended his 12-game goalless streak with a first-period deflection, but Rielly put Toronto up 3-1 early in the second after two Leafs converged on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and forced a turnover.Johnsson then scored after four Kings stood and watched while Travis Dermott skated the puck from the point to the net for a pass.Kadri connected again late in the second period for his fourth goal in four games and his seventh in nine games.NOTES: Dermott scored his first point since Toronto’s season opener. … Kings D Dion Phaneuf took the shot that Kempe deflected for a goal, allowing the former Toronto defenseman to score his first point in 17 games this season. … Kempe scored just his second goal in his last 50 games. … The 24-year-old Petersen, who once started 90 consecutive games for Notre Dame, is the 71st goalie in Kings franchise history and the 13th to make his first appearance for the club in relief.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: At San Jose on Thursday.Kings: At Chicago on Friday.