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03/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key battle for the Atlantic Division crown is on tap tonight in Newark as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
The Penguins lead the Atlantic with 85 points, while New Jersey -- the defending division champs -- are four points behind.
Pittsburgh and the Devils will complete the regular-season series next week, meeting for the final time Wednesday in New Jersey. The Devils have taken all four encounters with the defending Stanley Cup champions this year and have outscored the Pens by a 14-2 margin in those tests.
The Devils have six wins in the last eight meetings with Pittsburgh overall and have taken three of the last four clashes in Newark.
New Jersey has struggled lately, going 4-7-1 over its last 12 outings. The Devils were able to snap a two-game slide with Wednesday's home win over the rival New York Rangers.
Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner was one of six different goal-scorers who led New Jersey to the 6-3 win over the Rangers. Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston, Travis Zajac and Rob Niedermayer each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, while Zach Parise and Bryce Salvador also lit the lamp.
Dainius Zubrus, Andy Greene and Mike Mottau each collected two helpers for the Devils, who returned from a 1-3-0 road trip to play their first home game since a 5-2 triumph over Nashville on February 12.
"It was a good test for us. We needed to get a win in a tough battle," said Langenbrunner, who reached the 600-point mark with an assist on Salvador's goal in the first period,
Martin Brodeur made 16 saves on 19 shots to earn the win -- his 36th this season.
The Devils are 21-9-1 as the host this year and have won three of their last four at the Rock.
Meanwhile, the Penguins had a four-game winning streak halted Thursday in Carolina, dropping an overtime decision to the Hurricanes. Brian Pothier scored on a one-timer 23 seconds into the extra session to lift the hosts at RBC Center.
"I think that the team we played tonight has proven all year long that they are not going to stop playing. They are going to work regardless of the standings," said Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma.
Jordan Staal, Bill Guerin and Matt Cooke provided the offense for Pittsburgh, which picked up at least a point in its ninth straight game (5-0-4). Sidney Crosby added an assist to push his point streak to six games.
Brent Johnson allowed four goals on 21 shots to take the loss. Regular starter Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be back between the pipes tonight.
The Penguins are making the second stop on a five-game road trip tonight. Pittsburgh is 19-12-2 as the guest this year, tying the club with Washington for the most road wins in the Eastern Conference.
Eric Godard is questionable tonight for the Pens with a groin injury, while fellow forward Tyler Kennedy is expected to miss his second straight test with the same issue.
<< Blue Devils hope to avoid upset in ACC tourney clash with Cavs
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue
Devils begin their quest for another ACC Tournament title today, as they take
on the ninth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the quarterfinal round at Greensboro
Coliseum.
<< Tulsa takes on UTEP in C-USA Tournament semifinals
Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and 25th-ranked Texas-El Paso
Miners come together with the fifth-seeded Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the
semifinal round of the Conference USA Tournament today at the BOK Center. The
survivor of this bo
<< Irish and Mountaineers fight for right to play for Big East title
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded and seventh-ranked West
Virginia Mountaineers duke it out with the seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting
Irish in the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament tonight at Madison
Square Garden. The
<< Georgetown and Marquette meet in Big East semis
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams that shook up the Big East
Tournament yesterday come together in the semifinals tonight, as the eighth-
seeded and 22nd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas battle the fifth-seeded Marquette
Golden Eagles at Madison
Nuggets visit the Big Easy to take on Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One slip at the controls and the Denver Nuggets will have
some company atop the Northwest Division standings. They'll try to prevent
that from happening tonight, when they resume a four-game road trip against
the New Orleans
Thunder host hapless Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The chances of the Oklahoma City Thunder posting their
fifth straight home win look promising, as they will resume a three-game
residency versus the miserable New Jersey Nets from the Ford Center.
The Thunder made it four
Desperate Grizzlies welcome Knicks to Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies are still alive in the Western
Conference playoff race, but time is running short. Tonight they'll begin a
three-game homestand versus the New York Knicks at FedEx Forum with hopes of
gaining ground in t
Sabres try to run win streak to four games versus Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will aim for a fourth consecutive
victory when they welcome the Minnesota Wild for an interconference clash at
HSBC Arena.
The Sabres' three-game winning streak is the club's longest since a season-
bes
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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