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03/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after getting a season-long road trip off to a desired start, the Boston Bruins will try to keep up their recent success in enemy venues when they visit Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena this afternoon for a battle with the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins.
Boston began its current seven-game trek with Saturday's 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders, the Bruins' sixth triumph in their past seven games. Four of those wins came on a road stretch from February 7-13 that preceded the NHL's break for the Winter Olympics.
David Krejci and Marc Savard scored within a 4 1/2-minute span in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie and back an excellent performance from goaltender Tim Thomas, who racked up 37 saves in his second consecutive start.
Thomas, the 2008-09 Vezina Trophy winner, had been supplanted by Tuukka Rask as Boston's No. 1 netminder last month after a string of inconsistent showings, but has been called upon to start the team's past two contests after Rask hurt his knee in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Montreal. He responded by stopping 24-of-26 shots against Toronto on Thursday, then thwarted all three skaters he faced in the shootout to help the Bruins to a 3-2 decision over the Maple Leafs.
Rask is considered day-to-day with his injury, making Thomas a likely candidate to draw the assignment again this afternoon. The 35-year-old made 27 saves to shut out the high-scoring Penguins in Boston on November 10, but struggled in a 6-5 overtime defeat at the Igloo four days later.
Thomas and the Bruins will have to deal with a Pittsburgh squad that had its offense cranking in Saturday's matchup against Dallas, with Sidney Crosby amassing two goals and an assist to lead the Pens to a 6-3 rout.
Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz had a goal and an assist in the win, Pittsburgh's third in a row since returning from the Olympic shutdown. Alexei Ponikarovsky, acquired Tuesday in a trade with Toronto, also lit the lamp in his Penguins debut.
Marc-Andre Fleury, coming off a shaky outing in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the New York Rangers, rebounded with 27 saves to record his 30th victory of the season.
"We always know he bounces back," said Crosby of Fleury. "It's going to happen, we all have tough nights. He responds the best way possible every time."
One Pittsburgh player who didn't have a hand in Saturday's offensive outburst was Evgeni Malkin. The star center had a career high-tying 15-game point streak, in which he had piled up nine goals and 15 assists, come to an end after being kept off the scoresheet by the Stars.
The win pushed the Penguins' lead on idle New Jersey to three points for first place in the Atlantic Division and improved them to 20-10-3 at home for the season.
Boston's surge has propelled the 2008-09 Northeast Division champions into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one point better than Montreal and three ahead of Atlanta and the Rangers in the tightly-bunched playoff race.
"We've won two in a row which is a good thing, but there's areas where we can do better," said Thomas after Saturday's game. "At this point in the year, we need as many wins as we can get so we're not going to complain about them too much."
The Bruins are an impressive 11-3-2 with two ties over their last 18 visits to Mellon Arena, but have come out on the losing side in each of their past two games as the visitor in this series.
<< Flames aim for revenge against division-rival Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames will have an opportunity to avenge a
recent shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild when the two Northwest Division foes
face off for the second time in less than a week this afternoon at the XCel
Energy Center.
<< 30 Something: Durant, Thunder visit Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will close out a
three-game road trip Sunday against the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena.
Durant led the Thunder to a 104-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on
Friday, pu
<< Predators to host Canucks in key conference clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Vancouver Canucks continue on a record sequence
of road games, the Nashville Predators have been enjoying their time at home
as of late.
The playoff-hopeful Predators shoot for a third straight win at Bridgestone
<< Raptors face home test vs. Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors have been solid defenders of their home
floor and will try to keep it that way Sunday afternoon versus the Atlantic
Division-rival Philadelphia 76ers at Air Canada Centre.
The playoff-hopeful Rapto
Celtics return home to face Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will face another inferior foe from the
Eastern Conference tonight, when they return home to take on the Washington
Wizards at TD Garden.
Boston battled back in Friday's 96-86 victory over the Phila
Playoff-hopeful Rockets make a stop at Detroit >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets are still fighting for a playoff spot
in the crowded Western Conference. Their chances of gaining ground in the race
look promising with tonight's matchup against the slumping Detroit Pistons at
The Pal
Lakers take losing streak to Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the suddenly-slumping Los Angeles Lakers
have dropped two straight games and hope to get back on track Sunday afternoon
against Eastern Conference power Orlando at Amway Arena.
In a rematch of last yea
Thrashers, Canes to face off in clash of surging Southeast squads >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing at home has been good as of late for the Atlanta
Thrashers, who head back to Philips Arena tonight to take on the Carolina
Hurricanes in a Southeast Division showdown.
Atlanta has won its last three tests as the ho
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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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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