Devils, Flyers ready to renew rivalry
Hockey Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk will seek his first goal in a New Jersey Devils uniform when his new team visits the rival Philadelphia Flyers tonight at Wachovia Center for the opener of a home-and-home series between Atlantic Division foes.
The Devils made a big trade last week to acquire Kovalchuk's services from Atlanta, but the Russian sniper has gone without a goal in his first two games with New Jersey.
Kovalchuk had two assists in his Devils' debut Friday against Toronto, but was held without a point the following night against the New York Rangers. He has 31 goals on the season and has excellent career numbers against the Flyers, posting 18 goals and 14 assists in 30 games versus Philadelphia.
The Devils have lost three of four and five out of seven, and with 74 points are just two ahead of Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division.
New Jersey lost its fourth straight road game Saturday in New York, as the Rangers notched the 3-1 victory at Madison Square Garden behind 41 saves from Henrik Lundqvist.
Dainius Zubrus lit the lamp for New Jersey and Martin Brodeur allowed three goals on 25 shots to take the loss. The lone bright spot for the Devils was left winger Patrik Elias, who returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with a concussion. He picked up the lone assist on Zubrus' tally.
Despite losing seven of their last eight games on the road, New Jersey still has a strong 17-10-2 record as the host this year. The Devils will host the Flyers on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia has dropped two straight and four of its last six, a cold stretch that has not helped the Flyers' push for the playoffs. Philly has 59 points and is currently tied with the Rangers for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East.
The Flyers won the opener of a three-game road trip by beating Calgary last Monday, but were then dealt consecutive regulation losses in Edmonton and Minnesota, dropping both of those tests by one-goal margins.
Philadelphia was dealt a 2-1 loss Saturday in Minnesota, as Anton Khudobin led the Wild to victory by stopping 38-of-39 shots in his first NHL start.
"I liked the first period; we had lots of opportunities," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette. "In the second period, we took penalties. We got our legs going a little bit at the end, but [the shots] didn't drop. We need to count them."
Daniel Carcillo notched the lone score for the Flyers, while Michael Leighton took the loss despite making 28 saves. Leighton was starting in place of Ray Emery, who is day-to-day with a hip injury. Emery, who is 5-3-2 in 10 career games against the Devils, is questionable for tonight.
The Flyers made a minor trade on Saturday, dealing defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft to Detroit for forward Ville Leino. It's not clear when Leino, who had four goals and three assists in 42 games with the Red Wings this season, will make his Flyers debut.
Philadelphia has won seven of its last nine home games and is 16-11-2 as the host this season.
The Flyers have taken two of three from New Jersey so far this season and own six wins in the last 10 encounters between these rivals. The Devils have lost two straight and four of their last five tests in the City of Brotherly Love.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to forge a tie atop the Northwest Division standings tonight, when they welcome the St. Louis Blues for a battle at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche have 70 points and are two behind idle Vancouv
<< Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves
tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San
Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak
<< Ramblers try to cool off red-hot Bulldogs
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Butler Bulldogs continue their
run at a perfect Horizon League campaign tonight, as they host the Loyola
Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs are enjoying another terrific season
<< Jayhawks and Longhorns duke it out in Austin
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Big 12 heavyweights collide in Austin
this evening, as the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks take on the ninth-ranked Texas
Longhorns from the Frank Erwin Center.
Bill Self's Jayhawks sit atop the Big 12 stan
<< Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference
loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track
in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 1
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will be aiming to extend a franchise- record winning streak tonight. If recent history is any indication, the Anaheim Ducks may not be posing much of a problem towards achieving that feat. The Kings s
Coyotes hope to rebound against visiting Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After stumbling in their last trip to the ice, the Phoenix
Coyotes will be seeking a bounce-back performance when they return to
Jobing.com Arena tonight to take on an Edmonton Oilers squad trying to avoid
setting a franchise
Bolton's Cahill could miss remainder of season >>
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton central defender Gary Cahill is set
to miss the rest of the season due to a blot clot in his arm.
The 24-year-old, who is on the fringes of the England senior squad, missed the
weekend draw with Ful
Stoke's Fuller arrested >>
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City have confirmed that
striker Ricardo Fuller was arrested on suspicion of assault following an
incident at a nightclub.
The 30-year-old Jamaica international was detained in
Wigan releases Edman from contract >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan have released defender Erik Edman from
his contract.
Edman, 31, was out of contract at the DW Stadium at the end of the current
season but the two parties have reached a mutual agreement to term
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FOOTBALL BETTING
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, online football betting 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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