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03/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle between the bottom two teams in the NHL is on tap tonight in Toronto, pitting the Maple Leafs against the Edmonton Oilers at Air Canada Centre.
Despite having won two straight and three of their last four, the Maple Leafs are still last in the Eastern Conference with just 56 points on the year. Edmonton -- bottom feeders in the Western Conference -- is the only club lower than Toronto with 49 points.
In addition to winning its last two games, Toronto has recorded at least a point in four of its last five outings, going 3-1-1 over that stretch.
The Maple Leafs have also won their last two games by 4-3 scores in overtime, beating visiting Boston on Tuesday and edging Tampa Bay two days later in another home tilt.
Phil Kessel scored 3:33 into overtime to give Toronto its latest victory against the Lightning on Thursday. Kessel, who leads the Leafs with 23 goals this year, picked up the first OT game-winner of his career.
Viktor Stalberg had a pair of goals, while Tyler Bozak also found the net for the Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 30 saves for Toronto.
"Young guys are stepping up here at the end of the year," Kessel said. "We're playing for each other, working hard out there."
Tonight marks the end of a three-game homestand for the Maple Leafs, who are 13-14-5 as the host this year. Toronto will play its next two games on the road against the New York Islanders and Ottawa.
Edmonton is 2-1-1 in its last four games and is coming off Thursday's shootout loss in Montreal. That setback kicked off a four-game road trip for the Oilers, who have a dismal 8-21-3 record as the guest.
Andrei Kostitsyn scored in the fifth round of the shootout, lifting the Canadiens to the 5-4 victory at Bell Centre.
Kostitsyn's was the only score of the shootout and came when he beat Devan Dubnyk with a forehand shot low to the left side. Sam Gagner was then wild on a backhand attempt to seal the victory for Montreal.
Gagner, Shawn Horcoff, Robert Nilsson and Andrew Cogliano had the goals for the Oilers. Dubnyk made 22 saves.
"We played a great hockey game, we had a lot of jump," Dubnyk said. "Everyone worked so hard. It's a test for me every time I'm out there. In the shootout, I was really comfortable. I felt good tonight even though they had the one goal which beat us."
The Oilers defeated Toronto, 3-1, in Edmonton on December 30, but the Maple Leafs have still won five of eight overall in the series. Edmonton has dropped eight of its last 10 contests in Toronto.
<< 49ers aim for record fifth Big West title against top-seeded Gauchos
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long Beach State tries to raise its total of
Big West Conference Tournament titles to a record five, as the 49ers clash
with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the championship round of the 35th-annual
event at Anahe
<< Utah State and New Mexico State battle for WAC supremacy
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Utah State tries to make it back-to-
back Western Athletic Conference Tournament titles tonight as the squad
clashes with the New Mexico State Aggies in the 27th-annual event at the
Lawlor Events Center in
<< Tigers and Golden Lions collide for SWAC crown
Bossier City, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwestern Athletic Conference
Tournament Championship game will take place this evening at the CenturyTel
Center, when the second-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions battle the
fifth-seeded Texas S
<< Spiders attempt to snare Musketeers in A-10 semifinals
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded and 24th-ranked Xavier
Musketeers do battle with the third-seeded Richmond Spiders in the semifinal
round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament today at Boardwalk Hall. The winner of
this game will
Berkman sidelined 2-4 weeks after knee surgery >>
Kissimmee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman
underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Saturday morning.
The Astros said the procedure involved removing loose cartilage debris from
the knee. There w
Bobcats sign Larry Hughes >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats have signed guard Larry
Hughes.
Hughes appeared in 31 games for the Knicks this season, then was dealt to
Sacramento at the trading deadline and subsequently waived without playin
Twins sign OF Span to five-year contract >>
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins announced the signing of
outfielder Denard Span to a five-year, $16.5 million contract on Saturday.
The deal also includes a $9 million club option for the 2015 season.
Span hit .311 i
Bobcats sign G Hughes; Wallace's MRI negative >>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -The Charlotte Bobcats have signed veteran guard Larry Hughes to help with depth in the backcourt as they attempt to reach the playoffs for the first time.Meanwhile, an MRI on forward Gerald Wallace's left ankle on Saturday reve
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.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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