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02/16/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mats Sundin had a goal and an assist to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center.
The big news during the game came when the Flyers traded coveted center Peter Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for right wing Scottie Upshall, defenseman Ryan Parent and a first and third round draft pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft.
"Peter Forsberg is one of the NHL's most complete players and the ultimate competitor - a consistent winner who has year in and year out been a difference maker in the Stanley Cup playoffs," said Nashville vice president and general manager David Poile. "He strengthens our club up the middle and will provide another battle-tested, veteran voice to our dressing room."
Forsberg skated with the team in practice Thursday in preparation for the home game against Toronto, but was listed as a healthy scratch just before the start.
"This is a deal, we didn't want to do it, he knows we didn't want to do it, but at the end of the day we had to do it," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, who added Forsberg was noncommittal at returning to the team if he becomes a free agent after this season.
Jeff O'Neill, Nik Antropov and Carlo Colaiacovo each scored a goal for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a three-game slide. Andrew Raycroft made 34 saves in the win.
Simon Gagne had a goal and an assist while Mike Knuble added a goal for the Flyers, who had won their previous two games.
Michael Leighton started in net for Philadelphia but was pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots. Antero Niittymaki finished in net and made 19 saves.
The Maple Leafs were all over the Flyers in the first period and took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
Just 6:39 in, Matt Stajan sent a turnaround pass from the top of the left circle to the slot and from the right circle O'Neill snapped a wrister in between the pads of Leighton.
A little over two minutes later on the power play, Antropov completed a 2-on-1 rush when his wrist shot from the right circle beat Leighton again through the five-hole.
With 5:50 left in the first period, Colaiacovo's wrist shot from the slot beat Leighton and chased the goaltender from the net.
The Flyers got one back in the second period when, while skating on the power play, Alexei Zhitnik sent a pass from the high slot to the right side where Gagne gathered the puck and flicked a wrister over the right shoulder of Raycroft to make it a 3-1 game with 7:50 left in the middle frame.
Sundin gave the Maple Leafs a 4-1 lead with 8:14 left in the game when his wrist shot from the right circle went over the glove of Niittymaki.
Philadelphia got a goal back when, skating on the power play, Jeff Carter grabbed a loose puck behind the net and sent it to the low right circle where Knuble one-timed it between the pads of Raycroft with 5:14 to play.
Forsberg will now join the top team in the Western Conference, although he has been battling injuries all season as he has missed 16 games. He had a procedure done on his right foot this past May and also had two bursas removed. He was originally scheduled to have surgery on both his feet, but learned surgery on his left foot was not necessary. Forsberg returned in time to appear in the Flyers starting lineup for their first game of the season.
However, since then he had a right ankle problem that forced him to miss four consecutive games in December. Forsberg returned to the Flyers lineup on December 16 at Washington, but promptly suffered a concussion and missed the next three games. He has also sat out several games as he has had constant problems finding a skate that would comfortably fit his right foot.
"I was playing this year and some games I didn't know if I was going on the ice," Forsberg said. "That's how bad my foot didn't fit in the skate. It's tough to play hockey."
Despite this, the Flyers wanted Forsberg to re-sign before his two-year contract was to expire at the end of this season. However, Forsberg didn't give the Flyers a long-term commitment.
"We've gone round and round with Peter the last fair amount of time, making a commitment to us for future years," Holmgren said. "Due to Peter's uncertainty, he could not and would not do that moving forward. It was our belief in the long run, for the betterment of the franchise, for the future, this is something we needed to do."
Game Notes
Toronto returns home to face Edmonton on Saturday...The Flyers play the Rangers in New York on Saturday afternoon...Gagne has a four-game goal streak with six tallies during the run...The Flyers went 2-for-7 on the power play while Toronto scored on one of its six attempts...Gagne has 30 goals on the season, his third time he has reached that plateau in his career.
<< Harrington shoots 63 to grab early lead at Riviera
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ireland's Padraig Harrington fired an
eight-under-par 63 Thursday to grab a three-stroke lead at the Nissan Open at
Riviera Country Club.
Six players were left on the course as play was suspende
<< Blue Raiders snatch Sun Belt title
Murfreesboro, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chrissy Givens had 17 points and nine
rebounds to lead No. 17 Middle Tennessee State past Florida International,
66-59, at the Murphy Center.
Amber Holt netted 15 while Krystle Horton added 12
<< Teague leads Boilermakers past Indiana
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Teague had a career-high 32
points, including 6-of-8 from long distance, and grabbed seven rebounds, as
the Purdue Boilermakers bested the 24th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, 81-68, in the
190th m
<< 24th-ranked Spartans topple Wildcats
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Lucas-Perry had 25 points and
six rebounds to lead the 24th-ranked Michigan State Spartans past the
Northwestern Wildcats, 68-63, at the Breslin Center.
Allyssa DeHaan added 12 poin
Briere's OT goal boosts Buffalo over Edmonton >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Briere scored the winning goal 1:02
into overtime, as the Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo Sabres got their
fourth consecutive victory by beating the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, at HSBC Arena.
With
Colonials win 15th straight, snap Charlotte's 22-game home streak >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jessica Adair scored 14 points to go along
with 14 rebounds, as eighth-ranked George Washington slipped past Charlotte,
64-59, ending the 49ers' 22-game winning streak on their homecourt.
Sarah-Jo Lawre
Robitaille powers Islanders past Bruins >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Robitaille scored twice to lead the
New York Islanders to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins at Nassau Coliseum.
Mike Sillinger posted a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won two
straight
No. 4 Buckeyes rout Badgers >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jessica Davenport's 19 points and eight
rebounds led the way as fourth-ranked Ohio State badgered Wisconsin, 83-57 at
Value City Arena.
Ashlee Trebilcock posted 15 points and three steals for the Bu
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, 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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