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04/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The best team in the Western Conference this year will try to avoid falling in a 2-0 series' hole tonight, when the San Jose Sharks host the eighth-seeded Colorado Avalanche at HP Pavilion.
The top-seeded Sharks, who were knocked out by eighth-seeded Anaheim in the first round a year ago, lost Game 1 of this best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series on Wednesday, dropping a 2-1 decision to the visiting Avalanche.
Last year, the Sharks entered the playoffs fresh off a 117-point season that netted them the Presidents' Trophy and high expectations. San Jose, which has won three straight Pacific Division titles, hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs since losing to Calgary in the 2004 Western Conference finals.
Colorado, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs just one season after finishing last in the Western Conference with 69 points. The Avs have made three playoff appearances in five seasons since the lockout.
Chris Stewart was credited with the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation on Wednesday to stake Colorado to the early series' lead. Stewart's shot from behind the goal line deep in the Colorado offensive zone actually deflected in off the skate of San Jose defenseman Rob Blake.
John-Michael Liles also scored for the Avalanche, while Craig Anderson recorded 25 saves in the victory.
"There's still a long way to go," Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said. "We're the eight seed, they're the one seed, certainly not a lot of people are giving us a chance in this series. The pressure is on them."
Ryan Clowe scored the only goal for the Sharks and Evgeni Nabokov allowed two goals on 30 shots for San Jose.
"We have to be better. They didn't give us much time and space," Clowe said. "We were pretty solid defensively, but you have to get more pucks to the net. We need to be sharper."
Joe Thornton, who led San Jose with 89 points this year, had five shots on goal but no points in the opener. His linemates, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley, also failed to reach the scoresheet in Game 1. Marleau and Heatley had 83 and 82 points, respectively, this season, making San Jose's top line one of the most-feared units in the game.
San Jose was 27-6-8 as the host during the regular season, while the Avalanche were 19-20-2 on the road. Game 3 of this set is scheduled for Sunday night in Denver.
The Avalanche are trying to become the third eight seed in five seasons to knock off the top-seeded club. However, the Sharks had the better of the season series, going 2-1-1 and winning both games in San Jose.
These two clubs are meeting in the postseason for the fourth time, with the last matchup coming in 2004. The Sharks won that series, 4-2, in the semifinals before losing in six games to the Flames in the conference finals.
<< Blackhawks, Preds open playoffs in Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the playoffs and will
kick off the postseason tonight when they host the Nashville Predators at
United Center for Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
The Blackhawks are return
<< Astros head to Chicago seeking to build off first win
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first win of the 2010 season, the Houston
Astros hope to make it two in a row when they open a three-game series against
the National League Central-rival Chicago Cubs today at Wrigley Field.
The Astros lo
<< Devils try to even series in Game 2 against Flyers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded New Jersey Devils will try to avoid
falling in a 2-0 series' hole when they host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight
in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Prudential Center.
The seventh-seeded
<< Pens hope to bounce back in Game 2 against Sens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to bounce back from a loss
tonight, when the defending Stanley Cup champions host the Ottawa Senators at
Mellon Arena in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Ottawa
NBA Playoff Preview - Dallas vs. San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't easy and took the entire 2009-10 season, but the
Dallas Mavericks were able to lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference
and will face rival San Antonio in the first round.
These two teams just met on the
NBA Playoff Preview - Phoenix vs. Portland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A full 82-game schedule was needed to sort out the jumbled
Western Conference playoff scenarios. The Phoenix Suns captured the third seed
in the conference and will face the Portland Trail Blazers, the No. 6 seed, in
the firs
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Conference Finals Preview >>
Toronto, ONT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Eastern Conference
(1) Barrie Colts vs. (3) Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Season Series: 3-3
How they got here: Barrie needed only four games in each of the first two
rounds to dispose of the Sudbur
NBA Playoff Preview - Denver vs. Utah >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Is this the year Utah Jazz iconic coach Jerry Sloan finally
hoists the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy? Maybe, but he'll have to go
through a very familiar foe in the first-round of the postseason to get it, as
the Jazz
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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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