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02/23/2007 - Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Glen Wesley ended his 82-game scoring drought in style, finding the back of the net 16 seconds into overtime with Carolina down a man as the Hurricanes rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Carolina led 2-0 after the first period but the Flyers answered back as Alexandre Picard's tally with just four minutes remaining in the third period tied the game at 2-2.
Hurricanes captain Rod Brind'Amour was then whistled for tripping with 1:22 left in the game, giving the Flyers their third power play of the contest.
Philadelphia, though, was unable to capitalize and Carolina struck quickly in the overtime period. Justin Williams skated the puck into the Flyers zone and dropped it off a the slot for Wesley, who slipped the puck past the outstretched pad of Antero Niittymaki for the game-winner. It was Wesley's first goal since February 5, 2006.
Brind'Amour and Andrew Ladd each scored, while netminder John Grahame finished with 33 saves for the Hurricanes, who have split their last six games.
Picard and Dimitry Afanasenkov each had a goal and an assist and Niittymaki ended with 27 saves for the last-place Flyers, who have dropped three in a row and four of their last five games.
Right after the Flyers killed off a Carolina power play midway through the first period, the Hurricanes struck first as Brind'Amour, a former Flyer, fired a shot off the glove of Niittymaki and into the Philadelphia net with 6:58 left in the opening frame.
Ladd then made it 2-0 with 1:43 left in the first period when he eventually poked the puck through Niittymaki's pads after several attempts.
The Flyers answered in the middle stanza as Afanasenkov rifled a shot top- shelf on Grahame at the 10:05 mark to cut Philadelphia's deficit in half.
Then, with time running out in the third, Picard netted his first goal since November 15th to tie the game. Michael Richards did all of the grunt work, muscling the puck in front of the net while getting a piece of Grahame. Picard followed the play and was there to stuff home the rebound.
Game Notes
Before the game, the Hurricanes placed left wing Erik Cole on injured reserve. Cole tore a muscle near his hip in warmups before Carolina's loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday...The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Carolina went 0-for-4...Williams, another former Flyer, finished with two assists.
<< Sens, Sabres duke it out in Buffalo
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres engaged
in a full-scale brawl with 5:13 played in the second period of their contest
Thursday at HSBC Arena.
The trouble began with Buffalo ahead 3-2, and just under five
<< Middle Tennessee rallies to top Troy
Troy, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chrissy Givens scored 31 points, pulled down 13
rebounds and came up with six steals, as 17th-ranked Middle Tennessee used a
big run at the start of the second half, on the way to a 68-60 victory over
Troy.
<< Del Rio: Leftwich is our guy
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio
ended any speculation about who would be the Jaguars' starting quarterback
on Thursday, naming Byron Leftwich as the team's starting signal caller for
the 200
<< Wade could be out several weeks
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade could be
sidelined several weeks because of a dislocated left shoulder suffered in
Thursday's 112-102 loss at Houston.
Wade flew back to Miami on a private plane an
Arenas leads Wizards over Kings >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilbert Arenas scored 43 points and
Washington overcame a monumental collapse in the fourth quarter and a waived-
off three-pointer at the buzzer by Sacramento's John Salmons to post a 109-106
win at
Deng, Wallace lead defensive-minded Bulls over Cavs >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng scored 18 points, and Ben Wallace
had a 14-point, 19-rebound, seven-block performance as the Chicago Bulls
outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers, 84-78.
Ben Gordon scored 16 points and grabbed
Rangers down Devils in shootout >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in
the shootout, sending the New Jersey Devils to a sweep of the New York
Rangers, 3-2, in the back end of a home-and-home series at Madison Square
Garden.
Devils down Rangers in shootout >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in
the shootout, sending the New Jersey Devils to a sweep of the New York
Rangers, 3-2, in the back end of a home-and-home series at Madison Square
Garden.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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