Crosby and Pens down Sens in shootout
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03/07/2007 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in a shootout for the third time in six days and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Ottawa Senators, 5-4, at Scotiabank Place.
Jordan Staal, Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone scored in a 2:48 span midway through the third period to erase a 4-1 deficit for Pittsburgh, which won its second straight game and will host New Jersey on Thursday in a key Atlantic Division contest. The Devils currently lead the Pens by seven points.
Colby Armstrong also scored and Pittsburgh starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after he allowed three goals on seven shots in the first period. Jocelyn Thibault made 15 saves in relief.
Mike Fisher, Christoph Schubert, Chris Kelly and Dany Heatley scored for the Senators, who are winless in their last three games (0-1-2) after they had won eight of nine to close out the month of February. Ray Emery allowed only one goal through the first two periods but fell apart in the third and finished with 23 saves in the loss.
After Pittsburgh rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period, a defensive overtime session led to the ensuing shootout. In the first round, Heatley missed and Eric Christensen scored. Neither side found the back of the net following the next pair of shooters but Dean McAmmond kept Ottawa alive with a goal. However, Crosby then ended it with a high backhander.
"I'm trying to help out wherever I can," said Crosby, who failed to record a point in regulation in each of the three recent games in which he has notched the game-winner. "It's been tough (for me) 5-on-5, and (I'm also) struggling on the power play a bit. For me, it's one of those times right now but I'll try to do whatever I can to help."
With the win, the Pens snapped an eight-game winless streak against Ottawa dating back to November, 2003.
Trailing 4-1 at the start of the third period, the Penguins scored three goals in under three minutes midway through the stanza and Malone's marker at 12:10 knotted the contest.
Pittsburgh came back to life with Staal's NHL-leading seventh short-handed goal of the season at the 9:22 mark. With Evgeni Malkin in the penalty box for charging, Staal stole the puck from Daniel Alfredsson in the neutral zone, won a race for the puck through the slot and beat Emery from a sharp angle inside the left circle.
"When Staal scored that goal, we knew we had a chance," Crosby said. "We had maybe 11 or 12 minutes left when he scored, so that goal really led the way to help put ourselves in a better position."
Under two minutes later, Roberts' 15th goal made it 4-3. Christensen carried the puck down the right-wing side and slid a backhand pass into the middle for an easy one-timer by Roberts that lit the lamp at 11:02.
The momentum continued when Malone scored his 14th goal of the season 68 seconds later. Emery again showed his vulnerability, as Malone -- like Staal minutes earlier -- slid the puck into the net from a sharp angle. Staal passed from the slot to Malone, who corralled the disc low inside the left circle and beat Emery to the near side with a wrist shot.
"It's a confidence thing," said Alfredsson about failing to hold a lead. "We were going pretty good, but they made the most of their chances. In five shots they scored three goals and got right back in the game. We just have to keep working hard."
Pittsburgh opened the scoring on Armstrong's ninth goal at 5:56 of the first period.
The Pens skated with a 5-on-4 advantage for two minutes after Anton Volchenkov was whistled for hooking but failed to cash in. However, the visitors used the power-play momentum to keep the puck in their offensive zone and tallied less than thirty seconds after Volchenkov exited the penalty box. Armstrong held l behind the net and, after he failed to locate an open teammate, skated out along the goal line to the right side and banked the puck off Emery's skate and into the back of the cage.
Midway through the first, the Senators scored twice in under two minutes to grab a 2-1 lead.
First, on the power play, Peter Schaefer held control inside the right circle and attempted a cross-ice pass that was intended for weak-side cutter Wade Redden. The puck, though, hit traffic in front and caromed directly to Fisher, whose snap shot from the top of the crease beat Fleury at the 9:27 mark.
Soon after, the Sens moved ahead on Schubert's sixth goal. Oleg Saprykin passed from along the lower left half-wall into the slot for a shot by McAmmond. The save was made, but the rebound was swiped home by Schubert with 8:38 remaining.
Fleury continued to struggle and allowed a soft short-handed goal late in the opening stanza that saw Ottawa gain a two-goal advantage.
With Redden in the penalty box for interference, the Penguins failed to create scoring chances with the extra skater and the puck was picked up by Alfredsson. The captain crossed the blue line down the left-wing side before he slid a backhanded pass into the high slot for Kelly, whose one-timer should have been saved by Fleury but instead hit the goaltender and trickled behind him and over the goal line at the 18:38 mark.
Heatley's power-play goal 4:32 into the second period made it 4-1.
Game Notes
Crosby also beat the New York Rangers on March 1 and the Philadelphia Flyers this past Sunday with game-winning shootout goals...Heatley extended his point streak to 12 games...The Sens had won six straight homes games prior to this one...Ottawa finished 2-for-9 on the power play and held Pittsburgh scoreless on its four chances with the extra skater...Attendance was 20,074.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
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