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12/27/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Doan's power-play marker in the late stages of the second period proved to be the game-winner and lifted the Phoenix Coyotes to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in the opener of a home-and-home set at the Staples Center.
Doan also set up Peter Mueller in the first period, while Ilya Bryzgalov was sensational between the pipes for Phoenix, stopping 24 shots as the Coyotes halted a brief two-game slide.
"Shane (Doan) has played very well - one of the best years I've seen him have," said Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky. "He's a tremendous captain and has been a good leader for our group. It's probably been the best hockey I've seen him play. It's great to see him score some big goals. It's definitely what a great leader does and he's done a great job of it."
Peter Harrold found the back of the net for Los Angeles, which has dropped five of its last six games. Jonathan Quick was solid for the Kings, making 24 saves.
Mueller hammered a feed from Doan behind Quick with 9:16 remaining in the opening frame, then the Coyotes stretched the margin to two on the man advantage.
A wrister from the right point by Olli Jokinen was redirected in the slot by the Phoenix captain between the legs of Quick with 2:17 to go in the middle stanza.
Los Angeles answered on the power play in the third period. With Dustin Brown perched in front of Bryzgalov, Harrold let fly a drive from the blue-line that beat the screened netminder on the blocker side at 8:49.
The Kings pulled Quick in the waning moments, but couldn't produce the tying goal.
"Well you can't play a game in the NHL and play only 20 minutes and expect to win, those days are done," said Kings head coach Terry Murray. "You have to come and play right from the beginning, you have to play 60 minutes hard, intense, and very heavy hockey, and in the first two periods we were not going, we didn't have it. The third period was what we needed for the 60 minutes."
Game Notes
The Coyotes are 5-1-3 over their last nine games...Phoenix will host Los Angeles on Saturday...The Coyotes hold a 2-0-0 edge in the season series and have won 10 of the last 13 meetings with the Kings.
<< Souray, Canucks hold off late rally by Oilers
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray's power-play goal late in the
second period proved to be the game-winner, as the Edmonton Oilers fended off
the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at GM Place.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Shawn Horcoff a
<< Nuggets notch comeback win over Sixers behind Smith, Billups
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.R. Smith dropped a game-high 27 points,
hitting 7-of-11 from beyond the arc to lead the Denver Nuggets past the
Philadelphia 76ers, 105-101, at the Pepsi Center.
Chauncey Billups scored 26 poin
<< Brewer, Koufos lead Jazz over Mavs; Nowitzki ejected
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronnie Brewer scored 21 points and Kosta
Koufos added 18 points and eight rebounds as the Utah Jazz upended the Dallas
Mavericks, 97-88.
Deron Williams logged 43 solid minutes and finished with 17 point
<< Streaking Blackhawks crush Flyers
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland both registered
a goal and an assist, as the scorching Chicago Blackhawks bested the
Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1, at the United Center.
Andrew Ladd, Patrick Sharp and Kr
Souray, Oilers hold off late rally by Canucks >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray's power-play goal late in the
second period proved to be the game-winner, as the Edmonton Oilers fended off
the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at GM Place.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Shawn Horcoff a
Tar Heels tangle with Mountaineers in Meineke Car Car Bowl >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Virginia Mountaineers and the North
Carolina Tar Heels are set to square off in the Meineke Car Care Bowl at Bank
of America Stadium this weekend.
The Mountaineers put together another solid regular-
Champs Sports Bowl features Seminoles and Badgers >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wisconsin Badgers and Florida State
Seminoles will meet for the first-ever time on the gridiron this weekend, as
they square off in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.
The Badgers have been up and this
Golden Bears and 'Canes clash in Emerald Bowl >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The California Golden Bears make the
short trip to San Francisco this weekend, where they will take on the Miami-
Florida Hurricanes in the 2008 Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park.
The Bears showed their resil
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.
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
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