12/05/2008 - San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Thornton's third-period goal was the difference, and the San Jose Sharks secured the best record in NHL history after 26 games with a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sharks now stand at 22-3-1 for 45 points, which is slightly better than the 44 points posted by both the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings, both of whom made the Stanley Cup Finals; however, only the Red Wings captured the championship.
Jeremy Roenick and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who have won nine straight and have recorded at least a point in 10 straight games. San Jose is now 14-0-1 at home and is the only team in the league without a home regulation loss.
Evgeni Nabokov saved 29 shots in the victory.
Rick Nash and Fredrik Modin tallied for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a two- game win streak. Steve Mason allowed three goals on 22 shots in the loss.
Headed into the third tied at one, the Sharks finally managed to go ahead early in the stanza, as Roenick grabbed a rebound out in front and put it over Mason's left shoulder just 44 seconds into the final frame.
But the Blue Jackets tied the game three minutes later, as Modin emerged from the boards with the puck and beat Nabokov past his left pad for the goal.
Thornton was able to bat the puck out of midair past Mason at 7:41, restoring the lead for good for the Sharks at 3-2.
The Blue Jackets had a power play and also pulled the goalie in the final minute, giving the team a 6-on-4 advantage. But the visitors couldn't find the back of the net, and San Jose hung on for the win.
Columbus got on the board late in the first period, as Nash's wrister beat Nabokov. Kristian Huselius got his 10th assist of the season on the play.
After a futile attempt on a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage, the Sharks got a power play goal late in the second period to tie the game. Marleau got credit for the goal on his backhand shot, which was assisted by Dan Boyle and Marc- Edouard Vlasic at 14:57.
San Jose had another excellent chance with 2:50 left in the period, but Mason grabbed the puck as it sat on the goal-line.
Game Notes
Thornton played in his 248th straight game for the Sharks, breaking Vincent Damphousse's team record...The Sharks are within two games of tying their all- time longest win streak, which was 11 games from February 21-March 14, 2008...Columbus is 0-15-1 all-time in San Jose.
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Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Harden scored a game-high 22 points and
grabbed eight rebounds to lead 19th-ranked Arizona State in an 81-60 rout of
Jackson State.
Jeff Pendergraph poured in 19 points for the Sun Devils (6-1), who
<< Abrams career night helps Texas hold off UCLA
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Abrams scored a career-high 31 points, as
eighth-ranked Texas held on for a 68-64 win over 12th-ranked UCLA in a Big
12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup at the Frank Erwin Center.
Damion James finished
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San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns and
Vincent Jackson set a career-high with 148 receiving yards, as the San Diego
Chargers routed their AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders, 34-7.
Rivers finished with 2
<< Report: Washington tabs Sarkisian as new head coach
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Southern California offensive coordinator
Steve Sarkisian will reportedly become the next head coach of the Washington
Huskies.
According to The Seattle Times, Sarkisian will take over for an
Abrams' career night helps Texas hold off UCLA >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Abrams scored a career-high 31 points, as
eighth-ranked Texas held on for a 68-64 win over 12th-ranked UCLA in a Big
12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup at the Frank Erwin Center.
Damion James finished
Lakers close out road trip in Washington vs. Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the best teams in the NBA visits one of the worst,
as the Los Angeles Lakers close out a three-game road trip tonight against the
Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.
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Nets host T-Wolves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets will try to get back on track tonight
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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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. 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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