10/10/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Krejci's even-strength marker late in the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Boston Bruins kicked off the 2008-09 campaign with a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.
Marc Savard registered a goal and an assist for Boston, which proved many prognosticators wrong last season by securing the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference -- its first postseason appearance since 2004 -- and pushing the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens to a decisive seventh game in the opening round.
Blake Wheeler, making his NHL debut, also found the back of the net for the Bruins. The talented Patrice Bergeron, who missed all but 10 games in '07-08 because of a concussion sustained last October after he was checked into the boards from behind by Flyers defenseman Randy Jones, collected two assists.
Tim Thomas allowed four goals on 39 shots to get the win.
"For the first game, as long as it's a win, that's what matters," said Thomas. "They (Avalanche) came out flying tonight."
Milan Hejduk recorded a goal and an assist to pace the Avalanche, who overcame a slew of injuries to significant players in 2007-08 to finish second in the Northwest Division before getting swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Red Wings in the second round of the playoffs.
Peter Budaj stopped 15-of-20 shots in defeat.
"We came out okay tonight," Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles said. "We played well. We can improve on some things, and one of those things is we have to generate chances. We need to buckle down (defensively). It's a long year, and we'll keep improving."
The game marked the beginning of Tony Granato's second tenure as Colorado's head coach, replacing Joel Quenneville. Granato, who was an assistant coach with the club the past three years, held the same position from December 18, 2002 through the 2003-04 season.
Michael Ryder, the only off-season addition of note for Boston, gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead at the 5:36 mark of the third. Then Jordan Leopold, trailing the play, gathered a rebound in the high slot and fired a snap shot that beat Thomas on the glove side with 9:43 left on the clock.
Krejci slid the puck in behind Budaj with 2:36 to go in regulation. Bergeron went off for tripping shortly after, but Colorado failed to net the equalizer.
Although the first-period shot totals heavily favored Colorado, 20-5, the clubs were locked at two after the opening 20 minutes. Phil Kessel got things started at the 6:21 mark, snapping a wrister from the high slot. Boston captain Zdeno Chara then went off for boarding, and Colorado evened the score on the power play, but not before Budaj denied Bergeron on the breakaway.
Paul Stastny fired a backhand feed from behind the visitors' cage right on the tape of Hejduk at the edge of the crease. Hejduk then fired a perfectly placed shot over the glove of Thomas with 9:58 remaining.
Wheeler, a winger chosen fifth overall by Phoenix in the 2004 draft, tallied 49 seconds later, capping a magnificent passing sequence with a one-timer from the between the circles.
Shortly after Colorado failed to capitalize on a lengthy two-man advantage, a sprawled Thomas attempted to get his glove on a loose puck in the crease, but Wojtek Wolski poked it past the fallen netminder with 5:08 to play in the first.
Cody McLeod buried a rebound between the legs of Thomas 6:34 into the second period to put Colorado ahead. Savard, though, answered on the power play, redirecting a Chara point shot past Budaj with 9:17 remaining.
Game Notes
Hejduk's two points gave him 600 for his career...Ryder reached the 100-goal plateau...Colorado legend Joe Sakic, playing in his 20th season, picked up an assist. Sakic has recorded 27 career points in season openers, tied with the great Wayne Gretzky for third-most in NHL history...The Bruins made their first trip to Denver since December 7, 2005...Boston's Chuck Kobasew registered two assists...Last season, the Avs scored just once with a two-man advantage to rank last in the league...Colorado finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Boston went 1-for-2.
<< Pittsburgh extends women's hoops coach Berenato
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Pittsburgh on Thursday
announced a three-year contract extension for head women's basketball coach
Agnus Berenato.
The move will make her Pitt's head coach through the 2015-16 season
<< RSL, RBNY open Rio Tino Stadium with lackluster 1-1 draw
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake opened
Major League Soccer's seventh soccer-specific stadium - Rio Tinto Stadium - on
Thursday night with a lackluster 1-1 result in front of over 20,000 screaming
fans ju
<< Skinner leads No. 21 Deacons over Clemson
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Riley Skinner threw for 186 yards and a
touchdown on 22-of-34 passing, and also added 73 yards on the ground, to lead
No. 21 Wake Forest to a 12-7 victory over Clemson in an ACC clash.
Josh Adams gain
<< Phillies storm back to edge LA in NLCS opener
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Utley and Pat Burrell each hit a
homer in the sixth inning, as the Philadelphia Phillies came back to edge the
Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, in Game 1 of the National League Championship
Series.
Sweden leads by 11 at Women's World Amateur >>
Adelaide, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caroline Hedwall shot an even-par 73,
Anna Nordqvist had a one-over 74 and Sweden increased its lead to 11 shots
after three rounds of the Women's World Amateur Team Championship.
Playing on the G
Upstart Rays welcome Red Sox to the Trop for start of ALCS >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will battle for the
right to represent the American League at the World Series, as the best-of-
seven ALCS gets underway this evening at Tropicana Field.
While the defending world ch
Phils try to go two up on Dodgers in NLCS >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia tries to take a two games to none lead in the
National League Championship Series this afternoon when it plays Game 2 against
the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia drew first blood in the
Sharks open promising season at home vs. Blue Jackets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One season after a surprising march to the Western
Conference finals, the Dallas Stars open up their 2008-09 campaign with a home
test versus the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center.
The Stars ended
“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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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
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