Blackhawks end homestand against Islanders

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03/15/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to wrap a four-game homestand on a positive note in an afternoon battle with the New York Islanders at the United Center.

Chicago has lost two of three so far on the stand, getting blown out by Colorado, 5-1, last Sunday before rebounding with a shootout win over Carolina three days later.

However, the Blackhawks were dealt a 5-3 setback by Columbus on Friday to lose for the third time in four games overall. Brent Seabrook and Kris Versteeg each had a goal and an assist in the setback for Chicago. Versteeg has now scored in three of his last four games and leads all rookie skaters with 29 assists and 48 points.

Cristobal Huet was charged with four goals on 21 shots in the loss and he has yielded at least four goals in four of his last six starts (2-3-0). That could lead Chicago to start Nikolai Khabibulin, who was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday from a groin injury and hasn't played since February 11.

Khabibulin is 17-5-5 on the season but is just 5-9-0 with a 3.87 goals against average lifetime versus the Islanders. Huet, meanwhile, is 6-2-0 with a tie and 1.78 GAA against them.

Chicago, which is 18-7-6 at home this year, is fourth overall in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Vancouver.

The Blackhawks will be aiming to end a four-game skid to the Islanders today. They haven't beaten the club since a 3-2 win in New York on December 10, 2002. New York's 2-1 overtime win on January 17, 2006 was its second straight victory in the Windy City after going winless in 11 trips there.

Chicago will face a New York squad today that was cooled off a bit by Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Saturday. The Islanders had won five of their last seven heading into that contest, but were dealt a 2-1 setback.

Mark Streit scored the lone goal for the Islanders and Yann Danis stopped 23 shots in defeat. Blake Comeau had a six-game point streak come to an end in the loss.

The Islanders are now at the halfway mark of their six-game road trip and are 1-1-1 thus far on the trek. New York still has visits to Carolina and Ottawa left on the swing and is just 7-24-3 overall on the road this season.

The Isles are last in the NHL with 54 points.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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