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03/07/2009 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Staal had four goals and two assists as the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 9-3 win at St. Pete Times Forum.
Tuomo Ruutu had two goals and three assists while Erik Cole added four assists for the Hurricanes, who have won four of their last five games. Cam Ward made 22 saves in the win.
The win vaults Carolina into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Rangers and Penguins.
Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who have dropped three straight and nine of 11 overall. Mike McKenna and Karri Ramo each played in net, with McKenna giving up three goals on 15 shots and Ramo allowing six goals on 22 shots in relief.
Staal notched his first goal of the game while shorthanded when he wristed home a Rod Brind'Amour pass just 7:01 in and added his second goal at the 9:40 mark of the first when he found himself wide open in the slot and wristed the puck into the right corner of the net.
Joni Pitkanen made a nifty move to get clear of a defender along the right boards and sent the puck back to Anton Babchuk, who blasted a shot that went off a defender and snuck into the net at the 10:09 mark.
Tampa got one past Ward at the 12:43 mark of the first as Steven Stamkos sent a pass from the left point to the low right side where Martin St. Louis one- timed it into the net.
Carolina turned the game into a rout in the second period as the team lit the lamp six times in the frame.
Joe Corvo got the first goal of the period at the 2:41 mark and Brind'Amour added a power-play score a little over a minute later.
Ruutu got his first goal of the game on the power-play at the 6:03 mark and Staal completed his seventh career hat trick at the 12:48 mark when he jammed the puck in from the right side of the net.
Staal notched the first four-goal game of his career at the 16:45 mark of the second on a tip in of a Ruutu shot and Ruutu completed the scoring in the frame with 27 seconds left on a one-timer.
Tampa got goals from Lecavalier at the 3:30 mark of the third and another from Malone at the 9:12 mark to account for the final score.
Game Notes
Carolina hosts the New York Rangers on Monday...Tampa plays in Ottawa on Wednesday...Staal's second goal was his 30th of the season, marking his fourth straight campaign of at least 30 goals...Tampa's Vinny Prospal had two assists in the game, giving him 400 in his career...It was the most goals Carolina scored this season and the most Tampa Bay has given up this season...Carolina won all six games against Tampa Bay this season with one coming in overtime and another in the shootout. The Hurricanes have won nine of the last 10 against Tampa Bay overall.
<< Brodziak, Roloson help Oilers top Maple Leafs
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwayne Roloson was sensational between the
pipes, stopping 39 shots, as the Edmonton Oilers scored four unanswered goals
to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1, at Air Canada Centre.
Kyle Brodziak tallied
<< Anderson carries Richmond over No. 17 Xavier
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Anderson tallied a career-best 29 points
and Justin Harper added 20 as the Richmond Spiders held off the 17th-ranked
Xavier Musketeers, 80-75, at the Robins Center to close out the regular
season.
<< Sens net three unanswered in third to pull away from Sabres
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno both scored
twice, as the Ottawa Senators doubled up the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3, at
Scotiabank Place.
Chris Kelly and Chris Campoli both registered a goal and an a
<< Hawks sweep season series from Pistons
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Smith and Al Horford scored 19 and 18,
respectively, with each player posting 12 rebounds, to lead the Atlanta Hawks
in an 87-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Philips Arena.
Mike Bibby chipped
Cavs continue home domination; Miami's Wade ejected >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mo Williams scored 29 points and LeBron James
collected his 21st career triple-double as the Cavaliers downed the Miami
Heat, 99-89, to continue their amazing home success.
James had 14 points, 12 assis
Panthers top Blues in battle of playoff-hopeful clubs >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Booth's second career hat trick lifted
the Florida Panthers to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues in a matchup of two
teams battling for a playoff berth in their respective conferences.
Booth added a
Paul helps Hornets win seventh straight >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul had 21 points, 13 assists, six
rebounds and six steals, as the Hornets used a strong fourth quarter to pull
away and defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-90, at New Orleans Arena.
Rasual Bu
Iguodala helps Sixers rally past Grizzlies >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Iguodala netted 12 of his 24 points in a
pivotal fourth quarter and the Philadelphia 76ers picked up a much-needed
110-105 win against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Andre Miller fell two a
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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