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02/21/2007 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dean McAmmond was credited with the game-winning goal in the shootout and the Ottawa Senators escaped a late rally to defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, at Scotiabank Place.
Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson scored in regulation for Ottawa, which relinquished a 3-1 lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation but used the extra periods to win their fifth straight game overall. Martin Gerber made 27 saves for the Senators, who will now face Buffalo in a home-and-home series that begins on Thursday in New York.
Petr Sykora scored twice and Tom Gilbert's first career goal tied the contest with 19.8 seconds to play for slumping Edmonton, which remained winless (0-2-2) on its current seven-game road trip that will continue in Columbus on Thursday. Jussi Markkanen allowed three goals on 34 shots in the loss.
After the Oilers tied the game in the waning seconds of the third period, a furious overtime saw quality scoring chances for both teams but the goaltenders stopped all nine shots taken.
Both McAmmond and Mike Comrie then scored in the shootout as Gerber stopped all of Edmonton's attempts to seal the win.
When Ottawa defenseman Chris Phillips was whistled for hooking only 25 seconds into the final period, the Oilers went to work with the man advantage and cut their deficit to 2-1 at the 1:34 mark. After several shots missed the net, the puck made its way back to the right point, where Sykora corralled the puck, drifted into the high slot and unleased a slap shot that lit the lamp with the help of a screen by Ryan Smyth.
Alfredsson's 20th goal with 7:43 remaining in regulation restored Ottawa's two-goal edge. On a 3-on-2 rush, Mike Fisher skated down the slot and passed into the left circle for Peter Schaefer, who stopped and spotted a cutting Alfredsson, who followed his initial shot and backhanded home the rebound.
The Sens appeared in control and on their way to victory, but a mistake by Chris Kelly gave the Oilers hope. Kelly committed the cardinal sin in hockey -- a cross-ice pass from deep in his own zone -- and the disc was deflected by Raffi Torres and sat in the low slot. Sykora was all alone and beat Gerber with a wrist shot to bring Edmonton within 3-2 with 4:12 remaining in regulation.
Inside the final minute, the Oilers pulled Markkanen for the extra skater and it paid off when Gilbert scored his first career goal during a flurry at the top of the crease.
Ottawa dominated the first period and created many scoring chances that Markkanen turned aside. Within the first three minutes of the game, with the Senators buzzing in their offensive zone, referee Chris Lee waived off what appeared to be Ottawa's first goal. During a scramble in front of the net, the puck crossed the goal off an errant stick but Antoine Vermette was in the crease and the tally was nullified.
Two minutes later, Kelly was all alone in the slot, but his wrist shot was gloved by Markkanen. Another key stop was made with 6:50 remaining in the first when Vermette's shot from near the left post was denied.
Heatley finally put the Sens on the scoreboard at the 14:44 mark. An attempted dump-in by Ottawa from the blue line deflected of the skate of Ales Hemsky and the disc caromed high into the air before it landed on the left side near the top of the circle. Heatley gained control and lit the lamp with a sharp- angle wrister from beneath the left circle for his 33rd goal of the season.
The second period saw Edmonton win more battles along the boards and the visitors outshot the Senators 9-8 in the stanza, but the hosts tallied the only goal when Fisher scored his 13th with 7:40 remaining from Alfredsson and Phillips.
The Oilers nearly cut their deficit in half with 1:45 to play before the second intermission, but Smyth's one-timer from the top of the right circle missed the net by inches.
Game Notes
Ottawa starting goaltender Ray Emery served the final of his three-game suspension and is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday. He was punished for a slash on Montreal's Maxim Lapierre on February 10...Senators coach Bryan Murray notched his 600th career win and joined a select group of only four other coaches who have reached that plateau: Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Dick Irvin and Pat Quinn...The Oilers ended 1-for-3 on the power play and held Ottawa scoreless on its two chances with the extra skater.
<< Higgins, Ryder lead Habs over Caps
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at the Bell Centre.
Garth Murray added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds and
<< Nebraska falls to Iowa State
Ames, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Megan Ronhovde scored 15 points and pulled down
eight rebounds, as Iowa State defeated 25th-ranked Nebraska, 64-53, at Hilton
Coliseum.
Lyndsey Medders poured in 13 points and had nine boards for the Cyclones
(
<< Crawford, Curry propel Knicks over Magic
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry each scored 20
points to lead the New York Knicks over the Orlando Magic, 100-94, at Madison
Square Garden.
Quentin Richardson added 15 points and David Lee had 14 points and
<< No. 18 Bowling Green rolls over Kent State
Kent, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amber Flynn poured in 21 points and led six
players in double figures, as 18th-ranked Bowling Green defeated Kent State,
89-66, at the M.A.C. Center.
Kate Achter scored 14 points, Carin Horne chipped
Koivu lifts Wild over Stars in shootout >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikko Koivu scored the lone goal of the
shootout, as the Minnesota Wild nipped the Dallas Stars, 2-1, at XCel Energy
Center.
Brian Rolston scored in regulation for the Wild, who won for the fourth t
Parker and Spurs knock off Denver >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker led a balanced San Antonio
attack with 17 points, as the Spurs routed the Denver Nuggets, 95-80, for
their third straight win.
Manu Ginobili added 14 points and Tim Duncan scored 12 f
Williams advances to quarters in Memphis >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh-seeded American Venus Williams
advanced into the quarterfinals of the $175,000 Regions Morgan Keegan
Championships and the Cellular South Cup with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over
Denmark
Kruger leads UNLV past No. 14 Air Force >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kruger scored 14 points and added 10
assists to help the UNLV Rebels to a 60-50 victory over the 14th-ranked Air
Force Falcons at Thomas & Mack Center.
Joel Anthony added 10 points and nine re
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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