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02/18/2007 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Simon Gagne and Geoff Sanderson each had a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers held on to defeat the New York Rangers 5-3 at Madison Square Garden.
R.J. Umberger and Dimitry Afanasenkov each tallied goals for the Flyers, who have won three of their last four games and will host the Boston Bruins on Monday.
Scottie Upshall, who the Flyers acquired him along with defenseman Ryan Parent and a first and third round pick in 2007 from the Nashville Predators for center Peter Forsberg on Thursday, also added a goal in his first game with Philadelphia.
Antero Niittymaki was solid in goal, stopping 40-of-43 shots in the win.
Marcel Hossa, Petr Prucha and Matt Cullen accounted for the New York goals, which had a three-game winning streak stopped and will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon. Daniel Girardi added two helpers for the Rangers in defeat.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 14-of-17 shots for the Rangers, but left the game with an injury after two periods and Stephen Valiquette finished the game, stopping six of eight shots faced.
After an evenly played and spirited first six minutes of the contest, the Flyers got on the scoreboard with 6:31 left in the opening stanza. Mike Knuble picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skated down the right side and from the middle of the circle made a nice cross ice pass to Sanderson, who redirected the disc into a wide open net to give the Flyers an early 1-0 lead.
The Rangers answered with a goal of their own 2 1/2 minutes later when Girardi's shot from the right point was deflected by Hossa standing in the high slot, beating Niittymaki between the pads to tie the contest at 1-1.
Philadelphia struck for a shorthanded goal with 1:09 remaining in the frame. With Ben Eager off the ice serving a minor for roughing and a ten minute misconduct, New York turned the puck over at the Flyers' blue line, sending Umberger and Kyle Calder on a 2-on-0 breakaway. Umberger took control and beat Lundqvist with a quick wrist shot to give the Flyers a 2-1 advantage heading into the intermission.
The Flyers added to their lead with 31 seconds remaining in the second stanza. Philadelphia forced the Rangers into a turnover at their own blue line, Alexandre Picard grabbed the puck and sent a pass to Gagne on the right side, who skated in on Lundqvist and beat the New York netminder between the five- hole for a 3-1 lead.
Upshall tallied on a wraparound just over 2 1/2 minutes into the third frame while on the power play to up the visitors lead to 4-1.
Afanasenkov was awarded a penalty shot 3:28 into the third period after being pulled down from behind on a breakaway, but his backhand attempt was knocked away by Valiquette.
The Rangers got one back 3 1/2 minutes later when Prucha scored on the power play to cut the Flyers deficit to 4-2.
A scary moment came when Rangers left wing Brendan Shanahan was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 12:33 left in the contest after the veteran forward collided with Knuble away from the puck in the Flyers' defensive zone. Knuble was helped off the ice by the team's training staff.
Shanahan, who was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he was scheduled to undergo tests for a concussion, was awake and alert and had movement in all of his body parts according to Rangers head coach Tom Renney.
The Blue Shirts appeared to be energized after Shanahan was taken off and mustered several shots on the Flyers net, but Niittymaki was up for the challenged, making all the stops.
Philadelphia added to its lead when Afanasenkov lit the lamp after he got a wrist shot passed Valiquette with just under six minutes left in the contest.
The Rangers continued to put the offensive pressure on Philadelphia and tallied a late shorthanded goal by Cullen to account for the final score.
Game Notes
The Rangers finished 1-for-9 on the power play, the Flyers were also 1-for-6 with the man advantage...Upshall's goal was his first tally since Nov. 11, 2006.
<< Green, No. 14 Hoyas edge Wildcats
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Green scored 19 points, grabbed nine
rebounds, and hit the go-ahead jumper for Georgetown as the 14th-ranked Hoyas
edged Villanova, 58-55.
Scottie Reynolds scored 18 points for Villanova (18-8,
<< Young, Mountaineers topple Pirates
Morgantown, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frank Young scored 18 points, and the
23rd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers topped Seton Hall, 81-71.
Darris Nichols scored 17 points for West Virginia (20-6, 8-5 Big East), which
has won two of t
<< Beckham earns red in scoreless draw with Betis
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid continued its lackluster play as
of late with a scoreless draw at home to Real Betis Saturday.
To top off the misery, midfielder David Beckham was sent of with a red card in
the closing minutes
<< PSV extends Eredivisie lead to six
Almelo, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a 2-0 win at Heracles on Saturday,
Dutch Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven extended their lead in the table to six
points over idle Ajax.
Jefferson Farfan opened the scoring 15 minutes from time wit
No. 6 A&M tops Oklahoma >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Acie Law IV and Joseph Jones scored 21 points
apiece as sixth-ranked Texas A&M came from behind to beat Oklahoma 56-49 at
the Lloyd Noble Center.
Jones went 8-of-12 from the field for Texas A&M (22-4,
Byars Market: Gators' stock drops in loss to Vandy >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrick Byars and Shan Foster scored 24
points apiece, as Vanderbilt rolled over top-ranked Florida, 83-70, at raucous
Memorial Gymnasium.
In the end, Joakim Noah couldn't even take his ball and go home
No. 3 Wisconsin hammers Penn State >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alando Tucker poured in 22 points with six
rebounds and Kammron Taylor added 18 points, as No.3 Wisconsin attacked the
Penn State zone in the second half and pulled away from the Nittany Lions,
75-49,
Michigan upends No. 24 Indiana >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dion Harris scored a game-high 16 points as
Michigan upset 24th-ranked Indiana 58-55 at Crisler Arena.
Harris was 5-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from three-point
distance and Courtney S
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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