Sabres open homestand against Bruins
Hockey Betting Lines
02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Buffalo Sabres will try to open a four-game homestand on a positive note when they host the Boston Bruins this evening at First Niagara Center.
The Bruins, meanwhile, will try to record consecutive wins for the first time in nearly a month when they take the ice tonight in western New York.
Buffalo has posted a 3-0-1 record in its last four games after losing five straight and eight of nine prior to the recent hot streak. The Sabres still have plenty of work to do if they want to break into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, however, as Buffalo is currently 14th in the conference and 11 points out of a postseason berth.
The Sabres are 11-9-6 as the host this year and will also welcome Dallas, Tampa Bay and New Jersey during their homestand.
On the other hand, the Bruins are leading the Northeast Division with 68 points, although a 5-5-1 record in their last 11 games hasn't helped inspire confidence in the defending Stanley Cup champions. Boston is coming off a decisive victory Sunday in Washington and tonight the B's will try to record two wins a row for the first time since beating Winnipeg and Montreal on Jan. 10 and 12, respectively.
Boston is 2-0 against the Sabres this year and has scored 10 times over those meetings. The clubs haven't faced each other since Nov. 23, when Benoit Pouliot notched the winning goal in a 4-3 shootout decision for the Bruins.
Buffalo had won four straight against Boston heading into this year's season series and the Bruins have lost seven times in their last 11 trips to First Niagara Center.
The Sabres have gone the distance in their last two trips to the ice, losing a 1-0 shootout to the New York Rangers last Wednesday before posting a 4-3 shootout win Saturday against the Islanders.
Brad Boyes netted the game-winning goal to lift Buffalo to the win Saturday at Nassau Coliseum. The Sabres were down 3-1 after one period, but Derek Roy cut the lead to one late in the second and Paul Gaustad notched the equalizer at 11:14 of the third stanza.
In the shootout, Boyes picked up the puck and moved in slowly on Isles netminder Al Montoya. Boyes waited for Montoya to make a move and fired a quick wrist shot past the glove side. Jason Pominville sealed the victory with a goal in the second round of the shootout, while Ryan Miller stopped attempts from P.A. Parenteau and Frans Nielsen.
Boyes added an assist, while Nathan Gerbe also scored in regulation for the Sabres. Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner, made 35 saves to improve his record this season to 14-15-3.
"Our defense was in really good position tonight," Miller said. "We made it hard for them to get the looks they wanted. "We blocked a few shots and I was able to get an eye on a few of them."
Buffalo has played the last two games without leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek (upper body) and he is expected to be out until at least this weekend, when the Sabres host Dallas on Friday and Tampa Bay on Saturday. Vanek is leading the Sabres with 19 goals and is second on the team with 41 points.
In injury news not involving players, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff broke three ribs after colliding with defenseman Jordan Leopold at practice on Monday. Ruff was unable to return for Tuesday's practice, but he may coach tonight's game. Ruff is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and hasn't missed a game since March 20, 2006, when he skipped a game in Atlanta to deal with a family matter.
The Bruins scored twice in the opening period against Washington on Sunday and eventually built a 3-0 lead before completing the 4-1 decision. Tim Thomas stopped 35-of-36 shots by the Capitals to help lead Boston to the win.
Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist while Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin also scored for the Bruins, who had lost three of four coming into Sunday's tilt. Patrice Bergeron had two assists in the contest.
"I think we had a lot better effort today than we have in the past couple of games," said Boston head coach Claude Julien. "We did some more things on offense and defense and had good goaltending. The guys competed hard for all 60 minutes."
Bruins forward Nathan Horton has missed the last five games with a concussion and he'll sit out a sixth straight test tonight. Horton, who has 17 goals and 15 assists in 46 games this year, has resumed skating, but there is still no timetable for his return.
Boston is 16-7-0 as the road team this year and is completing a brief two-game swing tonight. The Bruins' next two tilts will be on home ice against Nashville and the Rangers.
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Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
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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