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02/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers will try again for the first win on their current seven-game road trip this evening, when they travel to Columbus and the Nationwide Arena to battle the Blue Jackets.
The Oilers, who are 10-15-4 as the visitor this season, began their trek with a loss to Boston on February 13 and have since dropped games to Buffalo in overtime, Toronto and Ottawa.
Edmonton did mange to earn its second point of the swing when it fell to Ottawa, 4-3, in a shootout on Tuesday.
Petr Sykora scored twice and Tom Gilbert's first career goal tied the contest with 19.8 seconds to play for slumping Edmonton, while Jussi Markkanen allowed three goals on 34 shots in the loss.
Edmonton will travel to Detroit Friday and then wrap its trip Sunday against Minnesota. The Oilers' recent skid has dropped them into a tie with Colorado for last place in the Northwest standings and eight points out of a playoff spot.
The club remains without forward Fernando Pisani and Jarret Stoll, who are both sidelined with concussions. Both players have joined defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist (groin) and forward Ethan Moreau (right shoulder surgery) on injured reserve.
Columbus is also a last-place club as it sits in the bottom of the Central standings, and was in action on Tuesday when it dropped a 5-4 decision to St. Louis in a shootout.
David Vyborny, Jason Chimera, Ron Hainsey and Rick Nash tallied goals and Fredrik Norrena ended with 31 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have dropped seven of their last nine.
Columbus is 14-14-3 at home this year, but will hit the road for a game on Saturday against the Rangers in New York.
The Oilers have taken two of three from Columbus this year and are 11-3-3 (11 wins, 3 ties, 3 losses,) in the last 17 meetings.
<< Cavs host Central Division-rival Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Central Division rivals clash this evening, as the
Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Chicago Bulls to Quicken Loans Arena.
This is the third of four meetings between the squads this season. The teams
split the first two con
<< Thrashers, Lightning to battle for Southeast supremacy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pivotal matchup in the Southeast Division is scheduled
for this evening, when the Atlanta Thrashers will open the doors of Philips
Arena for the rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
The clubs come into tonight's contest ti
<< Flyers try to put a crimp in Hurricanes' playoff hopes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to improve their shaky
playoff status tonight, when they welcome the lowly Philadelphia Flyers to the
RBC Center.
The Hurricanes come into this evening's action with 67 points and a
<< Devils aim for sweep of Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers complete their
home-and-home series tonight in the Big Apple, as the Atlantic Division rivals
converge at Madison Square garden.
The first portion of the series came Tuesday at
Redskins release veteran DB Vincent >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins released veteran
defensive back Troy Vincent on Thursday.
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Vincent played in eight games with the
Redskins this past season. He signed wit
Red Wings' home invincibilty nearing legendary status >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Detroit Red Wings are able to emerge as the Western
Conference's No. 1 seed at the conclusion of the regular season, there's no
telling how dangerous they could be come postseason time.
Giving the Red Wings h
MLS teams have opposite results in Champions Cup openers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Major League Soccer's Houston
Dynamo and D.C. United competed in their respective first-leg CONCACAF
Champions Cup quarterfinal matches on Wednesday, they were able to get a good
feel fo
Hawks acquire Anthony Johnson from Dallas >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have acquired guard Anthony
Johnson from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a second-round pick in the
2007 NBA Draft.
This will be Johnson's third stint with the Hawks. He played for A
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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