'Canes aim to keep playoff hopes alive against Sens

Hockey Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes appear to be back on track towards securing a playoff berth. Tonight the defending Stanley Cup champions aim for a third consecutive victory when they host the Ottawa Senators at the RBC Center.

Carolina is in a heated battle with a number of teams vying for the final few postseason spots in the Eastern Conference. The team currently holds the eighth and final seed, but has only a one-point lead over the New York Islanders and a two-point edge over Toronto.

The Hurricanes also trail seventh-place Montreal by just a point and are only four back of division-leading Tampa Bay in the Southeast standings.

Carolina helped its cause with a big victory over fellow Southeast member Atlanta on Saturday. Justin Williams scored two goals and John Grahame made 28 saves to lead the 'Canes to a 4-1 decision at Philips Arena.

Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist and Mike Commodore added a goal in the win, Carolina's third in its last four outings.

Ottawa is on a roll as well, as the Senators won for the sixth time in seven games with Saturday's 6-5 triumph over rival Buffalo.

Jason Spezza netted the game-winning goal with 4:07 left to play and also scored earlier in the contest for Ottawa, which avenged a shootout defeat to the Sabres in a fight-marred encounter Thursday in Buffalo.

Dany Heatley picked up a goal and two assists while Daniel Alfredsson scored once and helped out on another for the Senators. Wade Redden and Mike Fisher each contributed a pair of assists to the winning effort.

Fisher and teammate Peter Schaefer, who had an assist on Saturday, are currently riding eight-game scoring streaks. Fisher has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) during his run and Schaefer has compiled three goals and five assists.

In addition, Alfredsson (3 goals, 9 assists), Heatley (5 goals, 7 assists) and Spezza (5 goals, 7 assists) have all recorded point in seven straight games.

Ottawa, which presently holds the No. 4 spot in the East, made a minor trade on Monday. The club acquired defenseman Lawrence Nycholat from Washington in exchange for blueliner Andy Hedlund and a sixth-round draft choice.

These teams have split two previous meetings this season, with the visitor emerging victorious each time. The Senators have had good success in Raleigh, having amassed a 7-1-2 (2 ties) in their last 10 visits to the RBC Center.

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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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