11/12/2008 -
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gregory Campbell tallied twice and Craig
Anderson turned aside 24 shots for his first shutout of the season as Florida
silenced Tampa Bay, 4-0, at BankAtlantic Center.
Bryan McCabe and Nathan Horton also scored while Jay Bouwmeester added a pair
of assists for the Panthers, who have won two in a row following a six-game
losing skid.
Mike Smith made 27 saves in defeat for the Lightning, who have lost two in a
row and four of five.
McCabe's rocket from the point with 3:27 left in the first period gave the
Panthers an early one-goal lead, and Horton's power-play marker 1:28 into the
second period boosted the advantage to two.
On another power play, Campbell's deflection of Bouwmeester's wrister from the
left point made it 3-0 for Florida at 10:25.
Campbell added another power-play marker with 3:32 left in the contest and
Anderson was not seriously tested for the remainder of the game.
Florida has won five of the last nine meetings...Campbell's last multi-goal
effort came in a 4-3 win over the Flyers on October 24, 2007...It was McCabe's
first goal as a member of the Panthers, after tallying 83 over the last seven
seasons for the Maple Leafs...Anderson picked up his fifth career whitewash.
He had a pair of shutouts last season for the Panthers, and one each for the
Blackhawks in 2003-04 and 2005-06...Florida hosts Detroit on Friday, while
Tampa Bay hosts the Red Wings on Thursday.
<< Ford drives Pacers past Nets
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - T.J. Ford scored 18 points, doled out
nine assists and hauled in seven rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers in a
98-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets from the IZOD Center.
Marquis Daniels and
<< Sabres solve Blues, snap three streaks
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henrik Tallinder, Adam Mair and Tim Connolly
each had a goal and an assist in Buffalo's 4-3 victory over St. Louis,
effectively ending the Sabres' 12-game winless streak against the Blues.
Ryan Mille
<< Doan, Coyotes rip Blue Jackets
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Doan scored twice and Ilya Bryzgalov
stopped 31 shots as Phoenix earned a 5-2 victory over Columbus.
Steven Reinprecht, Kevin Porter and Martin Hanzal also scored for the Coyotes,
who won their sea
<< Brand, Sixers get first road win in Toronto
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elton Brand scored a season-high 25 points and
grabbed eight rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers downed Chris Bosh and the
Toronto Raptors 106-96.
Andre Iguodala had 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebound
<< Zherdev carries Rangers over Devils
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nikolai Zherdev scored twice and Lauri
Korpikoski picked up his first NHL goal as the New York Rangers humbled the
New Jersey Devils, 5-2, at the Prudential Center.
Michal Rozsival and Chris Drury a
The Truth hurts: Celtics hand Hawks first loss of season >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce hit a fade-away jumper with 0.5
seconds to play and scored 34 points, including 23 in the second half, leading
the Boston Celtics to a 103-102 victory over the Hawks, handing Atlanta its
first l
Knicks shoot the lights out against Grizzlies >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Chandler poured in a career-high 27
points and hauled in seven rebounds as the Knicks made a franchise-record 19
three-pointers in a 132-103 shellacking of the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Jamal Cra
Jefferson, Bucks edge depleted Spurs >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson scored 19 points and
grabbed nine rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks edged the ailing San Antonio
Spurs 82-78.
Tim Duncan scored 24 points for the depleted Spurs, who played witho
Howard' big night helps Magic down Thunder >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard posted his first career
triple-double, scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking a career-
high 10 shots to lead the Orlando Magic to a 109-92 thumping of the Kevin
Durant-
Howard's big night helps Magic down Thunder >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard posted his first career
triple-double, scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking a career-
high 10 shots to lead the Orlando Magic to a 109-92 thumping of the Kevin
Durant-
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.