Canadiens hold off Maple Leafs
Hockey Betting Lines
02/27/2007 -
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder each had a goal
and an assist to give the Montreal Canadiens a big 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.
Mike Johnson, Sheldon Souray and Tomas Plekanec each had a goal for the
Canadiens, who have won four of their last five games and now have 72 points,
which moves them into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, one ahead of
Carolina.
David Aebischer stopped 32 shots in the win for Montreal.
Bates Battaglia and Bryan McCabe each tallied a goal and an assist for the
Maple Leafs, who have dropped three of four.
Andrew Raycroft stopped only 11-of-16 shots in the loss for Toronto, which
sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 69 points. Jean-Sebastien
Aubin relieved Raycroft late in the second period and turned aside all eight
shots he faced.
The Leafs were trailing, 5-2, to start the third period, but scored two quick
goals.
Jeremy Williams scored his second goal in his second NHL game when Battaglia
sent a pass from the right boards to the left circle where Williams one-timed
it into the net just 1:02 into the final frame.
Less than four minutes later, a wrist shot by Alex Steen from the top of the
right circle handcuffed Aebischer to make it a 5-4 game at the 4:40 mark.
However, the Maple Leafs were unable to net the equalizer and the Habs gave
the home crowd a win.
Toronto drew first blood in the contest when Battaglia blasted a one-timer
from the slot that went into the left corner of the net just 4:10 in.
Montreal, though, scored the next three goals and took a 3-1 lead into the
first intermission.
Less than two minutes after the Toronto goal, Alex Kovalev fought off a
defender for several seconds and centered the puck to Plekanec, who tapped it
into the net for his 14th goal of the season.
Skating on the power play, Koivu sent a backhand pass from the right boards to
the right circle where Ryder snapped a wrister over the right shoulder of
Raycroft with 5:48 left in the frame.
In the final minute of the first, Radek Bonk won a right circle faceoff and
drew the puck back to Johnson, who snapped a wrist shot under the blocker of
Raycroft for his 10th goal of the year.
The Maple Leafs cut into their deficit in the second period with a power-play
goal when Mats Sundin left a drop pass at the top of the left circle for
McCabe, who blasted a slap shot through a screen to make it a 3-2 game 1:32
into the stanza.
The Canadiens answered with a power-play goal of their own when Koivu
backhanded a loose puck into the net halfway through the second.
A little over two minutes later, Souray's slap shot from the right point went
under the glove of Raycroft to give the Habs a 5-2 advantage.
Game Notes
Montreal begins a five-game road trip in New York on Tuesday to face the
Rangers...Toronto returns home to face Buffalo on Tuesday...Montreal went
3-for-4 on the power play while Toronto scored on one of its four
chances...The teams have split six games this season...Sundin had two assists
in the game...Souray leads all defensemen in the NHL with 22 goals.
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four- game losing streak with a 111-107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at
the Fed
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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