11/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though their six-game road trip got off to a good start, the Chicago Blackhawks face a stiffer challenge tonight, as they try to record a rare road win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
The Blackhawks have lost 10 of their last 11 on the road versus the Stars and have been outscored 31-18 over the last six meetings (5-1-0) in Dallas.
Though Chicago has won five of the last eight overall against Dallas, including a 5-2 home win back on October 31, the Stars have earned a point in 17 of the past 21 meetings, going 15-3-1 with a tie in that span.
That means the Blackhawks have their work cut out for them, as they continue their lengthy road trip tonight due to the circus being in the Windy City. Chicago began the trek on Tuesday with a 3-2 shootout win in Phoenix, getting extra-session goals from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, meanwhile, stopped both skaters he faced in the shootout.
Sharp scored his team-leading 10th goal in regulation for Chicago, while rookie Kris Versteeg helped his club halt a three-game losing streak by also lighting the lamp. He is second among freshman skaters in scoring with 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) and has four goals and four helpers over his last seven games.
Khabibulin stopped 36-of-38 shots for the win, which improved Chicago to 2-3-1 on the road this season.
Cristobal Huet is likely to start tonight if Chicago keeps its goaltending rotation in effect. However, he is only 0-1-0 with two ties and a 1.54 goals against average in three games against the Stars, while Khabibulin is 14-14-1 with a pair of ties and a 2.77 GAA. He halted 21-of-23 shots faced in the win on Halloween night.
For the Stars, they return home after a 3-2 win in Phoenix on Saturday, and should debut defenseman Darryl Sydor tonight. Sydor was acquired from Pittsburgh on Sunday for fellow blueliner Philippe Boucher after notching a goal and an assist in eight games with Pittsburgh.
Sydor shouldn't need much time to get used to Dallas, as it is his third stint with the club. The 36-year-old returns to the Stars after spending 1995-2003 and 2006-07 with them, winning a Stanley Cup championship in 1999.
Dallas hopes he can help a defense that has allowed 61 goals this year, one of the highest totals in the NHL.
That wasn't the case versus the Coyotes, as Marty Turco made 25 saves in the win. Loui Eriksson scored two goals and Mike Ribeiro collected three assists.
Mark Parrish found the back of the net for Dallas, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in its last seven games (2-4-1).
Turco, meanwhile, did not start versus Chicago in late October but is 14-2-0 with a tie and 1.78 GAA against the club lifetime.
The Stars are 2-2-2 at home this year and host Anaheim on Saturday.
<< Gators and Thunderbirds get together in Gainesville
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Florida Gators seek their
seventh straight 3-0 start to a season, as they welcome the Southern Utah
Thunderbirds to Gainesville for a non-conference matchup at the Stephen C.
O'Connell Center.
<< Bruins battle Wolverines in the Big Apple
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins are set to take
on the Michigan Wolverines in semifinal action of the 2K Sports Classic
Benefiting Coaches vs. Classic from Madison Square Garden this evening. The
winner of this gam
<< Tigers tangle with Mocs in Puerto Rico Tip-Off
San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers and the
Chattanooga Mocs have traveled to San Juan for the opening round of the Puerto
Rico Tip-Off.
Chattanooga, which competes in the Southern Conference, has certainly
challe
<< Blue Devils take on Salukis in Madison Square Garden
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils and Southern
Illinois Salukis have made the trek to the Big Apple, for semifinal action in
the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer from famed Madison Square
Garden. Th
Ovechkin, Caps try to stay hot in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Needless to say, Washington's Alex Ovechkin has put his
slow start behind him. The NHL's reigning leading scorer with aim to extend
his point streak to six games tonight, as the Capitals visit the Los Angeles
Kings and the St
Bengals deactivate WR Johnson for Steelers game >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals deactivated wide
receiver Chad Johnson for their Thursday night game against the division rival
Steelers for violation of a team rule.
After a season of relative calm for th
Devils aim for consecutive wins in test against Panthers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will try to post back-to-back wins
for the first time in nearly a month when they welcome the Florida Panthers
for tonight's meeting at the Prudential Center.
The Devils ended a four-game losing strea
Thrashers, Pens both try to get back in win column >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams who recently had long winning streaks
snapped will meet tonight in Atlanta, as the Thrashers welcome the Pittsburgh
Penguins to Philips Arena.
The Penguins had won six straight before being dealt a shootout
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting