11/20/2008 - (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 Staples Center.
Ovechkin posted 65 goals and 112 points last season, but managed only five points through his first nine games. However, the Russian playmaker has posted six goals and eight assists over his last five games while also recording at least two points a game in that span. That multi-point streak is tied with Dennis Maruk (1980-81) for the longest such run in team history.
Ovechkin is coming off a four-point game, as he posted a goal and three assists in a 6-4 victory over Anaheim on Wednesday, Washington's sixth in seven games. The Capitals have notched at least a point in eight straight games (6-0-2), their best run since going 10-0 with a pair of ties from January 28-February 24, 2001.
Making his third straight start for an injury Brent Johnson, Jose Theodore stopped 28-of-32 shots in the win. Nicklas Backstrom had a goal to push his points streak to six games, amassing three goals and 10 assists in that span.
Mike Green scored and had an assist before leaving in the first period with a right shoulder injury. Green's goal was his seventh of the season, as he led all NHL defenseman last year with 18 goals. However, his injury, which has him questionable for tonight, is just the latest for a Caps club that also has Shaone Morrisonn (groin), Sergei Fedorov (ankle), Johnson (hip) and Alexander Semin (upper body) hurting.
Semin has missed the last two games and was key for Washington during Ovechkin's early-season struggles. Semin leads the Capitals with 13 goals and 27 points and is tied with Ovechkin and Backstrom with a club-high 14 assists.
The Capitals are 1-0-1 on a five-game road trip to push their record as the visiting club to 4-4-2.
The Kings are one of only three NHL clubs that Ovechkin has never scored against. They would like that trend to continue tonight, though Ovechkin does have three assists in his two career tests against them.
Los Angeles was blanked by the Ducks, 2-0, on Sunday, and has been outscored 5-1 over a two-game slide that follows four straight wins. The Kings failed to get any of their 29 shots by Anaheim's Jonas Hiller, while LA's Erik Ersberg made 24 saves, as the Kings were shut out for the fourth time this year.
Ersberg, the first Swedish goaltender in Kings history, has still been a solid contributor for Los Angeles this year. He is 4-3-1 with a 1.96 goals against average in nine games this year and a start tonight would be his first against the Capitals.
Anze Kopitar has a goal and five assists over his last six games. He leads LA with 11 assists and 13 points this year and has scored in his only other game versus the Capitals.
The Kings have won three of their last four at home and are 5-5-2 overall at the Staples Center this year. However, Washington has won three of its last four trips to LA and two straight in the series overall.
The two clubs haven't met in the City of Angels since December 14, 2005.
<< Blackhawks aim for rare road win in Big D
(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 h
<< Trojans take on Pirates in Puerto Rico
San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked USC Trojans and the Seton Hall
Pirates have arrived in San Juan to begin play at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
USC opened its season on Saturday with a 78-55 decision over UC Irvine and
followed tha
<< 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
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
Sens hope to end skid versus slumping Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators will try for their first win in two
weeks when they invite the struggling Montreal Canadiens for tonight's
Northeast Division matchup at Scotiabank Place.
The Senators have lost five straight contests s
Trying to match season-high win streak, Wild host Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to match their longest winning
streak of the season tonight, when they host the Vancouver Canucks in a
Northwest Division showdown at Xcel Energy Center.
Vancouver and the Wild will battle for f
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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