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02/21/2007 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Stastny scored two power-play goals during a high-powered first period and Peter Budaj made 33 saves, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Calgary Flames, 4-3, at Pepsi Center.
Milan Hejduk tallied a goal and an assist while Marek Svatos' goal early in the third period provided the difference for Colorado, which is now 4-4 in its last eight games overall.
Tony Amonte, Dion Phaneuf and Kristin Huselius scored for Calgary, which finished its consecutive three-game set against the Avalanche 1-2 after a split in the two games in Calgary last Thursday and Saturday. Miikka Kiprusoff allowed four goals on 32 shots for the Flames, who will play in Phoenix on Thursday before a three-game homestand.
The high-octane first period concluded with five total goals and a 3-2 Colorado lead.
Stastny started the scoring 7:19 into the stanza. Marcus Nilson was whistled for hooking and the Avalanche went to work with the extra skater. Near the conclusion of the two-minute minor, Hejduk alertly kept the puck inside the offensive zone at the left point and sent it to Joe Sakic along the near-side half-wall. Sakic then passed to Andrew Brunette along the goal line and Brunette centered it for a successful redirection by Stastny at the top of the crease.
"They had a good power play tonight," said Flames forward Jarome Iginla. "The first period was bad - their power play gave them confidence."
After Amonte's ninth goal tied the contest over two minutes later, another power-play goal gave the Avs a 2-1 lead. Moments after a 5-on-3 advantage expired, Hejduk poked the puck toward the goal mouth from near the left post. With Kiprusoff out of position and Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr without a stick, Stastny was able to put home the loose puck from the opposite post with 6:05 to play.
Calgary, though, answered with a power-play goal of its own. With Brad Richardson in the box, Phaneuf corralled an Edmonton clearing attempt at the right point, drifted along the blue line and, from the centerpoint, released a wrist shot that beat Budaj with the assistance of a screen in front by Iginla at 18:01.
The see-saw battle continued when Hejduk's 22nd goal with 54 seconds remaining in the opening stanza restored the Avs lead. The veteran forward stole the puck from Calgary's Matthew Lombardi in the neutral zone, nicely split two defenders and lit the lamp with a backhander from inside the left circle.
"I tried to just put it on net with a backhand, and I was surprised that it went in," said Hejduk.
The lone goal of the middle session tied the contest. The visitors needed only 15 seconds of power-play time to find the back of the cage after an interference minor was called on Ossi Vaananen. Phaneuf and Iginla played catch along the left side before Iginla's cross-ice pass from along the outer rim of the circle found the stick of Huselius for an easy one-timer from the right side past a sliding Budaj at the 5:34 mark.
Despite a 16-5 shots-on-goal advantage for Calgary in the third period, the only goal of the frame was also the decisive one at 1:24. From his own blue line, Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles sent a perfect pass through the neutral zone for Svatos, who gained control at the far blue line, skated in on a partial breakaway down the right side and beat Kiprusoff with a wrist shot.
Game Notes
Earlier Tuesday, the Avalanche learned that defenseman Jordan Leopold will be sidelined approximately four weeks with a fractured wrist. Leopold suffered the injury during Colorado's 7-5 victory over these Flames on Saturday...Stastny and Sakic each extended their point-scoring streaks to nine games...The Avs improved to 17-13-3 at home this season...The Flames finished 3-for-5 on the power play, while the Flames were 2-for-6 with the extra skater...Attendance was 17,623.
<< Williams advances to quarters in Memphis
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh-seeded American Venus Williams
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Championships and the Cellular South Cup with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over
Denmark
<< Parker and Spurs knock off Denver
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker led a balanced San Antonio
attack with 17 points, as the Spurs routed the Denver Nuggets, 95-80, for
their third straight win.
Manu Ginobili added 14 points and Tim Duncan scored 12 f
<< Koivu lifts Wild over Stars in shootout
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikko Koivu scored the lone goal of the
shootout, as the Minnesota Wild nipped the Dallas Stars, 2-1, at XCel Energy
Center.
Brian Rolston scored in regulation for the Wild, who won for the fourth t
<< Lightning top Panthers in shootout
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin St. Louis scored the game-winner in the
shootout and added a goal in regulation to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a
3-2 win over the Florida Panthers at St. Pete Times Forum.
With the shootout tied
Third-quarter drought dooms Hawks >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta went through the definition of futile
in the third quarter, ending the period without a field goal, as the Chicago
Bulls widened a halftime edge and rolled to a 106-81 rout of the Hawks at the
United
Billups leads Pistons past Bucks >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups scored 19 points, as the
Detroit Pistons held on for an 84-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee's Mo Williams missed a driving layup in the final seconds of
regulation, and
Happy Returns: Nash leads Phoenix over Clips >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash scored 13 points and dished out
12 assists before spending a large chunk of the second half enjoying his
return to the lineup from the bench, as Phoenix cruised from the outset in a
115-90
Sedin leads Canucks past Ducks in OT >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Sedin scored 2:19 into overtime, as the
Vancouver Canucks won their fifth straight game with a 3-2 decision over the
Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.
Kevin Bieksa and Markus Naslund also scored fo
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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