Devils hope to stay on a roll versus the Blues
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02/09/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot New Jersey Devils will try to extend their longest winning streak of the season to six games tonight, when they host the St. Louis Blues at the Prudential Center.
The Devils, who are coming off Tuesday's controversial 1-0 regulation win over the New York Rangers, have won five straight and 10 of their last 14 games.
The surge has helped New Jersey forge a tie with Pittsburgh for third place in the Atlantic Division and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Devils and Penguins are also just two points behind Philadelphia for second in the division and fourth in the East.
The Devils rode Martin Brodeur to a win in Tuesday's low-scoring affair in New York City. Brodeur extended his NHL record with the 117th shutout of his career, as New Jersey made a first-period goal stand up in a 1-0 win over the first-place Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
David Clarkson tallied the only goal for the Devils, who are in the midst of their longest winning streak since an eight-game run from Feb. 6-22 of last season. Zach Parise and Patrik Elias both notched assists on Clarkson's goal to extend their point streaks to six games.
The controversy came in the final minute when the Rangers appeared to tie the game with 3.5 seconds left, but Marian Gaborik crashed into Brodeur and was called for goalie interference, negating Artem Anisimov's potential equalizer.
"I thought it was the right call," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "Marty gets pushed into the net. Give them credit for getting it right."
Brodeur stopped 30 shots, including 15 in the final period, to secure his first shutout since blanking the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 25 of last season. Brodeur skipped practice Wednesday due to a twisted ankle suffered in the third period against the Rangers and it's unclear if he will be able to start tonight or if Johan Hedberg will get the call.
In other injury news, Devils defenseman Adam Larsson -- the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft -- has missed the last three games with an injured back and will likely miss tonight as well. Forward Ryan Carter (hand) is also not expected to play.
New Jersey is kicking off a two-game homestand tonight and will also host Florida on Saturday. The Devils have won their last three home games and are 15-9-2 in Newark this season.
The Blues have won two of their last three games and are also coming off a road win on Tuesday. St. Louis notched a 3-1 win in Ottawa, as goaltender Brian Elliott made a successful return to Scotiabank Place.
Almost a year after the Senators traded him to the Colorado Avalanche, Elliott stopped 28 shots to help lead the Blues to victory.
"Coming in here, especially for myself, kind of a little homecoming meant a lot to me and the guys played hard for me," Elliott said.
David Perron scored twice and Chris Porter also lit the lamp for the Blues, who had lost three of four coming into Tuesday's tilt. With the win over the Sens, St. Louis moved to 10-0-2 against the Eastern Conference this season.
The Blues are still just 9-11-3 as the guest this year and are completing a three-game road trip tonight.
Former Devils forward Jason Arnott is not expected to play tonight for the Blues after sitting out the last two games with a bruised left shoulder. Matt D'Agostini is also not expected to play this evening after sustaining a blow to the head in Tuesday's game.
Tonight's tilt marks the first meeting between the Devils and Blues since Nov. 20, 2010 in St. Louis. The Blues have won two straight and three of four against New Jersey overall and have taken the last two encounters in the Garden State.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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