Bruins hope to bolster playoff chances vs. Maple Leafs
Hockey Betting Lines
03/09/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to bolster their playoff hopes
when they visit the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's clash between
Original Six clubs at Air Canada Centre.
The Bruins are currently holding onto the eighth and final postseason berth in
the East with 69 points -- giving them just a two-point edge over the ninth-
seeded New York Rangers.
Despite being fourth in the Northeast Division, the Bruins are just 10 points
behind first-place Buffalo. Toronto is last in the division, as well as the
conference, with 52 points.
The Bruins have won three of four meetings against Toronto this year and have
taken 10 of 12 overall. Boston has also notched seven victories in its last
nine trips to Air Canada Centre.
Boston had a two-game win streak halted Sunday in Pittsburgh, losing 2-1 to
the Penguins in a game that saw Bruins forward Marc Savard suffer an injury on
a dangerous hit.
Savard suffered a Grade Two concussion late in regulation on a blind-side hit
to the head by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cooke caught an unsuspecting Savard
with a shoulder moments after he released a shot from the high slot. Savard
lay motionless for several minutes while being attended to by the medical
staff. He was eventually taken off the ice on a stretcher and is out
indefinitely.
No penalty was called on the play, but the league is still investigating the
hit and a suspension could be levied against Cooke as early as today.
"A guy like that has to be suspended," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said of
Cooke. "And that's the way I see it, because it's an elbow to the head from
the blind side. That's exactly the example they show of what we've got to get
out of this game."
Savard has missed 23 of Boston's 64 games this year, mostly due to foot and
knee injuries. Despite missing time, he is tied for third on the Bruins with
33 points.
Blake Wheeler had the lone goal for Boston on Sunday and Tim Thomas was
saddled with the loss despite making 31 saves.
The Bruins are playing the third test of a seven-game road trip tonight.
Boston is just 15-11-5 as the visiting club this season and had won five
straight as the guest before Sunday's loss.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs were defeated for the fifth time in six games on
Sunday, losing a 3-1 decision in Philadelphia.
Nikolai Kulemin scored the lone goal for the Maple Leafs, who have lost three
of four since the NHL returned from its Olympic break. Jean-Sebastien Giguere
made 22 stops in the loss.
Tonight marks the first of three straight on home ice for Toronto, which is
just 11-14-5 as the host this year.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
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