Kessel tallies twice as Bruins down Senators

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03/12/2009 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel scored twice and P.J. Axelsson added a goal and an assist as the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins got by the Ottawa Senators, 5-3, at TD Banknorth Garden.

Aaron Ward and Chuck Kobasew also tallied for Boston, which was coming off consecutive losses to the New York Rangers and Columbus. The Bruins claimed only their second win in the last seven contests, but remained points six ahead of New Jersey for top seed in the East.

Tim Thomas stopped 25-of-28 shots for Boston.

Jason Spezza had a pair of goals, while Christoph Schubert added a marker for the Senators, who had a four-game winning streak halted.

Alex Auld made 17 saves for Ottawa.

With the Bruins holding a 3-1 lead after two, Boston went up by three 4:31 into the third when it caught the Senators in a line change and broke out 2- on-1. Kessel carried the puck across the blue line and snapped a wrister over Auld's glove.

However, Ottawa struck for two goals within four minutes. First, it was Schubert lighting the lamp at 6:52, then Spezza got his second of the contest at 9:05 when he beat Thomas with a wrist shot from in close to make it a 4-3 game.

Ottawa continued to get the majority of the quality chances the rest of the way, but were unable to get the equalizer and Kessel's empty net tally sealed the win for Boston with just under a minute to play.

"They looked a little bit fragile when we scored to make it 4-2," Senators head coach Cory Clouston said. "They have had a bit of a tough go of it lately and that kind of creeps in the back of your mind but they are a very good team and they came at us hard and capitalized on their opportunities."

Ward's first-career shorthanded tally opened the scoring 3:17 into the first period. Patrice Bergeron's head-man pass was right on the mark, and Ward blasted a slap shot past Auld from in close.

Axelsson jumped out of the penalty box 3 1/2 minutes later and finished off a 3-on-1 break to give Boston a 2-0 edge. Kobasew's power-play goal off a nice feed from Michael Ryder at 10:24 gave the home team a three-goal cushion.

"We had some tough calls go against us early in the game," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. "We did a great job of killing them and then we got a goal and then our first power play, we got a goal and I thought that was huge for us."

Spezza's 24th of the year on a pass from Dany Heatley with 7:12 left in the first got Ottawa on the board, and the score stood through the second period.

Game Notes

Boston will host the New York Islanders on Saturday, while Ottawa visits Pittsburgh...Boston has won all four meetings with the Senators this season and has taken six straight and eight of the last nine overall.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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