12/03/2008 - San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Thornton registered a goal and three assists to lead San Jose to a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Shark Tank.
Devin Setoguchi, Dan Boyle, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the red-hot Sharks, who won their eighth consecutive game. Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves in the victory.
Nikolai Kulemin and Niklas Hagman scored for the Maple Leafs, who saw their brief two-game win streak halted. Vesa Toskala allowed five goals on 30 shots in the loss.
The game marked the return of longtime Sharks coach Ron Wilson to San Jose. Wilson, who is currently coaching the Leafs, took over as head coach of San Jose during the 2002-03 season and helped engineer a quick turnaround. After finishing that season in last place in the Pacific Division, Wilson's Sharks never finished lower than second place over the next four seasons and he is the club's all-time leader in wins with 206. He was fired in May.
The Sharks quickly grabbed a 1-0 lead on Setoguchi's goal 1:15 into the opening period. Thornton held control at the left point and fluttered a backhand pass towards the near circle. Setoguchi swooped in, gained control and lifted a soft backhander from near the left post that somehow found its way past Toskala.
A rather strange sequence of events led to a 2-0 Sharks lead at the 6:35 mark of the first period. A shot on goal missed high, hit the rear boards, bounced back, hit the goaltender's water bottle on top of the net, then hit the crossbar, bounced into the air and fell into the crease under Toskala. With several players from both teams in the crease fighting for control of the puck, one of Thornton's whacks was eventually enough and the disc slid underneath the Toronto netminder and over the goal line.
"I thought it was going to stay on top of the net, and I took a bat at it and it went in. Lucky bounce," said Thornton.
A pair of San Jose goals within a 68-second span in the latter stages of the first period -- one by Boyle and a power-play tally by Vlasic -- pushed the San Jose lead to 4-0.
"We came out real strong," said Thornton. "Really, the game was over after the first 10 minutes. It was a good game by us."
Midway through the middle session, Kulemin got the Leafs on the scoreboard with his fifth goal of the season via a rebound one-timer from the lower right circle after a shot by Hagman from the high slot was saved.
At the four-minute mark of the final stanza, Pavelski's short-handed goal gave San Jose a 5-1 advantage. Toronto blueliner Tomas Kaberle fell down while skating backwards and the miscue led to a 2-on-1 break. Pavelski skated with the puck down the right-wing side with Milan Michalek on the opposite wing. Pavelski faked a pass across the slot, cradled the puck back to his forehand and lit the lamp from inside the right circle.
Hagman's goal with 34 seconds remaining in regulation capped the scoring.
Game Notes
With this win, the Sharks set a league record for the most standings points (43) after the first 25 games of a season...Setoguchi has 13 goals this season...San Jose is 21-3-1 in 2008-09 and has not lost in regulation since November 9 at Phoenix...The Sharks were 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Leafs were held scoreless on their four chances with the extra skater.
<< Jazz fend off Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Korver scored 15 points off the bench
to lead the Utah Jazz to a 99-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Paul Millsap added 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Jazz, who
have won four o
<< Stars win despite Avery's suspension
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fabian Brunnstrom's second-period tally proved
to be the game-winner, as the Dallas Stars defeated the Calgary Flames, 3-1,
at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Toby Petersen and Loui Eriksson also scored for the St
<< Lisin nets a pair as Coyotes rally past Kings
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Enver Lisin scored twice in the third period
to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Shane Doan also scored for the Coyotes, who have won three of their last four
games on the
<< Briere returns to lineup for Flyers, but leaves against Bolts
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel
Briere returned to the lineup for Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa
Bay Lightning.
Briere missed the last nine and 14 of the previous 16 ga
Lakers aim to bounce back from first road loss vs. Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers will try to rebound from their first
road loss of the season tonight when they resume a three-game trek against the
Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center.
Los Angeles is coming off a tough 118-11
Magic host T-Wolves in Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will try to right the ship tonight when
they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Amway Arena.
Orlando had a four-game winning streak come to an end with Monday's 107-88
loss to the defending champion Bo
Streaking Blazers visit Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers have been on a roll and will
continue a five-game road trip this evening against the lowly Washington
Wizards at the Verizon Center.
Portland has won five straight overall and is 2-0 so far on th
Cavs shoot for 10th straight home win vs. Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are only two teams in the NBA that are undefeated at
home this season and the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of them. Tonight they
will try to set a franchise record with their 10th straight home win to start
a season vers
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers SPORTS TRASH TALK
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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