Devils try to close the gap versus Atlantic Division-leading Pens

Hockey Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key battle for the Atlantic Division crown is on tap tonight in Newark as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

The Penguins lead the Atlantic with 85 points, while New Jersey -- the defending division champs -- are four points behind.

Pittsburgh and the Devils will complete the regular-season series next week, meeting for the final time Wednesday in New Jersey. The Devils have taken all four encounters with the defending Stanley Cup champions this year and have outscored the Pens by a 14-2 margin in those tests.

The Devils have six wins in the last eight meetings with Pittsburgh overall and have taken three of the last four clashes in Newark.

New Jersey has struggled lately, going 4-7-1 over its last 12 outings. The Devils were able to snap a two-game slide with Wednesday's home win over the rival New York Rangers.

Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner was one of six different goal-scorers who led New Jersey to the 6-3 win over the Rangers. Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston, Travis Zajac and Rob Niedermayer each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, while Zach Parise and Bryce Salvador also lit the lamp.

Dainius Zubrus, Andy Greene and Mike Mottau each collected two helpers for the Devils, who returned from a 1-3-0 road trip to play their first home game since a 5-2 triumph over Nashville on February 12.

"It was a good test for us. We needed to get a win in a tough battle," said Langenbrunner, who reached the 600-point mark with an assist on Salvador's goal in the first period,

Martin Brodeur made 16 saves on 19 shots to earn the win -- his 36th this season.

The Devils are 21-9-1 as the host this year and have won three of their last four at the Rock.

Meanwhile, the Penguins had a four-game winning streak halted Thursday in Carolina, dropping an overtime decision to the Hurricanes. Brian Pothier scored on a one-timer 23 seconds into the extra session to lift the hosts at RBC Center.

"I think that the team we played tonight has proven all year long that they are not going to stop playing. They are going to work regardless of the standings," said Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma.

Jordan Staal, Bill Guerin and Matt Cooke provided the offense for Pittsburgh, which picked up at least a point in its ninth straight game (5-0-4). Sidney Crosby added an assist to push his point streak to six games.

Brent Johnson allowed four goals on 21 shots to take the loss. Regular starter Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be back between the pipes tonight.

The Penguins are making the second stop on a five-game road trip tonight. Pittsburgh is 19-12-2 as the guest this year, tying the club with Washington for the most road wins in the Eastern Conference.

Eric Godard is questionable tonight for the Pens with a groin injury, while fellow forward Tyler Kennedy is expected to miss his second straight test with the same issue.

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Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

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