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12/31/2008 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Loui Eriksson scored twice and Marty Turco made 25 saves to lift the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils at American Airlines Center.
Brad Richards had three assists while Mark Parrish and Landon Wilson notched the remaining scores for the Stars, who have won three of the last four and five of seven overall.
Dallas ended its three-game homestand 2-1 and won for the fifth time in six tries at American Airlines Center. The Stars start the new year with four straight on the road.
Mike Mottau and David Clarkson lit the lamp for New Jersey, which had won two straight entering play Wednesday. Scott Clemmensen stopped 40-of-43 shots in taking the loss. Brian Gionta notched two assists.
The Devils failed to secure a point for the first time in seven road games, finishing with a 5-1-1 mark over that stretch. New Jersey is now 10-5-2 overall as the road team this year.
Dallas tied the game and took a 3-2 lead with a pair of second-period goals. Richards worked the puck down low to the left of Clemmensen and slid a pass over to Wilson in close for a bang-bang score at 5:39. Parrish then picked up a loose puck in front off a rebound and found the back of the net for a power- play score close to midway through the period.
Both goaltenders kept the game close with shutout hockey over the final 20 minutes but Turco's 11 saves over that span wound up being the difference as Eriksson added an empty-netter in the final minute to clinch the game.
Trevor Daley gained the zone along the left boards and sent a pass across the slot to Eriksson, who rifled a shot over the glove of Clemmensen for a short- handed goal that gave the Stars a 1-0 lead.
The Devils, though, evened the score with 2:30 left in the first. After getting the puck back at the right point, Mottau drifted into the high slot, to set up a screen as his shot made its way through traffic and into the net.
New Jersey then took a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal just before intermission. Gionta sent a pass into the low slot for a redirection by Dainius Zubrus and Clarkson was there to cash in on the rebound.
Game Notes
New Jersey logged a 5-0 win over Dallas on October 22, the Devils' second straight win in the series...The Stars have won their last three at home versus New Jersey and are now 9-6-3 at home this season.
<< Mueller scores twice as Coyotes shut down Avs
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Mueller scored twice and Mikael
Tellqvist made 28 saves, as the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Colorado
Avalanche, 3-1.
Olli Jokinen also scored and Shane Doan collected two assist
<< Utah trips up Zags, sends No. 16 Gonzaga to third straight loss
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Nevill scored 15 points, grabbed
eight rebounds and blocked three shots to help Utah upend No. 16 Gonzaga,
66-65, at the Huntsman Center.
Luka Drca chipped in 14 points and seven assists fo
<< Great Scott! LSU routs No. 14 Georgia Tech
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Scott ran for three touchdowns and LSU,
the reigning national champs, steamrolled the 14th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow
Jackets, 38-3, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Scott finished with 64 yards on 15 carries
<< Thunder post rare win, top Warriors
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Green had 26 points and Kevin Durant
gave 25 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 107-100 victory over the Golden
State Warriors.
Durant also had 10 rebounds and six assists for the Thunder, wh
Sixers edge Clippers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Iguodala netted a season-high 28
points with seven boards and as many assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to
a 100-92 triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Thaddeus Young lo
Mason, Blue Jackets continue to hunt goose eggs, blank Ducks >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie sensation Steve Mason turned aside 27
shots to record his third consecutive shutout, as the Columbus Blue Jackets
defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 2-0, at Honda Center.
The 20-year-old Mason now leads
Flames burn Oilers >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla and Michael Cammalleri both
registered two goals and three assists, leading the Calgary Flames to a 6-4
win over the Edmonton Oilers at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Dustin Boyd and Adrian
No. 15 Villanova opens Big East slate at Marquette >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Villanova Wildcats and the
Marquette Golden Eagles are set to collide in what should be a tremendous Big
East Conference opener.
Villanova owns a stellar 12-1 record and has won four straight
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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