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02/12/2012 - Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Smith stood tall between the pipes, making 38 saves to backstop the surging Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-0 victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night.
Smith recorded his third shutout of the season for the Coyotes, who pushed their winning streak to a season-high five games.
"My teammates did a great job in front of me tonight," Smith said.
Chicago is trending in the opposite direction. The Blackhawks suffered their eighth consecutive loss and 10th straight on the road. They fell to 0-5-1 on a season-long nine-game road swing.
"We need something to give in and make us feel good about ourselves," said Chicago captain Jonathan Toews.
Ray Emery stopped 24 shots in defeat.
Radim Vrbata opened the scoring 3:14 into the contest with his team-leading 26th goal of the season.
Vrbata gathered a loose puck in the Chicago zone after a failed clearing attempt and accepted Ray Whitney's return feed. The crafty winger skated behind the enemy cage and sent a wraparound that Blackhawks defenseman Sami Lepisto directed into his own net.
Boyd Gordon doubled the Coyotes' advantage 2:44 later. Gilbert Brule missed the net on a one-timer, but the puck slid right to Gordon and he scored from the right side of the net.
Brule also picked up the primary assist on Kyle Chipchura's tally at the 12:59 mark of the middle stanza.
Smith posted 16 saves in the third period to preserve his 14th career shutout.
Game Notes
The Coyotes inducted former alternate captain Jeremy Roenick into the team's Ring of Honor in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday night...Whitney has two goals and 10 assists during an eight-game point streak...Phoenix earned its fourth consecutive win at home...The Coyotes won the season series, 3-1.
<< Richardson's hot shooting leads Orlando over Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson made 9-of-11 from long
range, including four in the last five minutes of the game, to lead the
Orlando Magic with 31 points as they defeated Milwaukee, 99-94, at the Bradley
Center.
<< West helps Mavs outlast Blazers in 2-OT
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delonte West scored six of his 10 points in the
second overtime period as the Dallas Mavericks took a 97-94 victory over the
Portland Trail Blazers at American Airlines Center.
Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-h
<< Lin pushes Knicks past T'Wolves
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The legend of "Linsanity" grew a bit larger
on Saturday as Jeremy Lin scored 20 points, including a game-winning free
throw with the game tied to lead the Knicks over the Timberwolves 100-98 at
Target
<< Blues top Avs in OT
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blues continue to pile up the wins and
points on home ice.
Carlo Colaiacovo scored the first goal since the opening period with 1:42 to
play in overtime, sending St. Louis to a 3-2 victory over
Saint Mary's stays perfect at home >>
Moraga, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rob Jones scored 25 points and pulled down 12
rebounds, as 16th-ranked Saint Mary's remained unbeaten at home by topping
Santa Clara, 82-67, at McKeon Pavilion.
Coming off a Thursday loss at Gonzaga, the
Iginla lifts Flames over Canucks in shootout >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stymied late in regulation, Jarome Iginla made
good on his opportunity in the shootout, netting the decisive goal to lift the
Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at the Saddledome.
Iginl
Suns ease past Kings >>
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Dudley had 20 points and 10 rebounds
as the Phoenix Suns eased past the Sacramento Kings, 98-84, at Power Balance
Pavilion.
Steve Nash missed the second quarter after taking a shot to the face
Korda wins playoff at Women's Australian Open >>
Victoria, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jessica Korda first gained control
during the final round at the Women's Australian Open on Sunday, then gave it
away with a string of bogeys on the back nine.
But when she needed critical birdies, she
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
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