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03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie forwards usually take at least a season to develop into consistent performers at the NHL level.
Even in the case of No. 1 overall picks, who are expected to be stars, it usually takes a year of adjustment to the grind of the NHL's 82-game schedule before they become "difference-makers".
The past three No. 1 overall picks have all experienced the expected highs and lows during their rookie campaigns. While Chicago Blackhawks' dangler Patrick Kane (2007) and Tampa Bay Lightning pivot Steven Stamkos (2008) are currently thriving, 2009 No. 1 overall pick John Tavares of the New York Islanders is going through a rough patch.
The 6-foot-0, 195-pound center started the 2009-10 season on a high note, scoring 15 goals in his first 31 games, but since late December, his scoring touch has deserted him. The talented rookie has scored just three goals in his last 35 games ahead of the Islanders matchup with the Blues on Thursday night, with a goal in the Islanders' most recent game snapping a 17-game scoreless streak.
"I knew there would be some bumps in the road," Tavares told The Sportsbook Betting Lines earlier this week. "That is part of the process. Obviously every game I would like to do good things out there and be able to produce."
But what the 19-year-old rookie has been able to contribute during his first professional season, despite the extended scoring slump, should be enough to make the Islanders and their fans beam.
"He has continued to work out of his scoring slump," Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. "That's an important part of it. His game hasn't tailed off in other areas from his frustration in not being able to score."
Tavares has been able to work on keeping his motor running in the offensive zone, not giving up on plays while also covering the ice better, which is a big part of the center-ice position at the NHL level. While he isn't putting the puck in the net consistently, he is still at least creating chances for himself and his linemates.
"The biggest take-away is that he is allowing himself the opportunity to get better in smaller areas while he is trying to find his scoring touch," Gordon said.
"Obviously during this stretch I'm on, where things haven't really gone my way, I have learned a lot, tried a lot of different things and worked on a lot of different parts of my game, which is going to help me in the long run," Tavares said. "I know what I have been able to do my whole life and this will only help me get better as I go along. I think I have proven myself as well, that I belong here and I can contribute consistently and produce consistently. It's my first year, I'm learning a lot and it will really help me for my future."
Tavares need look no further than Stamkos for inspiration. As a rookie last season, Stamkos started off shaky before finally finding his groove toward the end of the season. The early part of the season, while rough on the youngster, helped him develop his game.
The result? Stamkos is among the NHL leaders with 41 goals scored through March 11 in this, his second season in the NHL.
"It's great seeing a guy like Steven, who I know personally, doing well after having a tough year last year," Tavares said. "He played really well the second half of the season. For me it's positive to see guys who have been in my position and succeeded."
That positive attitude not only bodes well for Tavares' future, but the Islanders, who have lacked legitimate star power for a number of years. Tavares and second-year winger Kyle Okposo give the Islanders a young duo up front who they can build around. Both players seem to have the maturity, pedigree and desire to be the go-to-guys in the near future.
"I've dealt with pressure for a long time," Tavares said. "For me it's not really new. I think it's a different type at a different level. Kyle has proven himself as a great player and I'm trying to do doing the same thing. We like that, we like being in the situation where we are relied on in situations. We want to come up with the big plays at the big times and we are excited about our future here as Islanders."
The Islanders are currently last in the Atlantic Division and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, but with a couple horses in the stable, there is at least a glimmer of hope for the downtrodden franchise.
"You just take it one day at a time," Tavares said. "I think we are trying to improve in a lot of areas."
<< Kansas topples Texas Tech for milestone win
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 19 points and Cole
Aldrich chipped in 12 with 18 rebounds, leading top-ranked Kansas to an 80-68
victory over Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Xavier Henr
<< Blue Bombers ink CB Glover
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed four players
on Thursday, including defensive back LaVar Glover.
Glover has spent the past four years with Winnipeg and in that time has
accumulated 116 tackles along
<< Hoyas knock off top-seeded Orange in Big East
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Wright scored 27 points and Greg Monroe
contributed 17 with 10 rebounds and seven assists, as 22nd-ranked Georgetown
pulled off a 91-84 victory over No. 3 Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the Big
East To
<< Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Recaps
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sammy Zeglinski scored a season-high 21
points to lead Virginia to a 68-62 victory over Boston College in the first
round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Virginia (15-15), seeded ni
Report: MLS players set to strike if CBA isn't reached >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer players overwhelmingly
voted to strike if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached with
the league by the season opener on March 25, according to a report in The
Washing
Onuaku injures knee in Syracuse loss >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse forward Arinze Onuaku injured his
right knee in Thursday's loss to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament.
Onuaku was hurt with just over five minutes to play in the 91-84 loss when he
tried to
Colts bring in G Alleman >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts signed guard Andy
Alleman on Thursday.
Alleman played in nine games with Kansas City in 2009, with three starts.
He appeared in 15 games two years ago with the Miami Dolphins.
Southeastern Conference Tournament Recaps >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikhail Torrance scored 17 points to help
Alabama rally for a 68-63 win over South Carolina in the first round of the
SEC Tournament.
Justin Knox had 16 points and seven boards while JaMychal Gree
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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