Bruins shoot for seventh straight win in visit to Carolina

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12/27/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will aim for their seventh consecutive victory when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes for this evening's matchup at RBC Center.

The Bruins, who lead the Eastern Conference and Southeast Division with 54 points, haven't lost since falling at Washington on December 10. In addition to winning six straight, Boston has also posted a 20-2-1 record in its last 23 outings.

Boston is 2-0 so far on a five-game road trip that will keep the team busy for the rest of the calendar year. The Bruins are 12-4-3 as the visiting club and have won three straight and five of their last six on the road. Boston will visit Atlanta on Sunday before stopping in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The most-recent victory for the Bruins came Tuesday evening at New Jersey. Tim Thomas made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season, as Boston notched a 2-0 win over the Devils at the Prudential Center.

Milan Lucic and David Krejci lit the lamp for the Bruins. Phil Kessel, who was sporting an NHL-best 18-game point streak coming into the game, was held pointless in the victory.

Lucic is now tied for the longest point streak in the NHL at eight games, while Krejci has reached the scoresheet in six straight tests. Todd White of Atlanta also has an eight-game point streak.

Carolina won for the second time in three games on Friday night, as they edged the Thrashers in Atlanta. Eric Staal's third-period hat trick helped the Hurricanes overtake Atlanta, 5-4, at Philips Arena.

Staal scored his first goal of the game at 7:27 of the third period to knot the score at 3-3. After Bryan Little gave Atlanta a 4-3 edge, Staal then scored two more goals in a span of just over one minute around the midway point of the period to put the 'Canes ahead for good.

Chad LaRose and Patrick Eaves notched the other two goals for the Hurricanes, who have earned points in eight of their last 10 games, going 5-2-3 during that span.

Ray Whitney collected three assists, while Cam Ward made 27 saves to pick up his 12th win of the season. Whitney has recorded a point in five straight games and has two goals and seven helpers during the run.

This evening's test marks the first of a three-game homestand for the Hurricanes, who are 9-8-1 as the host this year. Carolina has won three in a row on home ice after dropping its previous five tests in Raleigh.

Boston earned a 4-2 home win over the Hurricanes on December 20 in the first of four meetings between the clubs this year. The Bruins have won the last two encounters, but Carolina has still taken six of nine matchups in the series. The Bruins have won two of their last three games in Raleigh.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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