Jokinen's hat trick leads Flames over Sharks

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02/09/2012 - San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Olli Jokinen capped his seventh career hat trick with the winner in the third period as the Calgary Flames took a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Jokinen also had an assist while Jarome Iginla added a goal and an assist for the Flames, who had dropped three of four coming into the contest.

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 34 shots for the 300th win of his career.

Joe Pavelski, Michal Handzus and Logan Couture all scored for the Sharks, who have lost their past two. Antti Niemi made 32 saves in the loss.

Before the start of the game, San Jose honored former captain Owen Nolan, who announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday.

San Jose had tied the game at 3-3 just 49 seconds into the third on the power play when Handzus jammed it in during a scrum in front.

However, Jokinen finished the hat trick less than three minutes later. A bad clear in the San Jose end saw the puck take a bounce off the boards along the right wing as Alex Tanguay picked it up and fired a pass down low where Jokinen one-timed it home.

Kiprusoff stopped 14 shots in the final period to preserve the win.

It was a 1-0 lead for Calgary at the 12:30 mark of the first after Chris Butler blasted a shot on net from the left point that hit off of Jokinen and went past Niemi.

The Flames took a 2-0 lead 2:36 into the second on the power play as Jokinen jammed the puck in from the right side.

The Sharks got one back at the 6:29 mark as Couture beat Kiprusoff with a wrister from the right circle and the team tied the game just 1:23 later when Joe Thornton sent a pass from behind the net to the slot and Pavelski shot it in for his 20th of the season.

Calgary made it a 3-2 game with 8:45 to play in the second as Jokinen sent a backhand pass from the right wing to the slot where Iginla one-timed it home.

Game Notes

Calgary plays in Phoenix on Thursday...San Jose hosts Chicago on Friday...San Jose had won the previous five games against Calgary, including two games this season...Pavelski is just five goals away from tying a career-high...Jokinen has 16 goals on the season.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

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.

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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.”

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