Sens try to regain swagger against Leafs

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03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have found it hard to recapture their earlier success upon returning from the Olympic break. The playoff hopefuls hope a visit from the Eastern Conference's last-place team will help end those struggles.

The slumping Senators head back to Scotiabank Place tonight to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in a showdown between Northeast Division foes.

Ottawa had been on fire prior to the NHL's stoppage for the Vancouver Games, ripping off 14 wins in its final 16 contests before the shutdown. The Senators haven't been the same since play resumed, however, going 1-4-1 in their first six outings of March.

The Sens did open a three-game tour of Western Canada with a 4-1 triumph over doormat Edmonton on March 9, but followed with disappointing results in both Calgary and Vancouver. After being shut out by the Flames on Thursday, Ottawa was dominated on both ends of the ice in a 5-1 defeat to the Canucks in Saturday's finale of the trip.

Vancouver outshot the Senators 17-2 in the first period and by a 35-14 margin for the game, and converted 2-of-6 power-play opportunities in addition to recording a short-handed goal.

"Not a whole lot to say about that effort," a frustrated Ottawa head coach Cory Clouston said afterward. "We weren't ready to go. [The Canucks] played like it was a playoff game and we weren't ready to step our game up."

Jason Spezza netted the lone Senators' goal, while goaltender Pascal Leclaire made 30 saves in a losing cause.

Ottawa now trails Buffalo by three points for first place in the Northeast, but still stands fifth in the Eastern Conference standings despite its current slide.

The Senators will try to bounce back in this evening's bout with the lowly Leafs, whose 58 total points trail only Edmonton for the lowest amount in the league. Toronto has taken the last three meetings between the divisional rivals, however, including a 2-1 shootout decision at Scotiabank Place on March 6.

That victory started off a 4-1-0 stretch for the Maple Leafs, although they couldn't sustain that momentum in Sunday's 4-1 road loss to the New York Islanders.

Nikolai Kulemin did have a goal for Toronto to extend his personal scoring streak to five games, with the Russian wing having compiled seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) over that span.

The defeat was the ninth in the past 10 road games for the Leafs, with the March 6 verdict over the Senators their only win during that period. Toronto has been one of the NHL's worst teams away from home this season, bringing a poor 9-20-7 mark as the visitor into tonight's tilt.

Ottawa is a strong 23-13-4 on home ice thus far in 2009-10, but has lost three of its five previous matchups with the Maple Leafs this season as well as six of the past nine overall meetings in this series.

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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.

"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.”

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