Hoping to halt slide at 10, Isles host Thrashers

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12/23/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders will try to avoid a 10th consecutive loss when they host the Atlanta Thrashers tonight at Nassau Coliseum.

The Islanders, who are tied with Tampa Bay for last place in the Eastern Conference, have yet to win a game in December, going 0-8-1 during the month. The club's last victory came in a home test on November 29 against Ottawa.

New York is in the midst of its longest losing streak since dropping 10 straight from December 22, 1997-January 12, 1998.

The Isles were shut out in their most-recent loss, losing a 1-0 decision in Nashville on Saturday. Vernon Fiddler scored the game's only goal in the first period, and Pekka Rinne recorded his third shutout of the season with 23 saves.

Richard Park had a team-high four shots for the Islanders, while Joey MacDonald stopped 27-of-28 shots in taking the loss.

New York has had a rash of injuries and currently has seven players on injured reserve. The Isles hope centerman Doug Weight, who leads the club with 29 points, can play tonight after suffering a groin injury in Saturday's loss.

The Islanders are just 5-8-2 as the host this year and have lost three of their last four at the Coliseum.

The Thrashers, meanwhile, have lost two of three, five of seven and 10 of their last 13 games.

Atlanta hosted Toronto on Monday night and was handed a 6-2 drubbing by the Maple Leafs. Justin Pogge got the win in his NHL debut and the line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov accounted for nine points to help the Leafs slam the Thrashers at Philips Arena.

Colby Armstrong and Todd White had the goals for the Thrashers. White extended his point streak to six games and has four goals and four assists during the run.

Kari Lehtonen was peppered with 37 shots in taking the loss, having made his first appearance in almost two months on Saturday in a win against Tampa Bay. He had been battling a back injury and hadn't played a game since October 30.

Atlanta is just 5-9-2 as the visiting team this year and has lost four of its last six road tests.

The Thrashers are 2-0 against the Islanders this season as they've posted victories on the road and at home. Overall, Atlanta has taken four of six and five of the last eight matchups in the series and has come out on top in two of its previous three stops on Long Island.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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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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