Devils return home for battle with rival Rangers
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03/10/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three straight road games out west following the Olympic
break seemed to have caught up with the Devils in their most recent contest.
New Jersey now returns home for the first time in nearly a month this evening
when it plays host to a New York Rangers club that is struggling on offense
itself as of late.
The Devils return to the Prudential Center to play their first home game since
February 12 because of the Winter Olympics. They lost in Carolina in their
last game before the break, then went 1-2-0 on the swing's final three games.
The trip was capped on Sunday with a 2-0 loss to Edmonton.
Martin Brodeur made 33 saves, but New Jersey's offense failed to get any of
its 22 shots past the Oilers' Jeff Deslauriers.
"When you give up 35, 40 shots to a team and you get 20, you should be better
than that," Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire said.
Ilya Kovalchuk, who has three goals and five assists in nine games with the
Devils since being acquired in a trade with Atlanta, led the team with five
shots as New Jersey was shut out for the first time since February 2.
A return home could help. The Devils play two straight and four of their next
five at home, where they are 20-9-1 this season. New Jersey also needs to
rebound quickly as it has fallen five points back of first-place Pittsburgh in
the Atlantic Division.
New York, meanwhile, seemed to have put its season-long scoring troubles
behind them after posting a total of eight goals in its first two games after
the break. However, the Rangers were blanked, 2-0, by Washington on Saturday
before suffering a 2-0 overtime setback to Buffalo the following day.
The Rangers are three points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference after Sunday's loss. Brandon Dubinsky scored with 1:23 left to play
in overtime, his third goal in four games, snapping New York's goal drought at
149 minutes and 30 seconds. That goal also forced overtime, but Henrik
Lundqvist, who made 35 saves, allowed the game-winner 2:22 into overtime.
"We needed the two points, we got one," said Rangers head coach John
Tortorella, whose club is 0-1-2 following a three-game win streak. "We have to
keep on fighting. That is all we can do. There are a lot of questions about
offense."
The Rangers and Devils have split four meetings this year, though they haven't
met in the Garden State since a 3-2 New York win on October 5. The Devils then
took the next two in the series on the road before the Rangers rebounded with
a 3-1 home win on February 6.
Marian Gaborik scored his team-leading 35th goal in that game, but has zero
points in his last three games since that meeting. He has also missed a total
of four games since then due to injury.
Lundqvist made 41 saves for the Rangers, while Brodeur had 22.
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Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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