Seasoned Malkin keeping Penguins among the elite
Hockey Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins know that replacing Sidney Crosby is no easy task.
Evgeni Malkin is making it look not only possible, but, at times, easy.
Now that is not to say that the Penguins wouldn't benefit greatly from having their captain back in the lineup, but the effort that Malkin has put forth during Crosby's absence isn't just leaving his coach and teammates impressed. It also is keeping Pittsburgh in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh has gotten just eight games of action from Crosby since he suffered a concussion last January. The head injury cost the former MVP the final 41 games of last year's regular season and the first 20 of 2011-12 before a brief return in late November. However, a return of concussion symptoms has him back on the shelf indefinitely.
Yet, despite missing arguably the league's best player with no return date in sight, the Penguins still find themselves tied for fourth overall in the conference with 69 points heading into play on Wednesday.
They have Malkin to thank for that.
The Russian forward was a bit of a question mark himself entering the season as a right knee injury suffered last February caused him to miss the final 29 games of the season. Malkin, though, has showed no ill effects, leading the NHL with 69 points while ranking second in goals with 32. He has posted five goals and 10 points over his last five games and has keyed Pittsburgh's 11-2-1 surge.
Malkin's latest heroics came on Sunday versus Tampa Bay. He scored twice and just missed an empty-net goal in the final seconds of a 4-2 victory and has clicked with linemates Chris Kunitz and James Neal.
Defenseman Kris Letang thinks the time Malkin missed last season has helped ignite a fire under the forward.
"I think sitting down for like almost half of a year last year kind of makes me think that he missed hockey," Kunitz said after Sunday's win. "He missed playing. He came out this season in shape and ready to go and you could see in his eyes he was pretty confident about this year."
Confidence is just one factor sparking Malkin. Being down this road before has probably also helped the 25-year-old take on a bigger role.
"It looks like in 2009 maybe, when Sidney went down and he kind of took over and was playing unbelievable," Letang said of Malkin. "But I think his game is better than it was two years ago. I think he's playing great hockey and it's the first time I've seen him being that dominate."
Letang may have actually been referring to the latter part of the 2007-08 season, when Crosby sat out 21 games with a right ankle sprain suffered in January. Malkin caught fire in Crosby's absence en route to a 106-point season, logging 14 goals and 36 points in the time Crosby missed.
In fact, Malkin exploded with four goals in the first three games without Crosby in the lineup and put forth a jaw-dropping effort with a 10-game point streak in February in which he accounted for 24 points.
Asked to elaborate on what has made Malkin better this season, Letang noted that Malkin is playing with a tougher edge to his game.
"He doesn't have any problem going to the net," Letang said. "You see his goals, he's always driving into the tough area. He's battling on the walls. He's just playing a great game."
Leaders tend to score in big moments and Malkin has been doing that this season as well. His seven game-winning goals through 49 contests already matches his career high set over 67 games in 2009-10 and is tied for fourth- best in the league. That statistic has certainly caught the eye of head coach Dan Bylsma.
"Right now he's playing some dominating hockey and throwing up some unbelievable efforts in games," the coach said. "He's come up with some one- goal games that were in the last five minutes to tie the game and he's come up with some huge efforts."
Malkin's current pace has all but made him the current favorite to lock up his first Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP. But the way he has been able to take over a game at a moment's notice has the Penguins thinking they can be contenders come playoff time.
Crosby or no Crosby.
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FOOTBALL BETTING
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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