05/11/2008 - Halifax, Nova Scotia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Finland scored three times in the third period, including what turned out to be a phantom goal, to upend the United States with a contentious 3-2 victory at the 2008 World Hockey Championships.
Teemu Selanne ended with a goal and an assist, while Ville Koistinen and Mikko Koivu also tallied for Finland, which rallied from a 2-0 deficit and is within a point of idle Canada for the top spot in the Group F standings. The two squads play on Monday to decide the winner.
Sunday's game, though, was controversial and even ugly at the end, as the IIHF acknowledged after the game that Koistinen's goal -- Finland's first, just 2:12 into the final stanza -- should not have counted, as it entered the side of the net. Even after several replays, the goal was allowed to stand. After the game, the governing body said the video judge was fired from the rest of the tournament.
But the goal, as it happened, counted, and Selanne scored the equalizer halfway through the third. Koivu's tally with 3:50 remaining was the difference. Finnish goaltender Niklas Backstrom stopped 20-of-22 shots in the win.
Robert Esche made 42 saves in the loss for America, while Phil Kessel and Tom Gilbert scored for the US, which sits in third place in Group F and plays Norway on Monday.
In addition to the controversial call, the game was filled with penalties, and the teams engaged in a post-game brawl after America's Dustin Brown checked Finland's Jussi Jokinen with a hit to the head.
In other tournament action Sunday, Marcus Nilson scored twice for Sweden, which earned a 5-3 victory over the Czech Republic. As a result, the teams are tied for second in Group E with Switzerland, one point behind Russia.
Patric Hornqvist, Mattias Weinhandl and Anton Stralman also scored for the Swedes, while goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36-of-39 shots.
Patrik Elias finished with a goal and an assist for the Czechs, while Ales Kotalik and Tomas Fleischmann also scored. Tomas Kaberle added a pair of assists, while Milan Hnilicka allowed four goals.
Both Sweden and the Czech Republic are finished qualifying play, while the Swiss and Russians play on Monday.
Also, Herberts Vasiljevs tallied the go-ahead goal late in the first period, as Latvia cruised to a 4-1 win over Norway.
Lauris Darzins registered a goal and an assist for Latvia, which can clinch the fourth spot in the Group F standings and a place in the quarterfinals with a win over Germany on Monday.
Lars Erik Spets netted the lone goal for Norway, which must beat the United States Monday afternoon or have Latvia lose to Germany in regulation time in order to secure the final playoff position.
In Quebec City, Paul DiPietro posted a goal and two assists to help Switzerland obliterate Denmark, 7-2.
The Swiss, with nine points, are bound for the quarterfinals, while the Danes remain pointless in Group E of the qualifying round.
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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 Smith and 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 Bears in 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 back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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