New species of Shark discovered in '10 playoffs

Hockey Betting Lines

05/05/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It really shouldn't be surprising when a No. 1 seed emerges as a favorite for the Stanley Cup, but in the case of the 2010 San Jose Sharks, it has caught some of us doubters a little bit off guard.

But, here we are in the conference semifinal round of the playoffs and San Jose is up three games to none on the Detroit Red Wings, the two-time defending Western Conference champions and winners of the Stanley Cup two years ago.

Since reaching the conference finals as a second seed in 2004, the Sharks have averaged nearly 109 points per season, only to bow out in the second round or earlier in each of those years.

San Jose is just one game away from finally getting back to the conference finals and, with the way they've played against the Red Wings, the Sharks now have to be considered serious contenders to win it all.

Even though the Sharks are the top seed in the West, many folks, including yours truly, picked the Red Wings to win this series. Detroit, after all, has pretty much been the antithesis of playoff-collapsing San Jose, winning four of the last 12 Stanley Cup titles.

The Red Wings have players we've grown accustomed to trusting in the postseason, superstars like Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, etc. Meanwhile, San Jose has players like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov that have all been derided for being playoff no-shows in the past.

At first, this postseason seemed to begin the way last year's ended for San Jose, with the Sharks getting outplayed by an inferior opponent. The Sharks hit rock-bottom in 2009, when they were also No. 1 heading into the playoffs before losing in six games to eighth-seeded Anaheim in the opening round.

This year, San Jose lost Game 1 to Colorado and was down 2-1 in the series after Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle handed the eighth-seeded Avalanche a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 3. Boyle scored the game's only goal, unfortunately he beat his own goaltender, backhanding the puck past Nabokov while trying to send the disc off the end boards.

But, just when it seemed like Sharks fans would have to wait another year for a deep playoff run, something clicked in the San Jose locker room. Since Boyle's blunder, the Sharks have rattled off six straight wins by ending the series against Colorado and taking the surprising 3-0 lead over the Red Wings.

Perhaps the clearest sign that San Jose is for real came in Tuesday's victory over the Red Wings. The Sharks trailed 3-1 heading into the third period, but instead of resting on their 2-0 series' lead, San Jose scored twice in the final 20 minutes of regulation and then won the game on Marleau's tally just over seven minutes into overtime.

It was the first career playoff OT winner for Marleau, who was stripped of his captaincy after his club's embarrassing first-round exit last spring. Marleau, along with his linemates Thornton and Dany Heatley are just starting to heat up after the top line struggled to a sub-par performance in Round 1.

The top line's slow start to the postseason didn't hurt San Jose that much thanks to the play of winger Joe Pavelski, who entering Wednesday's action is tops in the NHL with nine goals and second only to Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby with 15 points. If Marleau, Heatley and Thornton can keep moving in the right direction and Pavelski stays hot, that makes the Sharks an even scarier opponent.

Possibly the biggest difference from last year to 2010 has to be Nabokov's improved play in net. The Russian is 7-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and .920 save percentage this year. He was just 2-4 with a 2.82 GAA and .890 save percentage in the ill-fated series against the Ducks last year.

Now, all that is left for San Jose to do in Round 2 is to avoid matching the biggest collapse in NHL postseason history. In order to reach the conference finals for the fourth straight year, Detroit will have to become just the third team in league annals to win a series after trailing three games to none. The last time it happened was in 1975, when the New York Islanders charged back to defeat Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals.

Of course, if that happens, the Sharks will be right back where they started this postseason, as the poster children for playoff choking.

But, that was the old San Jose and this year's edition has exorcised its playoff demons. And the rest of the league has been put on notice.

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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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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

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Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

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