Drop the Puck

While my Vancouver Canucks have gone home without making the playoffs. This years playoffs are shaping out to be very exciting. Some of the matchups that standout more than others.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs.(8) Edmonton Oilers
The Detroit Red Wings will play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Even as the eighth seed, the Oilers will not be intimidated as they took five of a possible eight points in the season series between the two rivals. Edmonton will be hoping the recent stellar play of goaltender Dwayne Roloson will give them an edge.

Oddsmakers believe the Wings will show up in high gear to start the playoffs, installing them as -280 home favorites in the series opener on Friday. The opening OVER/UNDER total stands at 6.

(1) Ottawa Senators vs.(8) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Ottawa Senators will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

The Senators rolled to an Eastern Conference best 51-29-9 record, while the defending Stanley Cup champions from Tampa Bay finished with a record of 43-33-6, and enter the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East.

Oddsmakers set Ottawa as -255 home favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 6.5 goals.

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
The Nashville Predators will play host to the San Jose Sharks on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series in the Western Conference.

Despite entering the playoffs as the fifth seed the Sharks are listed as -115 road favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 6.5 goals.

(3) Calgary Flames vs. (6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
The Calgary Flames will play host to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Friday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series in the Western Conference.

Calgary was set as a -170 home favorite on the opening line, with an opening total of 5 goals.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (6) New York Rangers
The New Jersey Devils will play host to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

The Devils finished the regular season with a record of 46-27-9, while the Rangers were 44-26-12 on the year.

Oddsmakers set New Jersey as -215 home favorites on the opening line, with an opening total of 5.5 goals.

(2) Dallas Stars vs. (7) Colorado Avalanche
The Dallas Stars will play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Dallas is coming in as -170 home favorites to open the series, while the game's OVER/UNDER is set at 6.

(2) Carolina Hurricanes vs.(7) Montreal Canadiens
The Carolina Hurricanes will play host to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Carolina finished with a season record of 52-22-8, while the Canadiens sneaked into the playoffs with a record of 42-31-9.

Oddsmakers set the Canes as -190 home favorites in this game, with an opening total of 6 goals.

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The Buffalo Sabres will play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series.

Buffalo had their best season in franchise history, posting a record of 52-24-6, while the Flyers finished with a record of 45-26-11.

The Sabres opened as -165 home favorites in this game, with an opening total of 6 goals.

Phil Masters the Lines

Well March Madness is over and the Masters golf tournament is quickly approaching.

The Masters PGA golf tournament is a different cat altogether. Currently Tiger Woods is the early favorite according to the Bodog Masters Golf Betting page. He is followed a close second by Phil Mickelson.

I think my money is going to go on Phil Mickelson at this time. That may change between now and the first drive, but if I was a betting man (and I am) I have to go with Phil.

Packers' ink deal with Henderson

The Packers faithfull (myslef included) are very happy today to find out that William Henderson has signed on for a 12th season with the beloved Green Bay Packers.

Henderson has played all 11 of his seasons with Green Bay and is sixth in the franchise's history with 174 games played. He played in all 16 games last season, starting eight, and had 264 yards receiving.

LSU Over Duke

Happy Days! Happy Days! LSU and Big Baby left the tears last night for J.J. Redick.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis and the defensive-minded freshmen have LSU just one win away from the Final Four, stifling Redick and sending top-seeded Duke to yet another loss in the round of 16.

Davis scored 14 points despite early foul trouble, freshman Tyrus Thomas swatted away five shots and another freshman, Garrett Temple, shut down Redick to lead No. 4 seed LSU to a 62-54 upset Thursday night in the Atlanta Regional. "It feels good, but it's over," Davis said. "There's another task at hand."

Bears' Azumah Retires

Bears cornerback Jerry Azumah retired because of neck and hip pain the past two seasons, ending a seven-year career with Chicago in which he made the Pro Bowl in 2003.

Washington 75, Utah State 61

The Washington Huskies showed they are serious about competing in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round win over Utah State in the Washington, D.C. Region on Thursday.

Brandon Roy kept Washington rollin' with 28 points which allowed them to blow by the -6.5-point spread.

Georgetown 54 , Northern Iowa 49

No. 7 Georgetown Hoyas gave the Big East its first NCAA Tournament win Friday, a 54-49 victory over No. 10 Northern Iowa. That's good news for bettors who had them in their bracket and great news for bettors who picked them to cover the -4.5 spread. The game's combined total of 103 fell UNDER the posted total (115).

John Little picked up 17 points and heads to the second round where the Hoyas will play No. 2 Ohio State.

Longest Standing Team Monikers

Wow, I found this today and was suprised with some of the teams and their names.

Team, Sport -- First year under current name
"Cincinnati Reds," baseball -- 1878
"Pittsburgh Pirates," baseball -- 1891
"St. Louis Cardinals," baseball -- 1900
"Detroit Tigers," baseball -- 1901
"Chicago Cubs," baseball -- 1902
"Chicago White Sox," baseball -- 1904
"Boston Red Sox," baseball -- 1907
"New York Yankees," baseball -- 1913
"Cleveland Indians," baseball -- 1915
"Montreal Canadiens," hockey -- 1917
"Green Bay Packers," football -- 1919
"Chicago Bears," football -- 1922
"New York Giants," football -- 1925


NOTE: Basketball's oldest names are the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks (both 1946).

Ferguson still Growing

The buzz in the NFL surrounding D'Brickashaw Ferguson is not the only thing that continues to grow.

He weighed in at 312 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than his 298 weigh-in at the Senior Bowl. The tale of the tape was a bigger surprise. "I was 6-foot-5½, but I was 6-6 this week," Ferguson said with a smile.

A growing tackle is on the minds of many NFL teams, with the focus of improving pass protection becoming increasingly important in the age of scrambling quarterbacks.

Aggies' Schedule is a Drag

Texas A&M fans are holding their collective breaths in these final weeks leading up to March Madness. The Aggies' light nonconference schedule may cost them a trip to March Madness.

Saturday nights game against Baylor will more than a few Aggie fans sitting on pins and needles.