Brodeur, Devils take on Wild

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03/20/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Brodeur will be back between the pipes for the New Jersey Devils when they try to rebound from a loss in tonight's home test against the Minnesota Wild.

Brodeur was given a rare rest on Wednesday -- just one night after the legendary goaltender set the NHL's all-time record for victories -- and the Devils had a four-game winning streak halted at Carolina.

Kevin Weekes spelled Brodeur on Wednesday and stopped 28-of-32 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes. Brodeur had defeated Chicago in New Jersey on Tuesday to earn the 552nd win of his career and pass Patrick Roy for the record.

Zach Parise and Brian Gionta tallied for the Devils, who lost for just the second time in 10 games.

The Devils come into tonight's contest with an 11-point lead over Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for first place in the Atlantic Division. With 95 points, Jersey is also just five points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference's top seed.

New Jersey has won a club-record 10 straight games on home ice and is 25-10-1 as the host this season. Following tonight's test the Devils will head back out on the road, as they are scheduled to begin a three-game trip Sunday in Boston.

Meanwhile, the Wild are fighting for their playoff lives and are currently just outside the Western Conference postseason picture. Minnesota has 74 points on the year and is just three behind Edmonton and Nashville, who are occupying the conference's final two playoff berths.

The Wild ended a four-game losing streak with Tuesday's close victory over Colorado, but despite that recent slide have recorded at least a point in five of their last six contests (2-1-3).

Minnesota recorded a 3-2 victory over the Avalanche as Nick Schultz tied the game late in the third period and Marek Zidlicky netted the deciding goal in the shootout, leading the Wild to the win at Xcel Energy Center.

Stephane Veilleux also scored in regulation for the Wild, while Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots for the win.

Minnesota is just 14-18-2 as the visiting team this season and has lost three straight, four of five and seven of its last nine road tests. The Wild will return home for Sunday's game against Edmonton, but will then head back out on a four-game road trip.

New Jersey is 5-1 with two ties in the eight all-time meetings against the Wild. Minnesota has never won in New Jersey, going 0-3 with a tie in the Garden State.

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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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