Devils closing in on Sabres

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02/09/2007 -

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Unlike a year ago, the New Jersey Devils aren't waiting until the end of the season to make a playoff run.

They're rolling right now, with wins in 15 of 20 games, and points in all but two.

With two months left in the regular season, the Devils lead the Atlantic Division by nine points over second-place Pittsburgh, and they have pulled within four points of Buffalo in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, having played one less game than the Sabres.

``It's been a great couple of weeks and a great couple of months we are having as far as being consistent,'' said goaltender Martin Brodeur, who leads the NHL with 34 wins, 10 shutouts and a 2.04 goals-against average.

``We just worry about us and what we do...In my 13 years here, this team is close, and we have a lot of fun,'' the 34-year-old added.

It's a far cry from the rollercoaster 2005-06 season. An exhausted Larry Robinson resigned as coach in December and had to be replaced behind the bench by general manager Lou Lamoriello. New Jersey didn't get going until February, and they needed to close the regular season with 11 straight wins to capture the division title.

After sweeping the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs, New Jersey was eliminated in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, the eventual Stanley Cup winner.

``It was a learning experience, and the best part was it gave us a lot of confidence coming into this season with the same group of guys,'' center Scott Gomez said.

The one change made was behind the bench. Lamoriello went back to the front office and hired former Canadiens coach Claude Julien to run the team.

The new coach and the team needed about a dozen games to get used to each other, but they are now on the same page. In the new wide-open NHL, New Jersey has gone back to old Devils' hockey. They clog up the middle of the ice. They protect Brodeur, and, when an opponent penetrates the defense, Brodeur is there to stop them.

It's boring low-scoring hockey, but it works. New Jersey has played 31 games decided by a goal, and it has won 21 and gotten points in six other games.

``When you come into this building you know the type of game you are going to have,'' Islanders forward Mike Sillinger said after Brodeur posted his 90th career shutout on Thursday night with a 2-0 win. ``As far as frustrating, I don't think it's frustrating at all. It's what you expect.''

What's interesting about the Devils is the way they accept their roles. Gomez, Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta are the skilled top line, but the No. 2 group of Travis Zajac, Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner have combined for 50 goals. John Madden, Jay Pandolfo and Sergei Brylin make up one of the finest checking lines in the league.

While the defense no longer has either Scott Stevens (retirement) or Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim), All-Star Brian Rafalski anchors a group that has surrendered a league-low 129 goals.

``We have a good feeling but we don't want to have any letdowns,'' Pandolfo said. ``We want to keep peaking and get everything squared for the playoffs. You don't want to peak too early. You want to keep building. It's nice to keep gaining points so you don't have to kill yourself towards the end of the year.''

Last year also has made the Devils wary. If they could make a late run, they know someone can do it this year.

Pittsburgh might be that team. The Penguins and young sensation Sidney Crosby, the league's leading scorer, have won 10 of 12 with two overtime losses.

``Our focus is: 'No letup.''' Langenbrunner said. ``We've got to keep getting wins to end up where we want to be - a top three spot. That's our focus.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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