Predators, Blues clash in St. Louis

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12/29/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators will try to get back on the right track when they visit the St. Louis Blues tonight in a Central Division battle at Scottrade Center.

The Predators had won four straight and six of seven before losing their last three outings. The two most recent setbacks came in a home-and-home series against Chicago, which has opened an eight-point lead over Nashville for the division lead.

Nashville dropped a 4-1 home decision Saturday against the Blackhawks and were edged 5-4 in regulation the following night in Chicago. The home-and-home set was the final scheduled meeting between the divisional rivals this year. Chicago won the season series by taking four of the six matchups.

The Preds held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period of Sunday's game, but Chicago scored three unanswered goals to grab a 4-2 edge. Nashville would tie the game at 4-4, but Patrick Kane scored the game-winning goal for the Blackhawks with 43.4 seconds left in regulation.

Cody Franson had a goal and an assist for the Predators, who lost for the first time this season when leading after two periods (13-1-0). Dan Hamhuis, Marcel Goc and Martin Erat each had a goal in defeat, while Dan Ellis allowed five goals on 29 shots.

"A lot of credit to the guys on our team. We had all the reason to start doubting ourselves after they scored two quick ones," Hamhuis said. "We were resilient, we came back and scored a couple goals, and it was good for us."

Sunday's contest began a three-game road trip for the Predators, who are 10-7-2 as the visiting club this season. Nashville will complete the swing Thursday in Columbus.

The Blues, meanwhile, come into tonight off back-to-back losses and were downed Sunday night by visiting Buffalo. Tim Connolly and Mike Grier each notched a pair of scores as Buffalo used a three-goal third period to get past St. Louis, 5-3, at Scottrade Center.

Alex Steen scored twice and Eric Brewer once for the Blues, who had won three straight before losing their last two tilts. Ty Conklin suffered the loss and was tagged for all five goals on 24 shots.

Blues winger Paul Kariya is expected to miss tonight's game after getting elbowed in the head by Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta on Sunday. Kariya, who has eight goals and 19 points this year, is considered to be day-to-day with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.

St. Louis has lost two straight and six of its last seven as the host and is playing the second segment of a four-game homestand tonight. The Blues are just 6-12-2 at their home rink this season.

Nashville and the Blues have split two meetings so far this year with each team posting a 3-1 victory on the road. The Predators have taken three of five meetings, but St. Louis still has five victories in the last eight matchups. Nashville has won two in a row and four of its last six in the Gateway City.

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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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