Blackhawks try to stop slide in Edmonton

Hockey Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The return of two of Chicago's top forwards wasn't enough to halt the club's losing streak last time out and the Blackhawks will try to avoid matching their longest skid of the season tonight when they visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.

The Blackhawks have lost three straight for the fourth time this year and another setback tonight will tie Chicago's season-high skid that lasted from Jan. 2-8. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both returned from injuries on Tuesday, but that couldn't prevent the Blackhawks from dropping an overtime decision in Vancouver.

The recent slump has dropped the Blackhawks into a tie with St. Louis for the fifth seed in the West and third in the Central Division. Chicago is still only four points behind Detroit for first in the division as well as the top seed in the West.

The Blackhawks have lost two of three against the Oilers this season and Chicago was thoroughly embarrassed the last time it visited Edmonton. The Oilers slammed the visiting Hawks by a 9-2 score back on Nov. 19, as Taylor Hall notched a hat trick. Ray Emery started in net for Chicago, but was pulled after surrendering seven goals on 27 shots.

The Oilers, who are seeded 14th out of 15 teams in the West, have won four of the last seven meetings with Chicago. The Blackhawks had won six straight in Edmonton before getting routed back in November.

The Blackhawks have lost their last four road games and were dealt an overtime setback Tuesday in Vancouver. The 3-2 setback kicked off a nine-game road trip for Chicago, which is 10-9-3 on the road this year compared to a 19-6-4 mark in the Windy City. The current swing is tied for the longest stretch of consecutive road games in franchise history.

Daniel Sedin scored 3:37 into OT to give the Canucks the win over Chicago on the first night of NHL action following the All-Star break. Jamal Mayers and Viktor Stalberg scored for the Blackhawks, while Corey Crawford made 30 saves in the loss.

"I felt like we definitely played well enough to win tonight," said Crawford. "It's definitely frustrating."

Toews had missed one game before the break with an upper-body injury and had one assist and five shots on net in Tuesday's loss. Sharp failed to record a point in his first game back from an eight-game absence due to a wrist injury.

The Oilers posted a 4-7-2 record in January, but they did win two of three to close the month. Edmonton posted a 3-2 win Tuesday against visiting Colorado, as Taylor Hall's goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner.

"It was nice to get that one and hold on in the end. Nice to get the win," Hall said.

Eric Belanger and Jordan Eberle also lit the lamp for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for the win.

Oilers rookie forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is close to returning from a left shoulder injury that he suffered in Chicago on Jan. 2, but he isn't expected to play tonight. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 draft is leading all rookies with 35 points despite missing the last 12 games.

Edmonton is 13-8-3 as the host this year and is playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight. The Oilers will complete the residency Saturday against Detroit.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

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