Caps and Devils complete home-and-home set

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02/25/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try for consecutive victories for the first time since early January, as they host the New Jersey Devils in the finale of a home-and-home series at Verizon Center.

The Capitals ended a five-game losing streak (0-3-2) on Saturday afternoon at the Meadowlands, notching a 4-2 win over the Devils. Brent Johnson made 29 saves and four different Washington players netted goals in the victory at Continental Airlines Arena.

Milan Jurcina, Alexander Semin, Matt Pettinger and Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Capitals, who haven't posted back-to-back victories since a three-game winning streak from January 4-9.

Washington has 58 points on the year and is second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference standings.

Tonight's game marks the beginning of a four-game homestand for the Caps, who are 14-12-5 as the host club on the year.

The Devils, meanwhile, had a three-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's game. Cam Janssen and Jay Pandolfo scored for Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey, which was coming off a home-and-home sweep of the New York Rangers earlier this week.

Martin Brodeur made 26 saves for the Devils, who had won six straight in the series before Washington's triumph on Saturday.

The Devils were again without Brian Gionta, who sat out his third straight game with a groin injury. Gionta, who has 24 goals and 42 points on the year, is expected to sit out today's game as well, but could be ready to return for Tuesday's test in Pittsburgh.

The Devils' 82 points on the season has the team seven points ahead of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic and in second place in the East.

Jersey, which is 16-11-2 away from the Meadowlands, begins a brief two-game road trip today. The Devils will also visit Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

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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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