Flyers host Devils in Atlantic Division matchup

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02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will collide this afternoon in Philadelphia, as the Flyers welcome the New Jersey Devils for a battle at the Wells Fargo Center.

This marks the fourth of six scheduled tilts between the clubs this year. The Flyers are 2-0-1 against the Devils so far and Philly has claimed five of eight and eight of the last 12 encounters in this series. New Jersey has won its last two at the Wells Fargo Center, including a 4-3 shootout decision when the teams met on Nov. 3.

The Flyers enter today as the fourth seed in the East and are also three points behind the New York Rangers for the top spot in the Atlantic. The Devils are seven points behind Philadelphia and are hanging onto the seventh seed in the East.

The Devils have won their last two games after heading into the All-Star break on a three-game slide. New Jersey's latest victory came Thursday against Montreal, as the Devils capped a six-game homestand by defeating the Canadiens, 5-3.

Zach Parise's second goal of the game snapped a 3-3 tie with 2:44 to play in the third period and David Clarkson added an empty-netter in the final minute to seal the win for the Devils. Jersey came back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 in the victory.

Clarkson had two goals and an assist, Dainius Zubrus added a goal and two assists and Martin Brodeur made 27 saves in the win.

"We started off slow and it was tough to come back from," said Clarkson. "But I think these guys showed what we're made of tonight. This was a good win."

The Devils, who are 14-10-1 as the road team this year, lost rookie defenseman Adam Larsson to a back injury on Thursday and he won't play today. Larsson -- the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft -- sustained the injury on a big hit by Montreal's P.K. Subban. Devils forward Ryan Carter also suffered a hand injury in the win over the Habs and will miss this afternoon's test.

Forward Travis Zajac (Achilles) and Adam Henrique (groin) will also sit out today's game for the Devils.

The Flyers have alternated losses and wins over their last eight games, but the club has notched a point in five straight, going 3-0-2 over that stretch. Peter Laviolette's squad posted a 4-1 decision Thursday against Nashville in the second test of a three-game homestand that will end today.

Wayne Simmonds scored twice and Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves to help the Flyers improve to 12-7-4 as the host this year.

"I don't know, I guess I like playing against them," said Simmonds, who posted four points in two games against the Predators this season. "Our line tonight did really well and the same goes for the last game as well."

Matt Read also tallied and Claude Giroux saw a lengthy goal drought ended for the Flyers, who shook off a shootout loss at home to Winnipeg on Tuesday. For Giroux, who leads Philly with 57 points, it was his first goal since Jan. 2 and his 19th of the season.

The Flyers hope to get forwards Danny Briere and James Van Riemsdyk back soon from concussions, but neither player is expected to play today. Briere is believed to be closer to returning than van Riemsdyk, but he has still yet to be cleared for contact.

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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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