12/01/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets for tonight's battle at Nationwide Arena.
The Canucks had won four in a row before being swept in a home-and-home series with the rival Calgary Flames. Vancouver was handed a 4-3 setback Thursday night in the home portion and the Flames followed with a 3-1 decision Saturday at the Saddledome.
David Moss and Matthew Lombardi scored third-period goals to lift Calgary to Saturday's win. The Flames, along with Minnesota, have 29 points and are just one point behind Vancouver for first place in Northwest Division.
Kyle Wellwood got the only tally for the Canucks, while Cory Schneider allowed all three goals on 31 shots in his first career start.
The Canucks have played three games without franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo, who is considered week-to-week with a groin injury. Curtis Sanford started the first two and the rookie Schneider, who was recalled from Manitoba of the AHL last week, had a chance to prove himself on Saturday.
Vancouver is expected to return to Sanford as the starter in goal tonight.
Tonight's test marks the second stop on a season-long seven-game road trip for the Canucks, who are 7-5-1 as the visiting team this year. Vancouver had won three straight on the road before the recent setback to Calgary.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, won for just the second time in six games with Saturday's shutout victory over visiting Washington.
Rick Nash scored twice and rookie netminder Steve Mason stopped all 26 shots he faced to record his second career shutout, as Columbus blanked the Capitals, 3-0, at Nationwide Arena.
Raffi Torres also tallied for Columbus, which went 6-4-3 in November.
Nash, who leads the Blue Jackets in goals (12) and points (21), had a strong month of November, recording points in 10 of 13 games. He finished the month with seven goals and eight assists.
Columbus is 6-5-1 as the host this year and had lost three in a row at Nationwide before beating the Caps on Saturday. After tonight, the Jackets will head out on a three-game road trip, which begins Thursday in San Jose.
The Blue Jackets beat the visiting Canucks, 4-2, in the first of four meetings between the clubs on October 21. Columbus has won three in a row and five of the last seven encounters with Vancouver.
The Canucks have been defeated in two straight and three of their last four trips to Ohio.
<< Espanyol lets go of manager Marquez
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Espanyol have sacked coach Bartolome
Marquez after a 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon left the club facing a relegation
battle at the wrong end of the La Liga table.
Marquez's side have won just three o
<< Leonardi admits crisis at Udinese
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese's general director Pietro Leonardi has
admitted that the club have slumped into a mini crisis, having lost their last
four games in Serie A.
A 1-0 home defeat by Chievo added to the pressure at the
<< Hoffenheim's Teber welcomes Bayern showdown
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim's club captain Selim Teber is
confident that his teammates will not be overawed by the prospect of a
Bundesliga title showdown at Bayern Munich.
The top two teams in Germany clash
<< Strachan promised transfer boost from Celtic board
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has
confirmed that the club's board will do all they can to back manager Gordon
Strachan in the January transfer window.
The Bhoys currently lead the SPL title
Avs aim to end Minnesota drought >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to halt a five-game losing
streak in Minnesota, where they play the Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center.
The Avalanche haven't won in Minnesota since a 2-1 shootout victory on January
6, 2007
Maple Leafs begin western swing in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It didn't take long for Brian Burke to make Toronto a
winning team. The Maple Leafs will try for their second straight win with
Burke as their general manager in tonight's test against the Los Angeles Kings
at the Staples Cen
Red Bull announces 2009 driver, crew chief lineup >>
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull Racing set its 2009 Sprint Cup
Series roster Monday with Ryan Pemberton serving as Brian Vickers' new crew
chief and Jimmy Elledge guiding Scott Speed as he runs for rookie of the year
honors.
Kiffin introduced as coach of Vols >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee made it official
Monday and formally introduced Lane Kiffin as the 21st head football coach in
school history.
"I met with all of our players last night and they are definitely
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting