East playoff race will bring joy to some, heartache to others
Hockey Betting Lines
03/21/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Battling for the last few playoff berths in the NHL is like a cruel version of musical chairs because when the music stops somebody is always left disappointed.
In the NHL's case, the music ends on April 8, when the regular season draws to a close, but unlike the children's game mentioned above, losing out in a playoff race can lead to heartache for millions of hockey fans all over North America.
This year will be no different, as some fans prepare for the excitement of a playoff series or more, others are forced to accept the club's fate and begrudgingly enter the offseason.
The major race this year happens to be for the final spots in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and with less than three weeks left in the regular season, it's still anybody's guess who will be in the postseason.
Buffalo is the only team to clinch a playoff berth in the East, but the next four clubs (New Jersey, Atlanta, Ottawa and Pittsburgh) are in excellent shape to join the Sabres.
However, after the fifth-place Penguins, it's anybody's guess who will get into the second season. As of Tuesday (March 20), Tampa Bay is the sixth seed with 84 points, but the 11th-place New York Islanders are just five points behind the Lightning.
The Lightning could conceivably miss the postseason, but they do have a possible divisional title working in their favor. Tampa Bay is still within striking distance of Southeast Division-leading Atlanta and, therefore, is not far from a spot in the conference's top three seeds.
While Tampa has the benefit of a close division race on its side, the next five clubs are still trying to find an advantage over their fellow suitors.
This is how the Eastern Conference standings read coming into Wednesday's action, the Rangers are seventh in the conference with 81 points, Carolina, Montreal and Toronto are all tied with 80, and the Isles are right there with 79 points.
Now, predicting the final two seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year may be an exercise in futility, but let's give it a shot anyway.
Of the five teams within two points of each other mentioned above, the Rangers are the most likely to make the postseason. The Blueshirts were not the obvious choice when leading goal-scorer Brendan Shanahan went down with a nasty concussion on February 17, but after a slow start without their power forward, the Rangers were able to weather the storm.
With Shanahan returning and captain Jaromir Jagr hitting his stride, the Rangers are poised to finish strong over the last few weeks and secure a playoff bid for the Madison Square Garden faithful.
The next club in line to fill out the postseason landscape in my estimation is the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, even though No. 1 goaltender and last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward is sidelined with a laceration above the left knee. It is uncertain when Ward, who has been out since March 11, will have the stitches removed and when he can take his spot between the pipes.
However, the 'Canes still have an excellent captain in Rod Brind'Amour and more than enough talent to get into the playoffs.
As for the Maple Leafs, Canadiens and Islanders, although I didn't pick them as favorites to make the postseason, there are many reasons why they could make it.
Toronto is getting healthier with the imminent return of defenseman Tomas Kaberle and the last time I checked the Leafs still had Mats Sundin, otherwise known as "Captain Clutch".
The Canadiens have been stung by the loss of starting goaltender Cristobal Huet (left hamstring surgery) for the remainder of the regular season. However, if either veteran netminder David Aebischer or rookie backstop Jaroslav Halak get hot in the last few weeks, it could be the Habs getting one of the eight seeds.
As for the Islanders, they have dropped four straight since enforcer Chris Simon was officially suspended for the rest of the season, but the deadline trade for sniper Ryan Smyth could still wind up making a difference. Smyth, who was acquired from Edmonton for a draft pick and two prospects, has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) through his first nine games with New York and may get even better as he plays more with his new club.
With these five teams so close to each other it is easy to forget about Florida and Boston, who come into Wednesday four and six points behind the Isles, respectively. However, the difficulty in leapfrogging a handful of teams at the stage of the season has been well documented and the Panthers and Bruins will likely be left out in the cold.
It's still anybody's guess who will fill out these final slots in the East, but fans should temper their enthusiasm because a key win one day could lead to a crushing loss the next. But, the teams that put it all together in these closing weeks to get into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth will have all the more reason to celebrate.
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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt
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
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