Caps hope to stay in first as they battle Jets

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02/09/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Washington Capitals will try to post consecutive wins for the first time in over three weeks when they host the Winnipeg Jets tonight at Verizon Center.

The Capitals posted a big win Tuesday against visiting Florida, as the 4-0 victory allowed Washington to vault one point ahead of the Panthers for first place in the Southeast Division. Even though the Caps are leading the Southeast, the club would like to go on a run since it hasn't posted back-to- back victories since a three-game run from Jan. 11-15.

Washington used Alex Ovechkin's first points since serving a three-game suspension in late January to notch the win over Florida. Ovechkin scored twice to give him 22 goals on the season and Tomas Vokoun made 42 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and 48th of his career.

Mathieu Perreault and Jason Chimera also scored for the Capitals, who are 3-3-2 in their last eight games. Perreault scored just 13 seconds into the game and Ovechkin's first tally made it 2-0 before the end of the opening period.

"We got two quick goals on them and they had to play a different game," said Caps head coach Dale Hunter. "It ended up being the advantage for us."

Tonight's tilt marks the close of a three-game homestand for Washington, which is 19-7-1 in D.C. this year compared to a 9-14-3 mark on the road. After this evening, the Caps will play five of their next six away from the Verizon Center.

The Jets enter tonight just four points behind Washington for first place in the Southeast and Winnipeg is also five back of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Winnipeg ended a two-game slide and won for the third time in five games with Tuesday's 2-1 regulation win over visiting Toronto. Bryan Little scored the eventual game-winning goal for the Jets midway through the second period and Winnipeg held on for the close victory at MTS Centre.

Chris Thorburn also lit the lamp for the Jets, while Ondrej Pavelec needed to make just 17 saves for the win.

The game also marked the return of Jets forward Evander Kane, who missed the previous seven games with a concussion. Kane leads Winnipeg with 18 goals this year, but he failed to register a shot on goal in nearly 14 minutes of ice time against the Leafs.

Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian left Tuesday's game briefly with a wrist injury before returning and is expected to play tonight.

Like the Capitals, Winnipeg has done most of its damage at home this year, boasting a 16-8-2 mark at the MTS Centre and a 9-16-4 record on the road. The Jets will visit Pittsburgh on Saturday before returning to Winnipeg to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

The Jets are 1-1-1 against Washington this year after they won the final three meetings of last year's season series while they were still known as the Atlanta Thrashers. The Jets/Thrashers franchise has lost 10 of its last 11 games in D.C.

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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.

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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."

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