No Toews again as Blackhawks host Stars
Hockey Betting Lines
02/23/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blackhawks shook off the absence of captain Jonathan Toews on Tuesday to record a tight victory over the NHL's top team. No longer do they look like a team that nearly torpedoed their season at the start of the month.
Chicago tries to match its longest winning streak of the season this evening as it hosts the Dallas Stars, but will do so minus Toews again.
The Blackhawks looked like a team that may play their way out of a postseason spot with a nine-game losing streak from Jan. 21-Feb. 14. Chicago, though, has given up just five goals while rebounding with four straight wins, getting to within three points of Nashville for the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
The club also sits 11 points back of the Red Wings for the top spot in the conference and Central Division after snapping Detroit's six-game winning streak with Tuesday's 2-1 home victory. Corey Crawford helped take the pressure off the offense with 31 saves, helping Chicago log its longest winning streak since a season-high five-game run from Dec. 8-18.
"Corey was rock solid," said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville of his goaltender. "I thought he was big, strong, he controlled rebounds. They put a lot of bodies and traffic in front, they test you on almost every shift and I thought he was excellent."
Jimmy Hayes scored versus Detroit and also set up Marcus Kruger's third-period winner. Toews sat out the game with an upper-body injury that has him day-to- day and will also hold him out of tonight's contest. Toews leads Chicago with 29 goals and is second with 57 points.
Despite the loss of Toews, winger Patrick Sharp said the locker room was still positive and upbeat.
"That's the nature of hockey, 82 games you're going to play without some players on any given night. Losing (Toews) was big, but I thought as a team we rallied around each other and I think we all stepped up," said Sharp.
The Stars also stepped up on Tuesday and avoided a third loss in a row with a 3-0 victory over the Canadiens. Kari Lehtonen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 19th of his career.
Ryan Garbutt potted his first NHL goal and Mike Ribeiro and Tom Wandell added goals. Ribeiro has eight points in his past eight games for a Stars club that had lost five of six but still sits two points back of a playoff spot.
"We were desperate, but I think we had a better start to the game," said Lehtonen, who stopped 14 shots in the second period. "In the first, we were playing very well and that set the tone. It kept their fans quiet and that helped a lot."
Dallas played a third straight game with Jamie Benn because of a leg laceration, while Sheldon Souray has sat out the past seven due to a foot injury. Benn is doubtful for tonight, but Souray is expected to return.
Jake Dowell, meanwhile, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday because of an upper-body issue, with fellow forward Matt Fraser being recalled from the minors.
Dallas had won four straight over the Blackhawks before dropping a 5-2 decision in Chicago on Oct. 8 to split a home-and-home series. It was the Blackhawks' eighth victory over the Stars in the past 11 encounters in Chicago.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lightning aren't letting the selling off of a few a parts impact their playoff push. Tampa Bay opens up a three-game road trip on Thursday night looking for a fourth straight victory as it takes on the Winnipeg Jets.
<< Blues face quick turnaround against Predators
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a rare loss at home, the Blues don't have much
time to figure out what went wrong. St. Louis gets right back in action
tonight and tries to avoid a fifth straight loss to the Nashville Predators.
The Blues carri
<< Canucks set to challenge Red Wings' home record
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting pushed below the .500 mark on the road in
their last game, the Detroit Red Wings will try to extend the longest home
winning streak in NHL history when they host the Vancouver Canucks at Joe
Louis Arena in tonig
<< Panthers bring fresh legs into meeting with Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Florida Panthers will try to avoid matching
their longest losing streak of the season when they welcome the Minnesota Wild
for tonight's encounter at BankAtlantic Center.
Florida is 0-3 at the start of a fo
<< Ducks close out successful swing at Hurricanes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to close out a successful road
trip on a positive note when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes for tonight's
interconference battle at RBC Center.
The Ducks are 4-1-2 so far on an eight-game trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An excellent February has helped get Phoenix into a share of first place in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes try to keep that run going this evening against a team that just had a successful run of its own come to an end as
Flyers seek first victory at Edmonton in 11 years >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers hope that their latest victory can
shake them out of their near month-long slump. They'll look to win at Edmonton
for the first time in almost 11 years as they battle the Oilers.
The Flyers kicked o
Sharks aim to get on track versus Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling clubs will try to get back in the win
column tonight, as the San Jose Sharks visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for a
clash at Air Canada Centre.
The Sharks have been floundering on the road, posting a 1-4-
Heat try to halt the Lin-sanity >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have received plenty of attention thanks to
a star-studded lineup. With a squad that tries to blow the opposition out of
the building on any given day, the Heat look to deflate the recent surge the
New Yor
Hawks, Magic clash at Philips Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have to be thrilled the All-Star break is
right around the corner and they're one of the teams that could use the rest.
Heading into this weekend's break won't be easy, however, with the Southeast
Divis
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.