Canucks end record road trip in Phoenix
Hockey Betting Lines
03/10/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The longest road trip in NHL history will come to an end
tonight when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com
Arena.
The Canucks are playing their 14th straight road game this evening, having
last played in Vancouver on January 27 -- nearly two weeks before the start of
the Winter Olympics in British Columbia.
Vancouver has a solid 8-5-0 record so far on the epic swing and had a decent
18-16-1 mark as the guest this year. The Canucks, who will kick off a five-
game homestand Saturday against Ottawa, have played much better at GM Place,
posting a 23-7-1 record on home ice this season.
The Canucks beat Colorado on Tuesday night, extending their lead atop the
Northwest Division to four points over the Avalanche. Mikael Samuelsson
recorded his first career hat trick and Jannik Hansen scored a controversial
goal late in the third period to help Vancouver rally to beat the Avalanche,
6-4, at the Pepsi Center.
Samuelsson had a four-point night, and all three of Samuelsson's tallies came
in the second period, helping the Canucks win for the fourth time in five
games. Vancouver trailed 3-0 after the first period and was down 4-1 in the
second period.
"I wish we didn't have to come back like this," Samuelsson said. "It takes the
energy away from you. You have to play the game for 60 minutes and we never
stopped. That's the good thing. We know we can do it. We got a couple of
comebacks early in the season, so that helps us confidence wise."
Hansen's game-winner came as he skated through the crease and deflected the
puck away from goaltender Craig Anderson and the disc then trickled into the
net.
Daniel Sedin had a goal and two assists, while Roberto Luongo made 23 saves in
the win.
Ryan Kesler notched a pair of assists to push his point streak to 10 games.
Only Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who is riding a club-record 17-game
point streak, has a longer current stretch in the NHL.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes will shoot for a third straight victory tonight, when
they cap a five-game homestand. Phoenix is 24-10-2 as the host this year and
will begin a four-game tour of the Southeast Division with Saturday's stop in
Carolina.
The Coyotes haven't played since Saturday when they posted an impressive
victory over Anaheim. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 32 shots for his seventh shutout
of the season to help Phoenix post a 4-0 win over the Ducks.
Wojtek Wolski had a goal and an assist while Petr Prucha, Vernon Fiddler and
Keith Yandle each lit the lamp for the Coyotes, who had lost three straight
prior to winning back-to-back outings.
"That's the best game we've played in a long time," said Phoenix head coach
Dave Tippet. "We looked like a well-oiled machine out there. There's still
work to be done but I like the way we competed tonight."
The win was Bryzgalov's 34th of the season, setting a franchise record. The
previous mark of 33 was shared by Sean Burke, Bob Essensa and Brian Hayward.
This evening's game pits two of the Western Conference's highest-seeded teams
against each other. Phoenix is currently fourth in the conference with 83
points, while Vancouver is third in the West with 84.
Phoenix has a tough road ahead if it wants to climb higher than the fourth
seed as San Jose is 10 points ahead of the Coyotes for the Pacific Division
lead.
The Coyotes and Canucks have split two meetings this year with each club
winning on home ice. Phoenix has won three of five overall in the series,
while Vancouver has lost two straight and three of its last four games in the
desert.
<< Smith cools Rangers title talk
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Grant wants decision on points penalty >>
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Totti unsure over Azzurri return >>
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Pistons' Stuckey cleared for exercise >>
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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines
Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow. Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season. Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints. These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order. As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS. The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens. The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
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