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Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks

Hockey Betting Lines

02/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre.

The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak, but have won two of three since pulling off a pair of trades last Sunday to acquire goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and defenseman Dion Phaneuf from Anaheim and Calgary, respectively.

Phaneuf has started quietly, with just one assist in three games with the Leafs, but Giguere has been a revelation in net for Toronto. The veteran backstop is 2-0 with the Maple Leafs and has yet to allow a goal in posting a pair of shutouts with his new team.

Giguere stopped 30 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 home win over New Jersey, and after sitting out Friday's road game against the Devils, posted another shutout in Saturday's meeting with visiting Ottawa. Giguere once again stopped 30 shots as Toronto brought the Senators' 11-game win streak to a screeching halt with a dominant 5-0 victory at Air Canada Centre.

Giguere, a former Conn Smythe winner with the Ducks, has three shutouts on the season and 34 in his career. The 32-year-old is the first goalie in Maple Leafs history to record shutouts in his first two games with the team, and he is expected to get a crack at a third straight blanking when he gets the start again tonight.

"It's a young man's game; when you get into your 30's, you're getting old," said the 32-year-old Giguere. "It's nice to have those young guys, it's refreshing. They have a lot of energy, they're youthful. They'll make mistakes, but they're honest mistakes. We can all accept that. It's a learning process for everybody, but right now everybody is very focused."

Phil Kessel and Luke Schenn each scored twice and had an assist for the Maple Leafs. Tyler Bozak also scored for Toronto.

The Maple Leafs, who are tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 49 points, are just 11-12-5 as the host this year, but have won three of their last five at ACC.

San Jose, meanwhile, comes into tonight as the top team in the West with 85 points and trails Washington by just three points for most in the NHL. The Sharks have won two straight and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 outings.

The Sharks have won the first two tests of a six-game road trip that will take them into the NHL's Olympic break. San Jose earned wins in St. Louis and Nashville to improve its road mark to 19-6-2 on the season.

San Jose posted a 4-3 decision in the Music City on Saturday, as Dany Heatley's power-play goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner at Nashville's Sommet Center.

Heatley finished with two goals and an assist while Rob Blake and Brad Staubitz each lit the lamp for the Sharks. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 35 shots in the win.

"The ice was bad, the puck was bouncing a little bit," Heatley said. "There were a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, we took advantage of a couple of power plays."

Tonight marks the only scheduled meeting of the season between the Sharks and Leafs. San Jose notched a 5-2 home victory in the lone encounter between the teams in 2008-09 and has won three straight in the series. Each team has three wins and a tie in the seven last matchups held in Toronto.

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Avs resume homestand with visit from Blues >>
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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

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