Flames and Wild clash in Calgary
Hockey Betting Lines
02/28/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild will battle each other for Western Conference playoff positioning tonight, when they face off at the Saddledome.
The Flames and Wild are currently knotted at 75 points for the seventh spot in the West standings. They are also each two points behind San Jose for sixth place in the conference and two points in back of Vancouver for the Northwest Division lead.
Calgary and the Wild have split four meetings this season and the home club has won six straight and 10 of the last 12 encounters between the teams. The Flames have taken eight of the last 11 overall matchups with Minnesota and the Wild are just 0-7-1 (7 losses, 1 tie) in their last eight trips to the Saddledome.
The Wild, who are 8-2-1 in February, are aiming for their fourth consecutive victory tonight. They were last in action on Sunday against visiting Edmonton and posted a 4-1 victory. Pierre-Marc Bouchard had a goal and an assist to lead Minnesota past the Oilers at Xcel Energy Center.
Todd White, Brent Burns and Marian Gaborik each tallied markers for the Wild, while Niklas Backstrom stopped 19-of-20 shots in the win.
Minnesota made a minor deal before Tuesday's trade deadline, picking up center Dominic Moore from the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday in exchange for a third- round pick in the 2007 draft. Moore has six goals and nine assists in 59 games with the Penguins this season.
Tonight marks the beginning of a three-game road trip for the Wild, who are just 13-18-1 as the visiting club this year.
Meanwhile, the Flames are capping a three-game homestand tonight. Calgary has won four of its last five tests at the Saddledome and is an amazing 26-6-1 as the host this season.
The Flames are 2-0 on the current stand and have outscored their opponents, 12-6, in those games. They defeated Vancouver, 7-4, on Saturday before beating the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2, on Monday night.
Wayne Primeau led the way in the latest triumph, scoring two goals to help down the Coyotes. David Moss, Kristian Huselius and Andrei Zyuzin each had a goal for the Flames and Jamie McLennan made 30 saves.
Calgary tried to bolster its blueline on Tuesday by nabbing defenseman David Hale and a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third-round pick in 2007. Hale has posted one assist and 26 penalty minutes in 43 games for the Devils this season.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes and the Senators will complete a home-and-home series tonight, when they get together at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place. The Senators won the opener of this set in Raleigh on Tuesday evening, as Jason S
<< Top-25 foes meet in the Lone Star State
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-25 teams meet in a critical Big 12 tilt
this evening, as the 15th-ranked Texas Longhorns welcome the seventh-ranked
Texas A&M Aggies to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.
The Aggies are sitting
<< Vandy comes to Columbia seeking season sweep of Gamecocks
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores own sole
possession of second place in the SEC East, and they will attempt to knock
off the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road this evening.
Vanderbilt has won
<< Terps and Blue Devils square off in pivotal ACC clash
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Maryland Terrapins have earned the
24th spot in this week's AP poll, and they will attempt to upset the 14th-
ranked Duke Blue Devils this evening in ACC action.
Maryland began its five-g
<< Messier's number retired on night Oilers fall
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Joseph made 26 saves to lead the
Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-0 win over Edmonton on the night that the Oilers
retired legendary Mark Messier's No. 11 at Rexall Place.
The Oilers were completel
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams that made significant acquisitions before the trade deadline meet tonight in San Jose, as the Sharks welcome the Nashville Predators to HP Pavilion. The Predators were early birds in the annual frenzy and w
Celtics, Knickerbockers square off in Beantown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics try to make it two straight wins
this evening when they host the division-rival New York Knicks at TD Banknorth
Garden.
Boston hasn't won consecutive games since ripping off five straight wins f
76ers continue homestand vs. Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers resume a six-game homestand this
evening when they welcome the Phoenix Suns to the Wachovia Center.
Philadelphia opened the homestand with an 89-82 win over the Sacramento Kings
on Monday night.
Jazz visit Grizzlies in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Utah Jazz open a three-game
road trip this evening when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at the
FedExForum.
Utah, which owns a 9 1/2-game lead over Denver in the Northwest standin
Wizards try to turn down Heat in D.C. >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat close out a brief two-game road trip tonight
when they take on the Southeast Division-rival Washington Wizards at the
Verizon Center.
Miami has dropped three of its last four games, including Monday's
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
|
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.