11/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though their six-game road trip got off to a good start, the Chicago Blackhawks face a stiffer challenge tonight, as they try to record a rare road win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
The Blackhawks have lost 10 of their last 11 on the road versus the Stars and have been outscored 31-18 over the last six meetings (5-1-0) in Dallas.
Though Chicago has won five of the last eight overall against Dallas, including a 5-2 home win back on October 31, the Stars have earned a point in 17 of the past 21 meetings, going 15-3-1 with a tie in that span.
That means the Blackhawks have their work cut out for them, as they continue their lengthy road trip tonight due to the circus being in the Windy City. Chicago began the trek on Tuesday with a 3-2 shootout win in Phoenix, getting extra-session goals from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, meanwhile, stopped both skaters he faced in the shootout.
Sharp scored his team-leading 10th goal in regulation for Chicago, while rookie Kris Versteeg helped his club halt a three-game losing streak by also lighting the lamp. He is second among freshman skaters in scoring with 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) and has four goals and four helpers over his last seven games.
Khabibulin stopped 36-of-38 shots for the win, which improved Chicago to 2-3-1 on the road this season.
Cristobal Huet is likely to start tonight if Chicago keeps its goaltending rotation in effect. However, he is only 0-1-0 with two ties and a 1.54 goals against average in three games against the Stars, while Khabibulin is 14-14-1 with a pair of ties and a 2.77 GAA. He halted 21-of-23 shots faced in the win on Halloween night.
For the Stars, they return home after a 3-2 win in Phoenix on Saturday, and should debut defenseman Darryl Sydor tonight. Sydor was acquired from Pittsburgh on Sunday for fellow blueliner Philippe Boucher after notching a goal and an assist in eight games with Pittsburgh.
Sydor shouldn't need much time to get used to Dallas, as it is his third stint with the club. The 36-year-old returns to the Stars after spending 1995-2003 and 2006-07 with them, winning a Stanley Cup championship in 1999.
Dallas hopes he can help a defense that has allowed 61 goals this year, one of the highest totals in the NHL.
That wasn't the case versus the Coyotes, as Marty Turco made 25 saves in the win. Loui Eriksson scored two goals and Mike Ribeiro collected three assists.
Mark Parrish found the back of the net for Dallas, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in its last seven games (2-4-1).
Turco, meanwhile, did not start versus Chicago in late October but is 14-2-0 with a tie and 1.78 GAA against the club lifetime.
The Stars are 2-2-2 at home this year and host Anaheim on Saturday.
<< Gators and Thunderbirds get together in Gainesville
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Florida Gators seek their
seventh straight 3-0 start to a season, as they welcome the Southern Utah
Thunderbirds to Gainesville for a non-conference matchup at the Stephen C.
O'Connell Center.
<< Bruins battle Wolverines in the Big Apple
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins are set to take
on the Michigan Wolverines in semifinal action of the 2K Sports Classic
Benefiting Coaches vs. Classic from Madison Square Garden this evening. The
winner of this gam
<< Tigers tangle with Mocs in Puerto Rico Tip-Off
San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers and the
Chattanooga Mocs have traveled to San Juan for the opening round of the Puerto
Rico Tip-Off.
Chattanooga, which competes in the Southern Conference, has certainly
challe
<< Blue Devils take on Salukis in Madison Square Garden
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils and Southern
Illinois Salukis have made the trek to the Big Apple, for semifinal action in
the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer from famed Madison Square
Garden. Th
Ovechkin, Caps try to stay hot in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Needless to say, Washington's Alex Ovechkin has put his
slow start behind him. The NHL's reigning leading scorer with aim to extend
his point streak to six games tonight, as the Capitals visit the Los Angeles
Kings and the St
Bengals deactivate WR Johnson for Steelers game >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals deactivated wide
receiver Chad Johnson for their Thursday night game against the division rival
Steelers for violation of a team rule.
After a season of relative calm for th
Devils aim for consecutive wins in test against Panthers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will try to post back-to-back wins
for the first time in nearly a month when they welcome the Florida Panthers
for tonight's meeting at the Prudential Center.
The Devils ended a four-game losing strea
Thrashers, Pens both try to get back in win column >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams who recently had long winning streaks
snapped will meet tonight in Atlanta, as the Thrashers welcome the Pittsburgh
Penguins to Philips Arena.
The Penguins had won six straight before being dealt a shootout
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting