Sliding Blackhawks make a stop in Calgary
Hockey Betting Lines
02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has not gotten its club record-tying road trip off to the best of starts and a trip to Calgary may not be the remedy it is looking for.
The Blackhawks try to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss overall and seventh on the road as they visit a Flames club that continues to struggle scoring at home.
Chicago is playing the third of nine in a row on the road, losing an overtime test in Vancouver on Tuesday prior to last night's 8-4 defeat in Edmonton. The Blackhawks are 0-4-2 in their past six away from Chicago overall and haven't won as the guest since Dec. 14.
It was a one-man show in Edmonton last night, with the Oilers' Sam Gagner matching an Oiler record with eight points off four goals and four assists. He tied a mark held by greats Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
"What can you say about a game like that," said Chicago forward Patrick Sharp. "That guy (Gagner) had the magic touch tonight."
Sharp's touch wasn't too bad either as he logged a pair of goals, one shorthanded, while Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland also scored in defeat. Chicago has dropped nine of its past 14 overall to slip six points behind Detroit for first place in the Central Division.
The Blackhawks will hope to avoid posting their first five-game slide since March 13-20, 2009 and will look for better goaltending this evening. Starter Corey Crawford was pulled in the third after allowing five goals on 28 shots, while Ray Emery yielded three tallies on 13 shots.
Chicago also lost forward Andrew Brunette with an upper-body injury.
Calgary will be looking to salvage the finale of a three-game homestand following losses to San Jose and Detroit. After getting shut out by the Sharks prior to the All-Star break, the Flames were dealt a 3-1 loss by the Red Wings on Tuesday.
Michael Cammalleri had the lone goal for Calgary, which has lost four of six overall and sits five points out of a playoff spot.
"We had some darn good opportunities and we didn't capitalize," said Calgary head coach Brent Sutter. "It's not like we're not getting opportunities and we had three or four quality scoring chances where we missed the net and didn't even get a rebound out of it."
Miikka Kiprusoff matched Mike Vernon's club record for games played by a goaltender with 526, a mark he will likely break this evening. He gave up three goals on 25 shots in Tuesday's loss.
Calgary also lost a key forward on Tuesday, with Lee Stempniak suffering a high ankle sprain that will keep him out of action for approximately six weeks.
The Flames have been held to just 55 goals at home this year, tied with Columbus for the fewest in the league, but did log a 5-2 home win over the Blackhawks back on Nov. 18.
Chicago, though, has a pair of home victories over the Flames this season as well and has won 12 of the past 15 encounters overall despite a three-game slide in Calgary.
Marian Hossa has logged a pair of goals and three assists versus the Flames this year, with teammates Sharp and Jonathan Toews adding four assists each.
Curtis Glencross and Olli Jokinen have logged five points each for Calgary versus Chicago this season, but Glencross has missed the past four games with a left MCL ailment.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The much-improved Pacers will shoot for a season-high fourth straight win Friday when they visit Big D to take on their former coach, Rick Carlisle, and the reigning NBA champion Mavericks. Indiana opened a br
<< Welcome back: Sens finally return home to battle Isles
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators hope their first home game in nearly
three weeks can get them back in the win column, as the All-Star hosts welcome
the New York Islanders for tonight's battle at Scotiabank Place.
The Senators, who sta
<< Belichick: No setbacks for Gronkowski
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots head coach Bill
Belichick told the media on Friday that tight end Rob Gronkowski had no
setbacks after practicing on a limited basis Thursday.
Gronkowski's left ankle ha
<< Magic take on Cavs in central Florida
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic try to string back-to-back wins together
this evening when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to town to wrap up a
brief two-game homestand at Amway Center.
Orlando snapped its season-high four-g
<< Knicks and Celtics renew rivalry at TD Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony has battled with injuries and losing
streaks since helping the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics in a much-
anticipated matchup on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony scored 17 of his 37
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-December when they host the Winnipeg Jets for tonight's clash at BankAtlantic Center. The Panthers lost their last game before the All-Sta
Thunder, Grizzlies collide in OKC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Thunder make a quick stop back in Oklahoma City
searching for their sixth straight win tonight in the Sooner State when they
play host to the Memphis Grizzlies.
OKC, which has an NBA-best 17-4 record, is in t
Rested Blues aim to snap Kings' win streak >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested St. Louis Blues will try to avoid just
their second three-game losing streak under Ken Hitchcock when they host the
Los Angeles Kings tonight at Scottrade Center.
All in all, the Blues posted a terrific 8-1
Sixers try to solve Heat in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers may not possess the star power that
Miami Heat bring to the court, but they have been every bit as good as their
much-hyped counterparts in the early going this season.
Tonight, the Sixers eye a fift
Lowly Blue Jackets visit Ducks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets' disappointing season may have
hit a new low point on Wednesday. They hope the return of sniper Jeff Carter
can help turn things around this evening in the finale of a six-game road trip
against the
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.