Ducks try to bounce back in Columbus

Hockey Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to rebound from a loss tonight, when they play the second test of an eight-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

The Ducks became the 19th straight opponent to lose in Detroit after dropping Friday's shootout decision at Joe Louis Arena. Todd Bertuzzi supplied the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout, as the Red Wings posted a 2-1 victory to move within one game of tying the NHL record for most consecutive home wins.

For the Ducks, it marked their fourth straight game with a point (2-0-2). Anaheim needs all the points it can get down the stretch, as the team is currently 11 out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Following an exciting overtime, Bertuzzi skated in on Jonas Hiller very slowly and beat the Anaheim goaltender with a backhander. Joey MacDonald then denied Bobby Ryan to give the extra point to Detroit.

Hiller stopped 23 shots for Anaheim, while enforcer George Parros scored the Ducks' only goal in regulation. The Ducks also failed to score on seven opportunities with the man advantage.

"We think we deserved a better fate," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "But when you go 0-for-7 on the power play, you make things a lot tougher on yourself."

Anaheim's longest road trip of the season will continue on Tuesday, when it visits Minnesota. The Ducks are just 6-11-7 as the away team this season.

Despite being last in the NHL with just 38 points, Columbus has won three of its last four games and is kicking off a three-game homestand tonight.

The Blue Jackets played Saturday in Minnesota and posted a 3-1 victory over the Wild thanks in part to a two-goal performance from R.J. Umberger.

Columbus defenseman James Wisniewski -- playing in his first game after missing the previous 17 with a broken ankle -- added a goal and an assist. Although Wisniewski's return is good news, the Blue Jackets are still without defensemen Brett Lebda (broken thumb) and Marc Methot (broken jaw) for the time being and veteran blueliner Radek Martinek is out for the rest of the season with a concussion.

Rick Nash finished with two assists for the Blue Jackets, who bounced back from Thursday's home loss to Dallas. Steve Mason was solid in net, stopping 34-of-35 shots.

"Mason was great," Blue Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "It was good to see him get a win and it was a typical R.J. game, getting a goal on the power play when we needed it because we weren't playing very good hockey."

The Blue Jackets are 9-14-3 as the home club this year and will also host St. Louis and Chicago during this residency.

Columbus has won two of the three meetings against the Ducks this year and today's game marks the final encounter of the season between these clubs. Anaheim has taken three of five overall from the Blue Jackets, but Columbus has won two of its last three home tests against the Ducks.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.