12/04/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks' incredible start to the season has been matched just once in league history. The club looks to extend that start tonight versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team it has dominated at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks 5-2 victory over Toronto on Tuesday improved their record to 21-3-1 this season and they lead the NHL with 43 points. Only the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens, led by Maurice "Rocket" Richard, have posted as many points (43) over the first 25 games in league history, going 20-2-3 on the way to a 38-5-7 overall record and their fifth Stanley Cup title.
In Tuesday's record-tying win, the Sharks scored four goals in the first period, with Joe Thornton factoring in on all the tallies. Thornton had a goal and three assists in the frame to tie a franchise record for most points in a period.
Thornton will hit another franchise milestone tonight, as he will play in his 248th straight game with the Sharks once he hits the ice. He is currently tied with Vincent Damphousse for the team's all-time ironman mark.
Devin Setoguchi, Dan Boyle, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the red-hot Sharks, who won their season-high eighth consecutive game. Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves in the victory, which came against former coach and current Toronto head coach Ron Wilson. Wilson was fired this past offseason and is the team's all-time leader in wins with 206.
The Sharks haven't won nine straight games since their club-record 11-game win streak set from February 21-March 14 of last season with Wilson at the helm.
San Jose won the opener of its season-high five-game homestand and remains the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss at home this season (13-0-1).
That likely won't change tonight, as the Sharks are 14-0-1 all-time at home versus Columbus, with the lone blemish being a 3-2 overtime loss on January 8, 2004. That includes a 5-2 win at HP Pavilion over the Blue Jackets on October 14, their fourth straight overall against Columbus.
Nabokov is 15-4-0 with a 1.66 goals against average and three shutouts lifetime versus the Blue Jackets.
Columbus will have something it didn't have in that last meeting though -- goaltender Steve Mason. Mason was selected as the top rookie for November after going 5-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and two shutouts in eight starts during the month.
He didn't slow down to start December, making 30 saves in Monday's 3-2 win over Vancouver. Tonight will mark his first-career start versus the Sharks.
Kristian Huselius scored the game-winning goal with 4:44 left in the third period and assisted on another score in the win. Andrew Murray and Fredrik Modin also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won their second straight game after posting just two wins over their previous seven games. Rick Nash notched two assists.
The Blue Jackets begin a three-game road trip tonight against Pacific Division residents. They are 4-5-2 as the visiting team this year and will also face Los Angeles and Anaheim on the trek.
<< Avs take trip to Nashville without Sakic
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will continue a three-game road trip
tonight without their captain, as they travel to Nashville to take on the
Predators at the Sommet Center.
Colorado begin its swing with a 6-5 win in Minnesota on
<< Red Wings try to solve Canucks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No matter who has been in goal for the Canucks, they have
already handed the Red Wings a pair of defeats this year. Vancouver and
Detroit wrap their season series tonight in Motown at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings have lo
<< Goaltender controversy brewing as Panthers host Sabres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida's solid play as of late is creating a goaltending
controversy in Sunrise. Craig Anderson, and not Tomas Vokoun, will be in net
tonight when the Panthers host the Buffalo Sabres at BankAtlantic Center.
The Panthers
<< Hurricanes begin second Maurice era with home test versus Pens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will begin a second era with Paul
Maurice as their head coach when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at
RBC Center.
The Hurricanes announced the coaching change on Wednesday, replacing Peter
Flyers, Devils renew rivalry in City of Brotherly Love >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An intense rivalry between Atlantic Division combatants is
on tap tonight in Philadelphia, as the Flyers welcome the New Jersey Devils to
the Wachovia Center.
The Flyers have won seven of their last nine games, while New J
Caps aim to get on track versus Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Washington Capitals will try to avoid a
third straight loss when they invite the New York Islanders for tonight's
battle at the Verizon Center.
The Capitals, who lead the Southeast Division with 29 points, h
Mighty Bruins visit struggling Lightning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off an amazing month, the powerful Boston Bruins will
play their first game of December when they visit the struggling Tampa Bay
Lightning for tonight's test at St. Pete Times Forum.
The Bruins caught the attention o
Caps recall Aucoin >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals have recalled center
Keith Aucoin from their AHL affiliate in Hershey.
Aucoin, an eighth-year pro with 53 games of NHL experience, leads the AHL in
scoring this season with 36 poi
Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back
With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."
Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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