Blackhawks visit Flyers in afternoon clash

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the top teams in the Western Conference will head to the East Coast today as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Philadelphia Flyers for an afternoon battle at Wachovia Center.

The Blackhawks have 93 points on the year, placing them first in the Central Division and two points behind San Jose for the conference lead. With a 14- point lead over Nashville, Chicago is likely headed to its first division title since the 1992-93 campaign.

Chicago dropped a 5-4 regulation decision last Sunday against Detroit but bounced back with Wednesday's close victory over the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Patrick Sharp opened the scoring early in the contest and lit the lamp 2:08 into overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 win in the final test of a four-game homestand at United Center.

An ill-timed turnover by Kings forward Brad Richardson in the neutral zone set up the game-winning tally. Dave Bolland picked up the puck and quickly dished to Sharp, who beat Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick on a breakaway for his 21st goal of the season.

"There are a lot of games left. We just want to build as the playoffs come," Sharp said.

Kris Versteeg had the other goal for Chicago and Patrick Kane added an assist to push his point streak to nine game. Antti Niemi made 28 saves to pick up the win, Chicago's seventh in its last nine games.

The Blackhawks are 18-10-3 as the visiting team this year and, beginning with today's tilt, are playing four of their next five games on the road. Chicago will host Washington Sunday afternoon at United Center.

Cristobal Huet is expected to get the start in goal tonight and Niemi will return to the crease in Sunday's game against the Capitals.

Meanwhile, the Flyers come into today still very much in a fight for a playoff spot. With 74 points, Philadelphia is tied with Montreal for the sixth seed out of eight postseason berths in the East.

Philadelphia was dealt a decisive loss by visiting Boston on Thursday, marking just the second regulation loss for the Flyers in 10 games (7-2-1). Tuukka Rask stopped 31-of-32 shots and Patrice Bergeron added a goal and two assists to lead the Bruins to the 5-1 rout of the Flyers.

Jeff Carter recorded the lone goal for the Flyers, whose two-game win streak came to an end.

"We've been not playing the greatest (lately), and I think we've been getting away with it on the power play and scoring timely goals," said Flyers captain Mike Richards. "But tonight we got what we deserved."

Starter Michael Leighton was tagged for four goals on 25 shots in 31-plus minutes. Brian Boucher finished the game with 11 stops, but Leighton is likely to get the start today. Boucher could earn the start in Sunday's game versus the New York Rangers.

Today's test marks the end of a four-game homestand for the Flyers, who are 20-12-2 as the host this year. Philadelphia's test against the Rangers on Sunday kicks off a four-game road trip.

This afternoon's tilt marks the only regular season meeting between the Blackhawks and Flyers this year. Chicago pounded the visiting Flyers, 5-1, last year, ending Philadelphia's six-game winning streak in the series. The Blackhawks come into today with losses in their last seven games in the City of Brotherly Love.

Wwwintelihealth Hockey Betting News

<< Panthers shoot for rare victory over Sharks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida needs all the victories it can muster from now until the end of the season to even have a chance at making the playoffs. The Panthers could have a tough time getting a win today, when they visit the mighty San Jose Sh

<< Leach faces James in Texas Tech lawsuit deposition
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -Mike Leach is sitting across from his accuser as Craig James gives sworn testimony in the former coach's lawsuit against Texas Tech.James, whose complaint of mistreatment of his son led to Leach's firing, declined to comment Sat

<< UNLV knocks off BYU to reach Mountain West title game
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tre'Von Willis finished with 18 points and made critical free throws down the stretch, as UNLV upended No. 14 BYU, 70-66, to reach the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Willis

<< McDonald plays role of sage for young Blue Jays
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -Becoming a coach isn't on John McDonald's radar just yet, but while he's playing he enjoys being a mentor to his fellow Toronto Blue Jays infielders.``I would hope the younger players would use a player like me as a source of kno

<< Oregon QB Masoli suspended for 2010 after burglary
Just 10 weeks ago the future couldn't have looked brighter for Oregon football.Sure, the Ducks had just lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but the team was back in Pasadena for the first time since 1995. And Oregon was going into the 2010 season a

Hawks welcome Pistons to Dixie >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff bound Atlanta Hawks return to the cozy confines of Philips Arena Saturday to take on a Detroit Pistons team headed for the NBA Draft Lottery. The Hawks salvaged the finale of their recent three-game road trip o

Surging Magic continue push towards postseason, visit Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lowly Washington Wizards will continue playing out the string tonight when they host Eastern Conference power Orlando. The Wizards lost their sixth straight game last night in Auburn Hills when Will Bynum provided a sp

Nuggets press on without Karl in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets continue their push to the postseason without head coach George Karl tonight against a desperate Memphis Grizzlies team. The Nuggets played without Karl, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy to

Spurs shoot for 16th straight win over Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are quite a few rivalries in the NBA but don't count the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers among them. A rivalry generally contains a little give-and-take or back-and-forth. When the Spurs and Clippers get t

Mavs aim to push win streak to 14 vs. Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Dallas Mavericks will try to stretch their season-high winning streak to 14 games tonight when they resume a four-game homestand against the woeful New York Knicks. Dallas kept its longest winning streak of the

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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.


MySportsbook.com, Online Sportsbook and Casino, is celebrating our 9th football season online since our launch in 1997. MySportsbook.com has experienced exponential growth, having taken over $8 billion in Sports and Casino Wagers since we opened our doors.

This year we will accept over $3 billion in wagers. Tens of thousands of winning wagers are created daily for the 300,000 people that have joined our website. In August of 2005, MySportsbook.com was acquired by Sportingbet, a UK company which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Combined, MySportsbook.com and Sportingbet easily form the world's largest internet sportsbook company and one of the internet's most profitable companies. The acquisition has provided for added transparency and accountability to MySportsbook.com customers and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. Our business is audited by BDO Stoy Hayward, one of the largest auditing firms in London, and our accounts are published quarterly on the London Exchange. We encourage you to take a look around and truly hope you enjoy your experience.

Through advertising deals with the top handicapping sites in the world, MySportsbook.com reaches a global audience and is one of the most commonly visited gaming spots on the Internet.

MySportsbook.com offers the largest selection of casino games and sporting wagers on the Internet. We believe that an educated player is a more responsible gambler, thus we provide you with all of the latest news and handicapping information. MySportsbook.com is your ultimate destination for gaming information and wagering. You can start by signing up in the Casino or Sportsbook. Once you sign up you can use your same login in either the casino or Sportsbook. So do it now and start winning serious money Today!

If at any time you have a question, we have numerous people waiting to help you, so don't be afraid to call our customer service department. We do not take any telephone wagers but we can certainly answer any questions you may have about our service.

MySportsbook.com is officially licensed in Antigua as a preferred licensee recognized by the Directorate of offshore gaming of Antigua and Barbuda.

What more could you ask for from an Online Sportsbook?