Blackhawks hope to get on track versus Flames

Hockey Betting Lines

01/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a home-and-home sweep at the hands of a division rival -- including a setback in the 2009 Winter Classic -- the Chicago Blackhawks will try to get back on track tonight against the Calgary Flames at the United Center.

Chicago had plenty of momentum heading into its two-game set with the Detroit Red Wings, but after having a franchise-record nine-game winning streak end with a 4-0 loss in Motown last Tuesday, the Blackhawks dropped a 6-4 test to Detroit in Thursday's New Year's Day clash at Wrigley Field.

Playing outdoors in the stadium that usually houses the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, Kris Versteeg, Martin Havlat and Ben Eager all scored first- period goals to stake the Blackhawks to an early 3-1 lead, but the Red Wings netted the next five tallies to claim the win.

Havlat had a goal and two assists, and Versteeg ended with a goal and one assist for Chicago, which technically fell to 11-2-4 at home this year while having a five-game winning streak as the host end.

The setback also dropped the Blackhawks eight points behind first-place Detroit in the Central Division, a deficit that swelled to 10 points after the Red Wings victory last night in Minnesota.

Cristobal Huet started in net for the Blackhawks, but was pulled in the third period after allowing six goals on 30 shots. Nikolai Khabibulin came in and stopped all 13 shots he faced.

Huet hadn't allowed more than one goal in any of his previous five starts -- all wins -- but gave up six goals in a game for the second time this year. He is 2-4-0 with a tie and 2.67 goals against average in his career against the Flames.

Khabibulin, meanwhile, took the loss in Detroit on Tuesday for his first losing decision since November 14. He had posted seven straight wins without a loss until then and is 20-5-0 with a pair of ties and 2.06 GAA versus Calgary.

On Saturday, it was announced that Chicago forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as defenseman Brian Campbell were all voted in as starters for January's All-Star game in Montreal.

Despite being in first place in the Northwest Division and currently riding a five-game winning streak, the Flames do not have an All-Star starter named yesterday. Instead, they extended their winning streak with a 3-2 win over Nashville on Saturday.

Just minutes after setting up Daymond Langkow's game-tying goal late in the third, Todd Bertuzzi netted the game-winner with just 23.4 seconds left. Curtis Glencross also scored in the win, while Craig Conroy notched an assist for his 500th NHL point.

Miikka Kiprusoff kept it close throughout with 24 saves to get the win, which moved the Flames four points ahead of second-place Vancouver in the standings.

Calgary has notched a point in 10 straight games (7-0-3) and will try tonight to match its season-best six-game win streak set on October 21-November 1.

The Flames are 10-7-1 on the road this year and have won three straight and seven of their last nine as the visiting team.

Calgary has lost both of its games against Chicago so far this year, getting outscored 9-3 in that span. The Flames have won four of their last six in the Windy City.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “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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