Flyers head back home to take on Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers return to the Wachovia Center for an important four-game homestand that begins with tonight's encounter with the road-challenged Toronto Maple Leafs.

Philadelphia just completed a stretch of four consecutive road games with a 2-1-1 record, although the playoff contenders did end the trek with a pair of losses. After being routed by Florida in a 7-4 defeat on Wednesday, the Flyers couldn't hold onto a third-period lead in Friday's 3-2 overtime setback at Buffalo.

The Flyers had grabbed a 2-1 advantage on the Sabres when Mike Richards scored unassisted off a Buffalo turnover with 8:58 left in regulation, but the hosts tied the score on an Adam Mair goal nearly three minutes later. The Sabres emerged victorious when Tim Connolly knocked home a rebound of Toni Lydman's shot from the point midway through the extra session.

We definitely could have won this game. We played well," said Philadelphia goaltender Michael Leighton. "Things just didn't bounce our way."

Leighton finished with 32 saves for Philadelphia, which also received a goal from Simon Gagne in the loss.

Coming back to the Wachovia Center, where the Flyers have won three in a row and nine of their last 11 outings, may help Philadelphia get back on track. So could a matchup with the lowly Maple Leafs, who sit in the Eastern Conference basement with 52 points and are a woeful 9-18-7 away from home this season.

Toronto did come through with a road victory on Saturday, however, after besting rival Ottawa in a shootout by a 2-1 count. That ended a string of four straight losses for the Maple Leafs, including a 3-2 shootout setback Thursday in Boston in the opener of this current three-game trip.

Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin each scored for Toronto in the deciding phase of Saturday's triumph, with goaltender Jonas Gustavsson stoning both Ottawa skaters he faced to help his team stop a seven-game road losing streak.

Gustavsson was also sharp in regulation and overtime, turning aside 22 of 23 shots prior to the shootout. Kessel, Toronto's leader with 22 goals this season, accounted for the Leafs' only tally in regulation.

"It was a hard fought game out there," said Kessel afterward. "A lot of hits, a lot of fights out there. We played well and got the two points and that's the most important thing."

Toronto did not come away unscathed, however, as forwards John Mitchell and Fredrik Sjostrom were both forced to exit Saturday's contest with upper-body injuries and may not be available tonight.

Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who has posted a solid 2.31 goals against average and two shutouts in six games since coming to the Leafs in a trade with Anaheim last month, will likely be between the pipes for Toronto this evening. He'll be facing a Philadelphia squad that's racked up a whopping 14 goals in its last two matchups with Toronto held at the Wachovia Center, including a 6-2 win on January 6.

The Maple Leafs have lost in each of their past three trips to Philadelphia, but did deal the Flyers a 4-0 loss in Ontario on January 14. Vesa Toskala, now a member of the Calgary Flames, had 38 saves for Toronto in that one.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.