Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes appear to be back on track towards securing a playoff berth. Tonight the defending Stanley Cup champions aim for a third consecutive victory when they host the Ottawa Senators at the RBC Center.
Carolina is in a heated battle with a number of teams vying for the final few postseason spots in the Eastern Conference. The team currently holds the eighth and final seed, but has only a one-point lead over the New York Islanders and a two-point edge over Toronto.
The Hurricanes also trail seventh-place Montreal by just a point and are only four back of division-leading Tampa Bay in the Southeast standings.
Carolina helped its cause with a big victory over fellow Southeast member Atlanta on Saturday. Justin Williams scored two goals and John Grahame made 28 saves to lead the 'Canes to a 4-1 decision at Philips Arena.
Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist and Mike Commodore added a goal in the win, Carolina's third in its last four outings.
Ottawa is on a roll as well, as the Senators won for the sixth time in seven games with Saturday's 6-5 triumph over rival Buffalo.
Jason Spezza netted the game-winning goal with 4:07 left to play and also scored earlier in the contest for Ottawa, which avenged a shootout defeat to the Sabres in a fight-marred encounter Thursday in Buffalo.
Dany Heatley picked up a goal and two assists while Daniel Alfredsson scored once and helped out on another for the Senators. Wade Redden and Mike Fisher each contributed a pair of assists to the winning effort.
Fisher and teammate Peter Schaefer, who had an assist on Saturday, are currently riding eight-game scoring streaks. Fisher has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) during his run and Schaefer has compiled three goals and five assists.
In addition, Alfredsson (3 goals, 9 assists), Heatley (5 goals, 7 assists) and Spezza (5 goals, 7 assists) have all recorded point in seven straight games.
Ottawa, which presently holds the No. 4 spot in the East, made a minor trade on Monday. The club acquired defenseman Lawrence Nycholat from Washington in exchange for blueliner Andy Hedlund and a sixth-round draft choice.
These teams have split two previous meetings this season, with the visitor emerging victorious each time. The Senators have had good success in Raleigh, having amassed a 7-1-2 (2 ties) in their last 10 visits to the RBC Center.
<< Panthers host rival Mountaineers in critical Big East bout
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers have
lost their hold on first place in the Big East Conference standings,
and they will play a critical game against the West Virginia Mountaineers
today.
<< Gators try to right the ship as postseason approaches
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Florida Gators have lost
two of their last three games, and they will attempt to get back to their
winning ways as they battle the Tennessee Volunteers tonight in Knoxville.
On Sat
<< League-leading Cougars head to Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BYU Cougars own sole possession
of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings, and are set
for a much-anticipated matchup with the 25th-ranked Air Force Falcons
this e
<< Report: Livingston's season over
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston
will reportedly miss the remainder of the season because of a severe knee
injury suffered Monday night.
Livingston dislocated his left knee early in the
Streaking Canadiens begin road swing against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having re-discovered their winning ways, the Montreal
Canadiens begin an important road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden
against a New York Rangers team in desperate need of a victory.
The Canadiens have rebounded str
Cavs, Hornets square off in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers try and stop a two-game losing
streak this evening when they host the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at
Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavs have dropped two in a row after a two-game win
Devils and Pens battle in the Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will get another opportunity to show
the Pittsburgh Penguins who is boss in the Atlantic Division when the two
clubs meet tonight at the Mellon Arena.
The Penguins endured a stretch where they won 12
Sabres, Leafs clash in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will look to rebound from an emotional
weekend when they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening at the Air
Canada Centre.
Buffalo wrapped up a high energy home-and-home series on Saturday with Otta
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting