Flames visit Red Wings for battle between division leaders

Hockey Betting Lines

03/12/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference division leaders face off tonight in the Motor City, where the reigning Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings will attempt to maintain their recent mastery of the slumping Calgary Flames.

Although Calgary presently owns an eight-point advantage over second-place Vancouver in the Northwest Division, the club isn't heading into the season's stretch run with much momentum. After opening up a current seven-game road trip with a pair of victories, the Flames have been dealt three straight regulation losses.

Calgary was more competitive in its most recent setback, a 3-2 defeat to Atlantic Division front-runner New Jersey on Tuesday in which the team outshot the Devils by a 37-31 count. Prior to that game, the Flames suffered lopsided losses at Carolina (6-1) and Atlanta (5-2).

On a positive note, newcomer Olli Jokinen scored his third goal in four games since being acquired by Calgary in a trade-deadline deal with Phoenix on March 4. Fellow Finland native Miikka Kiprusoff wasn't as productive in Tuesday's loss, however, as the standout goaltender allowed three New Jersey goals on 28 shots before being removed early in the third period.

The Flames, who own a 17-14-2 road record for the season and will also visit Toronto on this trek, will attempt to get back on track versus a Detroit squad it has had trouble against in the past. The Red Wings have won five of the last six regular-season matchups between the clubs, including both previous battles in 2008-09, and Calgary has lost eight in a row -- including three playoff defeats in 2006-07 -- at Joe Louis Arena.

Calgary's last victory in Detroit came on December 1, 2005.

The Red Wings also sport one of the best home marks in the NHL this season, a 25-5-3 ledger, and added to that win total with Tuesday's overtime decision over visiting Phoenix. Johan Franzen scored with 1:25 remaining in the extra session to lift Detroit to a 3-2 triumph over the Coyotes, the team's third victory in its last four games.

Both Franzen and Valtteri Filppula finished with a goal and an assist to help the Red Wings rebound from an ugly 8-2 home loss to Columbus on Saturday. Ty Conklin did his part as well, with the journeyman goaltender stopping 23-of-25 shots on the night.

With Tuesday's win, Detroit kept pace with San Jose in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Both teams enter tonight's play with a league- best 96 points.

Xportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< Golf Tidbits: Is Sergio the next No. 1?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Can you believe it has been 10 long years since a young up-and-coming Sergio Garcia burst onto the scene at the 1999 PGA Championship? Garcia nearly ran down eventual winner Tiger Woods to earn his first

<< Slumping Suns welcome LeBron, Cavs to desert
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now is not the time for the Phoenix Suns to play poor basketball as they try to make a push towards a playoff berth. Tonight the Suns will resume a three-game homestand versus MVP candidate LeBron James and t

<< Big West: Spurs host Lakers in Alamo City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs will wrap up a four-game homestand Thursday against the Western Conference-powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers at the AT&T Center. The Spurs have won the first three tests

<< Big East quarterfinals pits Panthers against Mountaineers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers begin defense of their Big East Tournament title tonight, as they battle the West Virginia Mountaineers in the quarterfinal round at Madison Square Garden. The team that come

<< Tigers begin quest for fourth straight C-USA crown
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Memphis Tigers start their journey for a fourth straight Conference USA Tournament championship tonight, as they host the Tulane Green Wave in the quarterfinal round at the FedExForum. The winner

Struggling Bruins aim to snap Sens' win streak >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Boston Bruins will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when they host the streaking Ottawa Senators in tonight's Northeast Division battle at TD Banknorth Garden. Boston is coming off consecutive losses

Lightning slide into Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning are hoping a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs will enable them to break out of their current slide. The team aims for its fourth straight win over the Leafs when it visits the Air Canada Centre thi

Playoff-hopeful Sabres, Panthers clash in Buffalo >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race is on tap tonight in Buffalo, as the struggling Sabres host the Florida Panthers tonight at HSBC Arena. The Panthers are currently last among the eight playoff seeds in t

Devils welcome Coyotes to Garden State >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place New Jersey Devils will face one of the bottom teams in the Western Conference tonight, as they host the Phoenix Coyotes at Prudential Center. With 89 points, the Devils have a seven-point lead over Philadel

Gainey and Habs try to build momentum against Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A sudden coaching change produced an instant boost for the Montreal Canadiens. The embattled club will now try to build off that encouraging victory when the New York Islanders invade the Bell Centre this evening. Just on

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting