Ward Leaves Place Against Club

Hockey Betting Lines

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames will try to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss and eighth in a row at Chicago this evening as they battle the Blackhawks at the United Center. Following a perfect three-game homestand, the Flames have notched an 0-1-2 record on a four-game swing and are just 6-9-2 as the guest this season. They lost their second straight game beyond regulation on Friday, falling 3-2 at Florida in a shootout.

 

Olli Jokinen had a goal and an assist against his former team and Rene Bourque also scored for Calgary, which hasn't lost four straight since Jan. 3-11 of last season.

 

Jarome Iginla added an assist and has rattled off five goals and 11 points over his last eight games.

 

While the Flames are hoping to avoid their longest losing streak of the campaign, the Blackhawks will try to stretch their current run of victories to a season-high five straight. They are 6-0-1 in December and sit a point back of the Wild for first place in the Western Conference.

 

"We didn't give them opportunities off our mistakes and we took advantage of their mistakes," Emery said after moving to 8-1-2 on the season with a 2.54 goals-against average.

 

These two clubs have split a pair of meetings this year, with each team winning once on home ice. The Flames haven't won in Chicago since March 16, 2008 and the Blackhawks have won 11 of the past 14 encounters overall.

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes are starting to see some success under new head coach Kirk Muller. They'll look to show the Florida Panthers just how much they've changed as the two club's battle tonight at BankAtlantic Center. The Hurricanes have posted a 2-1-1 record since a seven-game slide, one that saw the firing of Paul Maurice on Nov. 28. Muller made his debut the next night in a loss to the Panthers, the first of four setbacks in a row under the new coach.

 

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to be great because that's what I expect from myself," Ward said. "I know I have to be on top of my game to give this team a chance, and fortunately I was seeing the puck really well tonight."

 

Though Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen remain out with concussions, Jay Harrison could return tonight for the first time in 11 games due to an upper- body injury.

 

The Panthers came into the game just 1-4 in shootouts this year and had scored just once on their 14 chances in the tiebreak. However, they got goals from Dmitry Kulikov and Stephen Weiss in last night's breakaway session, while Jose Theodore stopped three of four skaters after posting 24 saves through overtime.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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