Skinner, Hurricanes begin trip in Anaheim

Hockey Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner is starting to find his groove again after missing time with a head injury. Hopefully the club's cross country road trip won't derail his momentum.

Carolina begins its three-game journey tonight in Anaheim, where it will take on a Ducks team that has wins in 10 of its past 14 games.

Last year's winner of the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, the 19- year-old has 15 goals through 38 games this year after logging 31 as a freshman in 82 games a season ago. He missed over a month of action beginning in early December because of a concussion and has potted three goals in eight games since his return on Jan. 15.

All three of those have come over his past five trips to the ice and he scored the game-winner in Saturday's 2-1 victory over the visiting Kings, banging home a rebound of a Jussi Jokinen shot at the 3:02 mark of the third.

"It's tough coming back after sitting out 16 games and then jumping back midseason. It's not something I've ever done before so it's tough to really prepare for it," said Skinner. "Obviously there's going to be a little bit of time when things are frustrating and you're not in that sort of flow that you usually have, but I'm feeling a little bit better and more comfortable."

That's good news for the Hurricanes, who have won three of four and are 4-1-2 in their past seven games. But, they are still last in the Eastern Conference with 49 points.

Cam Ward figures to get the bulk of the work on this three-game swing that begins in Anaheim, moves to Colorado and then concludes in Montreal on Monday. After posting a 47-save shutout at Boston last Thursday, Ward made 24 saves versus the Kings for his 20th victory of the campaign.

Carolina's victory over Los Angeles made it 8-2-1 in its past 11 at home, but the club is only 6-13-6 as the guest this season.

Forward Anthony Stewart is expected to play for the 'Canes tonight after clearing waivers on Tuesday. He has six goals and 13 points through 50 games this year, though his plus-4 rating is tied for tops on the team.

The Ducks close out a four-game homestand this evening and had lost the first two of the residency, including an overtime defeat to Columbus on Friday prior to Monday's 3-2 shootout win over Calgary. The victory leaves the 13th-place Ducks 10 points behind a playoff spot in the West with 48 points.

After getting regulation goals from Bobby Ryan and Matt Beleskey, Niklas Hagman notched the winner in the eighth round of the shootout, scoring off fellow Finn and former teammate Miikka Kiprusoff. Jonas Hiller, meanwhile, came up with 24 saves through overtime and stopped six of eight in the shootout. That includes each of the final three skaters he faced as Anaheim moved to 2-4 in shootouts this year and won its first since Oct. 8 versus the Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden.

"We really needed those two points and really wanted it. It wasn't an easy game. I think both teams played really hard. You could see out there that both teams really wanted those points and it was about time we finally won a shootout," said Hiller.

Anaheim improved to 10-2-2 in its past 14 games and will look to avenge last season's 4-2 road loss to Carolina. The Hurricanes snapped a two-game skid to the Ducks thanks to a hat trick from Eric Staal and 43 saves by Ward.

Wwnascar Hockey Betting News

<< Bucks and Raptors meet at ACC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks try to avoid a fourth straight loss this evening when they open a brief two-game road trip against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Bucks played hard on Tuesday to no avail, as they overcam

<< Clippers continue road trip in Cleveland minus Billups
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers eye a third straight win this evening, but their thoughts may be with their fallen veteran, as they continue a long road trip in Cleveland. Los Angeles will be without Chauncey Billups for the rest

<< Motoring: Red Wings seek 18th straight home win vs. Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will put the NHL's longest home winning streak since the mid-1970s on the line tonight, as they welcome the Edmonton Oilers for a battle at Joe Louis Arena. It's been over three months since the Red W

<< Penn State comes calling on No. 11 Michigan State
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big Ten Conference standings meet in East Lansing this evening, as the Penn State Nittany Lions challenge the 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans at the Breslin Center. P

<< Demon Deacons and Cavs meet in ACC affair
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will attempt to snap their four-game losing streak tonight as they head to the John Paul Jones Arena for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle against the 19th- ranked Virginia

Spurs continue Rodeo Road Trip in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs were able to get their annual Rodeo Road Trip off to a promising start, but must face a pesky Philadelphia 76ers squad that hasn't backed down from any team tonight at Wells Fargo Center. San Antonio

Sharks, Flames clash in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Staring at a two-week long road trip, the San Jose Sharks would love to pick up four big points before leaving the friendly confines of HP Pavilion. They'll look to accomplish step one of that plan this evening and extend

Nuggets entertain Mavs at Pepsi Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders mired in losing streaks square off in the Rockies tonight when the Denver Nuggets play host to the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. The Nuggets dropped their third in a r

Heat and Magic battle for Sunshine State bragging rights >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since their heart-to-heart meeting among players and coaches following a loss at Milwaukee last week, the Miami Heat haven't suffered defeat and hope to continue that trend tonight against the Orlando Magic in the opener of a

Blue Jackets sign Prospal for another season >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets signed veteran forward Vinny Prospal to a one-year contract extension on Wednesday. Prospal, who turns 37 later this month, leads the team with 24 assists and ranks second w

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.