Ducks try to bounce back in Columbus

Hockey Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will try to rebound from a loss tonight, when they play the second test of an eight-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

The Ducks became the 19th straight opponent to lose in Detroit after dropping Friday's shootout decision at Joe Louis Arena. Todd Bertuzzi supplied the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout, as the Red Wings posted a 2-1 victory to move within one game of tying the NHL record for most consecutive home wins.

For the Ducks, it marked their fourth straight game with a point (2-0-2). Anaheim needs all the points it can get down the stretch, as the team is currently 11 out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Following an exciting overtime, Bertuzzi skated in on Jonas Hiller very slowly and beat the Anaheim goaltender with a backhander. Joey MacDonald then denied Bobby Ryan to give the extra point to Detroit.

Hiller stopped 23 shots for Anaheim, while enforcer George Parros scored the Ducks' only goal in regulation. The Ducks also failed to score on seven opportunities with the man advantage.

"We think we deserved a better fate," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "But when you go 0-for-7 on the power play, you make things a lot tougher on yourself."

Anaheim's longest road trip of the season will continue on Tuesday, when it visits Minnesota. The Ducks are just 6-11-7 as the away team this season.

Despite being last in the NHL with just 38 points, Columbus has won three of its last four games and is kicking off a three-game homestand tonight.

The Blue Jackets played Saturday in Minnesota and posted a 3-1 victory over the Wild thanks in part to a two-goal performance from R.J. Umberger.

Columbus defenseman James Wisniewski -- playing in his first game after missing the previous 17 with a broken ankle -- added a goal and an assist. Although Wisniewski's return is good news, the Blue Jackets are still without defensemen Brett Lebda (broken thumb) and Marc Methot (broken jaw) for the time being and veteran blueliner Radek Martinek is out for the rest of the season with a concussion.

Rick Nash finished with two assists for the Blue Jackets, who bounced back from Thursday's home loss to Dallas. Steve Mason was solid in net, stopping 34-of-35 shots.

"Mason was great," Blue Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "It was good to see him get a win and it was a typical R.J. game, getting a goal on the power play when we needed it because we weren't playing very good hockey."

The Blue Jackets are 9-14-3 as the home club this year and will also host St. Louis and Chicago during this residency.

Columbus has won two of the three meetings against the Ducks this year and today's game marks the final encounter of the season between these clubs. Anaheim has taken three of five overall from the Blue Jackets, but Columbus has won two of its last three home tests against the Ducks.

Wtheglobe Hockey Betting News


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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

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