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Blackhawks aim to end West semis in Game 5 vs. CanucksHockey Betting Lines05/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to clinch their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals tonight, when they host the Vancouver Canucks for Game 5 of the conference semifinals at United Center. The second-seeded Blackhawks have won three straight since dropping the opener of this best-of-seven series and outscored the Canucks by a combined 12-6 margin while taking both Games 3 and 4 in Vancouver. In fact, since losing Game 1 by a 5-1 count, Chicago has doubled the Canucks' offensive output, outscoring Vancouver by a 16-8 margin. The Blackhawks won a wild one in Friday's Game 4 matchup at General Motors Place, as Jonathan Toews scored three power-play goals to record his first career playoff hat trick in Chicago's 7-4 triumph. Toews added two assists to tie a Blackhawks playoff record for points in a game, joining Stan Mikita (1973) and Steve Larmer (1990). The Chicago captain followed up a three-goal effort by Dustin Byfuglien on Wednesday. They are the first set of Blackhawks teammates to post hat tricks in consecutive playoff games since Tony Amonte and Gary Suter did so on April 23-24, 1994, against Toronto. "It was one of those nights where you get some chances, throw it on net and it happens to go in. It's nice for your confidence," Toews said. Patrick Sharp registered a goal and three assists for the Blackhawks, while Antti Niemi made 26 saves in the win. "We came in here and won both games, which is a huge plus," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "You got a lot of momentum and want to go home and try to take advantage of it. But we know we've got to be smart, we've got to be disciplined. We should be excited about (heading) back home." The Blackhawks are now just one victory away from a return trip to the conference finals. Chicago, which lost in five games to Detroit a year ago, hasn't appeared in consecutive conference finals since 1989 and '90. Vancouver, meanwhile, is just one loss away from suffering the same fate it did last spring, when the Blackhawks ousted the Canucks in six games during the conference semifinals. The Canucks are 0-4 in the second round of the playoffs since last reaching the conference finals in 1994, when they eventually lost to the New York Rangers in a seven-game battle for the Stanley Cup. Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin both scored a goal and collected one assist for the Canucks on Friday, while Roberto Luongo was beaten six times on 33 shots. "We didn't react well to what was (happening) on the ice and they made us pay for it," said Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault. Luongo, the backstop for gold medal-winning Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics, has struggled through another disappointing postseason. Luongo is 5-5 with a 3.27 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in these playoffs and has surrendered 11 goals on the last 68 shots he has faced. Luongo's struggles have been magnified by Vancouver's undisciplined play in this series. The Canucks gave Chicago eight opportunities with the man advantage on Friday and the Blackhawks scored four times. Vancouver came apart in the second period, taking four penalties in a span of 4 minutes, 40 seconds. "There's no explanation. We lost our composure again," Luongo told his team's official website. "I don't know why it happened, we talked about it, we were all on the same page before the game started and I don't know, one thing led to another and we lost our composure again in the second period there." After scoring just once on their first eight power-play opportunities of this series, the Blackhawks have notched six scores on their last 14 chances with the man advantage. "We're not getting the kills we need," said Henrik Sedin. "Other than that, we're close. We have to be stronger mentally." Vancouver is 3-4 all-time in best-of-seven series when trailing three games to one. The last time the Canucks overcame a 3-1 deficit to win a series was against St. Louis in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs. The Blackhawks are 13-0 all-time when winning three of the first four games of a postseason series. The third-seeded Canucks are 3-2 on the road in the playoffs after posting a 19-20-2 away record during the regular season. Chicago is 3-2 on home ice this postseason and went 29-8-4 as the host during the 2009-10 campaign. If necessary, Game 6 of this series will take place Tuesday in Vancouver. This marks the fourth time the Canucks and Blackhawks have battled in the postseason. Vancouver's only series victory over Chicago was in the 1982 conference finals, when the Canucks ousted the Blackhawks in five games before getting swept by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDSNFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with. Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win. Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year. Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City. The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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