Canadiens hope to stay on a roll versus Panthers

Hockey Betting Lines

12/29/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens will aim for their fourth win in five games when they visit the Florida Panthers for this evening's tilt at BankAtlantic Center.

The Canadiens have recorded at least a point in four straight games by posting a 3-0-1 record over that span.

The Habs lost an overtime decision to Carolina on December 21 and were off until Saturday's road test against Pittsburgh. Andrei Kostitsyn registered his first career hat trick to lift Montreal to the 3-2 triumph over the Penguins.

Carey Price was in top form, holding the high-powered Pens to just two goals on 34 shots. He made 17 saves in the third period to quash any chance of a comeback. Price is 14-4-5 on the season with a .920 save percentage and a 2.38 goals against average.

Tomas Plekanec twice set up Kostitsyn on similar plays from behind the net. Alex Kovalev and Josh Gorges each notched an assist for the Canadiens.

The Habs, who opened a four-game road trip on Saturday, are now 8-5-2 as the visiting team this year and halted a two-game skid away from the Bell Centre. Montreal will also visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday before closing out the trip Friday in New Jersey.

The Panthers have lost two straight and four of their last six tests and were recently swept in a home-and-home series with the Lightning. Florida lost a shootout decision in the home portion on Friday and were then handed a regulation setback the following night in Tampa.

Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone tallied a goal and three assists each as the Lightning downed the Panthers, 6-4, at St. Pete Times Forum.

David Booth scored twice and logged an assist while Stephen Weiss scored and added a helper for the Panthers. Nathan Horton also scored and Tomas Vokoun gave up six goals in facing 42 shots.

The Panthers have won three of their last five home tests and are 8-4-3 as the host club this season. Florida will begin a four-game road trip Wednesday afternoon against the New York Islanders.

Montreal beat the visiting Panthers, 3-1, on October 20 in the only meeting between the clubs so far this year. The Habs have taken three straight from Florida and two in a row at BankAtlantic Center.

Sandboc Hockey Betting News

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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