Stars and Canucks clash in Big D

Hockey Betting Lines

02/25/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks hope to match their longest winning streak of the season today, when they travel to AmericanAirlines Center to battle the Dallas Stars.

The Canucks have won their last six tests and another victory this afternoon will allow them to equal the team's seven-game string from December 26-January 7.

Vancouver has 76 points on the year and comes into Sunday with a three-point lead over Minnesota and Calgary in the Northwest Division. The Canucks are also currently third in the Western Conference standings.

The Canucks earned their latest win Thursday night, when they defeated the Kings in Los Angeles. Kevin Bieksa scored the game-winning goal to lead Vancouver past the Kings, 3-2, at Staples Center.

Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden also tallied, and Markus Naslund had a pair of helpers for the Canucks. Roberto Luongo made 31 saves in the win.

The Canucks, who are 17-12-2 as the visitor this year, will complete a four- game road trip Tuesday in St. Louis.

Meanwhile, the Stars have won five of their last seven games and are coming off Friday's solid win over the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks. Mike Smith stopped 24 shots to help the Stars earn the 4-1 home decision.

Jussi Jokinen and Krys Barch each had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who are 5-1-1 in their last seven tilts.

Jere Lehtinen and Ladislav Nagy also posted a goal apiece for Dallas, which has 75 points and is sixth in the Western Conference. The Stars also come into Sunday just five points behind Anaheim for first place in the Pacific.

Tonight marks the end of a brief two-game homestand for the Stars, who have a strong 20-9-1 mark in Big D this year.

The Canucks have taken two of the three meetings with the Stars this year, but Dallas has won eight of the last 12 matchups overall. Vancouver has also dropped five straight and six of the last seven tests in Texas.

Footballchancesports Hockey Betting News

<< Streaking Blues head to the Windy City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games today, when they visit the struggling Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. St. Louis, which is 12 points out of the last postseaso

<< Wild welcome Oilers to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division rivals meet this afternoon in St. Paul, as the Minnesota Wild host the Edmonton Oilers at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild have 73 points on the year and, along with Calgary, are just three points

<< Caps and Devils complete home-and-home set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try for consecutive victories for the first time since early January, as they host the New Jersey Devils in the finale of a home-and-home series at Verizon Center. The Capitals ended a five-gam

<< Red hot Cardinals battle Huskies in Big East action
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -The 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals play their final road game of the regular season today, as they invade the Hartford Civic Center to do battle with the Connecticut Huskies in Big East play. The Car

<< Wildcats and Commodores meet in key SEC tilt
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second place in the SEC's Eastern Division is on the line today, as the 17th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores host the Kentucky Wildcats from Memorial Gym in Nashville. The Wildcats come into the co

Wallace returns to Detroit as Pistons host Bulls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago center Ben Wallace will make his much anticipated return to Detroit this afternoon when the Pistons play host to the Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Wallace spent the last six seasons in Detroit and earned an

Magic host Rockets at Amway Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams coming off of setbacks on Friday meet this afternoon when the Orlando Magic welcome the Houston Rockets to Amway Arena. Houston was downed by Atlanta, 105-99, despite a game-high 37 points by former Magic T

Lightning and Pens converge in Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the hottest teams in the NHL over the past few months meet tonight in Tampa, as the Lightning welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to St. Pete Times Forum. The Penguins have been the best team in the NHL since the middle

Heat continue life without Wade against Cavs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What was once a can't miss game on the NBA schedule has lost some of its luster as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Miami to take on the Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat hav

Timberwolves continue homestand against Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still in search of the first win on their current five-game homestand, the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Washington Wizards this afternoon at the Target Center. Minnesota dropped the opener of the stan

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards