Again without Ovechkin, Capitals visit Hurricanes

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals hardly seemed to miss Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday night and the Southeast Division champs will shoot for another win this evening without the Russian superstar.

Ovechkin will complete a two-game suspension tonight while his Capitals visit the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center.

Despite Ovechkin's absence from Tuesday's contest at Florida, the Capitals slammed the host Panthers by a 7-3 score. Brooks Laich led the way for Washington with two goals and an assist.

Ovechkin is serving a two-game suspension for shoving Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards from behind in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win.

Campbell is out for 7-to-8 weeks with a fracture to his clavicle and ribs as Ovechkin, who was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for the hit, was suspended for the second time this season.

"We tried harder because the game's No. 1 player wasn't there," Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau said of his team's response to Ovechkin's absence. "When he's not there, we don't rely on big brother."

Brendan Morrison had a goal and two assists while Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin each added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won two of their last three.

Jose Theodore stopped 34 shots in the win for Washington, which sealed up its third straight division title last week and holds a commanding 16-point lead over New Jersey and Pittsburgh for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Tonight marks the third stop on a four-game road trip for the Caps, who are 21-10-5 as the guest this year. Washington will complete the swing Saturday with Ovechkin in tow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Hurricanes made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals last spring, but it appears they will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons this year. Carolina is 14th in the East and 10 points behind Boston for the eighth and final postseason berth.

Carolina has lost two straight and three of its last four games and was slammed Tuesday by visiting Boston. Mark Recchi was one of three Bruins to record a goal and an assist, leading Boston to the 5-2 win at RBC Center.

Eric Cole scored both goals for the Hurricanes, while Manny Legace allowed all five goals on 37 shots in the loss.

"I was awful. I have to make some saves," Legace said. "It's as simple as that. There's no one else to blame but me."

The Hurricanes are 18-14-3 as the host this year and are completing a four-game homestand tonight.

Washington has won three of four meetings with the Hurricanes this year and the Caps have a superb 16-3-0 record against the Southeast Division as a whole this year.

The Capitals have taken eight of 12 overall in the series, but have dropped seven out of 10 in Raleigh.

Wwwwincity Hockey Betting News

<< Rangers, Blues tangle at MSG
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams trying to break into the playoff picture in their respective conferences will meet tonight in the Big Apple as the New York Rangers host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have 71 poi

<< Bruins set for rematch with Cooke, Penguins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Penguins and Bruins met, Boston wound up losing its best offensive player to a concussion after a questionable hit by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cooke is expected to be in the lineup tonight when Pittsburgh

<< Road-weary Hornets visit Nuggets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sole possession of second place in the Western Conference is on the line for the Denver Nuggets tonight as they get ready to host the reeking New Orleans Hornets. Denver is currently deadlocked with idle Dallas for the No.

<< Magic visit Heat in possible playoff preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals square off in the shadow of South Beach Thursday when the Miami Heat play host to the playoff-bound Orlando Magic. The Magic have been on a roll recently and are currently the second seed in the Eastern Con

<< Bucs sign S Sean Jones
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed free agent safety Sean Jones to a two-year contract on Wednesday. Jones spent the 2009 season in Philadelphia and started nine games. He had 61 tackles, two interceptions and a sac

Thrashers host Sens in battle between struggling clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling Eastern Conference inhabitants get together for a key late-season matchup tonight at Philips Arena, where the Atlanta Thrashers hope to strengthen their fading playoff hopes when they take on the visiting

Devils visit surging Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Although it's highly unlikely to result in a playoff spot, the Toronto Maple Leafs have put together one of their best stretches of the season over the past week. They'll try to sustain that newfound momentum into a three-gam

Surging Wild head to Nashville for key late-season clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators are riding three-game winning streaks, but only one club is in the playoff picture. The Wild look to continue their playoff push this evening at Bridgestone Arena versus the

Road-weary Sabres make a stop in Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An inability to win on the road has plagued the Buffalo Sabres as of late. The Northeast Division leaders will attempt to reverse that negative trend when the team visits a venue it's had great success in during recent years

Flyers vie to end 13-year winless drought in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers have goaltender Michael Leighton to thank for keeping them alive in the postseason race. However, the team will be without its waiver-wire gem when it goes for its first win at Dallas in over 13 years

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)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .