Stars aim to get right against hapless Blue Jackets

Hockey Betting Lines

02/09/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for pride, the Dallas Stars have stumbled as of late in their chase of a postseason spot.

The Stars hope to break out of their scoring slump and get back on the winning track this evening against the hosting Blue Jackets.

Dallas currently sits 12th overall in the Western Conference with 56 points, two back of Phoenix and Minnesota for the eighth spot. The Coyotes leapt past the Stars in the standings by notching a 4-1 victory over them on Tuesday.

Michael Ryder had the lone goal for Dallas, which was unable to carry momentum from a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and lost for the seventh time in 10 games. The Stars have been held to a pair of goals or less in all but one of those contests.

Kari Lehtonen was tagged for all four goals on 24 shots in defeat, ending his personal three-game win streak in which he had allowed just three goals.

"Awful, atrocious," Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray said of his team's performance. "We've gotten by on a really good goaltender in the last three or four games and it's not good enough. We can talk about it and try to figure it out and point fingers, but really as a whole we've really been letting each other down these last three or four games, especially with how important this stretch of games is and what it means."

The Blue Jackets did prevent the Stars from falling further behind in their playoff chase after notching a 3-1 win over the Wild. It marked only the second time this season that Columbus has won two games in a row, having first done so back on Nov. 19-21.

Columbus hasn't won three straight since Feb. 18-25 of last year.

"Obviously we'd like to have more [winning streaks], but I think lately that our game has kind of been coming around. Guys are battling hard and we're getting rewarded," said Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter.

Carter missed 10 straight games with a separated shoulder, but returned to action last Friday and scored a goal in a 3-2 overtime win at Anaheim. He then made it two straight contests with a goal on Tuesday, while David Savard scored the first of his career and added an assist.

Antoine Vermette lit the lamp as well and Curtis Sanford made 28 saves for a Blue Jackets club that sits last in the NHL with 36 points and had lost six straight prior to consecutive wins.

"I thought we played a heck of a first period, probably one of our best," Blue Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "They came out and were better in the second, but we were really happy with the way we finished the game."

Forward Vinny Prospal added an assist, his team-leading 24th of the season, and has points in three straight after going nine in a row without one. The 36-year-old is second on the team with 33 points and signed a one-year extension with the Jackets on Wednesday.

The Blue Jackets had lost four of five, including the first two of four encounters this year, versus the Stars before picking up a 4-1 road win on Dec. 29. Rick Nash scored a pair of goals for Columbus.

Dallas has won two straight and six of its past nine at Columbus.

Wwvirtualvegas Hockey Betting News

<< Devils hope to stay on a roll versus the Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot New Jersey Devils will try to extend their longest winning streak of the season to six games tonight, when they host the St. Louis Blues at the Prudential Center. The Devils, who are coming off Tuesday's contro

<< Ferrero will open for Nadal-less Spain
Oviedo, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Spain will begin defense of its Davis Cup title with a 2012 opening-round tie against Kazakhstan this week, as the festivities will get underway Friday with a singles rubber between

<< Bills release Corto
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have released safety Jon Corto, who missed the entire 2011 season with a shoulder injury. Corto, who had signed a two-year contract extension prior to the 2011 campaign, was a s

<< Cabrera-Bello fires 63 to lead by 2 in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Cabrera-Bello fired a nine-under 63 Thursday to grab a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Cabrera-Bello, whose lone tour title was at the 2009 Aus

<< Hantuchova, King advance to Pattaya quarters
Pattaya City, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and American Vania King were among the second-round winners Thursday at the Pattaya Open. The third-seeded Hantuchova notched a 6-3,

Flames hope to stay hot in Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Needing a big two points on Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames turned to pair of Finns to get the job done. The Flames aim to jump into the playoff picture this evening and stop the Phoenix Coyotes' three-game winning streak

Sens welcome Fisher back to Ottawa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators were already burned by one former teammate this week. They hope that same thing doesn't happen this evening against the Nashville Predators in Mike Fisher's return to Scotiabank Place. The 31-year-old F

Canucks could be without Sedin against Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks keep finding ways to win close games, but tonight they may have to find a way to do so without former Hart Trophy winner Henrik Sedin. The Minnesota Wild are hoping the possible return of their captai

Flyers seek to halt skid vs. Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in tonight's Eastern Conference clash at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers are in the midst of an 0-2-1

Caps hope to stay in first as they battle Jets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Washington Capitals will try to post consecutive wins for the first time in over three weeks when they host the Winnipeg Jets tonight at Verizon Center. The Capitals posted a big win Tuesday against visitin

Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.