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Habs hope to get on the board in Game 3 vs. FlyersHockey Betting Lines05/20/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting shut out in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, the Montreal Canadiens hope to rediscover their scoring touch on home ice tonight when they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 3 at Bell Centre. The seventh-seeded Flyers have taken a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series and have done so in impressive fashion, outscoring Montreal, 9-0, in Games 1 and 2. After notching a 6-0 victory in Sunday's opener at the Wachovia Center the Flyers took care of home-ice advantage once again on Tuesday, posting a 3-0 decision. Philadelphia goaltender Michael Leighton has been the thorn in the side for the eighth-seeded Canadiens so far. Leighton stopped all 30 shots he faced on Tuesday and hasn't allowed a goal since the first period of the Flyers Game 7 victory over Boston in Round 2, "We had one good player out there and, obviously, it was (Leighton). The rest of us were average," said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen. Leighton is now 4-0 in his playoff career, which began when he replaced an injured Brian Boucher during Game 5 against Boston. The 28-year-old journeyman has stopped 128-of-132 shots for an amazing .969 save percentage in the playoffs. Leighton will take a shutout streak of 165 minutes, 50 seconds into tonight. Boucher has the longest scoreless streak in Philadelphia playoff history, playing 184:45 of shutout hockey in the 2000 postseason. Danny Briere and Simon Gagne scored power-play goals on Tuesday for the Flyers. Ville Leino registered an even-strength goal and one assist for his third consecutive multi-point game. "We didn't play our best game, we know it," Briere said. "Sometimes you need your goalie to steal one for you and I feel like that was the case, especially in the first 40 minutes tonight." Briere is leading the Flyers with nine goals and is tied with captain Mike Richards for the team lead in points with 18. Philadelphia has ripped off six straight wins since falling behind three games to none against the Bruins, and is now two wins away from its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 13 years. The Flyers have also scored 13 straight unanswered goals since falling behind 3-0 to Boston in the first period of Game 7. History says a 2-0 start is a huge asset for Philadelphia. The Flyers are 16-0 all-time when winning the first two games of a postseason series. Jaroslav Halak, yanked midway through the second period after allowing four goals on 14 shots in Game 1, made 20 saves for the Canadiens in Game 2 "I thought that we made some progress in areas," said Montreal head coach Jacques Martin. "We played much better in certain parts of the game. We spent more time in their zone tonight than the first game. We'll dissect the game and bring the necessary changes for Game 3." The Canadiens have now lost six straight playoff games to Philadelphia. Also, Montreal has been blanked in successive playoff games for the first time since Bob Sauve of Buffalo pulled off the feat in Games 1 and 2 of the 1983 Adams Division semifinals. Philadelphia and the Habs are battling for the East title despite being the bottom two seeds in the conference, marking the first time since the NHL adopted its current playoff format in 1994 that the seventh and eighth seeds in either conference are playing a series with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line. The Canadiens, who will also host Game 4 on Saturday, are 3-3 on home ice during the postseason after going 20-16-5 at Bell Centre in the regular season. Philadelphia had a poor 17-21-3 record as the guest this season, but is 4-3 on the road in the playoffs. On the injury front, despite media reports out of Philly that Flyer forwards Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere are nearing a return from injuries, neither player is expected to play tonight. Carter, the club's leading goal-scorer during the regular season, has been sidelined since April 20, when he broke his foot in Game 4 of the conference quarterfinals against New Jersey. Laperriere sustained a brain contusion in Game 5 against New Jersey. For the Canadiens, defenseman Andrei Markov underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and is expected to need six months of recovery time. The Flyers and Canadiens are meeting in the playoffs for the sixth time. Montreal won three of the previous five encounters, but Philly beat the Habs in five games the last time the franchises met in the 2008 conference semifinals. Prior to that, the previous two encounters were for conference titles, with Montreal earning a trip to the Cup Finals in 1989 -- two years after Philly beat them for the Prince of Wales Trophy in 1987.
<< Peavy tries to win fourth straight start in finale versus Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Chicago White Sox continue to be in a season- long funk, Jake Peavy appears as if he's put his early-year woes behind him. The veteran pitcher will attempt to win a fourth consecutive start and help the White Sox
<< Tigers go for rare series win in Oakland
<< Romero, Vargas square off at Safeco
<< NL West-leading Padres close set at Chavez Ravine
<< Streaking Cubs go for sweep of slumping Phils
Pirates strive to send Brewers's skid to double digits >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even a return to Pittsburgh couldn't help the Milwaukee Brewers shake out of their current funk. The team will try to find its early- season success in the Steel City and snap a nine-game losing streak in this evening's final
Reeling Mets hoping to end struggles in Washington >>
The Great Wall of Washington: NBA Mock Draft v. 1.0 >>
World Cup 2010 Preview: Denmark capable of deep run >>
Zach Thomas to call it quits as a Dolphin >>
NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change TeamsIt’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column. We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side. Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor. Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season. Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference. The Dolphins will make NFL wagering 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 college football betting needs. |
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