Souray, Oilers hold off late rally by Canucks
Hockey Betting Lines
12/27/2008 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray's power-play goal late in the second period proved to be the game-winner, as the Edmonton Oilers fended off the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at GM Place.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Shawn Horcoff also tallied for the Oilers, who have won two games in a row on the heels of a three-game slide. Ales Hemsky and Lubomir Visnovsky both collected two assists, while Dwayne Roloson made 26 saves, including 13 in a frantic third period.
Mason Raymond and Kyle Wellwood each had a goal for the Canucks, who have lost three of their last four games. Curtis Sanford allowed three goals on 23 shots in a losing effort.
After Raymond put Vancouver on the board with 30.8 seconds remaining in the second period, Wellwood struck on the power play 1:46 into the third, redirecting Alexander Edler's point shot for his 13th goal this season, surpassing his career-high set during the 2006-07 campaign with Toronto.
The Canucks continued to press and nearly came up with the equalizer on several occasions, but Edmonton held on for the victory.
Following an uneventful opening stanza, Pouliot got things started for Edmonton at the 4:27 mark of the second period, taking a pass from Dustin Penner and firing a shot past Sanford.
The Oilers capitalized on a pair of two-man advantages to build a three-goal lead. Horcoff tickled the twine at 8:31, then Souray lit the lamp with 3:14 remaining.
Game Notes
The Oilers evened the season series (2-2-0) against their Northwest Division rivals...Edler assisted on both goals for Vancouver...Edmonton finished 2- for-5 on the power play, while the Canucks were 1-for-5...The Oilers are 11-9-0 as the road club...Vancouver is 10-5-1 at home...The Canucks outshot Edmonton 14-3 over the final 20 minutes.
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors erased a 12-point halftime deficit to upend the Celtics, 99-89, handing Boston back-to-back defeats on the heels of a franc
<< Doan helps Coyotes crown Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Doan's power-play marker in the late
stages of the second period proved to be the game-winner and lifted the
Phoenix Coyotes to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in the opener of a
home-an
<< O'Neal, Raptors crown Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jermaine O'Neal scored 36 points and hauled
in nine rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 107-101 victory over the
Sacramento Kings from ARCO Arena.
Jose Calderon notched 16 points, seven boards
<< Souray, Canucks hold off late rally by Oilers
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sheldon Souray's power-play goal late in the
second period proved to be the game-winner, as the Edmonton Oilers fended off
the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at GM Place.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Shawn Horcoff a
<< Nuggets notch comeback win over Sixers behind Smith, Billups
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.R. Smith dropped a game-high 27 points,
hitting 7-of-11 from beyond the arc to lead the Denver Nuggets past the
Philadelphia 76ers, 105-101, at the Pepsi Center.
Chauncey Billups scored 26 poin
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Virginia Mountaineers and the North Carolina Tar Heels are set to square off in the Meineke Car Care Bowl at Bank of America Stadium this weekend. The Mountaineers put together another solid regular-
Champs Sports Bowl features Seminoles and Badgers >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wisconsin Badgers and Florida State
Seminoles will meet for the first-ever time on the gridiron this weekend, as
they square off in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.
The Badgers have been up and this
Golden Bears and 'Canes clash in Emerald Bowl >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The California Golden Bears make the
short trip to San Francisco this weekend, where they will take on the Miami-
Florida Hurricanes in the 2008 Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park.
The Bears showed their resil
Spartans battle Grizzlies in Auburn Hills >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans
and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will meet today at the Palace of Auburn
Hills, home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons.
Michigan State has won its last four games to impr
Tigers and Cougars meet in catfight in Columbia >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Missouri Tigers will take on
the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars in what appears to be a lopsided non-conference
matchup.
SIU-Edwardsville carries a six-game losing streak into this contest, and all
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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