Thomas, Bruins blank Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas stopped 44 shots to record his third shutout of the season, helping the Boston Bruins to a 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.

Stanislav Chistov, P.J. Axelsson, and Jason York scored for the Bruins, winners in three straight and seven of nine.

Andrew Raycroft made just 10 saves on 13 shots through two periods for the Maple Leafs, who have now lost in four of their last six outings. Jean- Sebastien Aubin stopped all eight shots he faced in relief.

Leading by three goals, but outshot 26-13 through 40 minutes, the Bruins walked away with a crucial division road victory thanks to their netminder.

Thomas kept the shutout going by robbing Bates Battaglia on a 2-on-zero shorthanded break deep inside the Bruins' zone with three minutes played in the third. He came up big once more by flashing a glove to snag a Mats Sundin chance in the slot with just under four minutes left in the contest, then sticked aside the final few weak shots a tired Toronto offense could muster.

Boston survived an early two-man disadvantage, then got on the board at 7:13 as Chistov slammed home a loose puck in the crease which Raycroft failed to fall on.

Axelsson doubled the lead to 2-0 on a shorthanded goal, as he outraced Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle and blasted home a slapshot from the bottom of the left circle with 5:46 to play in the second.

When York's right point blast managed to sneak through traffic and beat Raycroft on the far side, the Bruins opened up a 3-0 lead at 17:41. Brandon Bochenski set up the score by stripping a Leafs player behind the net, skating back towards the point on the right side, and dishing to York, who netted his first of the season.

Game Notes

The Bruins won the season series, 5-3-0...The Leafs had won the previous two meetings by a combined 15-3 score, including a 10-2 rout in Boston in early January...Boston played without its top goal-scorer Glen Murray, who suffered a groin injury Monday against the Flyers...Toronto was blanked for only the second time all season, and for the first time at home...Neither team scored on 11 combined power-play opportunities.

Casiogames Hockey Betting News

<< Thrashers storm past Hurricanes
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Hedberg made 33 saves to lead the Atlanta Thrashers to a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in a big Southeast Division battle at RBC Center. Marian Hossa had a goal and an assist and Ilya

<< Providence knocks off No. 22 West Virginia
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Alexander missed a wide open three for a tie with 14.5 seconds left then Herbert Hill iced the tournament resume- building victory with a breakaway slam, as Providence downed No. 22 West Virgini

<< Oh, what a Neitzel: MSU upsets No. 1 Wisconsin
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Neitzel scored 11 of his 28 points during a game-clinching run in the final minutes, as Michigan State downed top-ranked Wisconsin, 64-55, at the Breslin Center. Neitzel, who hit 10-of-17 shot

<< Horna upsets Nalbandian in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peru's Luis Horna, who came into this week ranked 50th in the world, picked off top seed David Nalbandian in his home country at the $445,000 Copa Telmex tennis event. Horna scored a 6-4, 6-3

<< Haas, Fish cruise in first round at Memphis
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded German Tommy Has and fourth- seeded American Mardy Fish had no trouble in their first round matches at the $665,000 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Haas, who defeated Swede Robin Soderl

Anderson ices the game at the line as Bobcats top Hornets >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raymond Felton scored 21 points and doled out 11 assists, and the Charlotte Bobcats topped the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 104-100. Gerald Wallace also tallied 21 points, and grabbed seven reb

Sabres double up Flyers >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Briere posted a goal and two assists as the first-place Buffalo Sabres crushed the last-place Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3. Chris Drury, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy each had a goal and an assist for

Arenas leads Wizards over T'Wolves >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilbert Arenas poured in 38 points, and Washington never trailed in a 112-100 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Arenas was a miserable 1-of-8 from three-point range, but made up for the shor

Rutgers women rout Providence >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matee Ajavon scored 23 points and Epiphanny Prince added 14 to lead 21st-ranked Rutgers to a 69-34 pounding of Providence. Heather Zurich tallied 10 points for the Scarlet Knights (18-7, 11-3 Big East

No. 18 Bowling Green rolls over Kent State >>
Kent, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amber Flynn poured in 21 points and led six players in double figures, as 18th-ranked Bowling Green defeated Kent State, 89-66, at the M.A.C. Center. Kate Achter scored 14 points, Carin Horne chipped

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

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