Thrashers host Sens in battle between struggling clubs

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03/18/2010 - (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 Ottawa Senators.

Atlanta lost ground in the postseason race after a recent 0-5-1 stretch, but did manage to bounce back with a much-needed 4-3 home win over Buffalo on Tuesday. After allowing the Sabres to come back from an early 3-1 deficit, the Thrashers went ahead to stay on Jim Slater's goal with 6:44 remaining in the third period.

Tim Kennedy scored 7:02 into the final session to draw the Sabres even, but Atlanta moved back in front just over six minutes later after Niclas Bergfors' shot from the right boards hit off Slater's glove and trickled past Buffalo goaltender Patrick Lalime.

"I just charged the net and it went right to me," said Slater. "I just did what I like to do and got the goal."

Buffalo pulled Lalime late in the game for the extra attacker, but Atlanta was able to keep the puck away from netminder Johan Hedberg on the way to the win.

Bergfors assisted on three of the Thrashers' four tallies on the night, while Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov both registered a goal and an assist for Atlanta. Hedberg finished with 29 saves

The Thrashers still have some work to do in order to reach the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, as the club trails Boston by five points for the No. 8 seed in the East.

Tuesday's triumph also benefited the Senators, who trail the Sabres by three points for first place in the Northeast Division. Ottawa missed out on a chance to close the gap, though, after dropping a 4-1 decision to cellar- dwelling Toronto Tuesday at Scotiabank Place.

The loss was the Senators' third in a row and followed up a lopsided 5-1 setback at Vancouver on Saturday. Ottawa has gone just 1-5-1 since the Olympic break and has scored one goal or less in each of those six defeats.

"These are points that we need and we know that," goaltender Brian Elliott said after Tuesday's game. "We have to look at the tape and see what we did wrong."

Ottawa still stands fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 79 points, but rival Montreal is lurking just one point behind and seventh-place Philadelphia is just two back of the Senators.

The Sens have also struggled in their last couple of meetings with the Thrashers, losing both games by a combined 9-2 score earlier this season. Atlanta came through with a 6-1 rout of Ottawa at Philips Arena back on January 12 and is 5-2-0 in its last seven outings as the host in this series.

Tonight's test begins an important three-game road trip for the Senators, with stops in Dallas and Montreal to follow. Ottawa has lost five of its last seven away games and is a lackluster 14-18-1 as the visitor this season.

Waskjeeves Hockey Betting News

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

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