BSNblog

With March Madness betting ready to get started and the NHL trade deadline come and gone, the betting services are settling in for the stretch run to the NHL playoffs. Now is the time when teams either make their move up in the standings, or find themselves getting left behind. The Eastern Conference standings are so close that almost every team in the conference is still fighting for a playoff spot. Only the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators can be said to be completely out of the picture. The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are hanging on, but they will need to step up their games to make the post-season.

This is a game that features two teams with very different motivations. The Florida Panthers need a winning streak now to avoid being one of those teams left behind in the standings. The Carolina Hurricanes are holding on to that eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they are not doing a very good job of securing their playoff destiny.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are in deep trouble as the last 20 games of the season get ready to start. Carolina just lost a game to the Montreal Canadiens and now find the gap between themselves and the Buffalo Sabres to be only two points. In the last 10 games, the Hurricanes are 3-4-3 and have been steadily falling further behind the seventh place New York Rangers. The Hurricanes just cannot hold on to a lead late in the game. They are scoring three and four goals per game on a consistent basis. But they are allowing teams to score in the third period as games continue to slip away. The Hurricanes are getting decent goaltending from Cam Ward. They just need to learn how to shut down the other team in the third period.

Florida Panthers

If the Florida Panthers cannot find a way to start stringing wins together, then they will be on the outside looking in at the playoffs before the end of the week. The Panthers were holding down ninth in the conference and threatening for eighth not that long ago. But Florida’s defense and goaltending have let them down lately, and now the Panthers find themselves with 59 points and eight points out of the final playoff spot. In the last 10 games, the Panthers are 3-6-1 and showing no signs of being able to string together consecutive wins. Florida needs to remember that they are only eight points out of a playoff spot, but they are also only eight points out of the Eastern Conference basement.

The Bottom Line

The Hurricanes just need to play better in the third period in order to start putting together some much-needed wins. The Panthers’ problems are much deeper than just a lack of effort, and Florida does not make some moves at the trade deadline to shore up its defense then there will be no playoffs in South Beach this season.

BSNblog Pick: Carolina Hurricanes

(24) Temple Owls @ Duke Blue Devils (1)

Wednesday February 23, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET

Cameron Indoor Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina

Online Sports Betting Odds: Duke – 14.5

The Blue Devils have won six in a row to regain the No. 1 ranking in the country, and establish a one-and-a-half game lead over the North Carolina Tar Heels for first place in the ACC. This will mark Duke’s final test against a ranked opponent before they finish the season with a showdown against the Tar Heels, one that they can make irrelevant by winning out from this point forward.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Temple

The Owls have earned the respect they feel they have deserved since the beginning of the season by putting together a seven-game win streak that has them at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings right behind first place Xavier. Temple hasn’t had many tough tests this season, but did manage to split its two games against ranked opponents so far with a win over Georgetown at home and a loss at Villanova. Junior guard Ramone Moore has been the team’s biggest offensive threat with an average of 15.4 points per game, but will face the best defenders he will see all college basketball betting year against the reigning national champions.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Duke

The Blue Devils understand very well just how important it is to win their next three games leading up to the finale with the Tar Heels, a game they do not want to play on the road with an ACC title on the line. Aside from a couple of upset losses, Duke has been very consistent this season and there is no reason to believe there will be another surprise down the stretch. The Blue Devils have won 34 straight games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and have not lost there against a non-conference sports betting bonus opponent since 2000.

College Basketball Betting: Outlook & Pick

Temple is 0-7 at Cameron Indoor Stadium since they won their first meeting there all the way back in 1949, and it would be a stretch to say that they are capable of winning this game. The Blue Devils are playing their best basketball of the season, and very determined to make sure they clinch both an ACC title and the top spot in the country before their season finale against North Carolina. Duke will win this game, but the number is too high to take them against the pay per head spread.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Owls + 14.5

As the NCAA basketball betting continues and the 2011 NHL trade deadline approaches, every point in the NHL standings counts. When teams close in the conference standings get a chance to face each other, those games become highly contested. The New York Rangers currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference only two points ahead of the eighth place Carolina Hurricanes. This game is extremely important.

To this point, all of the teams involved in the melee for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference are not helping their own causes. Every team from the seventh place Rangers down to the 10th place Atlanta Thrashers are on losing streaks. It looks like the team that can put together a respectable winning streak could secure its playoff future.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have had the ninth place Buffalo Sabres and 10th place Thrashers breathing down their necks for two weeks now. The Sabres are unable to cash in on their current six-game home stand as they have lost the first three games. The Thrashers were well within reach of Carolina until the bottom fell out in Atlanta and the Thrashers went on a stretch where they only won two of 10 games.

The Hurricanes are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, but they are 15-10-2 at home. The Canes had a chance to broaden their lead for the last playoff spot by six points if they could have beaten the surging New Jersey Devils. But the Hurricanes lost to the Devils and they lost in Carolina. Goaltending has started to become a problem with the Hurricanes, but the coaching staff is confident that Cam Ward can get back into form and the Hurricanes can start putting wins together again.

New York Rangers

The Rangers looked like they were ready to make a run to the top of the Eastern Conference and then the wheels came off. In their last 10 games the Rangers are 2-7-1 and are riding a two-game losing streak. However, the Rangers are 17-13-1 on the road and are still getting excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. It seems like the Rangers go through stretches where they cannot score goals, and they are currently in one of those streaks now.

The Rangers have been all over the map in this year’s NHL standings. They have been in the top part of the playoff race, and they have fallen dangerously close to being out of the playoffs. Their inconsistency is strange considering how much of a task-master head coach John Tortorella can be. The Rangers need this game to get back into a winning groove and head back up the Eastern Conference standings.

The Bottom Line

These two teams have been inconsistent all season long. But the Rangers have shown an ability to bounce back on the road. The Hurricanes may be feeling the pressure of trying to maintain the final playoff spot and could be starting to fade.

BSNblog Pick: New York Rangers

People in Western New York cannot really bet on college basketball like other major metropolitan areas because there isn’t any big time college basketball there. The sports betting bonus for Buffalo basketball fans is the ability to bet on teams all over the country with price per head betting services. NHL hockey is the thing to bet on in Buffalo, and the Sabres have been driving Buffalo sports fans crazy all season long. Goaltender Ryan Miller looks extremely human this season and far-removed from his Vezina season of a year ago. The Sabres got off to a very slow start, but are now battling for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Montreal Canadiens took a chance, again, on goalie Carey Price and this time it has paid off. The Canadiens trail the Boston Bruins by one point for the lead in the Northeastern Division, and are looking to continue their dominance over the Buffalo Sabres in this important divisional home game.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are 3-1 against the Sabres this season and look to extend their season record against the Sabres at home. In their last 10 games, the Canadiens are 5-3-2, but at home this season the Canadiens are 19-7-5. Carey Price got a shut out in his last start, but he gave up 11 goals in the previous two start combined. Considering how well the Sabres have been scoring lately, Price will have to pick up his game to try and earn the win in this game.

The Canadiens offense has been stagnant all season long. Montreal has scored 151 goals this season, and that is by far the lowest total among all of the teams currently in playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. It is also 11 goals less than the Sabres have scored. The Canadiens are living by their defense, and that is not going to sustain a winning streak in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres

As goaltender Ryan Miller continues to disappoint, forward Drew Stafford has continued to impress. Stafford has four hat tricks in his last 20 starts. His last two hat tricks came nearly back to back last week. Stafford has had the hot scoring hand and younger players such as Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis are starting to have a major impact on the Sabres season.

Ryan Miller allowed 7 goals, many of then weak, in a recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Miller could be getting tired as he has started 31 games in a row, or he could be falling back on the bad habits that plagued his 2008-2009 season. The defense playing in front of Miller is not playing well at all, and it could be discouragement at a terrible defense that is getting to last year’s Vezina Trophy winner.

The Bottom Line

The Sabres are incredibly difficult to predict lately. They are beating teams they should be losing to and losing big to teams they should be beating. The Sabres desperately need the two points. Both goalies are playing horribly lately, but the Sabres stand a better chance of rebounding to win this game based solely on their ability to score goals as of late.

BSNblog Pick: Buffalo Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins are done competing with the Super Bowl 45 betting fever that gripped the city of Pittsburgh, but that does not mean that the Penguins are catching any breaks. The sports betting bonus world found out that the injury that star center Evgeni Malkin suffered in a recent game against Buffalo is season ending. For the next few weeks it will be no Geno and no Crosby in Pittsburgh.

The Columbus Blue Jackets keep taking one step forward and then two steps back in their attempt to climb the NHL standings into a Western Conference playoff spot. The most recent Columbus move was one step forward as the team is on a two-game winning streak. Now it just needs to avoid the two steps back to push towards a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are a physical hockey team. It almost looks as though the remaining players in the wake of the Crosby and Malkin injuries feel that intimidation and hard-hitting is the only way they will be successful. Against the Sabres, the Penguins were physical all over the ice and inviting some bad penalties that, luckily for Pittsburgh, were never called. But the Penguins players spent a lot of time picking fights with the Sabres, and targeting the Sabres smaller players for cheap shots. It just doesn’t look like the class act we are used to seeing in Pittsburgh when Crosby and Malkin are not out there.

In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury has been solid lately. He has won three of his last four starts, including a shut-out win over the New York Islanders. He is looking like the Stanley Cup goaltender the Penguins are used to, and they will need him to be big the rest of the season with the uncertainty on the Penguins’ forward lines.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets have had great goaltending from Steve Mason at times, and then they have had horrible goaltending from Mason. Luckily for the Blue Jackets, lately the goaltending has been excellent. Mason is 3-2 in his last five games and that includes a shut-out of the Detroit Red Wings. The defense in front of Mason has also been playing better of late, and that is helping to keep the goals against down.

The problem for the Blue Jackets all season long has been getting critical goals when needed from top players. The Jackets are in the bottom half of the league in goal scoring, and they have one of the worst power plays in the NHL. This game could be a chance for the Jackets to get themselves back up to speed and start pushing for the playoffs.

The Bottom Line

It is no small feat to shut out the Detroit Red Wings as the Columbus Blue Jackets did last week. The Jackets have the strength to match the physical play of the Penguins, and without Crosby or Malkin, the Jackets can also score along with the Penguins.

BSNblog Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets

Super Bowl Betting – Sunday, 6:00 PM ET

Aaron Rodgers (+130): The Green Bay quarterback has been the best player in the playoffs so far, so it would be no surprise if he ended up claiming this award if the Packers win their fourth Super Bowl. The Packers have gotten a running game in the playoffs with James Starks, but the Steelers are the NFL’s best against the run, so if Green Bay is going to win, it’ll be either the defense or Rodgers’ arm.

Ben Roethlisberger (+325): Pittsburgh’s quarterback has won two Super Bowls in seven seasons, but no MVPs, and some NFL playoff betting players think he deserved the MVP in 2009, although Santonio Holmes was very deserving. The Steelers have a much better running game so Roethlisberger doesn’t have to shoulder such a big load, which hurts his chances, but we all know he’s capable of a big game.

Rashard Mendenhall (+650): This running back may be the best weapon that the Steelers have, as he can allow them to control the clock, which keeps the Packers’ offense on the sidelines and increases their chances of winning. The Steelers are 4-0 this season when Mendenhall rushes for 100 yards or more, so look for him to get the ball early and often in Dallas.

Greg Jennings (+1200): The wide receivers was a decent NFL pick in the second round of the 2006 draft, but no one expected him to explode as he has become Rodgers’ favorite target. This would be like Holmes winning in 2009; if Rodgers has a big day, Jennings will be the biggest beneficiary, and his ability to go over the middle as well as stretch the field will be a major concern for the Steelers.

James Starks/Mike Wallace (+1500): Starks needs to have a massive game to have any chance of winning the MVP, but as we said before, the Steelers are the best in the league when it comes to defending the run. Wallace has been kept largely quiet in the postseason, but he’s still the best deep threat in the league, and definitely in this game. He’ll be covered by a number of defenders, and likely two on deep routes with safety help, but if you were looking to make a longshot bet, Wallace would definitely be a great pick in your online sportsbook.

First Player To Score The First Touchdown

The top three players with the best odds for scoring the first touchdown in Super Bowl XLV are:

1. Rashard Mendenhall - Steelers (+500)


2. Mike Wallace – Steelers (+700)


3. James Starks – Packers (+700)

Starks has been a key player in the Packers’ run to the Super Bowl, but even with 263 rushing yards in the Packers three games Starks only has one touchdown. He may score a touchdown in this game, but it will not be the first one.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is not going to come out throwing the ball a lot to start this game. He will need to adjust to the speed of the Packers defense, and the best way to do that is to hand the ball off. That eliminates wide receiver Mike Wallace as the first player to score a touchdown in this game. Because of the ability they have shown for long opening drives, the Steelers will probably score the first touchdown. It may be a keeper by Roethlisberger, but more than likely it will be a rushing touchdown by Rashard Mendenhall.

Super Bowl MVP

The odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl XLV MVP honors is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (+150). The second in line is Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (+200). If you believe that the Packers will win this game, then it will be very difficult to bet against Aaron Rodgers as the MVP. Clay Matthews (+1500) is a long-shot to win MVP honors, but if a linebacker was ever going to be the Super Bowl MVP then it would be Matthews. But go with Rodgers on this one. By the time the game is over, Rodgers will have done more than enough to be considered the most valuable player in the game.

Ben Roethlisberger’s Passing Fate

One of the more interesting prop bets for Super Bowl XLV is whether Ben Roethlisberger will throw a TD pass first, or an interception. The odds are +160 that Roethlisberger will throw an interception before he throws a touchdown pass and -200 that he will throw a touchdown first.

Big Ben will air the ball out more in Super Bowl XLV than he has in any of the other two Pittsburgh playoff games, and that definitely opens up the flood gates for speculation. Roethlisberger is famous for making up pass plays as he goes along, and he is also bold enough to throw the ball in the direction of Charles Woodson early. Look for Ben to throw an interception first, and look for Woodson to be the one to pick it off.

There is a list of odds on what will happen with Ben’s first pass of the game. The odds are -220 that the first Roethlisberger pass will be complete, +170 that it will be incomplete and +1200 that it will be an interception. Roethlisberger knows how to win Super Bowls, so look for his first pass of the game to be a completion.