Devils cap homestand against red-hot Penguins

Hockey Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Atlantic Division do battle tonight as the New Jersey Devils welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Continental Airlines Arena.

The Devils are in first place in the Atlantic with 76 points, but Pittsburgh has pulled within seven points of that lead. Jersey is second in the Eastern Conference, while Pittsburgh is tied with Ottawa for the fourth spot.

New Jersey has held the upper hand in the series with the Pens this year, winning three of the four meetings between the clubs. The Devils have also taken four straight on home ice from the Penguins and six of the last seven encounters overall.

The Devils won for the fifth time in six games Wednesday, as they pasted the visiting Montreal Canadiens, 5-2. Patrik Elias had a goal and two assists to help New Jersey ease past the Habs at the Meadowlands.

Brian Rafalski had two goals while Zach Parise also scored for the Devils, who rebounded from Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. Martin Brodeur made 19 saves to improve to 35-15-5 on the year.

Jamie Langenbrunner notched a pair of assists to push his point-scoring streak to seven games. His tear is tied for the longest current streak in the NHL.

The Devils played Wednesday's game without the services of center John Madden (facial laceration) and defenseman Colin White (upper body), but both players could be back this evening.

However, the Devils leading goal scorer, Brian Gionta, may not be able to skate in this evening's contest. Gionta, who has 24 goals on the year, suffered a groin pull in Wednesday's game and is questionable for tonight.

Tonight marks the final test of a six-game homestand for New Jersey, which is an impressive 21-5-4 as the host this year.

The Penguins have been extremely hot lately, winning four straight and 10 of their last 11 games. They have also registered a point in 14 consecutive contests (12-0-2), and a win or a loss after regulation tonight would give Pittsburgh its first streak of 15 straight games with a point since the 1992-93 campaign. That year the Pens ended the regular season with 17 wins and a tie,

Pittsburgh is coming off Wednesday's home win over Chicago. Rookie Evgeni Malkin tied the game late in the third period and also netted the deciding shootout marker as the Penguins edged the Blackhawks, 5-4, at Mellon Arena.

Marc-Andre Fleury came up with two pivotal stops on Martin Havlat late and finished with 24 saves for the Penguins. Ronald Petrovicky, Maxime Talbot and Michel Ouellet each scored in regulation during the win.

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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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