Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks
Hockey Betting Lines
02/08/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves
tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak, but have won two of
three since pulling off a pair of trades last Sunday to acquire goaltender
Jean-Sebastien Giguere and defenseman Dion Phaneuf from Anaheim and Calgary,
respectively.
Phaneuf has started quietly, with just one assist in three games with the
Leafs, but Giguere has been a revelation in net for Toronto. The veteran
backstop is 2-0 with the Maple Leafs and has yet to allow a goal in posting a
pair of shutouts with his new team.
Giguere stopped 30 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 home win over New Jersey, and after
sitting out Friday's road game against the Devils, posted another shutout in
Saturday's meeting with visiting Ottawa. Giguere once again stopped 30 shots
as Toronto brought the Senators' 11-game win streak to a screeching halt with
a dominant 5-0 victory at Air Canada Centre.
Giguere, a former Conn Smythe winner with the Ducks, has three shutouts on the
season and 34 in his career. The 32-year-old is the first goalie in Maple
Leafs history to record shutouts in his first two games with the team, and
he is expected to get a crack at a third straight blanking when he gets
the start again tonight.
"It's a young man's game; when you get into your 30's, you're getting old,"
said the 32-year-old Giguere. "It's nice to have those young guys, it's
refreshing. They have a lot of energy, they're youthful. They'll make
mistakes, but they're honest mistakes. We can all accept that. It's a learning
process for everybody, but right now everybody is very focused."
Phil Kessel and Luke Schenn each scored twice and had an assist for the Maple
Leafs. Tyler Bozak also scored for Toronto.
The Maple Leafs, who are tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 49
points, are just 11-12-5 as the host this year, but have won three of their
last five at ACC.
San Jose, meanwhile, comes into tonight as the top team in the West with 85
points and trails Washington by just three points for most in the NHL. The
Sharks have won two straight and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 outings.
The Sharks have won the first two tests of a six-game road trip that will take
them into the NHL's Olympic break. San Jose earned wins in St. Louis and
Nashville to improve its road mark to 19-6-2 on the season.
San Jose posted a 4-3 decision in the Music City on Saturday, as Dany
Heatley's power-play goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner at
Nashville's Sommet Center.
Heatley finished with two goals and an assist while Rob Blake and Brad
Staubitz each lit the lamp for the Sharks. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 35 shots in
the win.
"The ice was bad, the puck was bouncing a little bit," Heatley said. "There
were a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, we took advantage of a couple of power
plays."
Tonight marks the only scheduled meeting of the season between the Sharks and
Leafs. San Jose notched a 5-2 home victory in the lone encounter between the
teams in 2008-09 and has won three straight in the series. Each team has three
wins and a tie in the seven last matchups held in Toronto.
<< Ramblers try to cool off red-hot Bulldogs
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Butler Bulldogs continue their
run at a perfect Horizon League campaign tonight, as they host the Loyola
Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs are enjoying another terrific season
<< Jayhawks and Longhorns duke it out in Austin
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Big 12 heavyweights collide in Austin
this evening, as the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks take on the ninth-ranked Texas
Longhorns from the Frank Erwin Center.
Bill Self's Jayhawks sit atop the Big 12 stan
<< Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference
loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track
in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 1
<< Colonials face tall task in clash with Panthers
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Panthers take a break from
their Big East Conference schedule this evening to battle the Robert Morris
Colonials of the Northeast Conference at the Petersen Events Center in the
Steel City.
R
<< Spurs resume road trip against Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs face the toughest test of their
annual Rodeo Road Trip when they face the defending NBA champion Los Angeles
Lakers at Staples Center tonight.
Each year around this time the Spurs hit the road
Avs resume homestand with visit from Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to forge a tie atop the
Northwest Division standings tonight, when they welcome the St. Louis Blues
for a battle at Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche have 70 points and are two behind idle Vancouv
Devils, Flyers ready to renew rivalry >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk will seek his first goal in a New Jersey
Devils uniform when his new team visits the rival Philadelphia Flyers tonight
at Wachovia Center for the opener of a home-and-home series between Atlantic
Division foes.
Streaking Kings try to continue mastery of rival Ducks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will be aiming to extend a franchise-
record winning streak tonight. If recent history is any indication, the
Anaheim Ducks may not be posing much of a problem towards achieving that feat.
The Kings s
Coyotes hope to rebound against visiting Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After stumbling in their last trip to the ice, the Phoenix
Coyotes will be seeking a bounce-back performance when they return to
Jobing.com Arena tonight to take on an Edmonton Oilers squad trying to avoid
setting a franchise
Bolton's Cahill could miss remainder of season >>
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton central defender Gary Cahill is set
to miss the rest of the season due to a blot clot in his arm.
The 24-year-old, who is on the fringes of the England senior squad, missed the
weekend draw with Ful
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NFL Sports Betting
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North.
Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash. NFL Betting
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