Back to basics: Bruins seek a return to form versus Habs
Hockey Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After watching his team get shut out for the second time in three games, Claude Julien would like the Boston Bruins to get back to basics tonight when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
Boston has lost two of three and four of its last six games and was handed a 3-0 setback by Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The Bruins fired 42 shots at Lundqvist, including 18 in the third period, but they couldn't solve the Swedish netminder. Boston had also been shut out last Wednesday in a 6-0 rout in Buffalo before rebounding with Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over visiting Nashville.
Tuesday's loss dropped the Bruins nine points behind the Rangers for the top seed in the East. The defending Stanley Cup champions are still four points up on Ottawa for first place in the Northeast Division.
Boston is just 6-7-1 in its last 14 trips to the ice and Julien believes his team's recent struggles are a result of the Bruins getting away from what they do best.
"We're a checking team that scores. That's our identity," Julien said after Tuesday's loss. "We're a checking team that scores, but right now, we're not checking and we're not scoring."
Julien hopes Boston can find its physical game on the road, as the B's are kicking off a six-game road trip tonight. The Bruins have a solid 16-8-0 record as the guest this year.
While the Bruins fired a ton of shots at Lundqvist on Tuesday, Tim Thomas stopped just 17-of-20 shots for Boston.
"We certainly could have done more," Julien added. "They won more battles than we did tonight."
Tuukka Rask will likely get the start in net tonight, although he is 1-6-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average in nine career games against Montreal.
Tyler Seguin led Boston with seven shots on net on Tuesday, but he went without a point for the sixth time in seven games. Seguin, who has one goal over that stretch, is tied for the team lead with 20 goals this season.
Tonight's test marks the sixth and final scheduled meeting between the Habs and Bruins this year. Montreal took the first two encounters back in October, but Boston has won three straight since. The Bruins have still been handed losses in six of their last eight trips to Quebec.
The Canadiens will try to get back on track tonight after having a four-game winning streak halted by the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Montreal had tied its longest hot streak of the season with the four consecutive victories, but the Habs squandered a 3-2 lead in the third period of Monday's test against the Hurricanes.
Eric Staal netted two goals and added an assist -- all in the third period -- to lift Carolina to the 5-3 decision at Bell Centre.
Tomas Plekanec, Erik Cole and David Desharnais scored and Carey Price made 30 saves in defeat for the Canadiens, who were trying to post five straight victories for the first time since March of last season.
Montreal is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference and is seven points out of a playoff spot.
The Canadiens are completing a brief two-game homestand tonight and are just 11-12-7 in Montreal this year.
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<< Panthers hope to solve visiting Sens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers are in position to win four in a row
for the first time this season, but to do so they'll need to beat the Ottawa
Senators for the first time in nine meetings.
That's the task for the Panthers tonight
<< Maple Leafs aim to end slide in road test with Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to end their longest
losing streak of the season when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for tonight's
battle at Rexall Place.
The Maple Leafs have lost four in a row -- all in regulation -- an
<< Wolves hope to get healthy against visiting Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been a history-making year thus far for the Charlotte
Bobcats. Unfortunately, it's not the type of records they'd like to be
associated with.
Tonight, Charlotte attempts to snap their franchise-record 15-game losing
<< Pistons and Celtics clash at TD Garden
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Before exiting the New England area for five straight
games, the Boston Celtics will take care of some business at home when the
Detroit Pistons pay a visit to TD Garden this evening.
The Celtics opened a brief two-game ho
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First-year Yale head football coach Tony Reno announced on Wednesday his nine-man assistant coaching staff, which has a combined 128 years of experience. Only defensive coordinator Rick Flanders returns from
Wizards seek third straight road win against Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards will try to extend a rare road
winning streak when they face off with an LA Clippers team returning to SoCal
for the first time in nearly two weeks.
The Wizards have opened up a five-game t
Blazers take on Warriors without Aldridge >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers will be without All-Star forward
LaMarcus Aldridge tonight when they square off with the surging Golden State
Warriors in Oakland.
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Hawks continue road trip at Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta will resume a five-game road trip tonight in the
desert when it takes on a Phoenix Suns team finishing up a tough three games
in three nights stretch.
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Mavs host Nuggets in Big D >>
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com