Blackhawks ready to take center stage

Hockey Betting Lines

12/31/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It would have been perfect if the Chicago Blackhawks could have carried their franchise-record winning streak into the Winter Classic, but it wasn't to be.

Despite the fact that the Detroit Red Wings -- Chicago's opponent in the outdoor game on New Year's Day -- easily handled the Blackhawks in a tune-up for the showdown at Wrigley Field, the Winter Classic will still be a coming- out party for the NHL's franchise in Chicago.

The Blackhawks, who like the Red Wings are an Original Six franchise, have experienced a renaissance in recent years as they've used a series of high draft picks to build one of the most exciting teams in the league.

For years, hockey in Chicago was a mere sideshow. After all, the Blackhawks have some serious competition in the Windy City, where two major league baseball franchises, the NFL's Bears and the NBA's Bulls also play.

While the Cubs, the loveable losers who call Wrigley Field home, are arguably the city's most cherished franchise it was the Bulls who captured hardware for Chicago in the 1990s. Michael Jordan's Bulls won six NBA titles in a span of eight years during the '90s and the team became synonymous with the word "dynasty".

The Blackhawks actually had a string of 28 straight playoff appearances from 1970-1997, but the Bulls, who had never won a title before Jordan's arrival, quickly trumped the city's consistent NHL franchise with their barrage of championships. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, haven't won a Stanley Cup title since 1961, a fact that even 50 straight years of making the playoffs wouldn't erase from the minds of Chicago hockey fans.

The problem for the Blackhawks is that since that lengthy postseason run, the club has made the playoffs just once (2002) in the last 10 seasons. Head coach Joel Quenneville and general manager Dale Tallon hope the Hawks can change that by getting back into the postseason this year.

The Blackhawks are certainly on the right track to make a return to the NHL's second season, as they head into the New Year second in the Central Division and just six points behind the Red Wings.

However, Detroit didn't seem impressed when the clubs met in Motown just two days before the outdoor showdown. The Blackhawks rolled into Detroit riding a franchise-record nine-game winning streak, but the Red Wings shut down Chicago and skated away with a 4-0 victory.

It was an impressive defensive performance by the defending Stanley Cup champions considering the Blackhawks had lit the lamp 24 times in their previous five games.

The same thing could happen to Chicago in the Winter Classic, but it's extremely difficult -- even for a team like Detroit -- to hold back the Blackhawks' potent offense in two straight games.

Chicago is the youngest team in the NHL and its leading offensive player, Patrick Kane, just turned 20 years old earlier this season. Kane, a native of Buffalo, NY where last year's Winter Classic was held, leads the Blackhawks with 41 points and is the player to watch in this year's outdoor battle.

Let's just hope Kane and other Chicago youngsters like Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg aren't slowed down by the outdoor ice surface, which can be a hindrance to quick skaters.

If the ice surface is easy to skate on, the Blackhawks will try to dictate the pace of the game and use speed and youth to their advantage against a veteran- laden Detroit squad.

The Blackhawks will certainly feel the pressure to perform not just for the crowd at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day, but also for the millions of folks tuning in at home. The thrill of playing in front of 41,000 hockey fans should wipe away any feelings of nervousness, however.

Chicago has waited a while for a hockey franchise it can be proud of to re- emerge and the 2008-09 Blackhawks have more than enough talent to fit that bill.

On New Year's Day, Kane and company will have a chance to show the rest of the hockey world what Chicago hockey fans already know...the Blackhawks are back.

Wwzdnet Hockey Betting News

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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