Blue Jackets host Oilers in meeting of disappointing clubs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both clubs headed towards disappointing finishes to the 2009-10 season, the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets face each other for the final time this year tonight at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus made the postseason for the first time in club history a season ago, but currently sits 14th in the Western Conference with 65 points, 13 back of a postseason spot. The only team the Blue Jackets are ahead of in the West standings are the Oilers, who are last in the NHL with 49 points and will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

The Blue Jackets have won two of three over the Oilers this year, winning each of the last two meetings. Columbus picked up a 3-2 shootout victory over Edmonton on Nov. 16 in the only meeting so far this year at Nationwide Arena, with Jakub Voracek getting the winner in the shootout.

Voracek had the only goal in Saturday's 5-1 loss to St. Louis as Columbus lost for the sixth time in its last eight games. Steve Mason made 31 saves.

"We have to keep stepping up as individuals," forward R.J. Umberger said. "We chased all game and they had puck possession and we could not get it at all. It wasn't like we were passing up opportunities to shoot this time, we just didn't have the puck at all. It's tough to play like that."

Columbus was without two of its top three scorers, as Rick Nash missed his third straight game due to a lower-body injury and Kristian Huselius sat out for the third time in four contests because of a lower-body issue. Nash leads Columbus with 28 goals and 57 points, while Huselius is tied for the team lead with 31 assists and is third with 49 points.

Huselius, though, could return tonight after skating on Sunday, but Nash is doubtful as he is also now battling illness.

Mason is 2-1-0 with a 2.68 goals-against average in three career starts versus the Blue Jackets, but has yet to face them this year. Instead, Mathieu Garon has posted a 2.93 GAA in the three meetings.

The Oilers come to town after dropping a 6-4 decision in Toronto on Saturday. Dustin Penner had a goal and two assists while Andrew Cogliano, Gilbert Brule and Aaron Johnson all scored. However, the Oilers dropped their third straight overall and lost for the 15th time in their last 16 road games.

Jeff Deslauriers stopped 23-of-28 shots before being pulled after the second period. Devan Dubnyk made 18 saves in relief.

"It was disappointing for a few of our guys tonight," said Oilers coach Pat Quinn, who coached his first game at Air Canada Center since being fired by Toronto after the 2005-06 season. "They seemed lost in our zone. For 10 minutes we were fine, but I haven't played in a 10-minute game in a long time. It wasn't good enough for us."

Deslauriers has never faced the Blue Jackets while Dubnyk stopped 25-of-29 shots in his only ever start versus them. That came in a 4-2 setback at Edmonton on Jan. 7 in the most recent meeting between the teams.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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