Samuelsson leads NHL's Three Stars

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks right wing Mikael Samuelsson, Phoenix Coyotes right wing Lee Stempniak and Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending March 14.

Samuelsson registered his first NHL hat trick and finished with six goals and 10 points to help the Northwest Division-leading Canucks go 3-0-1 and grab the First Star.

The veteran Swede, who was left off the Olympic roster, has nine goals and four assists during a seven-game point streak.

Stempniak earned the Second Star after scoring five times to help the surprising Coyotes to a spotless 3-0-0 week.

Phoenix, which acquired Stempniak from Toronto at the NHL trade deadline, has won five straight games overall and sits fourth in the Western Conference entering Monday's action. The Coyotes haven't reached the postseason since 2002.

Rinne was named the Third Star after posting a 1.44 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in backstopping the playoff-hopeful Predators to road wins over Anaheim (1-0) and Los Angeles (3-2).

Supercazino Hockey Betting News

<< Bougherra suffers injury setback
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers central defender Madjid Bougherra is set to be sidelined for several more weeks as he continues to be troubled by a hamstring injury. The 27-year-old Algeria international missed the Scottish

<< Groin injury to sideline Sunderland's Jones
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones is facing a month on the sidelines after picking up a groin injury against Manchester City on Sunday. Jones headed his side into an early lead at the Sta

<< Iowa to discuss future of men's hoops program
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Iowa has scheduled a Monday news conference to discuss the future of the men's basketball program amid speculation about the job security of head coach Todd Lickliter. KCRG-TV has report

<< Berbatov: United will win the title
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Striker Dimitar Berbatov has confidently declared that Manchester United will retain their Premier League crown this season. The Bulgaria international scored United's final goal in Sunday

<< Beckham's England career cut too short
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some people may describe David Beckham as overrated, others might call him spoiled or pampered, but one thing that is very evident when it comes to Beckham is that he is persistent. How else to explain

UConn unanimous in final poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connecticut finished as a unanimous selection as the top women's college basketball team in the final Associated Press poll. The Huskies (33-0), winners of an NCAA Division I women's record 72 straight game

Tottenham expecting Keane to return >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic have been told that they have no chance of keeping loan striker Robbie Keane on a permanent basis. The 29-year-old has scored eight goals in eight games since joining the Bhoys from Tottenham, b

Nesta set to miss remainder of season >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan's veteran defender Alessandro Nesta is set to miss the rest of the season after being forced to undergo surgery on his injured right knee. The 33-year-old was injured in last weekend's goalless

Lotina receives Deportivo extension >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coach Miguel Angel Lotina has penned a one- year contract extension to keep him in charge at Deportivo until the end of next season. The 62-year-old took the helm at the Riazor in 2007 and has help

Hertha faces action from German Football League >>
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The German Football League have vowed to take action after violent scenes erupted after the final whistle of Hertha Berlin's 2-1 home defeat to Nurnberg. The result left crisis-torn Hertha all but c

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.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.