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Flyers, Rangers begin pivotal home-and-home in NYCHockey Betting Lines04/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A crucial home-and-home series is set to begin tonight in the Big Apple as the New York Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden in a battle for the playoffs. Although the Flyers are two points ahead of the ninth-seeded Rangers for the East's final playoff spot, New York actually controls its own destiny. The Blueshirts can punch their ticket to the postseason if they sweep this home- and-home and win at least one of the games in regulation. Philadelphia, meanwhile, can earn a playoff berth by winning just one of the two games against the Rangers. Boston and Montreal are tied for the sixth seed and are just one point ahead of the Flyers. Both teams are idle tonight, meaning Philly could grab sole possession of the sixth seed with two points. However, the Bruins would clinch a playoff spot with a Flyers' regulation victory tonight and Montreal would seal a postseason berth if Philly gets a win of any kind. The Flyers and Rangers each have two wins in the four meetings so far this year and the clubs have split the last 12 encounters overall. Philadelphia has lost six of its last 10 games in NYC. Philadelphia could get a big boost tonight if forward Jeff Carter is able to return. Carter has not played since breaking his left foot against Atlanta on March 21, but he still leads the Flyers with 33 goals and is tied with captain Mike Richards for the team lead in points with 60. He practiced with team on Thursday, but he is still considered a game-time decision for tonight's tilt. The Rangers will not have Sean Avery in the lineup for the rest of the regular season it appears as the pesky forward is sidelined with a left knee issue. Avery, who had two goals in a 3-1 win over Philly on March 14, has missed the last five games. New York kept destiny in its own hands Wednesday night when it pounded the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by a 5-1 score. Erik Christensen netted a pair in a three-goal first period, and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves in leading the Rangers to the easy win. Vinny Prospal and Olli Jokinen both registered a goal and an assist for New York, which rebounded from Tuesday's 5-2 drubbing by the Sabres. Overall, the Rangers are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Tonight marks the final home game of the regular season for the Rangers, who are just 17-17-6 as the host this year. The Flyers enter tonight off back-to-back wins, but the club went just 1-6-1 in its previous eight games before the start of this mini hot streak. Philadelphia also earned its most recent win over the Maple Leafs, posting a 2-0 decision in Toronto on Tuesday behind a 23-save shutout from Brian Boucher. Boucher notched his 100th career victory with his first shutout of the season, while Claude Giroux and Mike Richards provided the offense for the Flyers. "They're all big right now and we can't afford to take our foot off the gas," Boucher said of the win. "We've been guilty of doing that lately and we're paying for it now to try and scrape into the playoffs." Boucher is 4-3 in his career against the Rangers, while Lundqvist is 13-7-2 in 24 appearances versus Philly. The Flyers are 17-20-3 as the guest this year and had lost four in a row on the road prior to Tuesday's win at Air Canada Centre.
<< Pirates hope to bounce back in Arizona
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a successful season-opening series, the Pittsburgh Pirates embark on a trip to the Western United States that begins with tonight's matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks from Chase Field. The Pirates extended t
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Mighty Caps wind down regular season vs. Thrashers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals have little to play for ahead of next week's playoffs, but the Presidents' Trophy winners will still shoot for a fifth straight victory when they host the Atlanta Thrashers tonight at Verizon Center.
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet. Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots. Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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