Hartnell, Niittymaki help Flyers smother Capitals

Hockey Betting Lines

12/20/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Hartnell had a hat trick and Antero Niittymaki finished the game with 47 saves as the Philadelphia Flyers crushed the Washington Capitals, 7-1, at the Wachovia Center.

Jeff Carter had two goals and two assists while Joffrey Lupul added a goal and three assists for the Flyers, who have won six of their last seven games.

Brooks Laich scored the lone goal for the Capitals, who had a five-game winning streak stopped. Brent Johnson started the game in net, but was pulled after two periods as he gave up three goals on 13 shots. Jose Theodore, though, fared little better between the pipes as he gave up four goals on 15 shots.

Philadelphia grabbed the lead early in the first period as Hartnell moved up the ice and from the middle of the blueline fed the puck over to Lupul, who beat a defender and from the right circle fired a shot past Johnson at the 4:29 mark.

It was Niittymaki, though, who was the star of the first period as Washington threw shots on net from everywhere and the goaltender stopped all 25 shots he saw.

His best save came near the midway mark of the frame while Washington was on the power play as he flashed the glove on an Alexander Ovechkin one-timer from the left circle.

The 25 shots on net set team records for Philadelphia and Washington. It was the most shots allowed on net in one period at home for Philadelphia while it was the most shots in a road game for Washington.

The Capitals continued to pepper Niittymaki with shots in the second period as the team got 14 on net, but it was the Flyers who were able to find the back of the net.

With the puck in his own end, Lupul sprung Carter with a pass through the neutral zone. Carter skated into the Washington end and from the left circle used the defender as a screen on a wrister past Johnson with 4:49 left in the frame.

Just 54 seconds later, Carter scored again on a shorthanded goal. The team pressured the puck-holder at the left point and Braydon Coburn wound up with the disc. He sprung Carter on the breakaway and Carter calmly lifted a backhander past Johnson.

Just 4:45 into the third, Philadelphia took a 4-0 lead as Hartnell caused a turnover with a hit behind the net and centered the puck for Lupul, whose one- timer was stopped, but Hartnell slammed the rebound home from the right side.

Washington, though, got on the board just 24 seconds later as Laich went from the forehand to the backhand and got the puck past Niittymaki.

On the power play, Philadelphia got the goal back as Matt Carle's one-timer from the right circle was stopped by Theodore, but the puck popped into the air and Hartnell whacked it home at the 7:29 mark.

The Flyers then made it a 6-1 game with a 5-on-3 power-play goal as Carter fired a pass from the left side to the right where Simon Gagne had the easy dunk into the net with 10:41 to play.

Hartnell gained the hat trick with 3:35 left in the game as he finished a tic- tac-toe play.

Game Notes

The 25 shots on net in the first period tied a franchise record for the Capitals which it set on February 3, 1998 against Tampa Bay in Washington... The most ever shots allowed in one period by Philadelphia was 32, which occurred in the first period of a game in Minnesota on December 13, 1972... Philadelphia plays in New Jersey on Sunday...Washington plays against the Rangers in New York on Tuesday...Philadelphia went 2-for-5 on the power play and scored its league-leading 13th shorthanded goal of the season...Philadelphia has not lost a game at home in regulation since November 8 against Tampa Bay and is 9-0-2 since at Wachovia.

Sportsgook Hockey Betting News

<< Hoyas slip past Mount St. Mary's
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Wright poured in 19 points and DaJuan Summers added 13, as No. 15 Georgetown held off Mount St. Mary's, 69-58, at the Verizon Center. Austin Freeman donated 10 points and seven rebounds for the H

<< Skinner perfect as Wake downs Navy in EagleBank Bowl
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Riley Skinner completed each of his 11 passes for 166 yards and hit Ben Wooster for the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, as Wake Forest avenged a loss to Navy earlier this season

<< Allardyce secures win in Blackburn debut
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce had an instant impact on Saturday as he led Rovers to an important 3-0 win over Stoke City at Ewood Park in his debut. Benni McCarthy scored twice and Jason Roberts tall

<< Buckeyes rally past Iona, stay unbeaten
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, as No. 17 Ohio State upended Iona, 71-53, at Value Center Arena. Jon Diebler added 16 points and William Buford netted 10 points for the Buckeyes

<< Sounders midfielder Ljungberg goes under the knife
Renton, Washington (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg underwent surgery to repair a hip condition, the Major League Soccer club announced. "Freddie Ljungberg is a player that we value for the long term,"

Bruins double up Hurricanes to remain red-hot at home >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Krejci and Shawn Thornton scored third- period goals to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Banknorth Garden. Marc Savard also scored and Stephane Yelle added

UNC rolls over Valpo >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Hansbrough scored a game-high 25 points, while hometown boy Bobby Frasor hit two threes to calm an early Valparaiso storm, as North Carolina got going in the second half en route to an 85-63 victory

Rocchi leads Lazio past Palermo >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommaso Rocchi's goal in the 66th minute was enough to give Lazio a 1-0 win over Palermo on Saturday at the Stadio Olimpico, helping the team take over sixth place. The two sides entered the match

Nolen, Golden Gophers stun ninth-ranked Louisville >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Nolen had 18 points as the Minnesota Golden Gophers upset the ninth-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 70-64, at the Stadium Shootout. Blake Hoffarber had 15 points while Travis Busch added 13 points and

Blue Devils continue mastery at the Meadowlands, bury Musketeers >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Scheyer scored 23 points and Gerald Henderson added 19, as sixth-ranked Duke opened a huge lead early and cruised to an 82-64 victory over No. 7 Xavier at the Izod Center. Scheyer hit 9-of-11 sho

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.