Thrashers host Sens in battle between struggling clubs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling Eastern Conference inhabitants get together for a key late-season matchup tonight at Philips Arena, where the Atlanta Thrashers hope to strengthen their fading playoff hopes when they take on the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Atlanta lost ground in the postseason race after a recent 0-5-1 stretch, but did manage to bounce back with a much-needed 4-3 home win over Buffalo on Tuesday. After allowing the Sabres to come back from an early 3-1 deficit, the Thrashers went ahead to stay on Jim Slater's goal with 6:44 remaining in the third period.

Tim Kennedy scored 7:02 into the final session to draw the Sabres even, but Atlanta moved back in front just over six minutes later after Niclas Bergfors' shot from the right boards hit off Slater's glove and trickled past Buffalo goaltender Patrick Lalime.

"I just charged the net and it went right to me," said Slater. "I just did what I like to do and got the goal."

Buffalo pulled Lalime late in the game for the extra attacker, but Atlanta was able to keep the puck away from netminder Johan Hedberg on the way to the win.

Bergfors assisted on three of the Thrashers' four tallies on the night, while Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov both registered a goal and an assist for Atlanta. Hedberg finished with 29 saves

The Thrashers still have some work to do in order to reach the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, as the club trails Boston by five points for the No. 8 seed in the East.

Tuesday's triumph also benefited the Senators, who trail the Sabres by three points for first place in the Northeast Division. Ottawa missed out on a chance to close the gap, though, after dropping a 4-1 decision to cellar- dwelling Toronto Tuesday at Scotiabank Place.

The loss was the Senators' third in a row and followed up a lopsided 5-1 setback at Vancouver on Saturday. Ottawa has gone just 1-5-1 since the Olympic break and has scored one goal or less in each of those six defeats.

"These are points that we need and we know that," goaltender Brian Elliott said after Tuesday's game. "We have to look at the tape and see what we did wrong."

Ottawa still stands fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 79 points, but rival Montreal is lurking just one point behind and seventh-place Philadelphia is just two back of the Senators.

The Sens have also struggled in their last couple of meetings with the Thrashers, losing both games by a combined 9-2 score earlier this season. Atlanta came through with a 6-1 rout of Ottawa at Philips Arena back on January 12 and is 5-2-0 in its last seven outings as the host in this series.

Tonight's test begins an important three-game road trip for the Senators, with stops in Dallas and Montreal to follow. Ottawa has lost five of its last seven away games and is a lackluster 14-18-1 as the visitor this season.

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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.