Habs hope to stay hot against Oilers

Hockey Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens continue their push for a postseason berth when the surging club continues its current homestand with tonight's bout against the Edmonton Oilers from the Bell Centre.

Montreal has won its last three games and is 4-1-0 since returning from the Olympic break. That outstanding stretch has put the Canadiens into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, two behind Philadelphia for the No. 6 spot and two ahead of rival Boston in the pecking order.

The Habs continued their strong play with Tuesday's 5-3 triumph over Tampa Bay in the opener of this three-game residency. Mathieu Darche scored twice and Scott Gomez recorded a goal and two assists to lead the offense, while Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves in a solid showing between the pipes.

"It's a big win for us after playing four games on the road," Darche said afterward. "The two goals were extra nice for me."

Gomez has had a big part in Montreal's recent spark, as the veteran centerman has notched five goals and 10 assists over his last 11 games.

The Canadiens can match their longest winning streak of the season with a victory over the rebuilding Oilers, who enter tonight's clash with an NHL-low 48 points and are a dismal 8-21-2 on the road for the season. Edmonton has dropped 13 of its last 14 tests as the guest.

The Oilers had began a string of three straight home outings with back-to-back wins over Minnesota and New Jersey, but were handed a 4-1 loss by Ottawa on Tuesday in the finale of the stand. The Senators scored three times in the third period to break open a tie game.

Goaltender Jeff Deslauriers compiled 35 saves for Edmonton, which was outshot by a 39-19 margin for the night. Fernando Pisani netted the lone Oilers goal early in the second period.

"J.D. played great to keep us in it," Edmonton center Sam Gagner said of Deslauriers. "If we're not disciplined, it's tough to bring it back. We have to try and get better."

The Oilers may be without one of their leading scorers for this evening's matchup after forward Patrick O'Sullivan left Tuesday's loss after being slashed on his left hand in the opening period. The 25-year-old wing, who has posted 10 goals and 21 assists in 65 games this season, is considered questionable to dress tonight.

O'Sullivan had a goal in the Oilers' 3-2 verdict over the Canadiens in Edmonton back on October 10, the team's second win in its last three encounters with the Habs. Montreal has taken two straight and four of the last five meetings between the clubs held at the Bell Centre, however.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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