Flyers visit Rangers in Atlantic Division battle

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flyers hope that they made a statement with their last- second victory on Saturday against one of the best teams in the NHL. They've already made their impression on the Rangers this season.

Philadelphia visits Madison Square Garden this afternoon looking to win for the fourth time in five games, while hosting New York aims to end a lengthy scoring drought against its Atlantic Division rival.

The Flyers squared off with the Blackhawks, the Western Conference's second seed, Saturday afternoon and seemed in danger of losing a close contest. However, Scott Hartnell halted a 13-game goal drought to tie things with 2:04 left in the third before defenseman Chris Pronger tipped a Claude Giroux pass by Chicago's Cristobal Huet with just 2.1 seconds left in regulation for a 3-2 victory.

"It's huge. We didn't want to get this to end in overtime or have it end 4- on-4 or in a shootout," said Pronger. "We need to play with that fire and competitiveness. We had that attitude that we've lost and need to learn how to keep."

All five goals were scored in the third period. Simon Gagne netted the Flyers' first goal and his seventh in the last 10 games while Hartnell found the back of the net for the first time since Jan. 30.

Michael Leighton halted 39 shots in his 13th straight start, as the Flyers improved to 8-2-1 in their last 11 games while remaining tied with the Canadiens for the sixth spot in the East with three games in hand. Philly is also just three points behind fifth-seeded Ottawa.

The Flyers could decide to give Brian Boucher his first start since Dec. 21 in the opener of a four-game road trip. Boucher has made three relief appearances since that start and is 4-3-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average in his career versus the Rangers.

Leighton, meanwhile, notched a 22-save shutout over the Rangers on Dec. 30 and Ray Emery, currently on injured reserve because of hip surgery, then posted a 24-save blanking of New York in Philadelphia on Jan. 21. In fact, New York hasn't scored versus the Flyers since Artem Anisimov's second-period tally in a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia back on Dec. 19, giving the Rangers a 155 minute and 14 second scoring drought in the series.

The Rangers will try to end that drought in the fourth meeting of the season between the teams. Leighton's shutout came in the only matchup so far in New York, as Gagne added a hat trick in the 6-0 victory.

These two clubs end the regular season against each other in home-and-home set on April 9 and 11.

But first, the Rangers will try to get themselves back into the playoff picture. They had lost four straight prior to Friday's 5-2 victory over Atlanta and are three points behind Boston for the eighth spot in the East.

Vinny Prospal had two first-period goals to go along with an assist, while Marian Gaborik also lit the lamp during New York's big opening period. Gaborik finished with two assists as well and Ryan Callahan added a goal and a helper.

"We have another game coming up against Philly so we're going to have to be better," said New York head coach John Tortorella afterwards. "At times we played in spurts so we have some things to work on."

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots in the win and he is 1-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA in three matchups versus the Flyers this year.

Sean Avery was a healthy scratch for the first time this year on Friday and it is unknown if he will return to the ice today. He was replaced in the lineup last time out by Enver Lisin.

New York begins a three-game homestand today and has dropped six of its last eight at home, going 2-4-2 in that span.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

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