Blackhawks hope to stay on track vs. Blue Jackets

Hockey Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have put their longest losing streak in over five years behind them and will try to record consecutive wins when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets today at Nationwide Arena.

The Blackhawks were on an 0-8-1 slide entering Thursday's road game against the New York Rangers and Chicago posted a 4-2 win over the Eastern Conference leaders. It was Chicago's first win since Jan. 20 and it ended the club's longest losing streak since an 0-8-2 stretch from Jan. 4-26, 2007.

Chicago's recent struggles hurt the team's postseason standing and the Blackhawks are currently sixth in the Western Conference and five points behind Nashville for the fifth seed.

Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist in a big first period Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Toews scored on a penalty shot to make it 1-0 just 65 seconds into the game and Hossa scored at 9:38 of the first to push Chicago's lead to 4-0.

"We have to keep going here because we put ourselves in a tough situation," said Toews. "We need to keep digging our way out of this hole and play hard."

Nick Leddy and Patrick Sharp also scored while Corey Crawford stopped 22 shots for the Blackhawks, who also halted an 11-game road skid. Chicago is 1-6-1 on a nine-game road trip that ends today and the 'Hawks are just 11-15-3 as the visiting club this year.

Following today's tilt, the Blackhawks will return home for their next three games.

Although the Blue Jackets are still dead last in the NHL with 40 points, the club has played its best hockey of the season in recent weeks. Columbus is 4-3-0 in February to match its best win total from any month this season.

Columbus recorded a 2-1 regulation win when it last played on Tuesday against the visiting St. Louis Blues. Derek Dorsett scored the game-winning goal in the third period to lift the Blue Jackets to their fourth win in six games.

James Wisniewski also scored and Steve Mason made 31 saves for the Blue Jackets.

"I thought it was a terrific hockey game and I'm really pleased with the way our guys played tonight," Blue Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "It was one of our best 60-minute performances of the year."

Columbus is 10-15-3 as the host this year and is completing a three-game homestand today. It could have defenseman Brett Lebda back in the lineup tonight after activating him from injured reserve on Friday. He had missed the past five games with a hand injury.

Goaltender Curtis Sanford was placed on IR due to an upper-body ailment.

Chicago has won five straight against the Blue Jackets and is 4-0 in this year's season series. The Blackhawks have taken four in a row and seven of the last eight encounters in Ohio.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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