Crosby, Pens win battle of young stars

Hockey Betting Lines

02/18/2007 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a battle of two of the game's top young stars, it was Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins getting the best of this installment, downing Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 3-2 at Mellon Arena.

Crosby finished with only an assist and Ovechkin went without a point for a bit of an anticlimactic outcome to the anticipated duel.

Instead it was Mark Recchi, Evgeni Malkin and Maxime Talbot scoring for the red-hot Penguins, who have registered a point in 16 straight games and have won six in a row. Jocelyn Thibault made 29 saves in victory.

Richard Zednik and Alexander Semin had the goals for Washington, which has dropped three straight. Brent Johnson finished with 23 stops.

The home team established a 1-0 lead 5:59 into the contest, as Sergei Gonchar's shot from the point was redirected by Recchi in front before slipping past Johnson for the power-play tally.

Washington scored in similar fashion just over a minute later to even the contest. With his team on the attack, Jeff Schultz ripped a shot from the point that caromed off Zednik and in with 12:56 to play in the opening frame.

Pittsburgh, though, countered with two unanswered goals to gain command.

With time running down in the second stanza, Malkin flew behind the net and then dished the puck to Gonchar, who fed it right back to Malkin in the right circle. The rookie center finished off the sequence with a one-timer to give his team a 2-1 advantage.

The Penguins made it a two-goal game 1:10 into the third on a one-timer by Talbot from the left circle.

The Capitals had a great chance to climb within one when Semin drew a penalty shot with 5:56 to play after being taken down from behind, but his backhand attempt rang off the post.

He made amends with 44 seconds remaining and his goalie pulled, when the left winger tucked a shot through the five-hole from the slot to make it 3-2. Thibault, though, was able to keep the Capitals off the board the rest of the way.

Game Notes

The Penguins have been dominant at home as of late. The team has won eight in a row at the Igloo and own an 18-8-4 record as the host this season...Ovechkin edged out Crosby for last year's Calder Trophy honoring the NHL's top rookie...Pittsburgh has taken all three meetings with Washington this season and has won seven of the last eight games in this series.

Sprtsline Hockey Betting News

<< Lens loses ground on Lyon
Monaco, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a scoreless draw at Monaco on Sunday, Lens lost ground on French Ligue 1 leaders Lyon. The team now sits 13 points behind the leaders who seem to well on their way to their sixth consecutive league

<< Hossa leads Rangers past Blackhawks
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcel Hossa's late first-period goal was the difference, as the New York Rangers edged the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1, at Madison Square Garden. Martin Straka also tallied for the Rangers, who have won

<< Streak snapped; Watson wins in Florida
Lutz, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Watson entered Sunday's final round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am two strokes behind co-leaders Wayne Levi and Andy Bean. Watson was also staring at an 0-for-93 career record in Florida. That's righ

<< Stewart leads '500' after 150 laps
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite falling all the way back to 40th place on lap 82, Tony Stewart is leading the 2007 Daytona 500 after 150 of 200 scheduled laps. The No.20 Home Depot Chevrolet is 0.165 seconds ahead of second-place K

<< Gearlds, Boilermakers top Badgers
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Katie Gearlds poured in 41 points on 13-of-20 shooting to lead Purdue past Wisconsin, 69-60, on Sunday. FahKara Malone notched 10 points and seven assists for the Boilermakers (23-5, 12-2 Big Ten), who won thei

Barca falls to Valencia, now tied with Sevilla at top >>
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia vaulted into the top three with a 2-1 home win against leaders Barcelona on Sunday in Spanish La Liga action. Goals by Miguel Angulo and David Silva just after the break gave the home squad

Tu tops Harkleroad in Memphis >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meilen Tu defeated Ashley Harkleroad in a battle between two Americans in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Tu took care of Harkleroad in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in just over a

Harvick edges Martin to win 2007 Daytona 500 >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick won the 2007 Daytona 500. The No.29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver took the checkered flag just ahead of second-place Mark Martin as a caution flag came to end the race. The

No. 15 Baylor beats Texas >>
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Latara Darrett scored 17 points, as No. 15 Baylor beat Texas, 71-56, on Sunday. Angela Tisdale scored 12 points for the Lady Bears (23-4, 10-3 Big 12), who won their fourth straight. Bernice Mosby and Jhas

No. 11 Georgia downs Auburn >>
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Janese Hardrick scored 20 points to lead No. 11 Georgia past Auburn, 62-55, on Sunday. Tasha Humphrey netted 14 points for Georgia (23-5, 10-3 Southeastern), which won its fourth straight. Christy Marshall ad

NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.