Surging clubs meet as Rangers host Sens at MSG

Hockey Betting Lines

03/22/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of hot teams will meet tonight in the Big Apple, as the New York Rangers welcome the Ottawa Senators for an Eastern Conference battle at Madison Square Garden.

The Senators have won four straight and eight of their last nine contests to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Ottawa, which has qualified for the postseason in each of the last 11 seasons, is currently 12th in the East and nine points behind Montreal for the conference's eighth and final playoff berth.

New York, meanwhile, has won its last three outings and is 7-3-1 since firing head coach Tom Renney and replacing him with John Tortorella. The Rangers are seventh in the East with 84 points on the year.

Ottawa earned its latest victory Saturday night against the visiting New York Islanders. Dany Heatley's team-leading 34th goal of the season capped a four- goal second period, as the Senators rolled past the Islanders, 5-2, at Scotiabank Place.

Mike Fisher, Chris Neil, Nick Foligno and Filip Kuba also tallied for the red- hot Senators.

Daniel Alfredsson recorded three assists, while Brian Elliott made 20 saves to extend his winning streak to eight games, the longest by a rookie goaltender in franchise history.

Jason Spezza added an assist to push his point streak to nine games. The centerman has five goals and nine assists during the tear.

The Sens recorded their three most recent wins on home ice, but will kick off a six-game road trip tonight. Ottawa is just 11-18-4 as the guest this year.

The Rangers are coming off Saturday's win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Henrik Lundqvist made 37 saves to help the Blueshirts record the 5-3 decision at Madison Square Garden.

Ryan Callahan tallied two goals while Nikolai Zherdev, Chris Drury and Markus Naslund each had a goal for the Rangers. Callahan has recorded a point in five straight games, notching four goals and three helpers over that span.

New York is 22-10-4 as the host this year and is playing the middle segment of a three-game homestand tonight. The Rangers, who will also host Minnesota on Tuesday, have won their last four on Broadway.

The Rangers have won two of three against Ottawa this year and can win the season series in the final regular-season matchup between the clubs tonight. The Sens have still taken seven of 10 overall in the series and have also come out on top in six of their last eight trips to the Big Apple.

Wwwdallasnews Hockey Betting News

<< Sharks eye West's top seed in home test against Avalanche
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having already clinched the Pacific Division title, the San Jose Sharks can regain the top seed in the Western Conference when they host the lowly Colorado Avalanche tonight at HP Pavilion. The Sharks have 104 points on th

<< Ducks take aim at third straight win in home test vs. Coyotes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will shoot for their first three-game winning streak in nearly four months when they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes for today's clash at the Honda Center. The Ducks last won three in a row during a four-game

<< Oilers visit Wild with shot at fourth straight victory
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers will try for their first four-game winning streak since the early stages of the season when they visit the struggling Minnesota Wild for today's Northwest Division battle at Xcel Energy Center. The Oil

<< Sliding Blackhawks welcome Kings to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The stumbling Chicago Blackhawks will try to end a five- game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Kings in an afternoon clash today at the United Center. With the regular season winding down, the Blackhawks have p

<< Flyers visit sizzling Pens for key battle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key Eastern Conference playoff battle is on tap today in the Steel City, as the scorching Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the rival Philadelphia Flyers for an Atlantic Division battle at Mellon Arena. The Penguins and Flyers

No. 1 Louisville to try and avoid upset at hands of Siena >>
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Midwest Regional was full of upsets on the first day and the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals will try to avoid one themselves against the ninth-seeded Siena Saints in second-round play at UD Arena this evening.

Bruins host Devils in clash between East's top teams >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two teams in the Eastern Conference will clash today in Beantown, as the Boston Bruins welcome the New Jersey Devils for a showdown at TD Banknorth Garden. The Bruins leads the Northeast Division as well as the con

BU earns top seed for NCAA hockey tourney >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston University has been rewarded with the top overall seed for the 2009 NCAA hockey tournament. The Terriers (31-6-4) will be the top seed in the Northeast Regional, while the other No. 1 seeds f

Blackhawks activate RW Sharp >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have activated right wing Patrick Sharp off injured reserve. Sharp had missed Chicago's last 16 games with a lower body injury. He was hurt in a February 14 game against San Jose a

Naylor saves draw for Celtic >>
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic failed to take hold of the Scottish Premier League as the Hoops needed an 80th-minute goal from Lee Naylor to salvage a 2-2 draw with Dundee United at Tannadice Park on Sunday. Celtic could ha

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards