Senators resume western swing with stop in Calgary

Hockey Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having just picked up their first win since the Winter Olympics break, the Ottawa Senators will now try to pick up their first victory in Calgary since 2003 when they visit the Flames tonight at Pengrowth Saddledome.

The Senators dropped their first three games when the NHL returned from its two-week hiatus during the Olympics, scoring just three goals over that slide. However, they broke out on Tuesday in a 4-1 triumph over the Oilers.

Chris Kelly had a goal and an assist while Mike Fisher, Matt Cullen and Milan Michalek also scored for the Senators, who pulled into a temporary first-place tie with Buffalo in the Northeast Division. However, the Sabres moved two points up on Ottawa with a victory over Dallas on Wednesday night.

"As soon as they got up 1-0, I thought we really buckled down and started pressuring even more," Senators coach Cory Clouston said. "Our patience paid off."

Daniel Alfredsson posted three assists and Brian Elliott made 18 saves in the victory, as the Senators kicked off a three-game tour through Western Canada by winning for the eighth time in their last 11 road games.

Ottawa defenseman Filip Kuba missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury and did not travel with the team out West.

Elliott made 27 saves in a 3-2 home victory over the Flames on February 9, with Jason Spezza's second-period goal proving to be the difference. The win snapped Ottawa's five-game losing streak to Calgary, and the Sens picked up their first win in the series since February 21, 2004.

The Senators have still lost three straight at Calgary, where they haven't won since January 9, 2003. They dropped a 6-3 test in their most recent visit to Pengrowth Saddledome last season, as the Flames' Rene Bourque notched his first career hat trick.

Bourque was also front and center of the Flames' most recent victory, a 4-2 triumph over Detroit that pushed Calgary a point ahead of the Red Wings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bourque assisted on Jarome Iginla's game-tying goal 5:45 into the third period and then netted the game-winner 91 seconds later. Chris Higgins later sealed things with an empty-net goal, while Daymond Langkow also scored in Calgary's third straight win.

"He's been playing great," Matt Stajan told Calgary's Web site of Bourque. "He's a fast guy and we've been able to do some give-and-go plays, work the corners a bit, and it's opened up some space in the offensive zone to find Jarome or find our point man."

Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves to help the Flames post their longest winning streak since a five-game run from December 28-January 5.

Iginla has four goals and three assists over his last three games and leads the club with 31 goals and 33 helpers. He had a pair of assists in February's loss to the Senators, giving him six goals and five helpers in 18 career games against them.

Hamkooki Hockey Betting News

<< Howard, Magic put streak on line vs. Bulls
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard and the surging Orlando Magic shoot for their seventh straight win tonight in the conclusion of a three-game homestand versus the Chicago Bulls at Amway Arena. Orlando is riding a six-game

<< Penguins aim for fifth straight win in clash with hosting 'Canes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to stay perfect since returning from the Olympic break when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center. The Penguins are 4-0 since the league came back from the Winter Games.

<< Red Wings, Wild meet for key battle in Motown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams fighting for a playoff berth in the Western Conference get together tonight at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, where the hometown Red Wings take on the Minnesota Wild in a key late-season showdown. The reigning

<< Surging Flyers host Bruins in Winter Classic rematch
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to continue their surge in the right direction when they host the Boston Bruins tonight at Wachovia Center. The Flyers are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and have greatly improved their pl

<< Blues visit Islanders at Nassau Coliseum
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to get back on track tonight when they visit the New York Islanders for an interconference clash at Nassau Coliseum. The Blues pushed their winning streak to a season-high five games by posting

Sharks continue homestand with battle against Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having rallied in the third period in each of its last two victories, the San Jose Sharks wrap their season series with the Nashville Predators this evening at HP Pavilion. Even though it is getting later in the season, th

Panthers try to keep rolling in visit to Avalanche >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try to win four straight games for the first time this season when they visit the Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Center. The Panthers come into this game six points back of a playoff spot

Nats release Guardado, Estes >>
Viera, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals on Thursday released veteran left-handed pitchers Eddie Guardado and Shawn Estes. The 39-year-old Guardado, who agreed to a minor league contract with the Nationals on December

Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen died early Thursday morning in California after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Olsen was a two-time All-American at Utah State, playing both the

Rockies give Helton contract extension >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies and first baseman Todd Helton have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension that will allow him to finish his career with the franchise. The new deal will take Helton throug

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.