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06/01/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The consensus among hockey experts is that the Chicago Blackhawks' biggest weakness is in net, but so far in the Stanley Cup Finals, Antti Niemi has not cooperated with that assessment.
Niemi almost single-handedly kept the Philadelphia Flyers from tying the best- of-seven series at one game apiece Monday night, saving his best goaltending for when his team needed it most.
Despite getting thoroughly outplayed in the final 20 minutes of Game 2, the Blackhawks were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory. Niemi was the biggest reason for the close victory, as he made 32 saves on the night and stopped 14- of-15 shots in the third period.
So far, Niemi has owned the third period in the Stanley Cup Finals, and his team is taking a 2-0 lead to Philadelphia as a result. After giving up five goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday's wild Game 1, the Finnish netminder shut the door by stopping all six shots he faced in the third period to help Chicago take that game by a 6-5 count.
While he was solid in the third period of Game 1, Niemi's performance on Monday night was nothing short of game-saving.
Chicago had grabbed a 2-0 lead on a pair of quick goals by Marian Hossa and Ben Eager late in the second period. But, the Flyers' Simon Gagne scored on the power play 5:20 into the third period and Philadelphia continued to dominate the remainder of the game. When Chicago's skaters weren't able to block shots in front of Niemi, the goaltender was always there to deny the tying goal.
"I think our "D" played maybe a little bit better in front of the net in blocking shots and letting me see the puck," said Niemi after Game 2. "But it's always a little bit about the luck, too, how you see the puck, and how it bounces."
One thing we always hear about Niemi is his ability to stay on an even keel. He has the ability to never get too high after a strong game or too low after a sub-par performance, like the one in the series opener that had folks questioning his ability yet again.
Through this whirlwind of a season, Niemi has displayed a quiet confidence that is obviously serving him well on hockey's biggest stage.
It also served him well back in September when Niemi outplayed Corey Crawford for the right to begin the season as Cristobal Huet's backup. Of course, Niemi would eventually supplant Huet as the starter, but he has never taken his promotion for granted.
An undrafted free agent signed by Chicago in 2008, Niemi had played in just three NHL games prior to the 2009-10 campaign and none of those were playoff contests. In fact, if the 26-year-old was born about two weeks later he would have been considered a rookie this season.
"Maybe that's better he's had no experience," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said of Niemi after Game 2. "He just shows up to play every night. He works real hard in practice. He doesn't like any pucks getting by him. We're real confident when he's in net."
Niemi is quickly becoming a legend in Chicago, where the hockey fans haven't celebrated a Stanley Cup title since 1961. If he continues to play the way he did on Monday night, the Blackhawks will be lifting the most famous trophy in sports soon enough.
FLYERS LOOKING FOR HELP AT HOME
While Niemi was able to thwart Philadelphia's comeback chances in Games 1 and 2 in Chicago, the Flyers are hoping to get back in the series with the next two games on home ice.
Of course, Philadelphia joined a select group earlier this postseason when it came back from a 3-0 series deficit to oust Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, so rallying from two games down shouldn't seem like too daunting of a task for the Flyers.
As good as Niemi was in Game 2, the Flyers are still feeling confident after dominating the third period on Monday.
"It's just a bounce here or there. Unfortunately, they're getting them right now," said Flyers captain Mike Richards. "But we have to work harder to create some for ourselves."
Philly's play at home in this postseason should be a source of hope for the Flyers. The Orange and Black is 7-1 at the Wachovia Center in the playoffs.
"Obviously, not the way we wanted to start the series," Richards added. "But going home, I said all along, we played well there. We feel very comfortable playing there. So we have to go in and play like we have been lately."
The Flyers are right to be confident about their chances of getting back in this series in Philadelphia, but Chicago has also been superb on the road in the postseason, going 7-1 away from United Center.
Philadelphia also has to compete with history once again because only two teams in NHL history have lost the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals on the road and come back to win the series.
Luckily for the Flyers, they don't have to look far for inspiration, Pittsburgh pulled off the feat last spring, losing Games 1 and 2 in Detroit before winning the series in seven.
<< Nigeria's Anichebe cut due to injury
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nigeria striker Victor Anichebe was left
off the team's World Cup roster due to an injury, it was announced Tuesday.
Anichebe, who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, was a notable
omissio
<< Mauer continues to lead AL All-Star balloting
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is the
top vote-getter after the second set of American League All-Star
balloting results.
The reigning American League Most Valuable Player has drawn 1
<< Lidstrom coming back for another season
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom
is set to return for the 2010-11 season.
Lidstrom's contract expired at the conclusion of this past season and the Red
Wings' website said the 40-year-old vetera
<< Ivory Coast includes six forwards on Cup team
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
included six forwards on his final World Cup roster Tuesday, a group led by
Chelsea's Didier Drogba.
Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane, Seydou Doumbia, Gervinho an
June 12 targeted for Rachel Alexandra start >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra
came out of her Memorial Day workout in fine condition and will likely make
her next start on June 12.
"We were impressed with Rachel's Memorial Day work
A wide-open Belmont Stakes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not since 2006 have the Kentucky Derby
and Preakness winners both failed to show up for the Belmont Stakes. That year
the race was won by Jazil, a horse with just one win in seven career starts.
This y
Houston, New York aiming for consistency in mid-week clash >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo travel to take on Red Bull
New York in a mid-week Major League Soccer fixture between two teams that have
taken decidedly different paths to their current .500 records.
The Dynamo have b
Pirates trade for P Eveland >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left-hander
Dana Eveland from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for minor
league pitcher Ronald Uviedo.
The 26-year-old Eveland compiled a 3-4 record with a
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
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