Canucks host Avs hoping to extend series dominance

Hockey Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to continue their recent dominance of Colorado when they welcome the Avalanche for tonight's Northwest Division clash at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks have taken all three meetings against the Avalanche this season and have claimed four straight, eight of nine and 12 of the last 14 encounters in this series. Colorado hasn't fared well in British Columbia either, losing four in a row and six of its last seven trips to Vancouver.

Vancouver hopes to use its mastery of the Avs to try and increase its already- comfortable lead atop the Northwest, a division that the Canucks have won in three straight and four of the last five seasons. The Canucks are leading the division with 76 points, placing them 14 points ahead of second-place Calgary.

The Canucks enter tonight having earned at least a point in 10 straight games and they are 7-0-3 over that stretch. After dropping a shootout decision Saturday in Calgary, Vancouver was able to record a shootout victory of its own on Monday against Phoenix.

Ryan Kesler scored the game-winning goal against the Coyotes, as he tallied in the sixth round of the deciding phase to lift Vancouver to a 2-1 triumph. It marked the eighth time in the past 10 games that the Canucks were pushed past regulation.

On the winning score, Kesler moved in slowly and fired a quick wrist shot low to the stick side of Coyotes netminder Jason LaBarbera. Roberto Luongo then stopped Boyd Gordon on Phoenix's final attempt to seal the victory.

Kesler added an assist and David Booth scored in regulation for the Canucks, while Luongo finished with 23 saves in the win.

"There wasn't a lot of room out there. We knew it was going to be a battle," Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler said.

The win over Phoenix kicked off a three-game homestand for Vancouver, which is 16-6-4 as the host team this season.

Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard has sat out the last three games with a neck injury and a possible concussion and he will miss another game tonight. Meanwhile, forward Chris Higgins is expected to return tonight for Vancouver after sitting out the last six games due to an adverse reaction to antibiotics.

Colorado enters this evening on a four-game point streak (2-0-2), but unlike the Canucks, the Avs have won just twice in their last eight trips to the ice.

The Avalanche began a four-game road trip Saturday in St. Louis and were handed a 3-2 overtime loss. All four regulation goals were scored in the first period and Carlo Colaiacovo delivered the game-winner for the Blues with 1:42 left in OT.

Semyon Varlamov made a career-high 41 saves for Colorado in his first start since January 31. Jean-Sebastien Giguere is expected to be back between the pips tonight for the Avs.

Shane O'Brien and former St. Louis defenseman Erik Johnson posted goals for the Avs, who are just three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"The points are huge right now," said Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco. "We're in a situation where we need as many as we can get down the stretch."

The OT loss in St. Louis dropped Colorado to 12-12-3 as the road team this season. After tonight, the Avs will complete this trek with stops in Edmonton and Winnipeg.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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