Devils visit surging Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Although it's highly unlikely to result in a playoff spot, the Toronto Maple Leafs have put together one of their best stretches of the season over the past week. They'll try to sustain that newfound momentum into a three-game homestand that begins with tonight's battle against the New Jersey Devils from the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto has gone 4-1-0 over its last five outings and won all three of its matchups on home ice during that period. The club just came back from consecutive road games and concluded the short trip with a 4-1 victory over the reeling Ottawa Senators Tuesday at Scotiabank Place.

Jonas Gustavsson made 30 saves for the Maple Leafs in a strong performance between the pipes, with Phil Kessel, John Mitchell, Mikhail Grabovski and Rickard Wallin all scoring goals to provide the offense.

"We played a great road game," said Toronto head coach Ron Wilson. "We had a bad end to the second period, we got a little sloppy and lost our poise with the puck a few times. We rebounded in the third period and did a great job drawing penalties and forcing the issue and not sitting back."

Despite their recent charge, the Maple Leafs still reside at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 60 points.

Grabovski's tally extended his scoring streak to five games, with the German center having recorded two goals and three assists over that span. Nikolai Kulemin assisted on Kessel's goal and now has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) during a personal six-game run.

New Jersey heads to the Air Canada Centre off last night's big home win over rival Pittsburgh, with the 5-2 triumph giving the Devils a share of the Atlantic Division lead with the Penguins.

Zach Parise and Patrik Elias each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, which took advantage of a shaky Marc-Andre Fleury and jumped out to a 4-1 advantage just past the midway point of the second period. Martin Brodeur made the lead stand by stopping 24-of-26 shots and help the Devils to a sixth consecutive win over Pittsburgh.

"With the respect that we have for them, we know that if we don't play hard we're going to have a tough time," Brodeur said of the defending Cup champion Penguins. "That respect makes us more accountable to the way we play."

Fleury was pulled 10:17 into the second period after letting up four goals on only 13 shots.

The victory was the fourth in five games for the Devils, who own a game in hand on the Penguins in the division race, but each of those wins have taken place at home. New Jersey has dropped its last three road tilts and is a dismal 1-8-1 as the visitor since January 26.

One of those losses occurred at the Air Canada Centre, a 3-0 setback on February 2 in which Leafs netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere delivered 30 saves. The Devils did win both 2009-10 meetings between the teams held in the Garden State.

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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.