Luongo blanks Kings as Canucks take over Northwest Division

Hockey Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo made 20 saves in setting a franchise mark for shutouts in a season with his eighth, as Vancouver took over the top spot in the Northwest Division with a 1-0 blanking of the Los Angeles Kings at GM Place.

Ryan Kesler's power-play goal in the second period was all the Canucks needed behind Luongo, who posted the 46th shutout of his career and backed the club to its second win in a row at the most important time of the season.

Luongo was dazzling with 46 saves a 4-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday to move into a tie for first place in the division with the Flames. With 98 points, Vancouver has the edge over Calgary (96 points). However, the Canucks have one game left while Calgary has two.

It appears as if the loser of this divisional battle will open the first round of the postseason on the road. Both the Flames and Canucks, who have already clinched postseason berths, trail the fourth-seeded Blackhawks. Chicago, idle Thursday, has 100 points and two to play and can secure the fourth spot with a point in its next game.

Vancouver will play in Colorado on Saturday. Calgary begins a home-and-home set with Edmonton on Friday.

Jonathan Quick did his part for the Kings, halting 27-of-28 shots, but the club fell for a fifth time in the last seven tries.

Game Notes

Vancouver took three of four versus LA this year and posted a 4-2 win in the lone home meeting on March 13... Los Angeles wrapped a three-game road trip with the loss and is 16-22-32 as the guest this year. The club ends its season at home versus San Jose on Saturday...Part of the reason Vancouver was able to catch Calgary in the standings has been its play at home, where it is 24-12-5 this season.

Blcakjack Hockey Betting News

<< Artest leads Rockets past Kings in return to Sacramento
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Artest scored 26 points in his first visit back to Sacramento since being traded from the Kings in the offseason, as Houston rolled through the second half in a 115-98 triumph. Yao Ming added 20

<< Stars slip past Avalanche in SO
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Ribeiro scored the decisive goal in a wild shootout, as the Dallas Stars topped the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, at the Pepsi Center. In the shootout, Colorado's Wojtek Wolski went first and fooled Dal

<< Granollers falls to Haas in Houston
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers fell to German Tommy Haas in second-round play Thursday at the $500,000 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. In a matchup of former titlists here, Granollers won t

<< Miami-Ohio and Boston University advance to Frozen Four final
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Wingels registered two goals and an assist as Miami-Ohio defeated Bemidji State, 4-1, in the semifinals of the Frozen Four at Verizon Center. Alden Hirschfeld and Bill Loupee also tallied fo

<< Bulls draw closer to playoffs with thumping of Philadelphia
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon each scored 24 points as Chicago inched closer to a playoff berth with a 113-99 victory over slumping Philadelphia. Derrick Rose added 16 points and eight assists, Brad Mille

Coyotes bury Sharks >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Upshall and Peter Mueller each had a goal and assist, as the Phoenix Coyotes topped the San Jose Sharks, 4-1, at HP Pavilion. Despite the loss, San Jose clinched the top seed in the Western Confer

Kobe helps Lakers down Nuggets in Bynum's return >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant's 33-point performance was only part of the story Thursday night, as Andrew Bynum came back from a 31-game absence to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds in just over 21 minutes, as the Lak

Georgia Southern names Young basketball coach >>
Statesboro, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia Southern has selected Charlton Young as its new head men's basketball coach, the school announced Thursday. Young replaces Jeff Price, who spent the last 10 seasons with the school but resign

Early groups could beat expected bad weather >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Count first-round Masters leader Chad Campbell among the lucky ones. Tiger Woods, too, as if the world No. 1 needed any advantage. Campbell and Woods will be among the players who tee off in morning threesom

Cavs hope to clinch top seed in East vs. Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland takes its quest for the NBA's best record to the City of Brotherly Love tonight as the Cavaliers visit the reeling Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs also hope to secure homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conf

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

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