05/11/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals tonight, when they host the rival Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 at Mellon Arena.
The second-seeded Penguins, champions of the Atlantic Division, had an impressive showing in the series opener on Friday, downing their division rivals and fellow Pennsylvanians by a 4-2 count in the Steel City.
With the victory, Pittsburgh improved to 9-1 in this postseason and has won 20 of its last 26 games dating back to the regular season. Pittsburgh swept the Ottawa Senators in four games during the opening round and then notched a five-game series victory over the rival New York Rangers.
The Pens were an excellent home team during the regular season, going 26-10-5 at the Igloo. They are 6-0 in Pittsburgh during the postseason. Philadelphia was 21-15-5 as the visiting team this year and 4-4 on the road in the playoffs.
The series will shift to the other side of the Keystone State for Games 3 and 4. The Flyers will host the third meeting on Tuesday night at the Wachovia Center.
Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist, as Pittsburgh doubled up Philadelphia in Game 1 at the Igloo.
Sidney Crosby and Petr Sykora also tallied for the Penguins, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves to earn his ninth win.
Malkin leads Pittsburgh in goals (8) and points (17) this postseason. The sophomore sensation is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, which is given annually to the league MVP, after notching 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) during the regular season.
Meanwhile, Crosby's goal was his first since scoring against Ottawa in Game 4 of the opening round. Last year's Hart Trophy recipient has three goals in this year's postseason and has also added a team-high 12 assists.
Mike Richards scored twice for the Flyers, who fell to 8-5 on the playoff year. Martin Biron had an uncharacteristically off night in net, allowing four goals on only 21 shots in the loss.
The sixth-seeded Flyers also lost Game 1 in both of their previous series this postseason. Philadelphia defeated Washington in seven games during the opening round and needed just five games to oust top-seeded Montreal in the conference semifinals.
Philadelphia missed the impact of veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who is likely lost for the remainder of the playoffs with a blood clot in his left leg.
Timonen, an All-Star in each of the past two seasons, is averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time in the playoffs and was used by the Flyers to help contain Alex Ovechkin in the Washington series and Montreal's Alex Kovalev in the next round. The 33-year-old Finn was expected to take a similar role against Crosby and Malkin.
The Flyers are in the conference finals for the first time since 2004 and last made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997, when they were swept by Detroit.
Pittsburgh is in the conference finals for the first time since 2001. The Pens haven't made it to the Stanley Cup finals since winning the second of back-to- back championships in 1992.
The Flyers won the season series against Pittsburgh, 5-3, but Philadelphia posted four of those victories prior to the All-Star break, before the Penguins really started to click.
The Penguins then won three straight in the series before Philadelphia posted a 2-0 victory on the final day of the regular season.
The Flyers are 3-0 all-time in playoff series against the Penguins with the most recent meeting coming in the 2000 conference semifinals. Philadelphia fell behind 0-2 in that series, but won the final four outings, including a memorable five-overtime matchup in Game 3.
<< Floyd leads Pale Hose at Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners will have a tough task ahead of them,
as they will have to battle the red hot Gavin Floyd and the Chicago White Sox
in the finale of a three-game set at Safeco Field.
Floyd was at the top of his ga
<< Big Unit takes on Cubs at Wrigley
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson will try to keep his perfect record against
the Cubs intact this afternoon, when the Arizona Diamondbacks wrap up a three-
game series at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field.
Johnson, who is 2-1 with a 5.06
<< Pirates, Braves continue series at PNC Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jair Jurrjens seeks a fifth straight start without a loss
today when the Atlanta Braves enter PNC Park for the third game of a four-game
series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jurrjens, an undrafted free agent from the Net
<< Reds visit Mets at Shea
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati rookie Johnny Cueto tries for a second straight
win today, when the Reds visit Shea Stadium to close out a three-game weekend
series with the New York Mets.
The 22-year-old Dominican burst onto the scene in
Santana leads Halos into Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second consecutive matchup the Los Angeles of
Anaheim will send an undefeated pitcher to the hill, as Ervin Santana will try
to shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of a three-game set at Tropicana
Field.
Jays, Tribe resume series in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays will try to get back on the winning
track when they take on the Cleveland Indians this afternoon in the third
matchup of a four-game series at Progressive Field.
The Blue Jays have lost three
Pettitte leads Yankees against Tigers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will try to inch their way up the AL
East standings when they take on the Detroit Tigers today in the finale of a
three-game set at Comerica Park.
Andy Pettitte will try to get back into the win c
Boston takes on Minnesota at Metrodome >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American League's top team, the Boston Red Sox, will
take the field this evening in hopes of winning the third test of a four-game
set against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.
Tim Wakefield will take the hill toni
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting