Ducks visit Vancouver without Selanne

Hockey Betting Lines

12/22/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will continue a five-game road trip tonight without Teemu Selanne, as they travel to Vancouver to battle the Canucks at GM Place.

The Duck began their swing in Edmonton on Friday and posted a 3-2 shootout win. Jonas Hiller tied a club record with 51 saves and then stopped all three Oiler skaters in the shootout. Hiller tied the club mark first set by Mikhail Shtalenkov on March 22, 1998 and later matched by Jean-Sebastien Giguere on March 21, 2004.

Hiller was starting in place of Giguere, who returned to Montreal following the death of his father. He is expected to be with the team tonight.

Corey Perry scored in regulation and was the only successful skater in the shootout, as the Ducks won for the second time in three games while also halting a three-game road losing streak. Rob Niedermayer also recorded a goal in a victory that improved Anaheim to 8-5-1 as the road team this year.

However, Selanne is expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks after suffering a laceration to his left quadriceps muscle in a collision along the boards with Oilers defenseman Denis Grebeshkov. The 38-year-old forward went down and blood was seen on the ice as he was trying to make his way to the bench before being helped off the ice.

Selanne's absence could affect the Ducks' power-play unit, as all but one of his 14 goals this year have come on the man advantage. His NHL-leading 13 power-play goals account for more than half of the Ducks' power-play markers this year, with the club notching 24 on the season.

Two of those power-play goals by Selanne came in a 7-6 shootout loss to Vancouver on Halloween night. Selanne added two assists in that game for a four-point night, while Perry had five points on a goal and four assists. Giguere started the game but allowed four goals on 13 shots before being lifted for Hiller, who made 14 saves but was beat by Mattias Ohlund in the 13th round of the shootout.

Kevin Bieksa had a goal and two assists in that win, while Steve Bernier scored twice. Roberto Luongo got the win despite allowing six goals, but won't be in net for this game as he continues to be sidelined due to a strained left groin.

The win was Vancouver's fourth in its last five games versus the Ducks.

The Canucks wrap a four-game homestand tonight and lost for the first time on the trek on Saturday. After netting a total of nine goals in wins over Florida and Edmonton to start the residency, Vancouver's offense was shut down in a 3-1 loss to Chicago.

Daniel Sedin had the lone goal for Vancouver and Curtis Sanford made 30 saves. Sedin has three goals and two assists over his last three games.

Vancouver, which trails Calgary by one point for first place in the Northwest Division, is 9-4-1 at home this year.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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