Blackhawks try to end lengthy slide in Nashville

Hockey Betting Lines

02/14/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks didn't look like a team ready to break out of their longest slump in four years the last time they hit the ice. Doing so against the Nashville Predators may prove difficult as well.

The Blackhawks hope to avoid a ninth setback in a row in a meeting with the division-rival Predators.

Chicago, just two seasons removed from a Stanley Cup championship, are in the midst of their first eight-game slide since an 0-6-2 stretch from Dec. 30-Jan. 11 during the 2007-08 season. Its current drought includes an 0-5-1 mark on a season-long nine-game road trip.

The Blackhawks suffered their 10th straight defeat on road ice Saturday, falling 3-0 at the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith made 38 saves to shut down Chicago, which got 24 stops from Ray Emery.

A loss tonight would give Chicago its longest losing streak since dropping nine in a row from Jan. 4-26, 2007.

"We need something to give in and make us feel good about ourselves," said Chicago captain Jonathan Toews.

The Blackhawks now sit at 10-14-3 on the road and have dipped into a tie for sixth overall in the Western Conference with the Kings. Both clubs sit five points behind the Predators.

Nashville is 2-0-1 in three meetings with Chicago this season, outscoring the club 8-3 over consecutive wins. The Predators own three victories in their past four encounters at home versus the Blackhawks.

The Preds have secured points in 16 of their last 20 games, going 14-4-2 in that time, but have lost four of their past five. They suffered their third loss in a row on Saturday, falling 4-3 at Boston in a shootout.

Pekka Rinne was peppered with 41 shots through overtime and was bested twice in the shootout. Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat came up empty on their attempts in the tiebreaker.

"They outshot us. Probably outplayed us, too," said Rinne, who made 38 saves. "We gave a point away.

Shea Weber, Patrick Hornqvist and Mike Fisher scored in regulation for the Preds, who saw the Bruins' Milan Lucic force overtime on a goal with 67 seconds left in the third period.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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