Flyers head back home to take on Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers return to the Wachovia Center for an important four-game homestand that begins with tonight's encounter with the road-challenged Toronto Maple Leafs.

Philadelphia just completed a stretch of four consecutive road games with a 2-1-1 record, although the playoff contenders did end the trek with a pair of losses. After being routed by Florida in a 7-4 defeat on Wednesday, the Flyers couldn't hold onto a third-period lead in Friday's 3-2 overtime setback at Buffalo.

The Flyers had grabbed a 2-1 advantage on the Sabres when Mike Richards scored unassisted off a Buffalo turnover with 8:58 left in regulation, but the hosts tied the score on an Adam Mair goal nearly three minutes later. The Sabres emerged victorious when Tim Connolly knocked home a rebound of Toni Lydman's shot from the point midway through the extra session.

We definitely could have won this game. We played well," said Philadelphia goaltender Michael Leighton. "Things just didn't bounce our way."

Leighton finished with 32 saves for Philadelphia, which also received a goal from Simon Gagne in the loss.

Coming back to the Wachovia Center, where the Flyers have won three in a row and nine of their last 11 outings, may help Philadelphia get back on track. So could a matchup with the lowly Maple Leafs, who sit in the Eastern Conference basement with 52 points and are a woeful 9-18-7 away from home this season.

Toronto did come through with a road victory on Saturday, however, after besting rival Ottawa in a shootout by a 2-1 count. That ended a string of four straight losses for the Maple Leafs, including a 3-2 shootout setback Thursday in Boston in the opener of this current three-game trip.

Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin each scored for Toronto in the deciding phase of Saturday's triumph, with goaltender Jonas Gustavsson stoning both Ottawa skaters he faced to help his team stop a seven-game road losing streak.

Gustavsson was also sharp in regulation and overtime, turning aside 22 of 23 shots prior to the shootout. Kessel, Toronto's leader with 22 goals this season, accounted for the Leafs' only tally in regulation.

"It was a hard fought game out there," said Kessel afterward. "A lot of hits, a lot of fights out there. We played well and got the two points and that's the most important thing."

Toronto did not come away unscathed, however, as forwards John Mitchell and Fredrik Sjostrom were both forced to exit Saturday's contest with upper-body injuries and may not be available tonight.

Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who has posted a solid 2.31 goals against average and two shutouts in six games since coming to the Leafs in a trade with Anaheim last month, will likely be between the pipes for Toronto this evening. He'll be facing a Philadelphia squad that's racked up a whopping 14 goals in its last two matchups with Toronto held at the Wachovia Center, including a 6-2 win on January 6.

The Maple Leafs have lost in each of their past three trips to Philadelphia, but did deal the Flyers a 4-0 loss in Ontario on January 14. Vesa Toskala, now a member of the Calgary Flames, had 38 saves for Toronto in that one.

Collegecluv Hockey Betting News

<< Sabres visit Rangers seeking to stop road slide
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres hope to put their road woes to an end when the Northeast Division co-leaders pay a visit to historic Madison Square Garden tonight for a matchup with the New York Rangers. Buffalo heads to the Big Apple

<< Thrashers, Canes to face off in clash of surging Southeast squads
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing at home has been good as of late for the Atlanta Thrashers, who head back to Philips Arena tonight to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Southeast Division showdown. Atlanta has won its last three tests as the ho

<< Lakers take losing streak to Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the suddenly-slumping Los Angeles Lakers have dropped two straight games and hope to get back on track Sunday afternoon against Eastern Conference power Orlando at Amway Arena. In a rematch of last yea

<< Playoff-hopeful Rockets make a stop at Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets are still fighting for a playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference. Their chances of gaining ground in the race look promising with tonight's matchup against the slumping Detroit Pistons at The Pal

<< Celtics return home to face Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will face another inferior foe from the Eastern Conference tonight, when they return home to take on the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Boston battled back in Friday's 96-86 victory over the Phila

Ducks to open crucial homestand with visit from Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks haven't helped their cause for inclusion in the playoffs with their performance following the Olympic break. They'll have a chance to improve those chances with a critical seven-game homestand that starts up

Slumping Devils attempt to rebound against hard-luck Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils conclude a string of four consecutive road games with tonight's matchup with an Edmonton Oilers team that'll be gunning for a rare winning streak. New Jersey has gone just 1-2-0 thus far on the stretc

Ferrer sends two-time champs into Davis Cup quarters >>
Logrono, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ferrer whipped Stanislas Wawrinka in Sunday's first reverse singles match, sending Spain into the Davis Cup quarterfinals with a first-round victory over Switzerland. The two-time defendi

Twente climbs to top of Eredivisie >>
Waalwijk, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenneth Perez scored midway through the second half and Twente moved atop the Dutch Eredivisie with a 1-0 win over last-place RKC Waalwijk at Mandemakers Stadion on Sunday. PSV Eindhoven dropped it

Croatia rips Ecuador 5-0 in Davis Cup first-rounder >>
Varazdin, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Croatia put the finishing touches Sunday on a 5-0 sweep of visiting Ecuador in a best-of-five Davis Cup first-round matchup. In a pair of dead rubbers on Day 3, Antonio Veic vaulted past Julio-C

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

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