Sabres open homestand against Bruins

Hockey Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Buffalo Sabres will try to open a four-game homestand on a positive note when they host the Boston Bruins this evening at First Niagara Center.

The Bruins, meanwhile, will try to record consecutive wins for the first time in nearly a month when they take the ice tonight in western New York.

Buffalo has posted a 3-0-1 record in its last four games after losing five straight and eight of nine prior to the recent hot streak. The Sabres still have plenty of work to do if they want to break into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, however, as Buffalo is currently 14th in the conference and 11 points out of a postseason berth.

The Sabres are 11-9-6 as the host this year and will also welcome Dallas, Tampa Bay and New Jersey during their homestand.

On the other hand, the Bruins are leading the Northeast Division with 68 points, although a 5-5-1 record in their last 11 games hasn't helped inspire confidence in the defending Stanley Cup champions. Boston is coming off a decisive victory Sunday in Washington and tonight the B's will try to record two wins a row for the first time since beating Winnipeg and Montreal on Jan. 10 and 12, respectively.

Boston is 2-0 against the Sabres this year and has scored 10 times over those meetings. The clubs haven't faced each other since Nov. 23, when Benoit Pouliot notched the winning goal in a 4-3 shootout decision for the Bruins.

Buffalo had won four straight against Boston heading into this year's season series and the Bruins have lost seven times in their last 11 trips to First Niagara Center.

The Sabres have gone the distance in their last two trips to the ice, losing a 1-0 shootout to the New York Rangers last Wednesday before posting a 4-3 shootout win Saturday against the Islanders.

Brad Boyes netted the game-winning goal to lift Buffalo to the win Saturday at Nassau Coliseum. The Sabres were down 3-1 after one period, but Derek Roy cut the lead to one late in the second and Paul Gaustad notched the equalizer at 11:14 of the third stanza.

In the shootout, Boyes picked up the puck and moved in slowly on Isles netminder Al Montoya. Boyes waited for Montoya to make a move and fired a quick wrist shot past the glove side. Jason Pominville sealed the victory with a goal in the second round of the shootout, while Ryan Miller stopped attempts from P.A. Parenteau and Frans Nielsen.

Boyes added an assist, while Nathan Gerbe also scored in regulation for the Sabres. Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner, made 35 saves to improve his record this season to 14-15-3.

"Our defense was in really good position tonight," Miller said. "We made it hard for them to get the looks they wanted. "We blocked a few shots and I was able to get an eye on a few of them."

Buffalo has played the last two games without leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek (upper body) and he is expected to be out until at least this weekend, when the Sabres host Dallas on Friday and Tampa Bay on Saturday. Vanek is leading the Sabres with 19 goals and is second on the team with 41 points.

In injury news not involving players, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff broke three ribs after colliding with defenseman Jordan Leopold at practice on Monday. Ruff was unable to return for Tuesday's practice, but he may coach tonight's game. Ruff is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and hasn't missed a game since March 20, 2006, when he skipped a game in Atlanta to deal with a family matter.

The Bruins scored twice in the opening period against Washington on Sunday and eventually built a 3-0 lead before completing the 4-1 decision. Tim Thomas stopped 35-of-36 shots by the Capitals to help lead Boston to the win.

Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist while Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin also scored for the Bruins, who had lost three of four coming into Sunday's tilt. Patrice Bergeron had two assists in the contest.

"I think we had a lot better effort today than we have in the past couple of games," said Boston head coach Claude Julien. "We did some more things on offense and defense and had good goaltending. The guys competed hard for all 60 minutes."

Bruins forward Nathan Horton has missed the last five games with a concussion and he'll sit out a sixth straight test tonight. Horton, who has 17 goals and 15 assists in 46 games this year, has resumed skating, but there is still no timetable for his return.

Boston is 16-7-0 as the road team this year and is completing a brief two-game swing tonight. The Bruins' next two tilts will be on home ice against Nashville and the Rangers.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

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