Blue Jackets rally past Sabres

Hockey Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rostislav Klesla sparked a third-period comeback with the game-tying goal, while Dan Fritsche knocked home the decisive tally, as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena.

In the first game back for both teams after the All-Star break, Columbus dominated the final stanza en route to the win. Klesla was the catalyst for the game-tying marker, as he settled in behind an odd-man rush, took a drop pass from Manny Molhotra and sent a wrist shot over Ryan Miller at 5:22.

Fritsche then notched the go-ahead goal, as he stayed with the play, collected his own rebound, and flipped the puck over the netminder's right pad with 10:37 remaining in the contest.

The Sabres had their best chance to tie things up with five minutes to play, as Chris Drury sent a slap shot just high and wide of the net. Paul Gaustad was then called for tripping with just 2:23 remaining, while Jaroslav Spacek joined him on a holding charge 1:22 later, effectively sealing the win for Columbus.

Rick Nash, who had a pair of goals in the All-Star game, also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have won three of their last four games overall. Fredrik Norrena was nearly flawless between the pipes, turning aside 36 of 38 Buffalo chances, including nine in the final stanza.

Drury tallied both goals for the Sabres, who have dropped five of their last seven contests. Daniel Briere, who garnered MVP honors at the All-Star game with a goal and four assists, also had a pair of helpers on the night, while Miller made 24 saves.

Columbus drew first blood on the power play, as Buffalo's Dmitri Kalinin went off for hooking. Not more than 30 seconds elapsed on the man-advantage, as David Vyborny took a feed at the blue line, then chipped it up along the boards to Sergei Fedorov, who sent a cross-ice pass to Nash that skipped along the goal mouth. The left winger attempted a quick feed for Anson Carter, but the disc deflected off the knee of Teppo Numminen and through the five-hole of Miller with 7:51 remaining in the first period.

The Sabres quickly answered at the tail end of their own power play, as Drury cut toward the net and fired a wrist shot that beat Norrena topshelf with 4:03 to play in the stanza. The fireworks weren't over, however, as Andrew Peters and Jody Shelley dropped the gloves on the ensuing faceoff, with Peters getting the best of his counterpart before the linesman intervened.

Both sides combined for 24 penalty minutes in the early going. A Buffalo power play also bridged the first and second periods, quickly turning into a 5-on-3 at the start when Adam Foote was whistled for holding.

Drury then tallied his second marker of the game, and 12th power play goal of the season, as he one-timed Briere's rebound, ripping a snap shot past Norrena at 1:08.

The Sabres were denied a chance to go up by two with just 18 ticks remaining in the period. Daniel Paille went one-on-one on the breakaway, deked and shifted to the backhand as Norrena committed early, then had the puck kicked away by Anders Eriksson. Paille was awarded a penalty shot as a result, but sent the puck high and wide of the net, as the teams skated to the second intermission with Buffalo clinging to a one-goal lead.

Game Notes

Buffalo finished 2-for-6 on the power play, while Columbus ended 1- for-6...Nash was playing in his 250th career NHL game...It was Buffalo's first visit to Columbus since March 29, 2004, when the Sabres shut out the Blue Jackets by a 6-0 final...Buffalo has 33 games remaining in the regular season, with 28 against Eastern Conference teams, and 13 against Northeast Division opponents...Briere leads the Sabres with 59 points (18G, 41A).

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “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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