Aiming for first three-game win streak, Stars host Sharks

Hockey Betting Lines

12/29/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars will get another chance at their first three-game winning streak of the season when they host the mighty San Jose Sharks for tonight's Pacific Division clash at American Airlines Center.

In addition to winning back-to-back games, the Stars have been victorious in four of their last five contests. Dallas has also recorded at least a point in five straight games, going 4-0-1 over that stretch.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are tied for the NHL lead with 58 points and are 23 points ahead of Dallas for first place in the Pacific.

San Jose is 2-0 against the Stars this year and won the last meeting by a 6-2 score when they rolled to a win in Dallas on November 28. The Sharks have won three of four and five of the last eight encounters between the clubs and have also taken five of six in Dallas.

However, the Stars did get the better of San Jose in the playoffs last year as Dallas eliminated the Sharks in six games during the Western Conference semifinals.

The Stars earned their most-recent victory over another Pacific rival, posting Saturday's overtime victory against visiting Anaheim. Mike Modano ripped a one-timer past Jean-Sebastien Giguere with 1:26 remaining in OT to give Dallas the 4-3 decision over the Ducks.

Mike Ribeiro recorded a goal and two assists, while James Neal and Brad Richards each scored and added a helper for Dallas, which was coming off an 8-2 victory over Toronto. Marty Turco was shaky in net, but made 19 saves to pick up the win.

Richards and Ribeiro each extended point streaks to five games with the former notching four goals and six assists during the run and the latter posting two goals and seven helpers.

Saturday's win marked the opener of a three-game homestand for the Stars, who are 8-5-3 as the host this year. Dallas will complete the residency against New Jersey on New Year's Eve.

The Sharks had a two-game winning streak halted their last time out, as they dropped a shootout decision Saturday in St. Louis. Brad Winchester scored the equalizer in the third period and tallied the game-winner in the shootout, as the Blues edged San Jose, 3-2, notching their first win over the Sharks since the 2006-07 season.

San Jose last lost to the Blues on January 20, 2007 and had beaten St. Louis seven straight times prior to Saturday's setback. The Sharks also had won seven in a row in the Gateway City.

Jonathan Cheechoo and Mike Grier each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks. Joe Thornton added a pair of helpers for San Jose, while Evgeni Nabokov made 26 saves.

The Sharks are playing the middle segment of a three-game road trip that will end New Year's Eve at Minnesota. San Jose has lost three straight as the visiting team and is sporting a 9-4-2 road record this season.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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