Blackhawks answer Flyers' attack to maintain large lead in Game 5

Hockey Betting Lines

06/06/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Byfuglien scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Finals with 4:15 left in the second period to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 5-2 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers after 40 minutes of play in a pivotal Game 5 at United Center.

Byfuglien is having his best game of the series -- which is currently tied at two games apiece -- adding two assists for the Blackhawks, whose power play has become lethal after looking lethargic for the first four games of the series. Chicago's man advantage unit went 1-for-9 from Games 1 through 4, but is 2-for-4 in Game 5.

Meanwhile, a Flyers power play that went 5-for-16 in the first four contests is 0-for-2 on Sunday.

Kris Versteeg and Brent Seabrook have added a goal and an assist apiece for the 'Hawks, who are looking to continue a trend of the home team winning each game in this series. Patrick Kane also scored in the second period, while Dave Bolland tallied in the opening frame.

Antti Niemi, who allowed eight goals in Games 3 and 4 in Philadelphia, has allowed two goals on 17 shots, but made several spectacular stops on a Flyers power play that maintained a two-goal advantage for the hosts.

Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen scored for the Flyers, who were unable to cut into their first-period deficit. After Michael Leighton allowed three goals on 13 shots in the opening 20 minutes, Philadelphia went to Brian Boucher, who stopped 6-of-8 shots in the middle period.

The Flyers, who had only four scoring chances in the first to Chicago's 16, showed some life in the opening minute of the second period. Ville Leino took a feed from Danny Briere after a broken play in the Blackhawks' zone and shoved it toward Niemi from down low. The puck squirted loose, and Hartnell slammed it home 32 seconds into the frame.

The 'Hawks, though, came right back with goal No. 4. Andrew Ladd skated into the Philadelphia zone with the puck and tried to send it past Chris Pronger, who deflected it back to Ladd. Armed again with the puck, Ladd sent it across the ice to Kane, who was all alone and deposited the disc into the wide-open net at 3:13.

The Flyers, as they have all playoffs, refused to go away, cutting its deficit to two again. A scrum in front of the net saw Niemi go low to the ground to protect the bottom portion of the net. The puck squirted out to Timonen, who fired a perfect shot from the slot into the top left corner of the net at 4:38 for a 4-2 contest.

The visitors gained a power play nearly midway through the period, and the Flyers had several good opportunities to make it a one-goal game. Niemi was able to stick out his right pad to deny Mike Richards off a perfect pass from Simon Gagne, and Leino was unable to tip in another pass in front of the net toward the end of the power play.

Just as the man advantage expired, Chicago skated into Philadelphia's zone on a 2-on-1, but Boucher was able to stop a Jonathan Toews shot from the slot.

The Blackhawks were able to regain a three-goal advantage after Pronger was called for a hooking penalty. Each of the five players on the ice touched the puck in the sequence, which ended with Toews dishing a feed to the mouth of the crease for Byfuglien, who tipped it into the net for his first goal of the series at 15:45.

In the early minutes, it was all Chicago.

Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn committed a turnover at his own blue line within the first 90 seconds, and Byfuglien recovered it for the 'Hawks and drove toward the net. Coburn and Leighton were able to cut off the angle and prevent the goal.

The Blackhawks also got the first power play after Lukas Kraijcek was called for cross-checking at 2:50. Chicago created several good shots, but many of the attempts sailed wide of the net.

After the hosts recorded six of the first seven shots on net, the Flyers went on the power play after a cross-check call on Bolland with 10:45 to go in the frame.

Despite the advantage, it seemed as though the 'Hawks had as many chances as the Flyers during the two-minute stretch, which went without a goal. A second after Bolland's infraction expired, Hartnell was called for high-sticking, and the Blackhawks took advantage of the opportunity.

Versteeg held the puck behind the Philadelphia net and dished it out to Seabrook in the left circle. Seabrook waited and fired a shot that deflected off Pronger's skate and into the left side of the net at 12:17.

Chicago kept the pressure on and increased its lead with 4:34 left in the frame. With the 'Hawks maintaining possession with a delayed penalty waiting on Philadelphia, Bolland shoveled the puck from behind the net off Leighton's skate and in for a 2-0 lead.

The Flyers' best chance came almost by mistake. With 3 1/2 minutes left, Jeff Carter sent a harmless shot toward the net from just inside the blue line. The disc bounced off a Chicago player and slid just wide of Niemi, who was out of position.

The Blackhawks, though, kept pouring it on and were again rewarded. Versteeg skated in on a 3-on-2 and cut back to the top of the slot, firing a wrist shot past a screened Leighton with 1:45 left for a commanding 3-0 cushion.

Sportsbook-internet-sportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< Allen hits seven from beyond arc, gives Celtics lead at half
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen made his first seven three-point shots in the first half on the way to an incredible 27-point effort, boosting the Celtics to a 54-48 advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers at halftime in Game 2 of th

<< Allen sets NBA finals record with 8th 3-pointer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen has set an NBA finals record with eight 3-point field goals in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers.Allen's 3-pointer with 4:42 left in the third quarter Sunday night allowed him to break the mark he

<< Chicago dominates Philadelphia in first period of Game 5
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brent Seabrook, Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg all scored in the opening period, giving Chicago a healthy 3-0 lead over Philadelphia after 20 minutes of the Stanley Cup Finals' Game 5. If there were any questio

<< Mackenzie captures 1st Canadian Tour win
Victoria, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brock Mackenzie birdied the 18th hole Sunday to shoot a four-under 66 and capture his first Canadian Tour win at the Times Colonist Open. Mackenzie finished with a 14-under 266 on the Uplands course to edge pa

<< Song earns 1st Duramed Futures title
Cedar Rapids, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christine Song shot a flawless five-under 67 to capture her first professional win Sunday at the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge on the Duramed Futures Tour. Song finished three rounds on the Hunters

Ray Allen sets NBA Finals record for three-pointers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston guard Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record by sinking his eighth three-point shot of the game with 4:40 left in the third quarter Sunday night. Allen made his first seven three-point shots in the first

Allen's three-point display in Game 2 helps Celtics earn split in LA >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record by making eight shots from beyond the arc on the way to a 32-point night, as the Celtics evened the championship series with a 103-94 Game 2 win over the Los Angeles

Byfuglien powers Blackhawks to Game 5 win >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Byfuglien finally broke out, scoring two goals and adding two assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks moved one step closer to a championship with a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of the Sta

No 4th quarter heroics for Kobe in Lakers' loss >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -For once, the fourth quarter didn't belong to Kobe Bryant.The Los Angeles Lakers superstar picked up his fifth foul early in the final period, when Bryant's defensive matchup, Rajon Rondo, carried the Boston Celtics to a 103-94 vic

Report: Nebraska, Missouri given deadline on future plans >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that the Big 12 has given Nebraska and Missouri until Friday to decide whether or not they want to stay in the Big 12. The ultimatum was given by the conference p

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.

There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football gambling needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.