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Pekka a Rinne-stone Cowboy in Nashville

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Those not convinced that the Nashville Predators are in it to win long term need to look no further than the massive contract that general manager David Poile dished out to goaltender Pekka Rinne back in November.

Like the protagonist in Glen Campbell's iconic '70s hit, Rinne has paid his dues and was rewarded with a seven-year, $49 million deal that just so happens to be the largest the club has ever dished out. It also comes after a breakout 2010-11 campaign for the 29-year-old in which he notched career bests in wins (33), goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.930) to net a Vezina Trophy nomination.

Rinne has done nothing this year to make Poile regret his decision to invest heavily in the Finn. Heading into action on Tuesday, Rinne was in the midst of a franchise-record 11-game win streak and has gone 14-1-0 with a 1.72 GAA since Dec. 28. He is just the fifth goaltender since 1998-99 to have a personal win streak of 11 games, a list that includes a Hall of Famer in Patrick Roy, a future Hall of Famer in Martin Brodeur, and a Stanley Cup champion in Marc-Andre Fleury.

But it's not just numbers with Rinne. Head coach Barry Trotz said after his netminder basically stole a 3-1 win over the Blues on Saturday that it is the timing and composure of Rinne that makes him one of the game's best.

"He's stopping the puck and making the big save when the game's on the line, and he's been doing that when momentum's coming at us. When you talk about special people in this league, he's one of them," said Trotz.

Case in point came in the third period with the Preds up by just a goal. After getting a little help from the post to deny the Blues' Kris Russell, and left seemingly out of position, Rinne dove to his left and made an incredible stop on the defenseman's second attempt just seconds later.

Russell probably should have been staring at a sure-fire goal, but instead just became the latest star on Rinne's highlight reel.

"He just kind of had an open net ... and I was able to get it with my glove. That was a big save at the time. You know, sometimes you just work your hardest and you get lucky," said Rinne, who made 19 saves in the third frame to give Nashville a league-best 14-3-0 mark since Dec. 28.

Luck has nothing to do with it according to Trotz.

"There's not too many goaltenders in this league who would make that save and that's why I keep saying he's the best one and he proved it tonight."

Added Trotz, "Not only is he incredibly athletic ... but his ability just to will himself, he's so competitive. Even in practice, he doesn't want to get scored on. He's always wired and never quits on the play, quits on the puck and he can contort with his athletic ability to do some incredible things."

Rinne's impact on the club isn't just felt on the ice either. The fact that he is scheduled to be in the Music City for the rest of this decade should make Nashville a desirable place to play, especially for a defenseman. That is something pending free agent Ryan Suter should keep in mind as he decides his Preds future.

Fresh off an All-Star appearance, Suter has said he won't discuss his contract status until after the season, though he clarified that doesn't necessarily mean he wants to become a free agent. Still, Poile must now gauge if he will be able to keep Suter in the mix and hold onto his star defender, or deal the 27- year-old before the trade deadline.

Some advice for Poile: Hold on to Suter as well as fellow defenseman and future restricted free agent, captain Shea Weber. With Rinne in top form, the Predators are poised to make their deepest postseason run since coming into the league in 1998-99. Suter is a big part of that as well and is worth the risk of losing this offseason.

Nashville's brief history is littered with the club trading away some of its biggest stars -- the names Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Tomas Vokoun and Dan Hamhuis come to mind -- but the Preds should keep Suter and Weber off that list.

With Rinne between the pipes, why mess with a good thing?

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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

Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards