Sharks continue homestand with battle against Predators

Hockey Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having rallied in the third period in each of its last two victories, the San Jose Sharks wrap their season series with the Nashville Predators this evening at HP Pavilion.

Even though it is getting later in the season, the Sharks have been able to finish strong in their last two games. Dany Heatley and Manny Malhotra scored in the third period of a 3-2 win over Montreal last Thursday before Heatley and Joe Pavelski lit the lamp in the final frame of Saturday's 2-1 triumph against Columbus.

Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves for the Sharks, who are 2-1-0 on a five-game homestand and have won seven of their last 10 as host.

"I think the offense is going, but we're just running into some hot goalies in this league," said Heatley, who has scored in back-to-back contests after going five games without a tally. "Especially down the stretch here, we're going to face hot goalies every team we play. The good things are we're creating a lot and getting a lot of chances."

The Sharks now find themselves tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the most points in the Western Conference with 93, though they have a game in hand. Both clubs trail the Washington Capitals by six points for the most in the NHL.

While San Jose has needed to rally in its last two games, Nashville comes in off a great defensive effort that made an early lead stand up. Ryan Suter and Colin Wilson both scored first-period goals Tuesday in Atlanta, and Dan Ellis made it stand up with 30 saves in a 2-1 victory.

"The first period I thought we played real well," said Nashville head coach Barry Trotz. "I know they were playing with a lot of urgency. I thought we played a real good road period to start."

In halting a two-game slide and winning for the fourth time in six games, the Predators gave Trotz, who has been the team's coach since its inception in 1998, his 400th career victory. He became just the seventh coach in NHL history to reach that mark with one team.

Nashville, which is two points up on Calgary for the seventh spot in the West, played its second game in a row without Shea Weber. The defenseman has 12 goals and 24 assists this year.

The Predators, who won the opener of a four-game road trip, now head out West and will also play in Anaheim and Los Angeles. Tuesday's win was just the club's third in its last 10 games as the guest.

San Jose has won two of three versus Nashville this year -- with each game decided by just one goal -- and eight of the last 11 in the series.

The Sharks notched a 4-3 road win when the clubs last met on February 6. Heatley had two goals and an assist, giving him five goals and six helpers in eight career games versus the Preds. Joe Thornton had two assists for San Jose in that game, and he has 30 career helpers in 27 games versus Nashville.

The Predators have dropped two straight, four of five and nine of their last 11 at San Jose.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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