Vokoun stops 31 in win over Carolina

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Vokoun's 31 saves set the tone for Florida's 4-1 victory to snap the Carolina Hurricanes' seven-game win streak at Bank Atlantic Center.

Kamil Kreps scored twice, including an empty-net goal, while Michael Frolik and Cory Stillman picked up the scoring slack in the Panthers' second straight win following a season-long seven-game losing skid.

"We scored seven goals in the game before and were able to get two quick goals in this game," said Frolik. "It's good cause it helps us grab the momentum in the game and carry it through. It was a big win for us."

Jussi Jokinen scored for the Hurricanes, who remain 11-3-0 over their last 14 games. Justin Peters had 26 saves in his fourth start of the season.

"It was a matter of breaks and bounces tonight," said Carolina head coach Paul Maurice. "But I'll tell you what, they (Florida) did as good a job tonight as we've seen in a long time."

Frolik was able to bat in a loose puck at the right side of the net to open the scoring at 13:58 of the first at the conclusion of a Panther power play.

Just 1:11 later Nick Tarnasky set up Kreps for a one-timer in the slot to make it 2-0.

Vokoun's sturdy play between the pipes kept it that way through the first two periods with 16 saves.

Jokinen knocked in a fluttering puck off the rebound of a Brandon Sutter offering to finally break through for Carolina at 7:58 of the third.

Steven Reinprecht snuck out from behind the net a short time later to set up Stillman's one-timer from in close for some breathing room at 3-1 with 3:30 left to play.

Kreps empty-netter sealed it just outside the final minute.

Game Notes

The Hurricanes' streak was their longest since a nine-game tear from March 18- April 7 of last season...They also had a three-game road winning streak broken in the first of three away from Raleigh...Florida will kick off a three-game road trip Tuesday in Minnesota...Florida's Bryan McCabe had three assists.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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