NHL Betting Preview

We are already 22 games into the regular season so for and this hockey season is stunning as usual with the Caps biting the dust against the worse ATS team in the league. Losing 5-0 to the Devils left even Ovechkin and president Obama speechless.

The New Jersey team is currently 6-12-2 this year and seem to be celebrating as if they won the Stanley cup for beating the nations home team. Any way Coopers Pick gives credit where credit is due and so the Newark based team gets their dues.

The question now is does this lead the way to a strong season or was it a fluke and the losing ways will continue with or without a mashed potato and turkey meal this Thursday.


The city of brotherly love and the Philadelphia Flyers are still on fire this season beating out the Montreal Canadiens the other night. This victory marked their 2nd straight puts them above the Caps @ the top of the league standings (14-6-2) but tied for points at thirty a piece.


The red wings are: 13-3-2, Canadiens 13-7-1 and Kings 13-7-0, are nipping at the top and are irreproachable.

Columbus Blue Jackets is 13-6, Tampa Bay Lightning is 12 7 2 & Avalanche are 12-7-1 all boast standout 4 gamers when the Pittsburgh Penguins 12-8-2 have taken down their third straight GO PENS get that one more to catch up with the rest of the league.

The Coyotes are 6-0 in their last six games and run over the defending champs the blues, canuckers, flamers, and oilers. Not a bad run to say the least.

The Oil men need some serious help as they have been shellacked as of late and are playing 1-5 in their last six against the spread so look to find some good betting sites to bet against them.

When the outlook is as bleak as it is for the Oilers (5-10-4) any win is welcome. And no side was as desperate as they were to get a win what with a six-game losing streak ahead of that clash, four of which were humiliating blowouts 7-1 to Carolina, 6-2 to Detroit, 8-2 to Rangers and 5-0 to Chicago.

As always if you need access to live nhl betting odds Coopers Pick is glad to be the place for all your hockey handicapping needs.

October NHL Schedule

Here is the remaining schedule for the month of October.

Friday, October 15
Colorado at New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Toronto at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM
NY Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM
Chicago at Columbus, 7:00 PM
Montreal at Buffalo, 7:30 PM
Atlanta at Anaheim, 10:00 PM
Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10:30 PM

Saturday, October 16
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 6:00 PM
Ottawa at Montreal, 7:00 PM
Boston at New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Colorado at NY Islanders, 7:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:00 PM
Washington at Nashville, 8:00 PM
Columbus at Minnesota, 8:00 PM
St. Louis at Dallas, 8:30 PM
Buffalo at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Detroit at Phoenix, 9:00 PM
Edmonton at Calgary, 10:00 PM
Atlanta at San Jose, 10:30 PM

Sunday, October 17
Phoenix at Anaheim, 8:00 PM
Carolina at Vancouver, 9:00 PM

Monday, October 18
NY Islanders at Toronto, 7:00 PM
Colorado at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM
Dallas at Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
St. Louis at Chicago, 8:30 PM

Tuesday, October 19
Boston at Washington, 7:30 PM
Calgary at Nashville, 8:00 PM
Vancouver at Minnesota, 9:00 PM
Carolina at San Jose, 10:30 PM

Wednesday, October 20
Buffalo at Atlanta, 7:00 PM
Anaheim at Columbus, 7:00 PM
Vancouver at Chicago, 9:00 PM
Carolina at Los Angeles, 10:30 PM

Thursday, October 21
Washington at Boston, 7:00 PM
NY Rangers at Toronto, 7:00 PM
Anaheim at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Calgary at Detroit, 7:30 PM
New Jersey at Montreal, 7:30 PM
NY Islanders at Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Dallas at Florida, 7:30 PM
Pittsburgh at Nashville, 8:00 PM
San Jose at Colorado, 9:00 PM
Minnesota at Edmonton, 9:00 PM
Los Angeles at Phoenix, 10:00 PM

Friday, October 22
Calgary at Columbus, 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Buffalo, 7:30 PM
Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Chicago at St. Louis, 8:00 PM
Minnesota at Vancouver, 10:00 PM

Saturday, October 23
NY Rangers at Boston, 7:00 PM
Montreal at Ottawa, 7:00 PM
Buffalo at New Jersey, 7:00 PM
Atlanta at Washington, 7:00 PM
NY Islanders at Florida, 7:00 PM
Anaheim at Detroit, 7:00 PM
Toronto at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 8:00 PM
Nashville at Dallas, 8:00 PM
Columbus at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9:00 PM
Carolina at Phoenix, 9:00 PM
San Jose at Edmonton, 10:00 PM

Sunday, October 24
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 6:00 PM
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM
San Jose at Calgary, 8:00 PM

Monday, October 25
Philadelphia at Columbus, 7:00 PM
Phoenix at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Los Angeles at Minnesota, 8:00 PM

Tuesday, October 26
Florida at Toronto, 7:00 PM
Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Phoenix at Ottawa, 7:30 PM
Edmonton at Calgary, 9:00 PM
Anaheim at Dallas, 9:00 PM
Colorado at Vancouver, 10:00 PM

Wednesday, October 27
Atlanta at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM
Washington at Carolina, 7:00 PM
NY Islanders at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
Los Angeles at Chicago, 8:30 PM
New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 PM

Thursday, October 28
Toronto at Boston, 7:00 PM
Edmonton at Columbus, 7:00 PM
Phoenix at Detroit, 7:30 PM
Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 PM
St. Louis at Nashville, 8:00 PM
Washington at Minnesota, 8:00 PM
Los Angeles at Dallas, 8:30 PM
Colorado at Calgary, 9:00 PM

Friday, October 29
Montreal at NY Islanders, 7:00 PM
Carolina at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM
Buffalo at Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Edmonton at Chicago, 8:30 PM
New Jersey at Anaheim, 10:00 PM

Saturday, October 30
NY Rangers at Toronto, 7:00 PM
Florida at Montreal, 7:00 PM
Boston at Ottawa, 7:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:00 PM
Nashville at Detroit, 7:00 PM
NY Islanders at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Atlanta at St. Louis, 8:00 PM
Chicago at Minnesota, 8:00 PM
Buffalo at Dallas, 8:00 PM
Columbus at Colorado, 9:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Phoenix, 9:00 PM
Washington at Calgary, 10:00 PM
New Jersey at Los Angeles, 10:30 PM
Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 PM

Chicago Blackhawks Preview

The Blackhawks restored the grandeur of an Original Six franchise to Chicago by winning a franchise-record 52 games, taking a Central Division title, and to cap it off, won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years by dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers in a six-game triumph.

That was then. This is now.

The ticker tape had barely been cleared from the clustered streets within the Loop before salary cap issues forced the gutting of roughly one-third of that winning roster. Gone was three-time champion John Madden as a free agent, along with forward Kris Versteeg who was dealt to the Maple Leafs. Both goaltenders were given their walking papers -- former number one Cristobal Huet was left to wither behind rookie sensation Antti Niemi -- until the 'Hawks played hardball with the young Finn and let him go in free agency to San Jose. Huet, meanwhile, was loaned to a Swiss club, so the Blackhawks will have to pay his hefty salary this year, but it won't count against the cap.

Perhaps the biggest blow to the guts of the team was the massive salary-dump deal with Atlanta that saw playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien and defenseman Brent Sopel along with Ben Eager and Akim Aliu head south for two draft picks, three prospects and Marty Reasoner, who was immediately recycled to Florida.

No club since the 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers has won the Stanley Cup one season, then returned the following year with a roster so affected with key personnel changes. It will be a challenge taken on by head coach Joel Quenneville, team captain and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Toews and high-scoring Patrick Kane, all of whom experienced their first Cup run in positions of authority and leadership.

Success this coming spring depends on how they apply the lessons learned in winning to days which may not be so promising.
ON THE ATTACK
It's hard to argue with the numbers Messrs. Toews (25 goals, 68 points/seven goals, 29 points) and Kane (30 goals, 88 points/10 goals, 28 points) produced a year ago, and even harder to imagine similar stats won't be forthcoming this season.

The job will be made tougher on the Terror Twins now that Byfuglien's bulky presence and scoring (34 pts.) won't be there, along with Versteeg (44 pts.) Andrew Ladd (separate deal with Atlanta; 38 pts.), Madden (10 goals, 23 points) and Colin Fraser (free agent to Edmonton) have left. Still, Patrick Sharp (25 goals, 66 points), Marian Hossa (24 goals, 51 points) and Troy Brouwer (22 goals, 40 points) remain as a strong supporting cast.

More will be expected of Dave Bolland (16 points in 39 games) and Tomas Kopecky (21 points in 74 games), who showed flashes of grit and scoring touch as the year wore on. Madden's departure was mitigated somewhat by the signing of defensive forward Fernando Pisani, but his best year came in 2006 and his effectiveness may be blunted by years in the Oilers system.

One benefit of salary-cap moves en masse is the influx of younger talent that gets a chance to crack the roster. Wisconsin product Jack Skille and new acquisition Victor Stalberg, along with Jeff Taffe (from Florida for Reasoner) and Jeremy Morin (from Atlanta) have a legitimate shot to earn a spot with the big club. Russian import Igor Makarov and AHL journeymen Hugh Jessiman and Ryan Potulny are also in the mix. Ben Smith, fresh from a national title at Boston College, also gets his chance to prove himself with a two-year deal.
ON DEFENSE
Chicago enjoyed one of the most physically-punishing, yet mobile and puck savvy defensive corps in the NHL a season ago. Luckily, only Sopel and Cam Barker (Minnesota) have departed from this deadly bunch.

Leading the smooth edge of the backline, Duncan Keith earned a Gold medal in the Vancouver Games and won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman with 69 points and a plus-21 in 82 contests. Niklas Hjalmarsson developed into a secondary quarterback on the power play (17 points in 77 games), but it'll be up to Jordan Hendry, Jonathan Carlsson or whoever else Quenneville grooms to pick up some offensive slack.

In the rough-edge department, Brent Seabrook (30 points, 208 hits) and Brian Campbell (38 points, 79 blocked shots) put up roadblocks all over the ice while Sopel (50 hits, 120 blocks) provided steadying guidance. Jassen Cullimore, at age 37, gets the nod to take his place after a year in the minors, while Nick Boynton should also have an entire season to get back on his feet after years of wandering between jobs.

Chicago's up-tempo game-plan did cause trouble with the defense at times last season as did speed from opposition forwards (Nashville and Philadelphia in particular), so it's unclear whether this subtle new batch of blueliners will aid or hinder efforts to close any gaps.
IN THE CREASE
No title-winning club in recent memory, through either trades or salary-cap issues, has gotten rid of both their netminders before the start of the following season.

Chicago will be hard-pressed to justify parting ways with the combined efforts of Huet (26-14-4, 4 SO, 2.50 GAA) and Niemi (26-7-4, 7 SO, 2.25), especially after Niemi's playoff run (16-6, 2 SO, 2.63), but free-agent veteran Marty Turco will be given the opportunity to redeem himself.

The 35-year-old, who spurned Cup finalist Philadelphia in favor of a spot with the defending champs, comes from the Dallas Stars with a reputation of solid but unspectacular play. He was 22-20-11 with a 2.72 GAA and four shutouts for a moribund Stars club last year, and though he's shown flashes of brilliance in the past, he?s never demonstrated the ability to be a difference-maker.

Obviously, the Blackhawks saw something in his 262 career wins and 40 shutouts, but his 21-26 playoff record is suspiciously subpar for someone who's coming into a winning environment.

Former second-round pick Corey Crawford, sparsely used in recent years, now gets his chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. He's spent five seasons in the AHL with Norfolk and Rockford honing his skills, and this year it's time to deliver. If he doesn't come on strong enough from camp, competition exists in the form of Hannu Toivonen -- last seen with the Blues (6-10-0, 3.44 GAA) in 2007-08.
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
The Blackhawks may be the epitome of the one-shot deal, a shocking example of the vagaries of the salary-cap era and a lesson to other top-tier clubs that going for it all only pays off if you win, but the chances are better that you will win if you're able to make the leap once.

The guts of the club may have been ripped out due to trades and free agency, but the heart (Kane) and soul (Toews) still remain along with a solid defensive foundation. The Central Division has officially passed out of the hands of the Red Wings, who appear to be on the downside of the rivalry, but given the roster upheaval, a chance at the top seed in the Western Conference will most likely be out of reach.

Still, those are good problems to have coming off a championship season. Now if the United Center could find another song in the entire canon of Western pop music that isn't nearly as grating as "Chelsea Dagger," they'll be in better shape.

Tiger Woods Sex Tape

I just don’t know what to think about this alleged sex tape.

Tiger’s supposed 15th mistress, Devon James, has apparently sold a 67-minute video of her and Woods doing the dirty.

“We made a deal with a DVD production company,” Devon’s husband, Nick James, told RadarOnline.com. “We’re going to sell the video online and we get half the profits of all sales.”

“Ultimately we found a different company and they gave us $350,000 down with projected sales of $5 million total once it’s out.”

Apparently, the tape will be released next month. Problem is, Devon’s own mother is questioning her daughter’s credibility.

“My daughter is nothing but a pathological liar… there was no relationship with Tiger Woods,” she told Radar.

Uh-huh.

At this point, nothing would surprise me about Tiger’s antics, but you would think that he would have had the sense to nix any type of video footage. Then again, he wasn’t bright enough to clear the naughty texts from his phone, which got this whole mess going in the first place.

So what do you think? Is this tape the real deal, and if so, are you going to check it out?

To find out the odds on this one check out the up and coming proposition wagers available from your favorite online sportsbooks.

Live Soccer Scores

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Chicago BlackHawks win the Stanley Cup

The staff here at Coopers sports picks would like to congratulate the Chicago Blackhawks on their first Stanley cup in 50+ years as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in Overtime at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to win the stanley cup in 6 games.

We had a great season making a lot of hockey fans and sports bettors a lot of money by successfully handicapping NHL games and look forward to doing so again next season.

Flyers vs Bruins

NHL Playoff action Flyers vs Bruins

(7) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (0-1) AT (6) BOSTON BRUINS (1-0), 7 P.M.

Marc Savard and the Boston Bruins will try to build off the
momentum from a thrilling overtime victory when they host the Philadelphia
Flyers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden.

Savard, playing for the first time since suffering a concussion on March 7,
scored the game-winner 13:52 into overtime, leading the sixth-seeded Bruins to
a 5-4 victory in the opener of this best-of-seven series on Saturday.

Boston earned the home victory despite blowing a 4-2 lead in the third period,
and tonight, the Bruins will try to take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts
to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4.

The seventh-seeded Flyers, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back and earn a
split in Beantown. Philadelphia, which will host Game 3 on Wednesday, is now
2-2 on the road in the postseason after going 17-21-3 as the away club during
the regular season.

Boston was 18-17-6 as the host during the season and has a perfect 4-0 record
at home so far in the playoffs. The Bruins won all three home games while
eliminating Buffalo in six games during the opening round.

On Saturday, Savard took a rolling puck in the right circle after Philadelphia
was unable to clear and rocketed a slapshot above Brian Boucher's glove into
the top right corner.

Patrice Bergeron and Miroslav Satan each recorded a goal and an assist for the
Bruins, who are 37-18 all-time in series when winning the opening game. Steve
Begin and David Krejci also scored, while Dennis Wideman had three assists.

"I think (Savard) played great hockey," Krejci said. "I can't remember the
last time he played like that. I'm talking about the overtime. It was huge. A
huge goal, and it's a good win. We have the first one, but the next one is
going to be much harder."

Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots for his fifth career playoff victory.

Mike Richards tallied a goal and two assists for the Flyers, who have lost
seven of their last eight Game 1s. Philadelphia did take the series opener in
the first round against New Jersey, en route to winning that series in five
games.

Chris Pronger and Danny Briere added a goal and an assist apiece, while Ryan
Parent also scored in defeat.

The Flyers, who were playing their first game since eliminating the Devils on
April 22, fell behind 2-0 in the opening period and were forced to chase
Boston all afternoon. The Bruins went ahead 4-2 on Krejci's goal at 7:25 of
the third period, but Philadelphia received goals by Pronger and Briere in the
final 10 minutes of regulation to force OT.

"It's one game," Briere said. "Obviously, we are not happy about the way we
played in the first period, giving them that 2-0 lead. But that's hockey. It's
one game. Get ready and bounce back. We were about to win one on their ice and
in the first two, and we're still in good shape. That is going to be our goal
for the next game."

Boucher, who kept his club in the extra session with 14 saves, stopped 41-
of-46 shots in all for Philadelphia.

The Bruins did lose forward Marco Sturm for the remainder of the playoffs with
a knee injury suffered in the first period of Saturday's game. Sturm, who
failed to register a point in Boston's first seven playoff games, led the
Bruins with 22 goals this season and added 15 assists for 37 points.

Boston and the Flyers are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since
1978. Each team has won twice in the four all-time playoff series between the
clubs. The Flyers won the most notable matchup, beating Boston in six games to
win the Stanley Cup in 1974. The Bruins have won the last two encounters,
including a five-game series win over Philly the last time clubs met in the
1978 Stanley Cup semifinals.

The Flyers and B's split four games this year in a season series that included
Boston's 2-1 overtime victory in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Both the
Bruins and Flyers had 2-1-1 records in the series.


(3) VANCOUVER CANUCKS (1-0) AT (2) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (0-1), 9 P.M.

(Sports Network) - The second-seeded Chicago Blackhawks will try to bounce
back from a blowout loss in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals,
when they host the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 tonight at United Center.

The Blackhawks also hosted Game 1 on Saturday, but were slammed, 5-1, by the
third-seeded Canucks. In its first round series against Nashville, Chicago
lost the opener at home by a 4-1 count before rebounding to win the series in
six games.

This series is a rematch of last year's conference semifinals, which Chicago
won in six games before losing to Detroit in the West finals. The Canucks also
won the opener in last year's matchup when they had home-ice advantage.

Roberto Luongo made 36 saves and Vancouver scored the first five goals of the
game en route to Saturday's easy victory in the Windy City.

Christian Ehrhoff and Mason Raymond each had a goal and an assist while Henrik
Sedin, Michael Grabner and Kyle Wellwood each added a goal for the Canucks,
who eliminated Los Angeles in six games to reach this stage.

Both the Blackhawks and Vancouver had a considerable layoff between the first
and second round of the playoffs. Chicago was playing its first game since
April 26, while the Canucks had been off since April 25.

"I was able to make a few saves early and it got me going," said Luongo. "That
was nice to get in the action right away since we hadn't played since Sunday.
Now we've got to keep it going."

Patrick Kane scored the lone goal while Antti Niemi made 20 saves in the loss
for the Blackhawks. Niemi was pulled after the second period and replaced by
Cristobal Huet, who stopped all three shots he faced.

"Sometimes when you have a long layoff it hurts," said Kane. "But they had the
same thing, though, so there's no excuse for it. Maybe we came in thinking it
was going to be an easy series which obviously it's not."

Niemi, who will get the start again tonight, has surrendered a total of 12
goals on 74 shots over his last three games. Luongo has stopped 90-of-95 shots
over the same span.

The Blackhawks were 29-8-4 as the host during the regular season and is 2-2 at
United Center in the postseason. Vancouver, which will host Game 3 on
Wednesday, was 19-20-2 on the road this year and is 3-1 as the guest in the
playoffs.

This marks the fourth time the clubs have battled in the postseason.
Vancouver's only series victory over Chicago was in the 1982 conference
finals, when the Canucks ousted the Blackhawks in five games before getting
swept by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stanley cup Picks

Get your Stanley cup picks and live odds for the biggest hockey event of the year now that the Olympics are over.

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Devils host Rangers with first place in reach

The New Jersey Devils will try to take over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division tonight when they host the rival New York Rangers at Prudential Center.

New Jersey enters tonight one point behind the Penguins for the top spot in the division as well as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Devils are currently fourth in the East and seven points ahead of fifth-seeded Ottawa.

The Devils drew even with Pittsburgh thanks to a 6-3 win over Columbus on Tuesday, but the Penguins regained the top spot with a point in Wednesday's shootout loss to Washington.

New Jersey ended a two-game slide with the home win over the Blue Jackets and is 5-2-1 in its last eight games. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac both scored twice to lead the Devils to the easy win.

"We aren't looking at the standings," said Zajac. "We have to start winning games and playing good hockey, and tonight we did that."

Ilya Kovalchuk and Paul Martin also scored for the Devils, who have captured five of their last six home games and will complete a three-game homestand tonight. New Jersey is 25-10-1 overall as the host this year.

Martin Brodeur made 19 saves in the win, which marked the 40th victory of the season for the future Hall of Famer. Brodeur, who already holds the all-time NHL mark for 40-win campaigns by a netminder, now has eight for his career.

"I expect myself to put up these kind of numbers because I play so (often), but it's always nice to get it done," said Brodeur. "It's a big number and there are not many guys in the league who are able to do it, and now I have eight of them in my career."

New Jersey could also clinch a playoff spot tonight with some help from Toronto, which is playing in Atlanta. If the Devils win this evening, then a loss of any kind by the Thrashers would seal up a postseason berth for Jersey. The Devils could also clinch if they get a point against the Rangers and Atlanta loses in regulation.

While the Devils are still in the mix for the division title and one of the top seeds in the East, the Rangers' playoff chances are hanging in the balance.

New York is 10th in the East and is five points behind Boston for the conference's eighth and final playoff spot.

The Rangers picked up a decisive home win over the rival Islanders on Wednesday, posting a 5-0 victory at Madison Square Garden. Marian Gaborik recorded two goals and an assist, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots for his third shutout of the season.

Gaborik's goals came in the first and third periods and he now has 39 tallies on the season. Another goal would give the Slovakian his second 40-goal campaign.

Artem Anisimov, Michael Del Zotto and Dan Girardi also scored for the Rangers.

The Rangers are playing on back-to-back nights for the 11th time this season. New York has a 6-2-2 record in the second game of back-to-backs so far in 2009-10.

Tonight marks the start of a six-game road trip for New York, which is 16-15-3 as the guest this year and has lost three of its last five away from the Big Apple.

The Devils have won three of the five meetings with New York this year and Jersey have taken six of nine overall in the series. The Rangers also have three losses in their last four trips to the Garden State.

NHL Trade Deadline Re-Cap

With quantity going over quality with the trade deadline we have to examine questions such as are 6 hotdogs better than 3? Well Yes, but that does not necessarily mean that quantity is indicative of success.

So lets examine the recent NHL trade deadline. An all time high of 31 trades involving 55 players were completed WOW, having said that not 1 trade made any headlines there wasn't any outrage on VS network or on facebook and twitter. In fact, I would go as far as to say all the trades combined weren't as newsworthy as the handful of deals made before the Winter Olympic break that saw Canada beat the USA in Vancouver.

While the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Dion Phaneuf, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Olli Jokinen were all moved back in late January and early February, the day of March 3, which many NHL enthusiasts have had circled for months now, came and went with a whisper.

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper." T.S. Eliot said that.

Now granted, the NHL isn't going to fall to pieces because of a boring trade deadline, but it is one day that many fans who remain middle-of-the-road about the sport actually care enough to check in. With the event superceded by the success of the Gold Medal Game, names like Derek Morris, Wojtek Wolski and Ryan Whitney aren't going to rope in new followers.

There were names out there. Florida's Tomas Vokoun, Dan Hamhuis of Nashville and Ray Whitney of Carolina were all reportedly out there. Even heavy-hitters like Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer and Vincent Lecavalier of Tampa Bay found their way into rumor mills, credible or not.

But in the end, anyone who didn't get a chance to sneak away during the day to check the latest news didn't miss much come dinner time.

The Philadelphia Flyers were one of only a few clubs in a playoff position that didn't make any type of deal, and general manager Paul Holmgren said there just wasn't anything out there that made sense for his club.

"At the end, we explored some of the guys who were mentioned and then we started to focus on depth when it didn't look like anything was going to make sense for us," Holmgren said. "I didn't believe that anything that was made available to us, made us better and then we just started to look at adding just a small piece by a late-round draft pick or something like that, and we weren't able to do that."

Ultimately, the deadline will be evaluated by its impact on the season. Did contenders like Washington, Pittsburgh and Phoenix get better? Probably.

The Coyotes definitely subscribed to the quantity theory, making seven trades and adding five players to their NHL roster, including defensemen Morris and Mathieu Schneider, forwards Wolski, Lee Stempniak and center Petteri Nokelainen.

"We went into it hoping to add a few parts and add to our depth and I think we've addressed those needs today," said Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett, whose club hasn't reached the postseason since 2002 but stands fifth in Western Conference points (79) at the moment.

On the other side of things, bottom-feeders like Carolina, Toronto and Edmonton unloaded talent to better position themselves for the future.

But sex sells, and the lack of big names may have left a bitter taste for some. I don't know about you, but perhaps that sourness can be improved with a mix of beef, sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

Canes aim for longest win streak of the season

Resurgent 'Canes aim for longest win streak of season vs. Devils

Not many people were thinking playoffs for the Hurricanes after the season's first two months, but a possible postseason berth is getting a little closer to Carolina's reach.

The 'Canes shoot for a season-high fifth straight win and sixth in a row on home ice tonight versus the New Jersey Devils at RBC Center.

Carolina seemed buried in the standings at the end of November thanks to a 5-17-5 start. However, the Hurricanes are 18-13-2 since the start of December and are now within 10 points of a playoff spot. The club has netted 15 goals over its second four-game win streak of the season, giving it a win in eight of its last 10 games following Thursday's 4-3 overtime win versus Buffalo.

The Hurricanes fell behind by two goals in the first period, but Brandon Sutter and Ray Whitney both scored on the power play, with Whitney lighting the lamp with just two seconds left in the frame. Sutter later capped off his first career three-point night by notching his second assist of the game on Sergei Samsonov's game-winner 1:47 into overtime.

"Before we scored the power play goals and Sutter's line goes out and [Tuomo] Ruutu throws a couple hits and we draw a penalty and end up drawing another one, that for me was a turning point because we weren't really skating the way we were going to need to," said 'Canes head coach Paul Maurice.

Manny Legace ended with 30 saves and he has started three of the four games since Cam Ward was sidelined with a back injury. Legace has allowed seven goals over his personal three-game win streak.

Jussi Jokinen added an assist to give him six goals and three helpers over an eight-game point streak. He'll try to keep that run going tonight in the finale of a three-game homestand for Carolina, which will play four of its first five games after the Olympic break on the road.

The Hurricanes made a trade on Friday to bolster their blueline, sending center Matt Cullen to Ottawa for Alexandre Picard and a 2010 second-round draft pick. Cullen, who was on Carolina's Stanley Cup-winning club in 2006, had 12 goals and 28 assists in 60 games this year with the 'Canes, while Picard notched four goals and 11 assists in 45 games with the Senators.

Meanwhile, New Jersey comes to town having snapped a three-game slide with last night's 5-2 victory over Nashville. The win improved the Devils to just 5-9-2 over their last 16 games, but they did up their lead over the second- place Penguins to two points in the Atlantic Division after Pittsburgh lost in overtime to the Rangers Friday night.

Skating in his fifth game since being acquired a little over a week ago from Atlanta, Ilya Kovalchuk had the go-ahead goal in the third period. He also added an assist after going pointless in his previous three games.

Jamie Langenbrunner had a goal and two assists for the Devils, while Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias all had a goal and an assist. Martin Brodeur made 19 saves in the victory.

Tonight marks the first meeting this season between the Devils and Hurricanes in Carolina. New Jersey took the first two matchups at home, giving them a three-game win streak in the series, but it has lost three in a row at RBC Center.

The Devils have also lost five straight on the road overall.

NHL to open 2010-11 season in three European cities

NHL to open 2010-11 season in three European cities

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NHL will continue its recent trend of playing season-openers in Europe, announcing Tuesday that six teams will play in three cities to start the 2010-11 campaign.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild will play a pair of games in Helsinki, Finland on October 7 and October 8. The Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks will square off for two games in Stockholm, Sweden on October 8 and October 9, while the Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes will take the ice for two games in Prague, Czech Republic on October 9 and October 10.

It will mark the fourth consecutive year that NHL teams will travel overseas to begin the season.

"The Premiere Games are a highly anticipated part of our season launch, and we are extremely pleased that six teams -- more than ever -- will open their season in Europe," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "With these games, nearly half of our clubs will have participated in Premiere -- a testament to how excited our teams are to be playing before our outstanding fans in Europe."

Detroit and St. Louis opened this season with two games in Stockholm while Chicago and Florida met for a pair of games in Helsinki. Prague hosted the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning for two games to start the 2008-09 season, while Ottawa and Pittsburgh also opened that season with a two-game set in Stockholm.

The NHL also began the 2007-08 season in London, as the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings met for a pair of games. For more great news and information check out our friends at: bet on sports com

UFC Fight Night 20 Recap

UFC Fight Night 20 Recap - Does Maynard Get a Title Shot vs. BJ Penn?

by Nick Meyer

To tap, or not to tap? That is the proverbial question that Efrain Escudero faced on Monday night as opponent Evan Dunham cranked on his arm, threatening with all his might to break it.

Escudero waited as long as he possibly could, but the betting underdog Dunham had the arm-bar in so tight that there was no escaping with the limb intact.

Escudero, the betting favorite and former Ultimate Fighter winner, had no choice but to tap, but by then, it looked like some potentially serious damage had already been done. Escudero winced in pain on the mat as Dunham did a victory dance, cementing the most memorable (and cringe-worthy) highlight of Ultimate Fight Night 20.

From that point on, the action shifted to the main event of the evening as Gray Maynard attempted to avenge the only loss of his MMA career (albeit not an official one because of its Ultimate Fighter TV show status) against fellow lightweight Nate Diaz.

Maynard and Diaz slugged it out for three rounds with the fight only hitting the ground for a few sparse moments despite that area being both guys' strengths.

In the end, Maynard won a split decision, but he wasn't overly impressive in doing so. Now, the big question on every UFC fan's mind regarding the lightweight division is whether or not Maynard will be granted a title shot against BJ Penn at the recently announced UFC 112 event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Maynard didn't do well against Diaz compared with how he did against the likes of Jim Miller, fellow contender Frankie Edgar, and Roger Huerta, but Diaz's length seems to be a tough matchup for him along with his jiu-jitsu prowess.

Would Maynard give BJ Penn a fight? That's for the UFC to decide now as they look to fill what could be an exciting UFC 112 card in a unique venue in the Middle East.

Right now, Maynard has the edge over Edgar for the title shot, but some feel Edgar could be better-suited to give Penn some competition. The MMA betting community will find out soon which of these soon-to-be-huge underdogs will get the title shot against Penn.

Also taking home big wins at UFC Fight Night 20 were Amir Sadollah and Aaron Simpson.

Simpson, an intriguing middleweight prospect, got caught up in a war with the underdog Tom Lawlor that looked like a potential loss. But Simpson managed to gain control using his impressive takedowns and some well-placed shots before squeaking out a controversial split-decision that the crowd in Fairfax, Virginia couldn't help but boo.

Former TUF winner Sadollah was much more impressive on the night in the welterweight division, however, as he dominated Brad Blackburn for much of the fight, handing his opponent his first UFC loss.
Sadollah showed off his impressive head movement, quickness, and muay thai skills, blasting Blackburn with a big knee late in the fight and also with a big left hand earlier on. Each blow stunned Blackburn and scored big points on the judges' scorecards.

Sadollah, the slight betting favorite going in, stayed out of trouble for most of the fight and nearly finished Blackburn a couple of times.

Next up for UFC fans will be UFC 109: Relentless on February 6 in Las Vegas. The betting action should be fierce for the main event featuring Randy Couture and Mark Coleman on the BetUs.com Sportsbook, so check it out today and get ready another round of intense MMA action in the weeks to come.

NHL Predators Road trip against the Calgary Flames

Preds end road trip against sliding Flames

(Sports Network) - The Nashville Predators will attempt to wrap a three-game road trip perfect this evening as they take on the Calgary Flames, who will be trying to avoid a fifth loss in six games.

The Predators visit Pengrowth Saddledome off road wins over Vancouver and Edmonton. Nashville has won four straight and 10 its last 13 on the road (10-2-1), including Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Oilers.

Ryan Jones notched a career-high three points off a goal and two assists, while Shea Weber and Marcel Goc scored 28 seconds apart early in the opening frame to set the tone. Weber, Goc, J.P. Dumont and Patric Hornqvist all ended with a goal and a helper each, while Pekka Rinne made 38 saves.

"We did a pretty good job of getting the lead early and Pekka kind of held us in it after that," Weber said.

Weber's two-point night gave him three goals and eight assists over his last eight games, while Hornqvist has five goals and three assists over his last six games. Hornqvist, who leads the team with 18 goals, also has 12 tallies and six helpers over his last 15 contests.

Nashville, which has won six of its last eight overall, was without captain Jason Arnott for a third game in a row because of an upper-body injury.

Still, the Predators improved to 17-7-2 on the road this year and are tied for fourth in the Western Conference with 59 points. Nashville is also nine points behind first-place Chicago in the Central Division.

The Flames have just one fewer point than the Predators, but enter tonight tied with the Avalanche for first place in the Northwest Division. Colorado has gained on Calgary because the Flames have lost four of their last five and are 0-1-1 on a three-game homestand that concludes tonight.

After a shootout loss to Colorado on Monday, Calgary was dealt a 3-1 setback by visiting Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Mark Giordano scored the lone goal and Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 24 shots for the Flames, who have lost three straight at home and are 12-9-3 as the host this year.

"We had 18 or 19 quality scoring chances tonight and we were only able to capitalize on one of them," said Calgary coach Brent Sutter. "One goal a night is tough to win games."

Calgary hopes that Jarome Iginla is able to shake off his recent slump, as the Flames captain has zero points in his last five games and just one goal over his last 10 contests. Iginla, though, has three goals and six points in three games versus the Predators this year, as well as 26 goals and 24 assists in 39 career contests against them.

Iginla had two goals and an assist in a 5-3 loss to the Predators at home on December 19, just Calgary's second loss in the last six meetings at Pengrowth Saddledome.

The Flames have sandwiched a pair of road victories over Nashville around that loss to give them six wins and their last seven meetings with the Predators overall.

Kiprusoff has been in net for all three games of this season's series, going 2-1-0 with a 1.68 goals-against average with a 22-save shutout on November 30.

Rinne was on the other end of that blanking in his lone start versus Calgary this year, making 25 saves, while Dan Ellis has started the other two games, going 1-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA.