Canadiens hold off Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder each had a goal and an assist to give the Montreal Canadiens a big 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

Mike Johnson, Sheldon Souray and Tomas Plekanec each had a goal for the Canadiens, who have won four of their last five games and now have 72 points, which moves them into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, one ahead of Carolina.

David Aebischer stopped 32 shots in the win for Montreal.

Bates Battaglia and Bryan McCabe each tallied a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped three of four.

Andrew Raycroft stopped only 11-of-16 shots in the loss for Toronto, which sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 69 points. Jean-Sebastien Aubin relieved Raycroft late in the second period and turned aside all eight shots he faced.

The Leafs were trailing, 5-2, to start the third period, but scored two quick goals.

Jeremy Williams scored his second goal in his second NHL game when Battaglia sent a pass from the right boards to the left circle where Williams one-timed it into the net just 1:02 into the final frame.

Less than four minutes later, a wrist shot by Alex Steen from the top of the right circle handcuffed Aebischer to make it a 5-4 game at the 4:40 mark.

However, the Maple Leafs were unable to net the equalizer and the Habs gave the home crowd a win.

Toronto drew first blood in the contest when Battaglia blasted a one-timer from the slot that went into the left corner of the net just 4:10 in.

Montreal, though, scored the next three goals and took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Less than two minutes after the Toronto goal, Alex Kovalev fought off a defender for several seconds and centered the puck to Plekanec, who tapped it into the net for his 14th goal of the season.

Skating on the power play, Koivu sent a backhand pass from the right boards to the right circle where Ryder snapped a wrister over the right shoulder of Raycroft with 5:48 left in the frame.

In the final minute of the first, Radek Bonk won a right circle faceoff and drew the puck back to Johnson, who snapped a wrist shot under the blocker of Raycroft for his 10th goal of the year.

The Maple Leafs cut into their deficit in the second period with a power-play goal when Mats Sundin left a drop pass at the top of the left circle for McCabe, who blasted a slap shot through a screen to make it a 3-2 game 1:32 into the stanza.

The Canadiens answered with a power-play goal of their own when Koivu backhanded a loose puck into the net halfway through the second.

A little over two minutes later, Souray's slap shot from the right point went under the glove of Raycroft to give the Habs a 5-2 advantage.

Game Notes

Montreal begins a five-game road trip in New York on Tuesday to face the Rangers...Toronto returns home to face Buffalo on Tuesday...Montreal went 3-for-4 on the power play while Toronto scored on one of its four chances...The teams have split six games this season...Sundin had two assists in the game...Souray leads all defensemen in the NHL with 22 goals.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

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NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

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