Blackhawks limp into Honda Center to battle Ducks

Hockey Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has had a hard enough time picking up victories in Anaheim without having injuries to worry about. Nonetheless, the Blackhawks could be without as many as four key skaters tonight when they visit the Honda Center to take on the Ducks, who could also have an injury-affected lineup.

Chicago's quest for the top seed in the Western Conference took a major hit on Sunday. Not only did the Blackhawks blow a three-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime setback to the Capitals over the weekend, but Chicago also lost the services of defenseman Brian Campbell in the first period.

Campbell was pushed violently into the boards by Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who received a major for boarding, a 10-game misconduct and ultimately a two- game suspension for a hit in the NHL called "reckless" in its release announcing Ovechkin's punishment.

The 30-year-old Campbell, meanwhile, suffered a clavicle fracture and rib fracture. The Blackhawks said on Tuesday that the blueliner likely won't need surgery but will miss seven-to-eight weeks of action. Defenseman Nick Boynton, acquired from the Ducks on March 2, was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

Chicago was also without star forward Marian Hossa and defenseman Kim Johnsson due to upper-body injuries on Sunday and both players are questionable for tonight.

Without Hossa, Jonathan Toews stepped up with two goals and John Madden also scored. Antti Niemi made 18 saves through the first two period, but allowed three goals on 11 shots in the third frame before getting beat by Washington's Nicklas Backstrom at 3:10 of overtime. Niemi made 26 saves in all as the 'Hawks lost their second straight game late. They yielded two goals in the final 2:04 of Saturday's setback to Philadelphia, including the game-winning tally with just 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

"We let [the Capitals] back in the game. We took penalties and did other little things that gave them a chance," said Toews, whose club has also lost three of its last four and is 18-11-3 on the road this season.

Niemi will get the start again tonight with Cristobal Huet battling the flu.

Chicago does own an 11-point edge over second-place Nashville in the Central Division and, with 94 points, is two points behind San Jose for the lead in the West. Washington leads the NHL with 103 points.

The Blackhawks wrap their season series with the Ducks having lost two of three to them this season. Chicago has also lost five of its last six at Honda Center -- including a 3-0 shutout on Nov. 27 -- and has only two wins and a pair of ties in its last 16 at Anaheim.

The Ducks, meanwhile, snapped a five-game overall slide and four-game home losing streak on Sunday with a 4-2 victory over the Sharks, Anaheim's first in six meetings with San Jose this year.

Teemu Selanne scored the 599th goal of his career and had an assist before leaving the game with a shoulder sprain. However, he practiced on Tuesday and could play tonight.

Selanne is just one goal shy of becoming the 18th player in NHL history to reach 600 goals, and the forward is also two tallies short of tying Hall-of- Famer Jari Kurri for the most goals scored by a Finnish skater.

Ryan Getzlaf also left Sunday's game after aggravating a left ankle injury. He underwent an MRI on Monday along with Selanne that showed no further damage to the existing injury and he also hopes to be on the ice tonight.

"It's definitely a strong possibility that I will be playing, especially with the situation we're in," Getzlaf told his team's Web site on Tuesday. "We're fighting for our lives right now. I'm going to do everything I can to be in the lineup [Wednesday]."

Corey Perry, Lubomir Visnovsky and Bobby Ryan also lit the lamp for the Ducks, who picked up their first win since the Olympic break and improved to 1-2-1 on a seven-game homestand. Anaheim is also 10 points back of a playoff spot with 14 games to play.

Jonas Hiller made 31 saves and made a then-season-high 42 saves in a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks when the clubs last met on Jan. 10.

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NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

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Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com