Panthers hope to string together win streak vs. Jets

Hockey Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-December when they host the Winnipeg Jets for tonight's clash at BankAtlantic Center.

The Panthers lost their last game before the All-Star break, but emerged from the hiatus with Wednesday's important 4-2 win over Washington. That victory moved Florida a point ahead of the Capitals for the top spot in the Southeast Division and the Panthers can extend that lead over idle Washington tonight.

A victory this evening would give the Panthers consecutive wins for the first time since they defeated Calgary and Carolina on Dec. 16 and 18, respectively. Since those back-to-back triumphs, Florida has gone 5-6-5 over its last 16 trips to the ice.

The Panthers received two goals from Mikael Samuelsson in Wednesday's regulation win over Washington. Shawn Matthias also provided a late insurance goal for Florida, which still has four games against the Capitals left on its docket.

Stephen Weiss added a goal and Tomas Fleischmann totaled two assists for the Panthers, while Scott Clemmensen made 26 saves in the victory.

Florida beat Washington without the help of leading scorer Kris Versteeg, who sat out the game with flu-like symptoms. Versteeg, who is pacing the Panthers with 19 goals and 43 points, was at practice on Thursday and is expected to play tonight.

Panthers goaltender Jose Theodore (knee) and forward Jack Skille (shoulder) are questionable.

Florida is capping a three-game homestand tonight and is 12-5-7 as the host this year. Following this evening's tilt, the Panthers will play four of their next five games on the road.

The Jets have also won two in a row and will try for their first three-game winning streak since Dec. 27-31 when they take the ice tonight. Winnipeg played Thursday evening in Tampa and Kyle Wellwood scored at 3:14 of overtime to give the Jets a 2-1 victory over the Lightning.

Blake Wheeler escaped a Bolts checker along the left-wing boards, moved to the net and slipped a pass across to Wellwood, who lifted the puck into the top half of the net to end the contest.

"I was just trying to circle around and see what was going on with the play," said Wellwood. "Blake made a great pass and my first instinct was to shoot it."

Wheeler added a score for the Jets, while Ondrej Pavelec stopped 30-of-31 shots for the victory.

The Jets welcomed back a pair of key players to the lineup on Thursday in defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and forward Alex Burmistrov. Byfuglien saw his first action since December 23 after dealing with a lower-body issue, while Burmistrov had sat out two games with an upper-body injury.

Byfuglien posted an assist and skated over 25 minutes on Thursday. Despite missing 16 games with his injury, he is still leading all Winnipeg defenseman this season with 25 points. Burmistrov was held off the scoresheet on Thursday and the 20-year-old has nine goals and nine assists this season.

Jets forward Evander Kane, who leads the team with 18 goals, is still out indefinitely with a concussion.

Winnipeg is playing the fifth test of a six-game road trip tonight and will close the swing Sunday in Montreal. The Jets are just 9-14-4 on the road this year compared to a 15-8-2 mark at home.

The Panthers have taken two straight road games from the Jets after losing this year's series opener in Florida back on Oct. 31. The Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise has won four straight in Sunrise.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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