Phoenix Joins Umberger From Washington

Hockey Betting Lines

Sabres forward Thomas Vanek, who leads Buffalo with 19 goals and is second on the club with 40 points, left Tuesday's tilt with an illness and is questionable for tonight.

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have been playing solid hockey as of late for 65 minutes. It's the few minutes after that where the club has been struggling. The Coyotes, losers of two straight shootouts, try to get back on track tonight against the league's last-place club, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

"We need two points in the standings every game we have from now on," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, who became the 39th coach in league history to be on the bench for 700 games. "I thought we had a good effort out there tonight and it's a shame we didn't get the two points."

 

The Coyotes have lost six of their last seven on the road and close out their swing tonight in Columbus against a Blue Jackets club that has lost 10 of its last 12 games and is last in the NHL with 27 points.

 

"There were some good things and some things we have to work on. Our defensive zone, around the net, we gave up some easy goals there," said Richards. "It's been a tough couple days but we hung in there. We're heading home and after a day of rest and practice tomorrow will do us good for the weekend."

 

Umberger extended his club record of 288 consecutive games played on Tuesday, but that run will come to an end tonight after he left practice on Thursday with concussion-like symptoms. Umberger took an elbow to the head at Anaheim on Sunday, but played the entire game on Tuesday.

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five wins in seven games has the Washington Capitals back in the playoff picture. A season high-tying losing streak, and according to head coach Guy Boucher Tampa Bay's worst loss of the year, has the Lightning fading in the Eastern Conference.

 

Washington snapped a two-game slide on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh, moving into a tie with the Penguins for the eighth spot in the East with 46 points. Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season and 46th of his career, while Jason Chimera potted the only goal.

 

"I didn't think one goal would be enough, but it turned out to be enough. We'll take it," said Chimera.

 

The Lightning have also been a solid club at home this season, but dropped a 5-2 decision to the visiting Hurricanes last night. It marked the third time this year that Tampa Bay has dropped five games in a row and it will look to avoid suffering six straight defeats for the first time since Dec. 7-17, 2009.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.