Thrashers, Canes to face off in clash of surging Southeast squads

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03/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing at home has been good as of late for the Atlanta Thrashers, who head back to Philips Arena tonight to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Southeast Division showdown.

Atlanta has won its last three tests as the host team and returned from the NHL's break for the Winter Olympics to post consecutive home victories over Florida and the New York Islanders. With a win this evening, the Thrashers will have recorded their longest winning streak at Philips Arena since a seven-game tear from March 2-18, 2007.

The Thrashers' home success bodes well for a possible postseason berth, as they will play seven of their next eight games in Atlanta. The club is currently tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, but just two behind Montreal for the eighth and final playoff seed.

Atlanta had gone 4-0-2 over its last six overall outings before stumbling at Tampa Bay last night, with the Lightning coming away with a 6-2 win behind a three-goal first period. Thrashers goaltender Johan Hedberg was victimized for all six goals on 30 shots and had a personal three-start winning streak halted.

"Everybody knows the situation (about the playoffs) and we have to be more aware when we're out there," forward Nik Antropov remarked afterward.

On a positive note, Niclas Bergfors scored one of Atlanta's two goals and continued his strong play since coming over from New Jersey as part of the February 4 trade that sent All-Star wing Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils. The young Swede has now netted six goals in seven games since the swap.

Although the Hurricanes are a longshot to reach the postseason after dealing away a number of veteran players at Wednesday's trade deadline, they've still been a handful for opposing teams recently. Carolina had ripped off a season- best seven straight wins before Saturday's 4-1 loss to Florida, and dealt the Thrashers a 5-2 defeat in their most recent trip to Philips Arena back on January 21.

Hurricanes captain Eric Staal had a hat trick in that game and has amassed 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) over his last 18 contests. Forward Jussi Jokinen, who accounted for Carolina's lone score in last night's setback, has racked up 14 goals and nine assists over that same stretch.

Goaltender Manny Legace has also been on a strong run since taking over for the injured Cam Ward as the Hurricanes' main backstop. The veteran has won his last four starts and surrendered just eight goals during that span.

Rookie Justin Peters was between the pipes for Saturday's game and received his first NHL loss after allowing three goals on 29 shots. The 23-year-old had gone 3-0-0 with an outstanding 1.34 goals against average over his first three starts.

Atlanta had won the first two season meetings between these divisional foes before that January 21 home loss, but Carolina has prevailed in six of its last eight matchups as the visitor in this series.

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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.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

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

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.