Potent Leafs determined to end playoff drought

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What has happened to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the post-lockout era hardly seems possible for the NHL's most valuable franchise.

But, the Leafs, who were valued at $521 million by Forbes back in November, have learned the hard way that being profitable doesn't necessarily translate to success on the ice.

When the 2010-11 regular season ended, it marked the sixth straight campaign that Toronto failed to qualify for the postseason -- the longest playoff drought in the storied Original Six franchise's history.

Lately, however, it seems that the Maple Leafs are ready to rejoin the ranks of NHL playoff teams, as a rebuilding project begun over three years ago by general manager Brian Burke is finally beginning to bear fruit.

The biggest difference for the Leafs this year has been the club's much- improved offensive attack. Toronto finished last season ranked 21st in the NHL with an average of 2.60 goals per game, but after 53 games this year, the Leafs are ranked fifth with 3.09 GPG.

The increased potency on offense currently has Toronto in good position to secure a playoff spot. With less than 30 games remaining in the regular season, the Maple Leafs are sitting seventh out of eight postseason seeds in the East. With 62 points, Toronto is just one point ahead of Ottawa for the conference's final playoff berth, but the Leafs are also just six points behind Boston for first place in the Northeast Division.

Still, Toronto head coach Ron Wilson wants his team to be careful not to get too caught up in watching what other Eastern Conference teams are doing on a nightly basis. The Maple Leafs instead need to focus on doing what needs to be done to gain points on their own.

"There's not a whole lot of scoreboard watching on our part," said Wilson. "We just try to take care of our own business and worry about ourselves."

Toronto has certainly been able to maximize its point earning potential in recent weeks, as the Maple Leafs have posted a 5-0-1 record in their last six trips to the ice. Prior to that run, the Leafs had dropped four of five and Toronto will need to avoid swoons like that down the stretch if it wants to punch its first ticket to the postseason since 2004.

One player who seems personally determined to get the Leafs back into the NHL's annual tournament is winger Phil Kessel. A former first-round pick by Boston in the 2006 draft, the 24-year-old American is finally coming into his own after briefly becoming a poster boy for Toronto's recent lack of success.

Kessel was acquired by Burke from the Bruins for a hefty price just prior to the 2009-10 season. The Leafs gave Boston their first and second round draft picks in 2010, as well as a first round pick in 2011. With Toronto missing the playoffs before both of those draft years, the division rival Bruins landed a pair of top-10 picks (Tyler Seguin, 2nd overall, 2010 & Dougie Hamilton, 8th overall, 2011) thanks to the Kessel trade.

To top it off, the rival Bruins won the Stanley Cup title last year and Seguin is looking like a stud forward in the making.

Yet, through it all Burke had faith in Kessel, and now after two okay seasons in Toronto, that loyalty is finally paying off.

It's not that Kessel was bad in his first two years as a Leaf, it's just that he simply wasn't the Hart Trophy candidate that he's become this season. He posted 30 goals and 55 points in 2009-10 and jumped to 32 goals and 32 assists last season, but Kessel is ready to blow those numbers out of the water in 2011-12.

Through 53 games, the Wisconsin native already has 29 goals to place him second only to Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos. Kessel's 57 points are third in the NHL and just seven shy of tying his personal best total from last season.

The speedy Kessel has also done what all great players must; that is, make the players around him better. That is especially true of linemate Joffrey Lupul, who in his eighth NHL season and first-full year with the Leafs has already posted a career-high 55 points. Kessel's centerman, Tyler Bozak, a 25-year-old player who wasn't drafted, also has 31 points in 44 games to leave him one point shy of his career-best point total.

But, it hasn't just been Kessel's line that has the Leafs hopeful for a return to the postseason. Toronto is also allowing less goals this year than it did last year, even if its still only ranked 20th in the NHL in goals surrendered per game.

What has set Toronto's defensive game apart recently has been the club's ability to stop the opposition's power-play chances. The Leafs have gone 15 straight games without allowing a power-play goal, the longest such streak in the league since the Chicago Blackhawks went 19 straight games without giving up a power-play goal in 1969-70.

All told, Toronto is a perfect 22-for-22 over its current run, which is the longest such streak for the franchise since 1940-41.

If Toronto's penalty killers keep playing like that in front of goaltenders Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer, it will make qualifying for the playoffs a whole lot easier.

It's taken several years, but things are finally looking up again for the Maple Leafs. Yet, with improved play comes increased expectations and failure to make the postseason this spring would really be a crushing disappointment.

Kessel and the Leafs have two months to prove they belong back in the postseason. For a storied franchise that has only been able to brag about financial success in recent years, a playoff appearance would be worth much more than a strong bottom line.

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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.

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.