Blackhawks try to stop slide in Edmonton

Hockey Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The return of two of Chicago's top forwards wasn't enough to halt the club's losing streak last time out and the Blackhawks will try to avoid matching their longest skid of the season tonight when they visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.

The Blackhawks have lost three straight for the fourth time this year and another setback tonight will tie Chicago's season-high skid that lasted from Jan. 2-8. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both returned from injuries on Tuesday, but that couldn't prevent the Blackhawks from dropping an overtime decision in Vancouver.

The recent slump has dropped the Blackhawks into a tie with St. Louis for the fifth seed in the West and third in the Central Division. Chicago is still only four points behind Detroit for first in the division as well as the top seed in the West.

The Blackhawks have lost two of three against the Oilers this season and Chicago was thoroughly embarrassed the last time it visited Edmonton. The Oilers slammed the visiting Hawks by a 9-2 score back on Nov. 19, as Taylor Hall notched a hat trick. Ray Emery started in net for Chicago, but was pulled after surrendering seven goals on 27 shots.

The Oilers, who are seeded 14th out of 15 teams in the West, have won four of the last seven meetings with Chicago. The Blackhawks had won six straight in Edmonton before getting routed back in November.

The Blackhawks have lost their last four road games and were dealt an overtime setback Tuesday in Vancouver. The 3-2 setback kicked off a nine-game road trip for Chicago, which is 10-9-3 on the road this year compared to a 19-6-4 mark in the Windy City. The current swing is tied for the longest stretch of consecutive road games in franchise history.

Daniel Sedin scored 3:37 into OT to give the Canucks the win over Chicago on the first night of NHL action following the All-Star break. Jamal Mayers and Viktor Stalberg scored for the Blackhawks, while Corey Crawford made 30 saves in the loss.

"I felt like we definitely played well enough to win tonight," said Crawford. "It's definitely frustrating."

Toews had missed one game before the break with an upper-body injury and had one assist and five shots on net in Tuesday's loss. Sharp failed to record a point in his first game back from an eight-game absence due to a wrist injury.

The Oilers posted a 4-7-2 record in January, but they did win two of three to close the month. Edmonton posted a 3-2 win Tuesday against visiting Colorado, as Taylor Hall's goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner.

"It was nice to get that one and hold on in the end. Nice to get the win," Hall said.

Eric Belanger and Jordan Eberle also lit the lamp for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for the win.

Oilers rookie forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is close to returning from a left shoulder injury that he suffered in Chicago on Jan. 2, but he isn't expected to play tonight. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 draft is leading all rookies with 35 points despite missing the last 12 games.

Edmonton is 13-8-3 as the host this year and is playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight. The Oilers will complete the residency Saturday against Detroit.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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