Pens host surprising Habs in Game 7 of East semis

Hockey Betting Lines

05/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens have pushed the defending Stanley Cup champions to the brink in the Eastern Conference semifinals and it all comes down to tonight, when the Habs visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for a decisive Game 7 at Mellon Arena.

This is the second straight Game 7 for the Canadiens, who shocked the top- seeded Washington Capitals in the opening round, taking the series with a 2-1 road victory in the final game. The Habs tied this current best-of-seven set at three games apiece thanks to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Pens in Monday's Game 6.

Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Penguins are playing their first Game 7 since defeating the Red Wings in a decisive contest in Detroit to win last year's Stanley Cup.

The Penguins are 7-4 all-time in Game 7s, while Montreal is 12-8 in this situation.

This is the first Game 7 to be staged at Mellon Arena since June 1, 1996, when the Penguins lost to Florida in the Eastern Conference finals, and tonight could also be the final game ever at the Arena, which is scheduled to be replaced by Consol Energy Center at the start of next season.

The oldest building in the NHL, the Igloo opened in 1961 and since the fall of 1967 -- when the Penguins entered the NHL as an expansion club -- it has been the only building the team has called home.

The Penguins are just 3-3 as the host in the 2010 playoffs after posting a strong 25-12-4 mark on home ice during the regular season. Montreal is 4-3 as the visiting club in this postseason, but was just 19-17-5 as the guest prior to the playoffs.

While Montreal needed to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Caps in Round 1, this series has been more predictable. The Pens and Habs have alternated wins so far in this series, with Pittsburgh taking the odd-numbered games and Montreal notching wins in Games 2, 4 and 6.

The upstart Canadiens notched Monday's victory thanks in large part to Michael Cammalleri's third two-goal game of these playoffs. Jaroslav Halak also withstood a 37-shot barrage to lead the Habs to a 4-3 win and set up tonight's winner-take-all scenario.

Cammalleri continued his superb postseason and now has a league-high 11 goals to go with five assists in 13 playoff games this spring.

"You go through times when it goes in, but sometimes it doesn't. You just keep playing. As a goal scorer, it goes back to your teammates. It's all about the passes and the plays, that you're getting the puck (on)," said Cammalleri.

Maxim Lapierre added a nifty unassisted tally in the third that turned out to be the game-winner when the Penguins scored with 1:24 remaining.

Montreal defenseman Jaroslav Spacek was inserted into the lineup in place of an injured Hal Gill after sitting the last nine games. Spacek, who was sidelined with an inner-ear infection, netted a go-ahead goal late in the second period on Monday. Meanwhile, Gill, who suffered a lacerated left leg in Game 6, is expected to be a game-time decision tonight. Gill won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh last year before jumping ship to Montreal as a free agent last summer.

For Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby posted his first goal of the series and Kris Letang scored a power-play goal. Bill Guerin scored to get the Pens within one just outside the final minute of play with Marc-Andre Fleury on the bench in favor of the extra attacker, but the visitors couldn't find the equalizer. Fleury finished with 21 saves.

In addition to winning last year's Cup, the Penguins are the two-time defending conference champions and are trying to become the first Eastern Conference club to reach three straight conference finals since Boston achieved the feat from 1990-92. Back then both the Penguins and Bruins played as part of the Wales Conference.

Montreal is attempting to become the first Eastern Conference club to reach the conference finals as a No. 8 seed since the current playoff format was adopted in 1994. The only eighth-seeded Western team to reach the conference finals since then was the 2006 Edmonton Oilers, who made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to Carolina.

The Habs and Pens have met just once before in the playoffs and that was back in the opening round of the 1998 postseason when Montreal notched a six-game series victory.

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It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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