Sabres LW Gaustad out with ankle injury

Hockey Betting Lines

02/09/2007 -

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -Buffalo Sabres left wing Paul Gaustad will miss at least one game because of a deep gash across his left ankle.

Coach Lindy Ruff on Friday ruled Gaustad out for Saturday when the Eastern Conference-leading Sabres host Calgary. Ruff said Gaustad's ankle is still swollen and he will have tests to make sure there is no further damage to the bone or nerves.

Gaustad, who plays on a line with Sabres leading scorer Chris Drury, was cut by a player's skate early in the third period of Buffalo's 3-2 win over Ottawa on Wednesday. Numerous stitches were needed to close the cut, but initial tests for serious damage were negative.

Ruff said there's a good possibility Gaustad will return when the Sabres host Edmonton on Thursday.

A rugged second-year forward, Gaustad has a career-high tying nine goals and 13 assists in 54 games this season.

Defenseman Jaroslav Spacek is scheduled to return Saturday after missing three games with a knee injury.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Foorball365 Hockey Betting News

<< Park, Mets near deal on contract
NEW YORK (AP) -Chan Ho Park reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Mets on a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training.His agreement was disclosed by two people fami

<< Is Vegas' big shot a one-shot deal?
Let's start with a bet.Will the NBA return to Las Vegas, this time on a permanent basis, after the Feb. 18 All-Star game?``Absolutely, not even close,'' Mayor Oscar Goodman said.If only it were that simple.Sending a team to Las Vegas would require N

<< Capitals' Semin thriving in Ovechkin's shadow
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - On plenty of NHL teams, Alexander Semin would be the top scorer, the rising superstar, the man in the spotlight.As it happens, he plays for Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals, reducing Semin at times to ``the other Alex'' stat

<< Forget expansion label for Predators, try NHL's best
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Take a look at the NHL standings. The team at the top hasn't been perennial President's Trophy winner Detroit, or even the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.No, it's the Nashville Predators.The expansion franc

<< Accused chair thrower in Palace brawl ordered jailed for 6 months
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -The only person charged with a felony in the November 2004 brawl during a Pacers-Pistons game at The Palace of Auburn Hills will spend the next six months in jail after a judge determined he violated his probation.Bryant Jackson

Okur most durable, dependable player for surprising Jazz >>
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -When the Utah Jazz signed Mehmet Okur as a free agent in 2004, the deal was overshadowed by the arrival of Carlos Boozer.But Okur has been the most durable player on Utah's roster, and his clutch outside shooting has helped keep

Stern adds Anthony, Howard to All-Star team >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Carmelo Anthony is going to the All-Star game after all.The NBA's leading scorer was picked by commissioner David Stern on Friday as an injury replacement and will make his first All-Star game appearance on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas.Stern

Wisconsin gives Bielema 5-year, $7.5 million contract >>
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema was rewarded Friday for his highly successful first season with a new five-year, $7.5 million contract.The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved an amended contract on Frid

Grizzlies sign guard to 10-day contract >>
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Guard Lorinza Harrington signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, who released him before the start of this season.Harrington, 6-fooot-4, was scheduled to be in uniform for Friday night's game with Minnesota.He repla

Hank Bauer dead at 84 >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died Friday. He was 84.Bauer died of cancer in Sha

Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com