Surging Flames visit Canucks, GM Place

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03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flames are getting hot at just the right time. Calgary will try to match its longest winning streak of the season tonight when it visits GM Place to take on the Vancouver Canucks.

The Flames have won four straight as they try to repair the damage caused from a 4-10-4 stretch they posted from Jan. 11-March 3. Once challengers for the Northwest Division title, Calgary now finds itself a point back of Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a game in hand. The Flames are also just two points behind the seventh-seeded Predators.

Calgary, which won five straight from Dec. 28-Jan. 5, is coming off Thursday's 2-0 shutout of Ottawa. Miikka Kiprusoff made 33 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and 34th of his career.

"It's a big two points for us," said Flames head coach Brent Sutter. "We found a way to win in a game where we weren't at our best. We weren't all that sharp but we did things well enough to find a way to win. With the situation we're in we can't give up points, we need points."

Jamal Mayers and Chris Higgins scored for the Flames, who have lost six of their last nine on the road.

Kiprusoff is 3-1-0 with a 3.51 goals-against average in the Flames' four games versus the Canucks this year and made 19 saves in a 3-2 shootout win at GM Place when the clubs last met on Jan. 9. Jamie Lundmark had the game-tying goal and netted the winner in the shootout.

Vancouver, which has still won seven of its last 11 at home versus the Flames, had to wait nearly two months but it picked up its sixth straight win at home last night with a 5-1 victory over Ottawa. The Canucks were playing at GM Place for the first time since Jan. 27 due to a 14-game road trip that was needed because of the city of Vancouver playing host to the Winter Olympics.

Mikael Samuelsson scored twice to give him 30 goals on the season as well as nine tallies and 12 points over a six-game point streak. Alexandre Burrows, Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo also scored for the Canucks, who went 8-5-1 on their NHL-record road trip.

"We came out and had a great first period, and I think we played one of our best games of the year tonight," said Roberto Luongo, who made 13 saves. "I think we were just excited to get back. It's been such a long time since we've played here."

Sedin pushed his point streak to nine games (2 goals, 12 assists), while Ryan Kesler had a helper to give him five goals and nine assists over a 12-game run of his own.

The Canucks, who own a five-point lead over the Avalanche for first place in the Northwest Division, won the opener of a five-game homestand and improved to 24-7-1 as the host this season.

Luongo is 1-2-1 with a 3.21 GAA in four games versus the Flames this year.

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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.