Nash nets hat trick as Blue Jackets hammer Red Wings

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2009 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Nash notched his second hat trick of the season as the Columbus Blue Jackets crushed the Detroit Red Wings, 8-2, at Joe Louis Arena.

R.J. Umberger had two goals and an assist while Jason Williams added a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who have won three of their last five games and set a new franchise record for goals in one contest. Steve Mason made 44 saves in the win.

The win moves Columbus into sixth place in the Western Conference with 72 points, two ahead of Nashville, Dallas and Edmonton.

Henrik Zetterberg and Aaron Downey each had a goal for the Red Wings, who had won four of five coming into the game. Chris Osgood was shelled for seven goals on 23 shots in his start. Ty Conklin came on in relief and stopped four shots over the final 16-plus minutes.

Detroit remains atop the Central Division with 94 points and is tied with San Jose for first place overall in the Western Conference.

The Blue Jackets jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 4:18 into the game as Fedor Tyutin threw a shot on net from the left point that Raffi Torres redirected past Osgood.

Less than four minutes later, Columbus took a 2-0 lead when Williams sent a hard pass from the left point to the left side of the net where Umberger tipped it past Osgood.

The Blue Jackets tacked onto their lead 6:48 into the second period. Umberger skated into the Detroit end down the left side and threw a pass out front. The Detroit defender tried to clear it, but the puck bounced off his stick and Williams was able to whack it in.

Nash then made it a 4-0 game while shorthanded as he broke up a pass in his own end, caught up to the puck in the neutral zone and fired a shot over the glove of Osgood with 4:20 left in the second.

The Red Wings cut into their deficit with 2:48 left in the middle stanza as Pavel Datsyuk sent a pass from the right side to the front where Zetterberg wristed it home.

However, Columbus got the goal back just 15 seconds into the third period as Nash found himself all alone in front of the net and snapped a wrister between the pads of Osgood.

Umberger tallied his second goal of the game on the power play as his wrist shot found its was past Osgood's glove at the 2:49 mark and Andrew Murray chased Osgood from the net just 36 seconds later with his eighth goal of the season.

Downey scored on a deflection at the 5:32 mark to make it a 7-2 game.

However, Nash completed his fourth career hat trick with 7:44 to play to account for the final score.

Game Notes

Columbus hosts Boston on Tuesday...Detroit hosts Phoenix on Tuesday...It was the most goals Columbus scored this season...Detroit has given up 16 goals in its last two losses. The team was crushed by Nashville, 8-0, on February 28...The Blue Jackets have won three of the five games in the series with Detroit this season.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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