Blue Jackets host Blackhawks in Central showdown

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to get back in the win column tonight when they welcome the struggling Chicago Blackhawks for a Central Division battle at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets, who are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2000-01, had won four consecutive games prior to getting shut out on Sunday by visiting Detroit.

Columbus is currently the sixth seed in the West with 78 points and is three points ahead of Edmonton and Nashville, which are currently tied for the conference's final two playoff seeds.

The Blue Jackets were overmatched by the Red Wings in their most recent outing. Chris Osgood posted his second shutout of the season by stopping all 23 shots as Detroit blanked Columbus, 4-0, at Nationwide Arena.

Steve Mason allowed four goals on 30 shots in the loss for the Blue Jackets.

Columbus had won three straight on home ice prior to Sunday's setback. The Blue Jackets are 22-11-2 as the host this year and will follow tonight's tilt with a two-game road trip to the Sunshine State. Columbus will visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday and face Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have lost three straight, five of six and eight of their last 11 contests. Chicago had once had a seemingly comfortable lead for the fourth seed in the West, but is now tied with Vancouver for that spot with 83 points.

Chicago was in action Tuesday evening in New Jersey and witnessed history as Martin Brodeur became the NHL's all-time winningest netminder in the Devils' 3-2 win. Brodeur made 30 saves in the 552nd win of his illustrious career and passed Patrick Roy for the most victories in league history.

Cam Barker and Dustin Byfuglien found the net for the Blackhawks, while Nikolai Khabibulin allowed three goals on 30 shots in a losing cause.

Chicago is wrapping a two-game road trip tonight and will open a five-game homestand beginning with Friday's game against Edmonton. The Blackhawks are 19-14-3 as the visiting team this season.

The Blackhawks have won two of the three meetings with Columbus so far this year and has taken five of seven overall in the series. Chicago has also taken three of four at Nationwide Arena.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.