Sliding Blackhawks aim to get back on track in Denver

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02/07/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to remain positive, but that has been tough to do over their longest losing streak of the season. The Colorado Avalanche are going through the same struggles, but at least the 'Hawks are still in the playoff picture.

The two clubs both look to snap five-game slides this evening in their final scheduled regular-season meeting.

Chicago has been outscored 22-10 over its losing streak, marking the first time it has lost five in a row since March 13-20, 2009. Another setback tonight would give the Blackhawks their longest skid since an 0-6-1 drought from Dec. 30-Jan. 11 during the 2007-08 season.

The 'Hawks recent struggles have dropped them into fourth place in the Central Division, two points back of third place and seven behind the first-place Red Wings. Chicago sits sixth overall in the West and captain Jonathan Toews is hoping his club can emerge from this funk with some lessons learned.

"We don't want to put more pressure on ourselves than we already have. We're staying positive, but weren't not making any excuses for ourselves, looking for ways to bail ourselves out of this situation," Toews said following Monday's practice.

"We know we have to be better and we will be. We've just got to look at it in a way that going through this tough stretch here is going to make us better in the end."

Chicago is just 5-7-3 since Jan. 2 and had lost the first three outings of a nine-game road trip. Friday's 3-1 loss in Calgary marked the fourth time over its skid that is failed to score more than two goals. The only exception was an 8-4 setback in Edmonton on Thursday.

Brent Seabrook scored the only goal on Friday and Ray Emery made 29 saves.

"I think stretches like this get your attention and as a team you learn from this," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the loss. "We haven't really had a challenge like this all year and it's up to us to recapture how we felt earlier in the year and know what it takes to win."

Chicago will look to snap a seven-game road slide this evening with its first win as the guest since Dec. 14 at Minnesota. The Blackhawks picked up a 3-1 win in their first trip to Colorado back on Oct. 20, but have dropped a pair of home games to the Avalanche since. That includes a 4-0 defeat in the most recent meeting on Jan. 6, with Semyon Varlamov notching a 27-save shutout for the visitors.

Colorado has won five of its past seven versus Chicago, but hasn't scored more than two goals in any game of its current slide and sits in a tie for 11th in the conference, three points back of a playoff spot.

The Avs looked as if they would halt their losing streak on Saturday versus the visiting Canucks, holding a one-goal lead in the game's final moments and T.J. Galiardi taking aim at an empty net.

However, Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa blocked Galiardi's potential icer and then scored an overtime-forcing goal with 34.1 seconds left in the frame. Colorado went on to drop a 3-2 decision in the shootout.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 27 saves for Colorado, which had won 10 straight shootouts dating back to last season, including its first seven of this season. The Avalanche fell one shy of matching Dallas' record for consecutive shootout wins set during the 2005-06 campaign.

Despite the disappointing loss, which featured goals from David Jones and Jay McClement, rookie Gabriel Landeskog saw some positives in the setback.

"I think we played a pretty solid game to be honest," said Landeskog, who set a club rookie-record with nine shots on goal. "I think we took it to these guys for the majority of the game. Jiggy [Giguere] really kept us in there. They got one late in the third, but I thought we had a lot of the momentum in overtime too, and in the shootout, it was just unfortunate that we didn't put the puck in the net."

Colorado, which has lost the first two of a four-game homestand, hopes to have Peter Mueller back after the forward missed Saturday's game with flu-like symptoms.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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