Top 2 teams meet in Western Conference final

Hockey Betting Lines

05/15/2010 -

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -From early on this season, the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks seemed to be on a collision course to meet in the Western Conference final.

With 14 Olympians, seven gold medalists, two silver medal winners and plenty of other talented players, these two teams spent much of the season battling for the top spot in the conference.

The best-of-seven series opens Sunday in San Jose, all because the Sharks beat out the Blackhawks by one point for the top spot in the conference on the final weekend of the regular season.

This is just the sixth time since the current playoff format began in 1994 that the top two seeds reached the conference final. That's in contrast to the East where seventh-seeded Philadelphia is facing eighth-seeded Montreal.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 The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwplayrio Hockey Betting News

<< Ol' Celtics, or just old? Boston to show vs. Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was watching Boston blow past Cleveland in the last round and thought it was some sort of replay from the Celtics' 2008 NBA title run.These days, it might be hard to tell.The resurgent Celtics are healt

<< Vickers released from Washington, D.C. hospital
Dover, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR driver Brian Vickers was released from a Washington, D.C.-area hospital Friday night after being treated for blood clots in his leg and near his lungs. According to a news release from Red Bull Rac

<< Rays DFA Burrell, bring up Blalock
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday designated Pat Burrell for assignment and promoted Hank Blalock from Triple-A Durham. Burrell, 33, had not provided much offense in 24 games this season wh

<< USA gets first victory; Norway captain banned from Worlds
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Gilroy registered a hat trick, as Team USA picked up its first win with a 10-0 pasting of Kazakhstan in the relegation round of the 2010 World Championship. Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and

<< Magic's Barnes misses practice with back spasms
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Magic forward Matt Barnes has missed practice because of back spasms but expects to start in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston.Barnes said after Saturday's practice that he feels pain in the lower-left side o

Suns smirk at Jackson's 'traveling' accusation >>
PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns have reacted with a collective smirk to Phil Jackson's suggestion that Steve Nash travels with the basketball.Nash even had a subtle retort worthy of Jackson himself.Nash says he doesn't think he's been called for carr

Romero's shutout, Bautista's homers lift Jays over Rangers >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Romero struck out 12 in his first career shutout, and Jose Bautista hit two home runs, as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers, 6-0, in the middle contest of a three-game set. With the teams

Pirates continue 2010 dominance of Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Church had a two-run double, and Jeff Clement hit a solo homer, as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on to edge the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, in the second of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Andrew McCut

Stanley Cup Playoff Preview - Philadelphia vs. Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are so many things about this year's Eastern Conference playoffs that defy logic. Perhaps this fact sums it up best; the Philadelphia Flyers, the seventh seed in the East, have home-ice advantage in the conference final

Russia and Switzerland win qualifying matches; USA gets first win >>
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin notched the eventual game- winner, as Russia took down Germany, 3-2, in a qualifying round match at the 2010 World Championship. Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikolai Kulemin also notched goals, w

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.