Playoff-hopeful Flames, Red Wings square off in key battle

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Flames took on the Red Wings, they walked away with two points and the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Calgary will hope for similar results tonight at Pengrowth Saddledome versus Detroit, which will by aiming to hold onto the conference's final playoff position in the opener of a three-game tour of Western Canada.

The Flames visited the Red Wings last Tuesday and rallied for a 4-2 victory as Rene Bourque assisted on the tying goal early in the third period before netting the game-winner with 12:44 to play in the frame. An empty-net goal by Christopher Higgins sealed Calgary's win and moved the club a point up on Detroit in the standings.

However, after both teams picked up victories on Thursday, the Red Wings jumped back ahead of the Flames for the eighth spot with a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday, giving them 78 points to Calgary's 77. The Flames then failed to alter the standings again on Sunday, dropping a 3-1 decision in Vancouver to remain a point back of the Red Wings.

Brian Rafalski, who had a pair of assists for the Red Wings last week versus the Flames, made sure Detroit walked away with two points on Saturday as he scored an overtime power-play goal 31 seconds into the frame. The defenseman one-timed a Nicklas Lidstrom feed through a screen from the left circle.

"Every point is crucial right here," Rafalski said. "Obviously, going into Calgary on Monday could decide the playoffs. We wanted to make sure we got the two [points] here."

Pavel Datsyuk and Patrick Eaves each had a goal for the Red Wings, who blew an early two-goal lead but have won five of seven since the Olympic break. Jimmy Howard made 24 stops for Detroit.

Knowing the Red Wings had moved past them in the standings, the Flames carried a four-game winning streak into Vancouver on Sunday. However, Calgary yielded three first-period goals and never recovered in the two-tally deficit.

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 17-of-20 shots faced in the first period before being lifted and Vesa Toskala halted all eight shots fired his way in the second. Calgary did not allow a shot in the third frame, but only managed one goal by Robyn Regehr in the period.

"We spotted them three goals. It could have been more in the first period," Jarome Iginla said. "After that we played a lot better. We take our own blame, but you also have to give them credit."

Calgary won both meetings in Detroit this season but did drop a 3-1 decision at home to the Red Wings back on Oct. 31. Tonight marks the final regular- season meeting between the clubs.

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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.