Calder to Detroit, Williams to Chicago in three-way deal

Hockey Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers dealt struggling Kyle Calder in a three-way deal that saw the left winger wind up in Detroit and center Jason Williams land in Chicago on Monday.

The Blackhawks sent defenseman Lasse Kukkonen and a third-round pick in 2007 to Philadelphia, then Chicago dealt Calder to Detroit for Jason Williams.

The deal came down on the day before the NHL's trading deadline.

Calder had scored a career-high 26 goals for Chicago in the 2005-06 season, but did not score a goal in his first 28 games with Philadelphia and has totaled nine goals and 12 assists in 59 contests.

In his seventh season, Calder has notched 94 goals with 137 assists in 418 games.

"With Kyle's pending unrestricted free agent status coming up, we did make an attempt to sign him, but it didn't look like we were going to get it done before the trade deadline tomorrow," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. "We just felt that we couldn't afford to take a chance and get nothing in return for an asset like Kyle. We did what we needed to do."

Williams, 26, had a breakout season last year with the Red Wings as he posted career-highs in goals (21) and assists (37) in 80 games played. He has played in 58 games this season and has 11 goals and 15 assists.

"I'm definitely excited about coming to Chicago," said Williams. "Any time you can be a part of an original six team it's special. Chicago is making strides in the right direction. I'm looking forward to coming to Chicago and in being a major factor on the team. I'm happy to be going to a team that wants me and I'm looking forward to helping the Blackhawks."

Over six years, all in Detroit, he has 49 goals and 67 assists in 233 games.

"We've been trying to acquire Jason Williams since last summer," said Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a quality individual who can add to our team offensively and can also play the point on the power play. We feel with his speed and skill he is another piece of the puzzle as we continue to move forward in making our team better."

Kukkonen, 25, is appearing in his second season in the NHL and has five goals and 10 assists in 64 games for his career.

Foxaports Hockey Betting News

<< McGrady out for Monday's game versus Celtics
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady is expected to miss Monday night's game against the Boston Celtics because of an illness. McGrady is suffering from flu-like symptoms. He is averaging 24.6 point

<< Canucks get Smolinski and Sopel
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks made a pair of trades on Monday, acquiring center Bryan Smolinski from the Chicago Blackhawks in and defenseman Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks confirmed the deal inv

<< Abreu out up to three weeks
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees right fielder Bobby Abreu is expected to be sidelined the next 2-to-3 weeks due to a strained right oblique muscle. Abreu was hurt during batting practice Monday at Legends Field, but he

<< Favre recovering from ankle surgery
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre underwent minor ankle surgery Monday morning. "The procedure went as expected and he is recovering at this time," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said i

<< Bills re-sign Chris Kelsay
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills re-signed defensive end Chris Kelsay on Monday to a multi-year contract. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, Kelsay recorded a career-high 5 1/2 sacks, whi

Dalembert boosts Sixers over Kings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samuel Dalembert posted 20 points and 17 rebounds, as the Philadelphia 76ers opened a six-game homestand with an 89-82 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Andre Iguodala notched 22 points and eight boa

Hossa leads Thrashers over Bruins >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal to help the new-look Atlanta Thrashers to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Atlanta made a couple of big moves over the weekend that the te

UConn routs Rutgers >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Renee Montgomery scored 21 points, as third- ranked Connecticut completed a perfect season in the Big East with a 70-44 romp of No. 18 Rutgers. Mel Thomas added 16 points and Charde Houston ended with

Syracuse soars past Hoyas >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Senior Demetris Nichols scored 22 points as Syracuse used a big run in the second half to knock off ninth-ranked Georgetown, 72-58, at the Carrier Dome. Andy Rautins added 13 points and Paul Ha

Marbury and Knicks down Heat >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephon Marbury scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, leading the New York Knicks over the Miami Heat, 99-93, at Madison Square Garden. Eddy Curry added 28 points and 11 rebounds for New York, wh

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .