Pogge gets first win as Leafs rout Thrashers

Hockey Betting Lines

12/22/2008 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Pogge got the win in his NHL debut and the line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov accounted for nine points, as the suddenly high-powered Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Atlanta Thrashers by a 6-2 final at Philips Arena.

Pogge, who was recalled from Toronto's AHL affiliate on Sunday, got the start between the pipes with first-stringer Vesa Toskala dealing with a groin pull. A third-round choice in the 2004 NHL Draft, Pogge needed just 19 saves to get the victory but made several key stops with the game still in doubt.

Stajan scored twice and assisted on another, Ponikarovsky had a goal and two helpers and Antropov logged three assists for Toronto, which has won five of its last six overall and is coming off an impressive 7-3 win against Pittsburgh Saturday at the Igloo.

Jeremy Williams and Dominic Moore each notched a goal and an assist, with Toronto capping a three-game road trip, 2-1, Monday. The Leafs are now 8-8-2 as the visitor this season.

Colby Armstrong and Todd White had the goals for the Thrashers, who had won two of their last three games coming in but are just 3-8-2 in their last 13 games overall.

Kari Lehtonen was peppered with 37 shots in taking the loss, having made his first appearance in almost two months on Saturday in a win against Tampa Bay. He had been battling a back injury and hadn't played a game since October 30.

Atlanta has also lost eight of its last nine home tests and wrapped a three- game homestand, 1-2, Monday. The Thrashers are just 6-9-2 as the host this year.

Toronto scored twice in the first 20 minutes for the early lead and Pogge not only notched his first NHL save but was perfect over that stretch with six stops.

Ponikarovsky scored just 59 seconds into the game off his own rebound in front and the Leafs manufactured a second score with 9:17 to play in the period. Jason Blake threw it down low into the left corner where Moore corralled the puck behind the net, re-directing a pass out in front for Williams, who one- timed the disc into the top-right corner of the net.

Pogge and Lehtonen held their opposites off the scoreboard for most of the second until Toronto made it a 3-0 affair with 2:24 left.

The Leafs broke out of their own zone on a 3-on-2 with Ponikarovsky gaining the zone along the left boards before skating across the high slot and sending a backhand pass to Antropov at the right circle. Antropov accepted the puck and immediately directed it back across to a cutting Stajan inside the opposite circle and a swipe of the stick sent it past Lehtonen.

Atlanta was able to solve the 22-year-old Pogge, though, just before the close of the frame. Jason Williams sent a long outlet pass to Armstrong along the right boards. Armstrong skated into the zone and let rip a slapper that beat Pogge over the left shoulder as the clock wound under 10 seconds.

An offensive zone power-play draw had the puck scoot back to Pavel Kubina for a hard shot from the left point and Moore was able to put back the rebound with a backhander under the left pad of Lehtonen to restore Toronto's three- goal advantage just past the midway point of the third.

Viktor Kozlov cut into the Toronto zone and wheeled around for a pass just inside the right circle to White slicing from the left toward the net and he finished it off with a backhander past Pogge to make it 4-2 with 5:46 left.

However, the Leafs countered just over 1 1/2 minutes later as John Mitchell cut down the left side and drew two defenders before sending a blind, backhand pass to Niklas Hagman in front for a bang-bang score.

Atlanta pulled Lehtonen with 1:39 to play and the Leafs had the puck in the net shortly thereafter via Stajan for the 6-2 final.

Game Notes

Atlanta logged a 6-3 victory in Toronto on November 25...Toronto has won three straight and eight of its last 10 in Atlanta...The Maple Leafs scored 18 goals on their three-game road trip.

Wwfreearcade Hockey Betting News

<< Nelson powers Magic over Warriors
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jameer Nelson finished with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 113-81 win over the Golden State Warriors. Nelson was named the Eastern Conference player of the week

<< No. 15 Ohio State rolls past UNC-Asheville
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - B.J. Mullens posted a career-high 19 points with a game-high eight rebounds as 15th-ranked Ohio State cruised by UNC- Asheville, 83-59. Evan Turner posted 17 points and dished out four assists for

<< Johnson, Moore help Boilermakers get past IPFW
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JaJuan Johnson finished with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead 10th-ranked Purdue to a 70-55 win over IPFW at Mackey Arena. E'Twaun Moore added 19 points and six boards for the Boilermakers (1

<< Second-half surge powers No. 6 Wake Forest over ECU
Greenville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al-Farouq Aminu had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, leading sixth-ranked Wake Forest in a 95-54 rout of East Carolina. Chas McFarland totaled 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and gr

<< No. 17 Syracuse crushes Coppin State
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Rautins scored 29 points despite not attempting a two-point shot, and the 17th-ranked Syracuse Orange posted an 82- 71 victory over the visiting Coppin State Eagles. Rautins shot 9-of-16 from three-p

Yao, Rockets cut down Nets >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yao Ming dominated inside to the tune of 24 points and 16 rebounds, as the Houston Rockets pounded the New Jersey Nets, 114-91. Aaron Brooks hit four of Houston's nine three-pointers en route to

No. 18 Wildcats survive Midshipmen >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dante Cunningham scored 24 points and hauled in 10 rebounds to lead No. 18 Villanova to a 78-68 triumph over Navy. Scottie Reynolds poured in 23 points for the Wildcats (11-1), who have won three straig

Pens' Crosby snaps drought with OT winner over Buffalo >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby's deflection goal 43 seconds into overtime sent Pittsburgh over Buffalo, 4-3, at HSBC Arena. Early in the extra session, Alex Goligoski gained control of the puck in the left circle and slipped

Flyers RW Upshall out at least 10 days >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers right wing Scottie Upshall will miss at least 10 and up to 14 days after suffering a sprained right knee. Upshall left Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Devils late in the

Seeing 20/20: Sims leads Michigan over Florida Gulf Coast >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeShawn Sims scored 20 points and hauled down as many rebounds to lead the 24th-ranked Michigan Wolverines past Florida Gulf Coast, 76-59. Kelvin Grady posted 14 points and Stu Douglass 12 for Michigan (9-

MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines

New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.

"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."

Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.

"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs..

About www.MySportsbook.com
MySportsbook.com is the foremost online sportsbook offering Internet wagering to its worldwide customers. Fully licensed and regulated in St. John’s, Antigua since 1997, MySportsbook.com offers a complete range of online casino games, sports betting lines, poker tournaments and horse racing offtrack betting daily through its portfolio of companies and managed services. With over 7 years of experience, MySportsbook.com has become one of the most respected companies in the gaming industry by providing unparalleled 24/7 customer support and timely payouts. MySportsbook.com is part of the SportingBet PLC group of companies that is publicly-traded on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE ) under the symbol SBT.L. MySportsbook.com provides a secure environment for sports and casino wagering and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MAXIM Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and CNN’s Paula Zahn Now among others.