Canadiens snap Flyers' five-game win streak

Hockey Betting Lines

12/18/2008 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergei Kostitsyn, Steve Begin and Guillaume Latendresse each posted a goal and an assist, as the Montreal Canadiens knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2, at the Bell Centre.

Alex Kovalev and Matt D'Agostini also lit the lamp for the Canadiens, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Robert Lang recorded two assists, while Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves.

Arron Asham registered a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who had won five games in a row, one shy of their season-high (November 15-26). Antero Niittymaki allowed five goals on 31 shots in defeat.

Montreal went in front on a 4-on-4 situation. Maxim Lapierre dished a perfect cross-ice pass to D'Agostini, who was streaking a step behind the Flyers defense down the left side of the rink. On the breakaway, D'Agostini was able to beat Niittymaki between the legs for the goal six minutes into the game.

The Canadiens, who came into the game with one power play goal in their last six games, made it 2-0 on Kostitsyn's slap shot from the slot on the man advantage at the 10:33 mark of the first.

Begin made it 3-0 in favor of the hosts on a tip-in with 4:34 to go in the opening frame.

Asham brought the Flyers within two, though, taking a Scottie Upshall pass in the slot and blasting it past Halak just 32 seconds later. Philadelphia had a chance in the waning seconds of the period to make it a one-goal game, but Upshall hit the post on a shot that clearly beat Halak on the glove side.

Kovalev restored a three-goal edge for the Canadiens at the 6:20 mark of the middle stanza. The Russian veteran waited at the opposing blue line, gathered an outlet pass from Begin, skated in alone and ripped a shot past Niittymaki on the stick side for his seventh goal of the season and 900th career point.

Braydon Coburn lit the lamp for Philadelphia with 6:32 left in the third period, but Latendresse's power-play marker in the waning moments sealed the victory for the Canadiens.

Game Notes

Kovalev has 27 career goals against Philadelphia, the most of any active player...Montreal defenseman Mike Komisarek returned from a 16-game absence with a shoulder injury and notched an assist...Martin Biron sat out his second straight game with the flu and Scott Munroe served as the backup to Niittymaki, who had won his previous five starts...Glen Metropolit had two helpers for Philadelphia...Montreal went 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Flyers finished 0-for-2...Flyers captain Mike Richards' eight-game point streak was snapped.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

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New England Patriots 8/1

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Indianapolis Colts 12/1

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Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

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New York Jets 25/1

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Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

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Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

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Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

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