Flyers sign RW Zherdev

Hockey Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers signed free agent right winger Nikolai Zherdev to a one-year contract on Friday.

Zherdev played five seasons in the NHL, four with the Columbus Blue Jackets and one with the New York Rangers. He left the NHL following the 2008-09 campaign to play for Atlant-Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League after the Rangers refused an arbitrator's award.

"Nik is a highly-skilled player who, at 25-years-old, we feel will be a good fit to our core of forwards," said general manager Paul Holmgren. "Prior to playing last season in Russia, Nik ranked as one of the top young point- producers in the NHL. We are pleased to add him to our team."

Originally taken fourth overall by Columbus in the 2003 draft, Zherdev has 99 goals and 140 assists in 365 career NHL games.

Vegaas Hockey Betting News

<< Ducks send D Eminger to Rangers
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks have acquired forwards Aaron Voros and Ryan Hillier from the New York Rangers in exchange for nomadic defenseman Steve Eminger. Voros registered three goals and four assists in 41 game

<< Rain stops U.S. Women's Open
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heavy rainfall and lightning in the area forced the suspension of Friday's second-round play at the U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont. Sophie Gustafson birdied the first hole, her only hole on Friday, to move in fr

<< Raiders ink two from draft class
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders have signed offensive linemen Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell, two members of the team's 2010 draft class. Veldheer, taken 69th overall in the third round, started 46 games

<< Bucs ink G Vincent
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added some depth to the offensive line position on Friday by signing veteran guard Keydrick Vincent to a two-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 32-year-old spent

<< Crew square off with Dynamo at Robertson Stadium
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew travel to Houston to take on the Dynamo in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night. The Crew have just two losses this season thanks in large part to

Tyrus Thomas returning to Bobcats >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats have reportedly reached an agreement to bring back power forward Tyrus Thomas. The Charlotte Observer confirmed that a deal has been agreed to in principle between the two sides whic

James signing with Miami deflates MSG stock >>
NEW YORK (AP) - Now that LeBron James has decided to play basketball in Miami, shares of Madison Square Garden Inc., owner of the New York Knicks, have gone south as well.Madison Square Garden shares had risen as much as 11 percent this month as a n

Mets demote Igarashi, recall Evans >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets have optioned right-handed reliever Ryota Igarashi to Single-A St. Lucie and recalled utility man Nick Evans from Double-A Binghamton. Igarashi was 0-1 with a 7.91 earned run average in

Rangers reportedly land Lee; PC scheduled >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers are holding a press conference at 6 pm (et) to make a major announcement. According to multiple sources, including Evan Grant, who covers the team for the Dallas Morning News, the

Rangers emerge as winner of Lee sweepstakes >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired highly sought-after pitcher Cliff Lee, along with pitcher Mark Lowe and cash considerations, from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak and three minor

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.