Check out this highlights video of the best dunks in the NBA from the 2007-08 season.

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is given annually to the National Hockey League “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability” It has been awarded 81 times to 50 different players since its inception in 1925.

This years nominees are Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres right wing Jason Pominville and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis. If he wins, Datsyuk would become the first player in seventy years to win the Lady Byng Trophy in three consecutive seasons. The last player to do so was New York Rangers forward Frank Boucher - a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame - from 1933 through 1935.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy is given annually to the National Hockey League’s best “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position”. The Norris Trophy has been given 52 times to 21 different players since its beginnings in 1954.
Up for the honor this year are the Calgary Flames’ Dion Phaneuf, Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit red Wings and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. Nicklas Lidstrom has won the Norris Trophy five of the last six seasons, a tie with the former Bruin Ray Bourque. This is his ninth nomination.

The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.” The prestigious award has been given 70 times since its beginnings in 1937.

This year’s nominees are Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitols. Kane was taken first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks at last summer’s NHL draft and led all freshmen with 21 goals and 72 points in 82 games this season. Toews, who played with Kane on Chicago’s top line for most of the season, collected 54 points, despite having a shorter season (64 games) due to a knee injury. Backstrom finished second to Kane in scoring (69 points) and helped lead the Capitals into the playoffs.

Pitching is paramount to Major League Baseball betting success, and any baseball handicappers will tell you to focus primarily on a game’s pitchers, but streaks should also be taken seriously into account before getting in on the action around the baseball diamond. If you bet on Major League Baseball, examining winning and losing streaks can give you tremendous insight, not to mention be fun and profitable. Knowing who is riding the money train is equally important as to when you should get on board. This information will be a major bonus when you are deciding on an online sportsbook.

Major League Baseball features more streaks with longevity, win and loss, than pretty much any other pro sport. An example of this can be found when examining the situation in 1988 when the Baltimore Orioles won 21 straight games, which, in the history of professional baseball is on top. The team with the terrible dishonor of owning the longest losing streak belongs to the Phillies, who lost 23 consecutive games in ‘61. Winning and losing streaks are obvious and direct trends that impact sportsbook bankrolls, however individual streaks can also play a major role in a game outcome. The game itself is made up of many varieties of individual streaks that can have a major impact on your sportsbook bankroll.

Series I Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens

Thursday, April 24, 2008 7:00 PM Philadelphia at Montreal
Saturday, April 26, 2008 7:00 PM Philadelphia at Montreal
Monday, April 28, 2008 7:00 PM Montreal at Philadelphia
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 7:00 PM Montreal at Philadelphia
*Saturday, May 3, 2008 7:00 PM Philadelphia at Montreal
*Sunday, May 4, 2008 7:00 PM Montreal at Philadelphia
*Tuesday, May 6, 2008 7:00 PM Philadelphia at Montreal

Series J New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins

Friday, April 25, 2008 7:00 PM NY Rangers at Pittsburgh
Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:00 PM NY Rangers at Pittsburgh
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 7:00 PM Pittsburgh at NY Rangers
Thursday, May 1, 2008 7:00 PM Pittsburgh at NY Rangers
*Sunday, May 4, 2008 2:00 PM NY Rangers at Pittsburgh
*Monday, May 5, 2008 7:00 PM Pittsburgh at NY Rangers
*Wednesday, May 7, 2008 TBD NY Rangers at Pittsburgh

Series K Colorado Avalanche at Detroit Red Wings

Thursday, April 24, 2008 7:30 PM Colorado at Detroit
Saturday, April 26, 2008 3:00 PM Colorado at Detroit
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 10:00 PM Detroit at Colorado
Thursday, May 1, 2008 10:00 PM Detroit at Colorado
*Saturday, May 3, 2008 1:00 PM Colorado at Detroit
*Monday, May 5, 2008 10:00 PM Detroit at Colorado
*Wednesday, May 7, 2008 TBD Colorado at Detroit

Series L Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks

Friday, April 25, 2008 10:00 PM Dallas at San Jose
Sunday, April 27, 2008 9:00 PM Dallas at San Jose
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 7:30 PM San Jose at Dallas
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 9:00 PM San Jose at Dallas
*Friday, May 2, 2008 10:00 PM Dallas at San Jose
*Sunday, May 4, 2008 9:00 PM San Jose at Dallas
*Tuesday May 6, 2008 10:00 PM Dallas at San Jose

It was a bad scene for the Mavericks in New Orleans Arena last night, as they got their asses handed to them by the Hornets, who totally outperformed the Mavs on every front. Chris Paul once again was unbelievable with 32 points and 17 assists as the New Orleans Hornets waxed the Mavericks, 127-103. In the last three halves, the Mavericks have given up at least 60 points. They ran into a hot-shooting Hornets team Tuesday. But it didn’t excuse the Mavericks’ play, which was coma-like to say the least. This is the Mavericks fourth-worst playoff loss in their history. One of the three worse was a 25-point debacle in the Game 6 clincher last year at Golden State.
Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points, and has now said (made the excuse) that coming home for Games 3 and 4 will give them a much needed advantage. Only twelve times in NBA history has a team come back from a 2-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series.

The 2008 MLB season is about a month old now and there have been some changes with possible MLB futures. The experts will suggest that hey, its only April…teams shouldn’t make their postseason plans or panic just yet. That said, a number of oddsmakers have started posting the following sports betting odds on who will win the 2008 Major League Baseball World Series.

The Boston Red Sox are still the favorite to win at +485 followed by the New York Mets +625, New York Yankees +750 and the Los Angeles Angels +1000. The Arizona Diamondbacks who are off to a decent start are now +1300 while the Detroit Tigers who were favored by many to win the AL Central have had their odds drop to +1400. The Florida Marlins are in first place in the NL East and are +15000 to win the World Series and still +6600 to win the National League Pennant. A few other first place teams to have long shot odds include the Chicago White Sox, leading the American League Central right now with a 11-7 record. Chicago is still +3500 to win the World Series and +2000 to win the AL pennant.The Oakland A’s are another early season underdog, sitting in first place of the AL West with a 12-8 record. Oakland is +6600 to win the World Series and +3800 to win the American League pennant.

A quick look at the first place teams at the present times and the odds to win the World Series, tell the whole story about baseball being a long season and a good April does not guarantee a good October.

Teams sitting close to the bottom of their respective divisions that could make a move and bring a lot of value are the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are +900 to win the NL pennant and +2800 to win the World Series. Other value teams which could surprise include the Los Angeles Dodgers who are +800 to win the National League and +2500 to win the World Series and the Cleveland Indians who are +650 to win the American League and +1400 to win the World Series.

20-year old Rookie goaltender Carey Price put two hard to swallow losses behind him to save the Montreal Canadiens‘ playoff run and destroy the Boston Bruins’ hopes of an unlikely comeback. Price stopped 25 shots, including 11 in the opening period. Price had allowed a combined 10 goals in two losses after he got his first playoff shutout in a 1-0 victory in Game 4.

Price posted his second shutout and Andrei Kostitsyn scored twice to lead Montreal to a 5-0 victory over Boston last night in the deciding game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. The Canadiens took control of the game in the second period, outshooting the Bruins 17-6 while building a three-goal lead by Mark Streit halfway through the period and Kostitsyn’s second goal of the series at 15:13.

Montreal, the East’s top seed, will face either the New York Rangers or Philadelphia in an East semifinal series.

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks were announced on Monday as the finalists for the 2007-08 Vezina Trophy awarded to the NHL’s top goaltender. Brodeur is a Vezina finalist for the eighth time as well as a four-time winner (2003, 2004 and 2007). He posted a 44-27-6 record with a 2.17 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts during the regular season, ranking among the NHL leaders in minutes played (first, 4,635), wins (second) and GAA (fifth). He and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy are the only goaltenders in NHL history to reach the 500-win mark, and Brodeur completed the season with 96 career shutouts, seven short of all-time leader Terry Sawchuk. Brodeur also extended his NHL records by logging a third consecutive and seventh career 40-win season as well as his 10th consecutive campaign with 70-or-more games played.