Sports News Roundup: Finding value in MVP, Coach of Year odds; Austin Hill wins third straight Xfinity opener at Daytona and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Austin Hill wins third straight Xfinity opener at Daytona

While other NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers were competing, and crashing, in the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Monday, Austin Hill was playing a different game -- Monopoly. At the 2.5-mile superspeedway roughly two miles away from Atlantic Avenue, Hill beat former teammate Sheldon Creed to the finish line by 0.591 seconds to earn his third straight victory in the Xfinity season opener at the World Center of Racing.

NBA second-half betting: Finding value in MVP, Coach of Year odds

The NBA All-Star break moves the race for the postseason into high gear and opens some interesting options for betting on NBA futures. The injury to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid forced a reset of the MVP odds, the Coach of the Year race has become a matter of translating the qualifications and the Boston Celtics remain the choice to unseat the Denver Nuggets for the NBA title in June.

Patriots captain Matthew Slater retires after 16 seasons

New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 seasons. The three-time Super Bowl champion holds the NFL record for special teams players with 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Predators chase another big road win in Vegas

After opening a five-game western road trip with an impressive 5-2 bounce-back win at St. Louis, the Nashville Predators take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday in Las Vegas. It will be the second game of a back-to-back set for the Golden Knights, who snapped a two-game losing streak on Monday afternoon with a 4-0 win at San Jose.

Avs eager to keep defending home ice, welcome in Canucks

It will be strength against strength when the Colorado Avalanche face the Vancouver Canucks in Denver on Tuesday night. At 21-5-0, Colorado has the best home record in the NHL, while Vancouver owns the sixth-best mark on the road at 18-9-4. However, the Canucks are coming off Monday's 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.

William Byron wins Daytona 500 under caution

The perfect script played out for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the 66th Daytona 500 on Monday. Race leader William Byron finished a four-lap shootout under caution in a Presidents' Day Daytona 500 delayed a day because of rain, making him the winner of the Great American Race in Daytona Beach, Fla.

OF Mike Trout expresses loyalty to Angels

Mike Trout says he has no desire right now to leave the Los Angeles Angels, calling a potential trade "the easy way out." The three-time MVP outfielder is heading into his 13th season with the team and has seven years and close to $250 million left on his contract.

NHL roundup: Wild earn historic 10-7 win over Canucks

Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov each finished with three goals and three assists and the Minnesota Wild set a franchise record for goals in a single game with a 10-7 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn. Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello each added a goal and three assists for Minnesota, which extended its point streak to six games. The Wild scored one goal in the first period, two goals in the second and a whopping seven goals in the third to finish off their historic performance.

Rangers ride 7-game win streak into matchup vs. Stars

The New York Rangers kept their winning streak alive with a memorable comeback in front of nearly 80,000 fans in a showcase event on Sunday, and their next challenge comes against a team playing nearly as well. The Rangers will attempt to extend their season-best winning streak to eight games on Tuesday night when they host the Dallas Stars, who have the second-most points in the Western Conference.

Back on track, Kings return home to face Blue Jackets

The Los Angeles Kings will try to continue their improved play under interim coach Jim Hiller when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Los Angeles is 4-1-0 since Todd McLellan was fired on Feb. 2 and Hiller took over. The Kings have won three in a row, all on the road, including back-to-back victories on Saturday and Sunday against the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.