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Ovechkin's red-hot Caps host Crosby and PensHockey Betting Lines02/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hottest team in the NHL will take on the defending Stanley Cup champions today when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals welcome Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins for an Eastern Conference showdown at Verizon Center. The Capitals won their 13th consecutive game Friday night, extending the franchise-record winning streak with a triumph over visiting Atlanta. Washington comes into today with 86 points, placing the Caps one point ahead of San Jose for the most in the NHL. Pittsburgh, which ousted Washington in last spring's conference semifinals en route to the Stanley Cup, has lost two of its last three games and is coming off Saturday's loss in Montreal. The Penguins have 71 points and are three behind New Jersey for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Capitals have won the only meeting with Pittsburgh this season, notching a 6-3 victory in the Steel City on January 21. Ovechkin had two goals and an assist to lead Washington, while Crosby had a goal for the Pens. Ovechkin has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 17 career games against Pittsburgh and Crosby has nine goals and 18 assists in 16 appearance versus the Caps. Washington has taken five of the last seven regular-season matchups with the Penguins, but Pittsburgh has eight wins in its last 12 trips to D.C. The Caps recorded a 5-2 victory Friday against the Thrashers, improving Washington's record this year against Southeast Division opponents to 13-2-0. Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and assist for the Caps, who hold a 25-point lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the Southeast. Michal Neuvirth made 43 saves in the victory, as Washington became the first NHL club to win 13 in a row since the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils did so. The 1992-93 Penguins were the last club to win 14 in a row when they set an NHL record with 17 consecutive victories from March 9-April 10, 1993. "We want to win, but the most important thing is wins in the future," Ovechkin said. "Right now we keep winning, but we'll think about the playoffs and we'll think about what we have to do better in the playoffs." Alexander Semin and Jason Chimera scored 68 seconds apart in the third period, while Mike Green scored on an empty net to secure the game for Washington, which hasn't lost since January 12. Washington has won 10 straight on home ice and can set a new club record for consecutive home wins tonight. The Capitals, who will play their next four games on the road, are 22-3-3 as the host this year. The Penguins were dealt a 5-3 loss by the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon. Brian Gionta recorded two goals and one assist to lead Montreal to the home victory. Evgeni Malkin posted a goal and one assist for the Penguins, who had won four of five coming in. Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis added scores as well. Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in the third period after allowing four goals on 28 shots. Brent Johnson finished the contest by yielding one score on four shots. Pittsburgh, which is 18-12-0 as the guest this year, will begin a four-game homestand Wednesday against the New York Islanders. On the injury front, Pens forward Chris Kunitz, out since January 3 due to abdominal surgery, has resumed practicing and could be back in the lineup as soon as today. The 30-year-old has produced six goals and 14 assists in 30 games this season.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest round of what is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in the Eastern Conference takes place at TD Garden this afternoon as the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics host the Southeast's top squad, the Orla
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid tying the longest losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre. The Bruins have gone the last 10 ga
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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though. Arizona 20-1 To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
Betting FootballNFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL? I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said. There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans. Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal. For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though. A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup. The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games. Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff. So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action. Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns. “I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said. Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season. “Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said. It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties. Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples. The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left. “The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits. “These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.” Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough. The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday. “Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.” Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach? “It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.” Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines. |
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