Corvo, Walker lead Caps against Hurricanes
Hockey Betting Lines
03/10/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Joe Corvo and Scott Walker were given a chance to
compete on a championship-caliber team when they were traded by the Hurricanes
to the Capitals before the trade deadline. One week later, they get to show
off in front of their old club.
Corvo and Walker will square off against their former mates tonight when
Washington tries to avoid a second consecutive defeat at Verizon Center versus
a Carolina squad that is making a late playoff push despite being sellers at
the deadline.
The Capitals have been on fire since early January, going 20-2-3 over their
last 25 games while jumping out to a 31-point edge over the second-place
Thrashers for the top spot in the Southeast Division. They also lead the
Penguins by 13 points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the
Sharks by four points for the most in the NHL.
Washington has also earned a point in six of its last seven games, going 3-1-3
in that span. That includes Monday's 4-3 shootout loss to Dallas that halted
the Caps' home winning streak at 11 games.
Tom Poti and Alex Ovechkin scored in the first and second periods
respectively, but the Stars scored three times in the third frame. Ovechkin,
though, netted the game-tying goal with 3:16 left in the third before the
team's five-round shootout loss to the Stars and goaltender Marty Turco, who
stopped a career-high 49 Washington shots.
Semyon Varlamov stopped 23 shots in the loss, Washington's first at home since
December 28 to Carolina.
"It's not everyday you throw 52 shots on net," said Washington head coach
Bruce Boudreau. "We've seen what [Turco] can do when he's at the top of his
game, and tonight he was at the top of his game."
Ovechkin snapped a season-long six-game goal drought and moved into a tie with
Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals with 44. Ovechkin is
also tops in the NHL with 92 points and posted his fifth consecutive 300-shot
season.
The Hurricanes had lost their first two games versus the Capitals this year
before that victory at Verizon Center on December 28 behind two goals and
three assists from Eric Staal. It was only Carolina's fourth win in its last
11 versus Washington overall and its third in nine trips to D.C.
Despite entering this game nine points back of playoff spot, the Hurricanes
still opted to deal defenseman Corvo and winger Walker to the Capitals last
week in separate trades, just a few of the handful of deals Carolina made
before the deadline.
The club has yet to slow down, winning seven straight prior to Saturday's loss
to Florida. However, Carolina got right back in the win column on Sunday with
a 4-0 triumph over Atlanta for its first shutout of the season. Manny Legace
made 27 saves for his 24th career shutout and first since April 5, 2008 while
with St. Louis.
"[The Thrashers] are so talented you just got to be on top of your game all
night," Legace said. "My defense played phenomenal in front of me all night
long."
Jussi Jokinen had a goal and an assist while Brandon Sutter, Joni Pitkanen,
and Rod Brind'Amour also lit the lamp for the victors. Sutter now has four
goals and four assists over a six-game point streak.
<< Stars shoot for rare win in Buffalo
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After losing its first three games after the Winter
Olympics, Dallas is coming off a victory that could very well turn its luck
around. Now all it has to do is pick up its first victory at Buffalo in over
12 years.
The St
<< Surging Jazz shoot for another win over Pistons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keeping up with Denver in both the Northwest Division and
Western Conference standings could get a bit easier tonight for the Utah Jazz,
who will shoot for their 10th straight win over the Detroit Pistons.
Utah has won 11
<< Spurs, Knicks square off in Alamo City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will have to continue their playoff
push tonight against the New York Knicks without star guard Tony Parker.
The team did receive some good news on Monday, however, when it was learned
that Park
<< Heat begin key homestand with visit from Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat are fighting for their playoff lives and
hope to gain some ground during a six-game homestand that starts with
tonight's matchup versus the Los Angeles Clippers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat have won t
<< Bobcats hope to end road woes in Philadelphia
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" easily coincides
with how the Charlotte Bobcats have been playing this season. The road less
traveled would be the one headed towards Charlotte, and that's made all the
difference for
Smith cools Rangers title talk >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Walter Smith is refusing to entertain
suggestions that his Rangers side have effectively wrapped up the Scottish
Premier League title after restoring their 13-point lead at the top of the
table.
Canucks end record road trip in Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The longest road trip in NHL history will come to an end
tonight when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com
Arena.
The Canucks are playing their 14th straight road game this evening, having
last pl
Grant wants decision on points penalty >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Avram Grant has called on the Premier
League to make a swift decision over any points penalty his Portsmouth side
will receive after claiming the uncertainty is filtering down onto the pitch.
Pompe
Totti unsure over Azzurri return >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran Roma forward Francesco Totti remains
uncertain whether to come out of international retirement to feature for Italy
at this summer's World Cup.
The 33-year-old called time on his Azzurri career in t
Buffon drops retirement hint >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has
stated that he will retire from football as soon as he drifts out of the
international picture.
The 32-year-old, who has completed a century of appearance
NFL Football Betting Online
Is 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.
It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.
|