 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Rinne, Preds host showdown with CanucksHockey Betting Lines02/07/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There may not be a more confident goaltender in the league right now than Nashville's Pekka Rinne. Vancouver should have plenty of positive feelings heading into Tuesday night after the way it won its last game. The Predators look for their seventh victory in eight games and seventh in a row at home as they take on the Northwest Division-leading Canucks. Nashville has posted the best record in the league since Dec. 28, going 14-3-0 and outscoring its opponents 55-33 in that span. Saturday's 3-1 triumph over St. Louis put the Predators a point ahead of the Blues for second place in the Central Division and Nashville enters tonight four points behind front-running Detroit for the most in the NHL. Rinne has been a huge part of the Predators' recent run. He made a season-high 42 saves versus the Blues to extend his franchise-record win streak to 11 straight games. He made 19 of those stops in the third and hasn't lost since Jan. 5, giving up more than two goals just once over his win streak. "I think the biggest thing is as a team we're playing consistent and well defensively," Rinne said of his win streak. "Confidence-wise, we have momentum going for us and we've been getting these one-goal games and a couple of huge comeback games. I think those kind of things just glue the whole team together and builds your confidence." Rinne is just the fifth netminder since 1998-99 to post 11 straight victories in a season and he is 14-1-0 since Dec. 28 with a 1.72 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. Martin Erat scored a goal and assisted on tallies by Sergei Kostitsyn and Mike Fisher for the Predators. Erat and Fisher both have 16 points in their past 17 games, while Kostitsyn has 15 in that span. Vancouver comes in having won four of five while going 6-1-2 in its past nine, though it seemed like it was on its way to a regulation loss on Saturday in Colorado. The Canucks trailed by a goal late and the Avs' T.J. Galiardi sent the puck towards Vancouver's open net looking to seal things up. However, Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa dove to prevent the puck from going in and then sent the game into overtime when he scored with 34.1 seconds to play. Mason Raymond then netted the lone goal of the shootout for an improbable 3-2 win. "I just tried to put my body in front of it because it was a rolling puck and the ice was obviously bad, so I didn't want to risk swinging at it with my stick," said Bieksa. "Then once we got into their zone, I'm not too sure what the puck hit, most likely a stanchion, but I just tried to put it on net because we had a pretty good screen in front." Roberto Luongo made 44 saves for the Canucks, who own an 11-point lead in their division and trail the Red Wings by three in the overall NHL standings. Vancouver also moved to 4-11-5 when trailing after two periods this season. Ryan Kesler netted his 16th goal of the season for the Canucks, giving him four tallies and an assist over a five-game point streak as well as goals in three straight. The Canucks and Predators have split a pair of meetings so far this year, with both taking place in Vancouver. The two teams have combined for 17 goals in those encounters, though the Canucks' Daniel Sedin and Fisher are the only two skaters with multiple goals. Sedin has five points in the two games and twin Henrik has four off a goal and three assists, while Colin Wilson is pacing the Preds with a goal and three helpers in the two meetings. The Canucks have won six of their past eight during the regular season in Nashville, where the clubs are meeting for the first time since last season's Western Conference semifinals that Vancouver won in six games.
<< Pacers try to rebound vs. Jazz
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers had their season-high four-game winning streak cut short the last time out and tonight they'll try and start a new run with the Utah Jazz in town. Indiana dropped an 85-81 decision versus the Orla
<< Surging Bolts host low-scoring Kings
<< Elliott returns to Ottawa as Blues visit Sens
<< Pens close out road trip with test against Habs
<< Panthers, Caps again do battle for first place
Leafs try to stay hot in Winnipeg >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It certainly seems as though the Toronto Maple Leafs made a collective New Year's resolution of ending the franchise's longest playoff drought ever. The Leafs look to continue their climb up the Eastern Conference standing
Lehtonen, Stars welcome Coyotes to Big D >>
Sliding Blackhawks aim to get back on track in Denver >>
Zvonareva, Hantuchova advance; Cibulkova exits Pattaya Open >>
Flyers seek rebound effort against Islanders >>
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview“You play to win the game!” Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy. The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line. The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2. Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway? Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year. Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years. Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant. Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success. The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones. Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings. Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record. This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots. First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!” The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet). For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win. TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures. Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs. |
|
