Habs clip Oilers in shootout

Hockey Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrei Kostitsyn scored in the fifth round of the shootout, lifting the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Kostitsyn's was the only score of the shootout, and came when he beat Devan Dubnyk with a forehand shot low to the left side. Sam Gagner was then wild on a backhand attempt to seal the victory for Montreal, which has won four in a row to equal its longest streak of the season.

Sergei Kostitsyn and Travis Moen each had a goal and assist for the Canadiens, while Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta also scored. Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves in the win.

Gagner, Shawn Horcoff, Robert Nilsson and Andrew Cogliano had the goals for the Oilers, who have lost two in a row. Dubnyk made 22 saves.

Wsbgglobal Hockey Betting News

<< Jets agree to terms with safety Pool
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets and defensive back Brodney Pool have reached an agreement in principle on a contract on Thursday. Pool was not tendered by the Browns. A second-round draft pick in 2005 who pla

<< Cross resigns at Toldeo
Toledo, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toldeo men's basketball coach Gene Cross has resigned his position, effective immediately, the school announced on THursday. Cross was hired on April 11, 2008 and in his two seasons at the help o

<< Crawford helps Hawks top Wizards
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford scored a team-high 29 points to lead Atlanta to a tight 105-99 victory over the lowly Wizards. Joe Johnson and Al Horford each netted 18 points for the Hawks, who salvaged a three-game road

<< K-State tops OSU, moves into Big 12 semis
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamar Samuels scored a career-high 27 points, going 7-of-9 from the field, and pulled down 10 rebounds as ninth- ranked Kansas State blew out Oklahoma State, 83-64, in the quarterfinals of the Big

<< Capitals clinch Southeast Division
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thanks to Atlanta's 2-1 loss to Columbus on Thursday, the Washington Capitals clinched the Southeast Division crown. The Capitals had Thursday off, but were able to win the Southeast Division for the third str

Rask, Bergeron power Bruins to win over Flyers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tuukka Rask stopped 31-of-32 shots to lead Boston over Philadelphia, 5-1, at Wachovia Center. Patrice Bergeron added a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game slide. Marco Sturm,

Kessel's OT goal lifts Leafs over Tampa Bay >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel scored 3:33 into overtime to give Toronto a 4-3 triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Viktor Stalberg had a pair of goals, while Tyler Bozak also found the net for the Maple Leafs, who gained t

Biron strong as Blues down Isles in shootout >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes scored in the shootout, lifting the St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 win over the struggling New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. Chris Mason stopped New York's Frans Nielsen to

Pothier's OT tally gets 'Canes past Penguins >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Pothier scored on a one-timer 23 seconds into overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at RBC Center. In the extra session, Pothier drifted down from his po

Garon, Blue Jackets stonewall Thrashers >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mathieu Garon made 28 stops to help the Columbus Blue Jackets take a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at Nationwide Arena. As a consequence of Atlanta's loss, the Washington Capitals became the fir

Betting Football

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.