Flyers visit Islanders aiming to avoid third straight loss
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11/23/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season when they visit the lowly New York Islanders for tonight's Atlantic Division clash at Nassau Coliseum.
The Flyers have lost two straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak and Philadelphia has allowed a total of 10 goals over those consecutive setbacks. This is the third two-game skid of the season for the Flyers, who last dropped three in a row during a five-game skid from March 31-April 8.
Philadelphia hopes to get back on track against the Islanders, who are last in the Eastern Conference with 13 points and have lost six straight and 21 of their last 22 meetings against the Flyers. Philly has also taken three in a row and 10 of its last 11 tests on Long Island.
Beginning with this evening's tilt, Philadelphia will play five of its next six games on the road. The Flyers have a solid 6-2-1 record as the visiting team this season.
After losing a 6-4 decision in Winnipeg on Saturday, the Flyers were dealt a 4-2 setback in Monday's home test against Carolina. Alexei Ponikarovsky had two goals and an assist to lift the Hurricanes to the win at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia was shorthanded on the blue line against the Hurricanes, as the Flyers were forced to play without defensemen Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn.
James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist while Matt Read scored a goal for the fifth straight game for the Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov was tagged for all four goals on 31 shots.
"They played strong. They battled back every time we seemed to get something going," said van Riemsdyk. "I think we took too many penalties. Obviously let some power-play goals up there and it comes back to bite you in the end."
Pronger, who is dealing with an illness, will not play tonight, but Coburn (upper body) is questionable. Flyers forward Jaromir Jagr is also questionable after missing the last two games with a groin issue.
Philadelphia forward Brayden Schenn was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, but was sent down to the Flyers' AHL affiliate in Adirondack. Schenn, who was acquired from Los Angeles this summer in the Mike Richards trade, hasn't played since breaking his foot blocking a shot against Montreal on Oct. 26.
The Islanders have also lost two straight and were outscored by an 11-0 margin in those contests. New York has lost six of seven and 12 of its last 14 games overall.
New York ran into a buzz saw Monday night, as the Penguins and returning superstar Sidney Crosby pounded the visiting Isles, 5-0. Crosby, who had been out since Jan. 5 with a concussion, did not disappoint in his long-anticipated return to the lineup, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists for Pittsburgh.
Anders Nilsson turned aside 31-of-36 shots in his first NHL start for the Islanders.
"It's tough to be happy right now," Nilsson said. "I let in five goals in three periods."
The Islanders, who are expected to go with Rick DiPietro in net tonight, lost Mark Eaton to a sprained left MCL on Monday and the defenseman will miss the next six weeks.
All five of New York's wins this year have come on home ice, where the Isles are 5-5-1.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston's gaudy 9-0-0 record in November has enabled the defending Stanley Cup champions to inch closer to the top spot in the Northeast Division standings. The Bruins will look to post their 10th consecutive win tonight ag
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings are back in the Motor City and will
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<< Meyer denies report linking him to Ohio State
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Urban Meyer has denied a report that says he
will become the next head coach at Ohio State.
According to WKMG-TV in Orlando, Meyer has agreed to a seven-year deal worth
$40 million and will be introduced a
<< Report: Meyer agrees to become new Ohio State coach
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next head coach at Ohio State.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby thrilled the hockey world in his highly- anticipated return to the ice on Monday and No. 87 will lead Pittsburgh tonight when the Penguins host the St. Louis Blues at Consol Energy Center. Playing in his firs
Streaking Jets visit Capitals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets will try to add another victory to their
longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Washington Capitals
tonight at Verizon Center.
The Jets have won three straight following an 0-3-2 stretch
Hurricanes set to host Cole, Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to match their longest
winning streak of the season tonight, when they host Erik Cole and the
Montreal Canadiens at RBC Center.
The Hurricanes ended a three-game skid with Sunday's home win
Well-rested Wild host Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A few days off for the Minnesota Wild could be a bad thing
for the Nashville Predators tonight at Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild haven't played since a 3-2 shootout win versus St. Louis on Saturday
in the second installment
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche are hoping to turn things around on
their eight-game homestand, but after a split of the first two contests they
now run into a foe that has been more than a handful over the past two years.
The
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Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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Betting Football
NFL 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.