11/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams who recently had long winning streaks snapped will meet tonight in Atlanta, as the Thrashers welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Philips Arena.
The Penguins had won six straight before being dealt a shootout loss Tuesday evening against Minnesota, while Atlanta had a five-game winning streak halted Sunday evening in Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh's meeting with the Wild was the final test of a three-game homestand for the Pens. Minnesota earned the 3-2 decision at Mellon Arena as Marek Zidlicky netted the game-winning shootout tally. Niklas Backstrom made 24 saves for the Wild and also stopped each of Pittsburgh's three shootout attempts.
Matt Cooke scored the lone goal for the Penguins, who lost for the first time since a 4-1 setback in Phoenix on October 30.
Evgeni Malkin also had his 13-game point streak halted in the setback. Malkin, who has registered a point in 16 of 18 games this season, was held without a point for the first time since an October 14 test against Philadelphia.
Dany Sabourin got the start between the pipes and also made 24 saves as Marc- Andre Fleury was sidelined with an unspecified lower-body injury for Pittsburgh. Fleury did not travel with the team to Atlanta so Sabourin will get the start again tonight with John Curry taking on the backup role.
Fleury could be ready to return for Saturday's home game against Vancouver.
The Penguins, who are playing three of their next four games on the road, are 5-2-1 as the visiting team this year.
Atlanta went into Philadelphia on Sunday with a chance to set a franchise record with its sixth straight victory, but instead the Flyers won their 12th meeting in a row against the Thrashers. Simon Gagne registered a goal and two assists to lift the Flyers to the 4-3 decision at the Wachovia Center.
Erik Christensen, Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little each notched a goal while Ilya Kovalchuk had two assists. Little extended his point-scoring streak to six straight games and has four goals and five assists during the run. The scoring streak is tied with Toronto's Ian White and Nicklas Backstrom of Washington for the longest current stretch in the NHL.
Johan Hedberg made 28 saves for the Thrashers, who are playing the first of two straight on home ice tonight. Atlanta is 5-3-0 as the host this year and has won three in a row at Philips Arena.
Pittsburgh has won three of its last five tests against the Thrashers, but has dropped three straight in Atlanta.
<< Bengals deactivate WR Johnson for Steelers game
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals deactivated wide
receiver Chad Johnson for their Thursday night game against the division rival
Steelers for violation of a team rule.
After a season of relative calm for th
<< Ovechkin, Caps try to stay hot in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Needless to say, Washington's Alex Ovechkin has put his
slow start behind him. The NHL's reigning leading scorer with aim to extend
his point streak to six games tonight, as the Capitals visit the Los Angeles
Kings and the St
<< Red Wings begin road trip in Edmonton
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings aim for their fourth straight win
tonight, as they begin a three-game tour of western Canada with a stop in
Edmonton to take on the Oilers at Rexall Place.
The Red Wings were last in action on Monday,
<< Blackhawks aim for rare road win in Big D
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though their six-game road trip got off to a good start,
the Chicago Blackhawks face a stiffer challenge tonight, as they try to record
a rare road win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
The Blackhawks h
Trying to match season-high win streak, Wild host Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to match their longest winning
streak of the season tonight, when they host the Vancouver Canucks in a
Northwest Division showdown at Xcel Energy Center.
Vancouver and the Wild will battle for f
Steelers Look to Knock Out Last-Place Bengals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to remain above the fray
in the AFC North on Thursday night, when Mike Tomlin's team welcomes the
struggling Cincinnati Bengals to Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh opens Week 12 with a one-game adv
Flames, Avs cap home-and-home in Denver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames had no trouble against the Colorado
Avalanche at home this season. They will now try to carry that success into
Denver tonight, as the two teams wrap a home-and-home set at the Pepsi Center.
The Flames h
Is Mussina a Hall of Famer? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The worst-kept secret in baseball started to leak out on
Wednesday, when it was revealed that right-hander Mike Mussina was indeed
going to hang up his spikes after 18 seasons.
The news certainly comes as no shock, as the
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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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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