Oilers slide into Phoenix
Hockey Betting Lines
12/21/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling teams meet up this evening at Phoenix's Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes will play host to the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton began the week with a slim lead atop the tightly-packed Northwest Division, but losses in four of its last five games has pushed the club into a three-way tie for second place.
The Oilers just dropped both contests of a home-and-home series with Colorado, with the Avalanche coming through with a 7-6 decision in Alberta on Tuesday behind Andrew Brunette's first career hat trick.
Petr Sykora had a two-goal game for Edmonton, while Raffi Torres and Toby Petersen each finished with a goal and an assist. Dwayne Roloson struggled between the pipes, however, as the veteran netminder stopped only 23 of the 30 shots he faced.
The Oilers, who trail first-place Calgary by a single point at the moment, were dealt a 4-1 setback by the Avalanche on Friday.
Phoenix hasn't managed to get untracked yet this season, as the Coyotes sit in the bottom of the Pacific Division with 25 points. The team hasn't played since suffering a 6-3 home defeat to Calgary on Saturday.
Ladislav Nagy, Mike Comrie and Travis Roche had the goals for Phoenix, which lost for the fourth time in five outings. Goaltender Mikael Tellqvist recorded 25 saves in defeat.
The Coyotes will be playing the third contest of a four-game homestand. Phoenix is 1-1 over the first two games of the stretch and 9-7-1 in its arena for the season.
These teams have faced one another twice already during this campaign, with each winning once on its home ice. The Oilers and Coyotes also split four meetings last season.
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the inaugural PapaJohns.com Bowl, the East Carolina Pirates will clash with the South Florida Bulls at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The Bulls are a relatively young football progra
<< Avs, Flames battle in Denver
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche open up a four-game homestand this
evening when the surging club entertains the Calgary Flames in a Northwest
Division showdown at the Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche have moved within one point of firs
<< Kings and Blues meet in St. Louis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After finally earning their first victory in nearly a
month, the St. Louis Blues try to make it two in a row when they host the Los
Angeles Kings tonight at Scottrade Center.
St. Louis put an end to an 11-game skid with a
<< Preds and Sabres clash in Nashville
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two division leaders will go head-to-head in a marquee
interconference matchup tonight from Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center,
where the Predators take on the dangerous Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo currently leads all Ea
<< Report: Rudd to return to Nextel Cup with Yates
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rumors are circulating saying that Robert
Yates Racing and Ricky Rudd will join forces again in 2007. Rudd, who sat out
2006, will fill the seat left vacant when Dale Jarrett left the team at the
end of
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have a chance to gain ground on the San Jose Sharks tonight when the two Pacific Division foes face off in a key showdown from HP Pavilion. Both teams are looking up at the high-flying Anaheim Ducks in th
Playoff Position on the Line for Pack, Vikes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will be
fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night, when the two longtime
division rivals square off at Lambeau Field.
Both the Packers and Vikings begin Week 16 at 6-8,
D.C. promotes Soehn to head coach >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former D.C. United assistant coach Tom
Soehn has been appointed to the head position, effective immediately, on
Thursday, following the hiring of D.C.'s head coach Peter Nowak to the
assista
Nowak named MNT assistant >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer's D.C.
United announced Thursday that D.C. head coach Peter Nowak has been named the
assistant coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team, effective
immedia
Extra Point - Appalachian State dominates best of the 2006 season >>
Chattanooga, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Followers of the Football Championship
Subdivision can take time this week to reflect on Appalachian States
coronation as the first back-to-back championship since Georgia Southern in
1999-00.
The fans and
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.