Coyotes hope to rebound against visiting Oilers
Hockey Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After stumbling in their last trip to the ice, the Phoenix Coyotes will be seeking a bounce-back performance when they return to Jobing.com Arena tonight to take on an Edmonton Oilers squad trying to avoid setting a franchise record for consecutive road losses.
Phoenix had a season-best six-game win streak broken with Saturday's 4-0 loss at Dallas, with Stars goaltender Marty Turco making 34 saves to help shut down the Coyotes' slumping offense.
The Coyotes had scored only one regulation goal in back-to-back shootout victories over Nashville and Chicago coming into Saturday's test, receiving excellent outings from netminders Ilya Bryzgalov and Jason LaBarbera in both games. Bryzgalov, who shut out the Predators with 25 saves on Tuesday, wasn't as sharp this time around, though, as the veteran Russian managed to stop only 31-of-35 shots.
"Our whole group look tired [Saturday] without a doubt," said Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, whose club completed a four-game road trip. "It's been a long week on the road and we've played some very hard games. We knew what we were up against [Saturday] and we didn't come out on top."
Coming back home should help the Coyotes recharge. The team has compiled an outstanding 21-8-2 record at Jobing.com Arena so far this season and has won 15 of its last 20 matchups (15-3-2) as the host, including three in a row.
Facing the lowly Oilers also figures to be to Phoenix's benefit, considering Edmonton has generated a league-worst 42 points and enters tonight's clash having lost nine straight road games, all in regulation. That skid matches a team record established twice previously, most recently from February 25-April 5, 2007.
The Oilers' latest two road setbacks have occurred on this current five-game swing. After dropping a 4-2 decision in Minnesota on Thursday, Edmonton was blanked by Colorado's Craig Anderson for the third time this season in Saturday's 3-0 defeat to the Avalanche.
"He has played well against the Oilers," remarked Edmonton forward Mike Comrie about Anderson. "I don't know if it's a case of him playing well or if it's a combination of us not getting the quality chances we need."
The Oilers have only mustered three goals over their last three games and may not have the services of one of their top scorers tonight. Forward Sam Gagner, who ranks second among Edmonton players in goals (14) and points (35), was forced to exit Saturday's contest with a sore knee. The 20-year-old had notched eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) over an eight-game stretch that preceded this weekend's loss.
Edmonton should be stronger in the back end for this evening's tilt, however, with defensemen Ladislav Smid and Steve Staios set to return from concussions that had sidelined both players recently. Smid has missed the Oilers' last eight games, while Staios has been out since January 16 with his injury.
The pair are expected to lend further support to goaltender Jeff Deslauriers, who made 39 saves in a losing cause on Saturday.
These teams split two meetings earlier this season, both of which were held in Edmonton, but the Oilers are 8-1-1 against Phoenix since the start of the 2007-08 campaign. Edmonton has also left victorious in four of its past five visits to Glendale.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will be aiming to extend a franchise- record winning streak tonight. If recent history is any indication, the Anaheim Ducks may not be posing much of a problem towards achieving that feat. The Kings s
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk will seek his first goal in a New Jersey
Devils uniform when his new team visits the rival Philadelphia Flyers tonight
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Division foes.
<< Avs resume homestand with visit from Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to forge a tie atop the
Northwest Division standings tonight, when they welcome the St. Louis Blues
for a battle at Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche have 70 points and are two behind idle Vancouv
<< Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves
tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San
Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak
<< Ramblers try to cool off red-hot Bulldogs
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Butler Bulldogs continue their
run at a perfect Horizon League campaign tonight, as they host the Loyola
Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs are enjoying another terrific season
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton central defender Gary Cahill is set to miss the rest of the season due to a blot clot in his arm. The 24-year-old, who is on the fringes of the England senior squad, missed the weekend draw with Ful
Stoke's Fuller arrested >>
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City have confirmed that
striker Ricardo Fuller was arrested on suspicion of assault following an
incident at a nightclub.
The 30-year-old Jamaica international was detained in
Wigan releases Edman from contract >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan have released defender Erik Edman from
his contract.
Edman, 31, was out of contract at the DW Stadium at the end of the current
season but the two parties have reached a mutual agreement to term
Dikgacoi faces six weeks out with ankle injury >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has revealed that
midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi will be absent for six weeks with ankle ligament
damage.
The South Africa international limped out of Saturday's draw with Bolton
City waits on Bellamy injury news >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City are waiting to discover
how long Craig Bellamy faces on the sidelines after the striker suffered a
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The 30-year-old Wales internation
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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