Penguins aim to rebound against struggling Bruins
Hockey Betting Lines
02/04/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins had their hot streak doused
Wednesday in Toronto and will try to get back in the win column when they
visit the struggling Boston Bruins in today's game at TD Garden.
The Penguins had posted their season-high eighth straight win Tuesday against
the visiting Maple Leafs, notching a 5-4 shootout win at Consol Energy Center.
Pittsburgh erased a three-goal deficit in the third period to win that contest
and Evgeni Malkin scored with just 6.6 seconds left in regulation to send the
game into overtime. Malkin also provided the winning tally in the shootout.
Wednesday's finale of the home-and-home did not go as well, however, as
Toronto shut down Pittsburgh's offensive attack in a 1-0 decision at Air
Canada Centre. It was the first loss for the Penguins since Jan. 11, when they
were also dealt a 1-0 loss by Washington.
Pittsburgh fired 25 shots at James Reimer on Wednesday and he stopped all of
them to post his second shutout of the year. Clarke MacArthur netted the
game's lone score for the Maple Leafs.
Brent Johnson earned his first start in net for Pittsburgh since Jan. 10 and
he played well in defeat, making 23 saves for the Penguins. No. 1 netminder
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be back in net today for the Pens.
"I'm obviously disappointed in the loss, but it's definitely a step in the
right direction," said Johnson, who hasn't won since December 3 and was pulled
from his previous two starts. "I tried to simplify things out there and things
were working pretty well tonight. I felt confident, felt good."
Pittsburgh is 14-11-2 as the guest this year and is playing the second tilt of
a four-game road trip today. The Pens will also visit New Jersey tomorrow
afternoon before capping the swing Tuesday night in Montreal.
Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby (neck) and Jordan Staal (knee) and defenseman
Simon Despres (lower body) have been skating recently, but there is still no
word on when any of them will return to game action. Crosby, of course, was
diagnosed with soft tissue damage in his neck earlier this week, which seems
to be an improvement from the post-concussion symptoms that the team believed
was preventing him from playing.
The Bruins have dropped two of their last three games and have posted a 6-5-1
record over the last few weeks. Boston is still leading the Northeast Division
with 66 points and is just three points behind the New York Rangers for the
top spot in the East.
Boston's struggles against Carolina continued in its last trip to the ice, as
the Bruins dropped a 3-0 home decision against the Hurricanes on Thursday.
That setback allowed the Hurricanes, who are tied for last in the East, to
sweep the four meetings with the B's this season.
The Bruins simply could not solve Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward on Thursday,
as they fired 47 shots at the former Conn Smythe winner and he turned aside
every one of them. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins, who have
alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games.
"We have to understand that we are not that great of a team when we go out
there and just play through the motions," said Boston head coach Claude
Julien. "The reality is that right now we are playing like a team that is at
the bottom of the standings, not near the top."
The Bruins are 17-8-2 as the host this year and are completing a three-game
homestand this afternoon.
Boston and the Pens have met just once this season when the B's posted a 3-1
victory in Pittsburgh on Dec. 5. The Bruins have won three of five overall in
this series, but the Pens have taken three straight in Beantown.
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<< Russia takes commanding Fed Cup edge over Spain
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova
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Sharapova, last week's Australian
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<< Lakers hold off Nuggets
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Ovechkin returns as Capitals visit Canadiens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin will try to help the Washington Capitals
avoid their first three-game slide in over two months, as the star forward
returns from suspension today to battle the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell
Centre.
Ovechkin
Avalanche seek rare successful trip to Vancouver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sliding Colorado Avalanche will try to post a rare win
over the first-place Vancouver Canucks when the Northwest Division rivals meet
this afternoon at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Colorado has lost four straight -- all
Sens aim to break out versus Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have matched their longest losing
streak of the season, but the Toronto Maple Leafs could play the role of
slump-buster this evening.
The Sens try to avoid a sixth defeat in a row as they take on a Mapl
Sabres hope to move past Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Buffalo Sabres want to get into the playoff mix,
they are going to have to beat teams like the New York Islanders. However,
that is not something they have been able to do on a consistent basis as of
late.
The Sabr
Lightning wrap season series with Panthers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning could very well be chasing the
Florida Panthers for a playoff spot for the rest of the season, but tonight
will be the final time that they get to help their own cause in this series.
The two Southe
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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