Caps hope to get season on track vs. streaking Sens
Hockey Betting Lines
02/22/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With just one victory in their last six games, the Washington Capitals are desperate to get their postseason push back on track.
The Caps hope they can bounce back tonight at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place, where they'll try to complete a season sweep of a Senators team that has been red- hot of late.
Washington is 3-0 against the Senators this year and tonight's meeting is the final scheduled encounter of the regular season. All told, the Capitals have claimed six of the last seven matchups in this series overall and two of the last three in Canada's capital city.
However, while the Caps are 1-4-1 in their last six games, Ottawa enters tonight riding a three-game winning streak. The Senators have outscored the opposition by an amazing 16-2 margin over the last three games and Ottawa has also posted a point in five straight tests (4-0-1) since a seven-game slide from Jan. 21-Feb. 7.
This evening's game is also an important battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Ottawa is currently seventh in the conference and five points ahead of Toronto and Winnipeg. Washington is just outside the postseason picture, as it trails the Maple Leafs and Jets by two points.
The Senators last played on Monday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum, where they dismantled the hosting New York Islanders by a 6-0 score. Erik Karlsson totaled four points on two goals and two assists as Ottawa chased Islanders goaltender Kevin Poulin before the game was two minutes old. Poulin was yanked after allowing scores 27 seconds apart to Karlsson and Jason Spezza in the first 1:35 of action.
Spezza finished with two goals and is now leading Ottawa in both goals (27) and points (65) this season. The centerman has been on an absolute tear of late, notching seven goals and eight assists during a six-game point streak.
"We got two days rest. Not many teams get that this time of year," Spezza said after Monday's rout. "And there's a benefit to playing games early on, because we can get some energy to move forward."
Brian Lee and Chris Phillips added scores for Ottawa, which had 11 players record a point in the blowout. Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots to notch his third shutout of the season for the Senators.
Ottawa's current winning streak came in the form of a perfect 3-0 road trip, but the team will kick off a three-game homestand tonight. The Sens have lost five of their last six tests at Scotiabank Place and are 15-11-3 as the host this year compared to a 16-11-5 mark on the road.
Meanwhile, road play has been a trouble spot for Washington all season long and the club will be happy to complete a four-game road trip tonight. The Caps are 1-2 on the swing, dropping them to 10-17-3 on the road compared to a 19-8-2 home record.
Washington was dealt a lopsided loss by the last-place Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, as Eric Staal had two goals and an assist and Justin Peters earned his first career NHL shutout in the 5-0 rout at RBC Center. Caps goaltender Tomas Vokoun lasted just over five minutes, as he was pulled at 5:09 of the first period after goals by Justin Faulk and Anthony Stewart.
Vokoun gave up two goals on seven shots and was replaced by Michal Neuvirth, who made 30 saves on 33 shots the rest of the way. The setback dropped the Capitals to 4-7-3 in their last 14 outings.
"Normally you can try to take some positives out of a game. Tonight, nothing," said the Caps' Troy Brouwer. "You can't wipe it clean because you have to take it in and make sure you know what you're doing wrong, make sure you know what you did wrong. We're going to watch a lot of video, I hope."
Washington's Alex Ovechkin is expected to play tonight despite missing practice on Tuesday for what head coach Dale Hunter called a "maintenance day." The star winger didn't play in the final six minutes of the second period on Monday and although he did return in the third, Ovechkin was seen limping around after the game. Both Ovechkin and Hunter have said that the Russian superstar was not hurt and was instead bothered by an equipment problem.
Ovechkin has just one goal and one assist over his last five games. With 24 goals and 21 assists through 56 games this season, the 26-year-old is on pace for the lowest point total of his seven-year NHL career.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder shoot for a fourth straight win this evening when they welcome the Boston Celtics to Chesapeake Energy Arena. After combining for 91 points on Sunday, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook totaled 62
<< Clippers host Nuggets at Staples Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers aim to halt a two-game skid and
head into the NBA's All-Star break atop the Pacific Division when they host
the Denver Nuggets tonight.
The Clips lead their Staples Center co-tenants, the L
<< Lakers carry recent baggage into Big D
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lakers will attempt to put some off-the-court turmoil
behind them tonight when they visit the impetus for much of the acrimony, the
Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs dethroned the Lakers last season, sweeping them out of
<< Jazz, Wolves square off at Target Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division rivals meet at Target Center
tonight when the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves both try to get back to
the .500 mark on the season and stay out of the cellar in the division.
Oklahoma C
<< Pacers pay a visit to Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers try to make it four straight wins this
evening when they visit the hapless Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable
Arena.
The Pacers continued their recent winning ways on Tuesday, as Roy Hibbe
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will resume a team-record nine-game homestand tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland is 4-3 on the residency and is coming off last night's 101-100 win over the Cen
Lin, Knicks aim to bounce back vs. Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sudden New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin was brought back to
reality when New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams took him to school in
a recent contest at Madison Square Garden.
Arguably one of the fanciest point guards
Blues try to extend home streak vs. struggling Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After closing out 2011 as the hottest team in the league,
the new calendar year hasn't been as kind to the Bruins.
The Blues have yet to drop a regulation game at home in 2012.
St. Louis puts its franchise record 21-game
Howard, Magic visit Deron and the Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will try to continue their mastery of the
New Jersey Nets when the two clubs clash tonight from the Prudential Center.
Orlando has won eight in a row and 12 of the past 13 matchups between the
teams, and
Bucks and Bulls clash in the Second City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose recently made his return to
the hardwood following a five-game absence due to lower back spasms.
Rose and the Bulls will try to give the Central Division-rival Milwaukee Bucks
a few spasms Wed
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.