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Ovechkin's red-hot Caps host Crosby and Pens

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hottest team in the NHL will take on the defending Stanley Cup champions today when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals welcome Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins for an Eastern Conference showdown at Verizon Center.

The Capitals won their 13th consecutive game Friday night, extending the franchise-record winning streak with a triumph over visiting Atlanta. Washington comes into today with 86 points, placing the Caps one point ahead of San Jose for the most in the NHL.

Pittsburgh, which ousted Washington in last spring's conference semifinals en route to the Stanley Cup, has lost two of its last three games and is coming off Saturday's loss in Montreal. The Penguins have 71 points and are three behind New Jersey for first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Capitals have won the only meeting with Pittsburgh this season, notching a 6-3 victory in the Steel City on January 21. Ovechkin had two goals and an assist to lead Washington, while Crosby had a goal for the Pens.

Ovechkin has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 17 career games against Pittsburgh and Crosby has nine goals and 18 assists in 16 appearance versus the Caps.

Washington has taken five of the last seven regular-season matchups with the Penguins, but Pittsburgh has eight wins in its last 12 trips to D.C.

The Caps recorded a 5-2 victory Friday against the Thrashers, improving Washington's record this year against Southeast Division opponents to 13-2-0. Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and assist for the Caps, who hold a 25-point lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the Southeast.

Michal Neuvirth made 43 saves in the victory, as Washington became the first NHL club to win 13 in a row since the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils did so. The 1992-93 Penguins were the last club to win 14 in a row when they set an NHL record with 17 consecutive victories from March 9-April 10, 1993.

"We want to win, but the most important thing is wins in the future," Ovechkin said. "Right now we keep winning, but we'll think about the playoffs and we'll think about what we have to do better in the playoffs."

Alexander Semin and Jason Chimera scored 68 seconds apart in the third period, while Mike Green scored on an empty net to secure the game for Washington, which hasn't lost since January 12.

Washington has won 10 straight on home ice and can set a new club record for consecutive home wins tonight. The Capitals, who will play their next four games on the road, are 22-3-3 as the host this year.

The Penguins were dealt a 5-3 loss by the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon. Brian Gionta recorded two goals and one assist to lead Montreal to the home victory.

Evgeni Malkin posted a goal and one assist for the Penguins, who had won four of five coming in. Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis added scores as well.

Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in the third period after allowing four goals on 28 shots. Brent Johnson finished the contest by yielding one score on four shots.

Pittsburgh, which is 18-12-0 as the guest this year, will begin a four-game homestand Wednesday against the New York Islanders.

On the injury front, Pens forward Chris Kunitz, out since January 3 due to abdominal surgery, has resumed practicing and could be back in the lineup as soon as today. The 30-year-old has produced six goals and 14 assists in 30 games this season.


<< Magic and Celtics renew rivalry in Beantown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest round of what is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in the Eastern Conference takes place at TD Garden this afternoon as the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics host the Southeast's top squad, the Orla

<< Raptors host reeling Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home cooking figures to be key this afternoon as the Toronto Raptors shoot for their seventh consecutive win at Air Canada Centre against a Sacramento Kings team aiming to avoid an 11th straight road loss. The Raptors open

<< Buckeyes host Hawkeyes in Big Ten action
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will attempt to complete the regular-season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes when the two meet in Columbus today for a Big Ten Conference clash. Iowa is in desperate need of a vic

<< Third-ranked Orange clash with Bearcats in Big East battle
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their best start ever, the third- ranked Syracuse Orange take their show on the road today to tangle with the Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East clash at Fifth Third Arena. On Tuesday, the Orange squas

<< Lopez ends lengthy title drought
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Feliciano Lopez of Spain beat France's Stephane Robert in Sunday's final at the SA Tennis Open. Lopez, the third seed, defeated Robert 7-5, 6-1 in just over an hour to win his second career

Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid tying the longest losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre. The Bruins have gone the last 10 ga

England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying >>
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group. Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside England and Wales ah

Stricker six clear after three rounds at Riviera >>
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker polished off a five- under 66 Sunday and stretched his lead to six strokes after three rounds of the Northern Trust Open. Stricker, who led by five entering the day, carded a p

Italy tops Ukraine in Fed Cup quarters >>
Kharkiv, Ukraine (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesca Schiavone rallied from a set down to beat Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine and help defending champion Italy secure a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals. Schiavone defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 2

Czechs win doubles match to advance in Fed Cup >>
Brno, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Czech Republic reached the semifinals of the Fed Cup after disposing Germany in the decisive doubles match. The tandem of Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke defeated Anna-Lena Groenefe

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

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 MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.