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03/19/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will be trying to maintain their recent dominance on home ice when the St. Louis Blues enter GM Place for tonight's battle with the Western Conference's hottest team.
Vancouver established a new franchise record with its 10th consecutive home victory on Tuesday, when Mats Sundin and Ryan Kesler each recorded a goal and an assist to lead the Canucks to a 4-2 triumph over Dallas.
Roberto Luongo continued his strong play in goal by making 24 saves in the win. The All-Star netminder is 11-2-1 with a 2.04 goals against average over his last 14 starts and yielded two or less goals in 12 of those games.
Kesler has been on a tear as well, as the young center has compiled three goals and nine assists over his last nine outings.
The Canucks have not lost in Vancouver since an overtime defeat to Minnesota on January 31. That setback, ironically, was the team's ninth in a row at home prior to this current hot streak.
Vancouver has amassed a stellar 14-3-1 overall record since that loss to the Wild and has closed within one point of Chicago for the Western Conference's fourth playoff seed. The Canucks are now just five points back of first-place Calgary in the Northwest Division standings as well.
The Blues began a key three-game road trip with Tuesday's shootout loss to Edmonton, which pushed St. Louis two points back of the Oilers for eighth place in the West.
Chris Mason performed well between the pipes for the Blues, stopping 33-of-34 chances prior to the shootout, but St. Louis mustered just David Backes' power-play tally in 32 shots on the Oilers' Dwayne Roloson.
The Blues did register a win in Vancouver earlier this season, a 6-4 decision on January 9 in which the team scored three times in the final six minutes. Luongo did not play in that game due to a groin injury.
The Canucks returned the favor with a 6-4 victory in St. Louis last month, with Sundin notching a pair of goals in that one, and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 matchups with the Blues. St. Louis has lost four of the five games played in Vancouver during that stretch.
St. Louis, which is 13-16-4 as the guest this season, will conclude its present trek Friday in Calgary.
<< Eastern Conference-leading Bruins host Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to create some much needed space
at the top of the Eastern Conference when they host the Los Angeles Kings at
TD Banknorth Garden.
The Bruins have been the top seed in the East for most of the se
<< Habs hope to continue dominance of Sens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens hope their recent dominance of the
Ottawa Senators can help them snap a three-game losing streak, as the Habs
visit their Northeast Division rivals tonight at Scotiabank Place.
The Canadiens are 4-0
<< Oilers kick off key road trip in Denver
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-hopeful Edmonton Oilers start up an important
three-game road trip that begins with this evening's clash with the Colorado
Avalanche from the Pepsi Center.
Edmonton enters its trek holding a slim one-point edge
<< Top-seeded Cavs welcome Blazers to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have catapulted to the top of the
Eastern Conference thanks to their fine play at home. Tonight they will resume
a four-game residency against the talented Portland Trail Blazers at Quicken
Loans A
Sharks try to regain groove in tilt with Predators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though they have already locked up their second
straight Pacific Division title, the San Jose Sharks know they are not playing
their best hockey right now.
San Jose will attempt to reverse that trend in tonight's batt
Terps tangle with Golden Bears in West Regional action >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Maryland Terrapins and California
Golden Bears meet in first-round action of the NCAA Tournament's West Regional
this afternoon, from the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
Gary Williams' Terrapins finished
Zips and Zags clash in Portland >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Making their 11th straight NCAA Tournament
appearance, the Gonzaga Bulldogs stay close to home in the first round of the
South Regional as they contend against the Akron Zips at the Rose Garden in
Portland.
W
Nova hopes for some home cooking against Eagles >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded Villanova Wildcats have
the advantage of opening the 2009 NCAA Tournament in front of a friendly
Philadelphia crowd and against the 14th-seeded American University Eagles in
East Region actio
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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