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02/11/2012 - Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils surely won't miss seeing Florida's Kris Versteeg for the rest of the season.
Versteeg put the Panthers ahead in the second period with his fifth goal in four meetings against New Jersey this season, sending Florida to a 3-1 win over the Devils at the Prudential Center.
Former Devils backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen got the better of his former teammate, Martin Brodeur, stopping 27 shots in Florida's second straight win. Mikael Samuelsson added an empty-net goal in the victory.
Brodeur, returning after a one-game absence because of an ankle injury, turned aside 17 shots in New Jersey's second straight loss and first regulation defeat in eight games (5-1-2). Steve Bernier scored the lone goal for the Devils.
Versteeg gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead at 7:43 of the second period after New Jersey twice failed to clear its own zone.
The Panthers managed to keep the puck in and Stephen Weiss' shot from the top of the slot was deflected by a New Jersey defender. The puck went directly to Versteeg, who snapped a shot from the left circle past Brodeur for his 21st goal of the season.
"It wasn't anything they did... we started to throw the puck away," said New Jersey captain Zach Parise. "It's frustrating because we've been playing really well of late. It wasn't a great effort by us."
Versteeg finished the season series with five goals and one assist. Clemmensen also continued to haunt his old team, improving to 4-0 lifetime against the Devils. He stopped all nine shots he faced in the second period and seven more in the third.
The Devils failed to convert a late power play -- their only chance of the game -- and Samuelsson found the empty cage with 25 seconds remaining.
New Jersey grabbed the lead just 1:39 into the game when Bernier deflected the puck past Clemmensen. Dainius Zubrus intercepted a poor clearing pass along the right boards and sent pass toward the net. The puck first tipped the stick of Alexei Ponikarovsky before Bernier chipped it through the five-hole for his first goal as a Devil.
The Panthers tied it on a power play with 4:52 left in the opening period. Moments after Zubrus took a hooking penalty, Bergenheim deflected Erik Gudbranson's shot from just above the left circle past Brodeur for his 11th goal of the season.
"We came out well, the first 10 minutes," said Devils head coach Pete DeBoer. "We were playing our seventh game in [12] days and I think we ran out of little bit of gas."
Game Notes
The teams split the four-game season series, each winning once at home and on the road. It marked the third straight season-series split between the teams...Florida improved to 12-12-4 on the road this season...The Devils hadn't lost in regulation since a 4-1 setback against Philadelphia on January 21...Parise had a seven-game point streak stopped.
<< Georgia upsets No. 20 Mississippi State in OT
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerald Robinson netted eight of his 13
points in overtime and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20 points and eight
rebounds as Georgia upset No. 20 Mississippi State, 70-68.
Dee Bost had a chance
<< Dortmund maintains lead atop Bundesliga
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund escaped its match at
Signal Iduna Park on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to maintain
its lead at the summit of the German Bundesliga.
Dortmund's 15-game unbeaten run
<< Missouri handles Baylor in Big 12 battle
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Pressey scored 19 points behind four
three-pointers and No. 4 Missouri used a second-half surge to down No. 6
Baylor, 72-57, on Saturday.
Marcus Denmon and Michael Dixon added 16 points and six
<< Heels bounce back with solid effort against Virginia
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Zeller had 25 points and No. 5 North
Carolina got a bounce-back, 70-52 win over 19th-ranked Virginia on Saturday.
The Tar Heels (21-4, 8-2 ACC) pulled away in the second half, wiping away the
taste
Seguin, Bruins take down Predators in SO >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored in the
shootout and the Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators, 4-3, on Saturday
afternoon.
Bergeron, Daniel Paille and Milan Lucic had goals in regulation as the
Islanders down Kings in OT >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Streit netted the game-winning goal 96
seconds into overtime as the New York Islanders downed the Los Angeles Kings,
2-1.
Michael Grabner scored the lone goal in regulation for the Islanders, who
Varejao out indefinitely with wrist fracture >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao
is out indefinitely after an MRI on Saturday showed a non-displaced fracture
of the right wrist.
A timeline for his return to action will be established next we
Malkin's five-point game helps Penguins down Jets >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin had a goal and four assists,
as the Penguins downed the Jets, 8-5, on Saturday.
Kris Letang added two goals and an assist and Jordan Staal scored in his
first game back from a knee in
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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