Flyers try to continue mastery of Isles

Hockey Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will be attempting to extend their current home winning streak in tonight's matchup with a New York Islanders team they've dominated over the past few seasons from the Wachovia Center.

The Flyers have won four straight and 10 of their last 12 outings on home ice and began a four-game residency with Sunday's 3-1 decision over Toronto. Goaltender Michael Leighton stopped 27-of-28 shots in a strong effort between the pipes, while Danny Briere, Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter all scored goals to help Philadelphia halt a two-game losing streak.

Carter gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with a power-play tally in the first period, while Gagne and Briere lit the lamp just 1:16 apart late in the second to halt a 1-1 tie. Leighton made the lead stand by making 10 saves over the final 20 minutes.

"The game wasn't pretty," said defenseman Chris Pronger, who contributed two assists on the night. "I don't know if it was a byproduct of the style that Toronto plays or a product of how we play. We rebounded in the second period. It wasn't looking very pretty the first 15 minutes, then we kind of got our legs underneath us and got going."

Mike Richards had an assist on Carter's goal and has notched at least one point in five consecutive games, with the Flyers captain compiling three goals and five assists during that span.

Philadelphia, now 19-11-2 at the Wachovia Center for the season, will also be trying to keep another impressive streak intact this evening. The Flyers have defeated the Islanders 14 straight times, the longest active stretch of victories over any single opponent in the NHL, with four of those wins having taken place in 2009-10.

New York hasn't downed Philadelphia since a 4-3 verdict at Nassau Coliseum on February 12, 2008. The Islanders' most recent triumph in the City of Brotherly Love occurred on April 7, 2007, with the club having dropped its last nine meetings as the visitor in this one-sided series.

In addition, the Islanders enter tonight's clash on a seven-game road losing streak following Thursday's 6-3 setback at Atlanta. New York followed up that performance with a 3-2 home defeat to Boston on Saturday, the team's 11th loss in its last 14 overall tests.

The Islanders outshot the Bruins by a 39-34 margin for the game, but only Josh Bailey and Matt Moulson were able to sneak the puck past Boston's Tim Thomas. Moulson's goal gave him a point in five consecutive games (2 goals, 3 assists) and was his team-best 23rd of the season.

New York fell despite a solid showing from veteran netminder Dwayne Roloson, with the 40-year-old coming through with 31 saves in a losing cause.

"We always play with a lot of energy and because of that, we had a lot of mental mistakes," said Islanders head coach Scott Gordon of the game. "It's not a physical thing. If you can skate from line to line and avoid a defenseman and then try to avoid finishing a check, it's not following through [and] you're taking the easy way out."

The Islanders' rough recent stretch has placed them 14th out of 15 Eastern Conference teams with 60 points. Philadelphia presently stands sixth in the East with 72 points, two better than seventh-place Montreal.

Imustlottto Hockey Betting News


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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

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.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)
5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.