Guerin lifts Blues over Sabres in OT
Hockey Betting Lines
12/24/2006 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Guerin's second goal of the night, coming 1:35 into overtime, sent the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres at Scottrade Center.
Ryan Johnson picked up the other goal and Christian Backman registered two assists for St. Louis, which has won three straight following an 11-game losing streak. Manny Legace made 21 saves to earn the win.
Daniel Briere notched a pair of assists, while Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville tallied goals for Buffalo, which has dropped three of its last four games. Martin Biron took the loss despite stopping 29 shots.
The game-winner came as Doug Weight blew past Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman at center ice and led a 2-on-1 with Guerin over the Buffalo blue line. Weight held until he reached the top of the left circle before dishing across to Guerin, whose tip-in beat Biron at the far post.
It was a hard-luck loss for the struggling Sabres, who have not beaten the Blues since October 1, 1997, a span of 11 games.
Down by a goal heading into the third period, the Blues got a huge break early on which swung the momentum in their favor.
Hecht was denied a second goal of the game, when an official review determined he used a kicking motion with his right skate to redirect a puck into the net at the 1:30 mark of the third.
The ruling seemed to energize the home team, who would tie the game midway through the period when Guerin batted Jay McClement's left circle shot out of the air and through Biron, setting up the brief overtime session.
The Blues opened the scoring when Backman's rising wrister from between the circles hit Johnson and bounced in at 5:31 of the first.
Buffalo picked up the equalizer when defenseman Barret Jackman mistakenly drifted toward Briere as he led a 3-on-2 rush, leaving Hecht wide open to receive his pass and slide it through Legace's pads at 1:20 of the second.
Pominville followed to put the Sabres up 2-1 with 3:22 to go, shoveling home his own rebound from the edge of the crease. Briere hit Legace with the initial shot, and the young forward followed with two chances from in close.
Game Notes
Hecht's goal was the 100th of his career...St. Louis had surrendered a power- play goal in each of its last nine games, but held Buffalo scoreless in three chances...Guerin has three two-goal games this year...Buffalo returns to action Tuesday hosting Washington, while St. Louis travels to Nashville.
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Boyle netted his first career hat trick, with all three goals coming in the third period, as the Tampa Bay Lightning completed a stunning comeback to defeat the New York Rangers, 4-3, at St. Pete Times F
<< No. 4 Wisconsin destroys Pacific
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kammron Taylor had 17 points to lead the
fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers to a 84-47 blowout of the Pacific Tigers at
the Kohl Center.
Alando Tucker had 15 points and Brian Butch and Joe Krabbenhoft e
<< Boozer, Jazz down Grizzlies
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer poured in 24 points, pulled down
11 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Utah past Memphis, 100-97, at
FedExForum.
Mehmet Okur posted 20 points and grabbed nine boards while Deron W
<< Stars hang on to beat Oilers
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Klemm scored a goal and added an assist to
lead the Dallas Stars past the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, at American Airlines
Center.
Marty Turco made 20 saves and Eric Lindros added two assists for the Sta
<< Wild down Red Wings 3-2 in overtime
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored just 45 seconds
into overtime to help the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red
Wings at Xcel Energy Center in the back end of a home-and-home series.
In the extr
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Johnson ran for 135 yards and scored a touchdown to lead the Kansas City Chiefs over the Oakland Raiders, 20-9, at McAfee Coliseum. Trent Green ended 12-of-24 for 148 yards with a touchdown and an
Gordon lifts Bulls over Bobcats >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Gordon poured in 23 points as the Chicago
Bulls crushed the Charlotte Bobcats, 115-76, at the United Center.
Andres Nocioni had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who rebounded from
a 103-92 loss
Spurs topple Hornets >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker scored 19 points and tallied
nine assists as the San Antonio Spurs routed the New Orleans/Oklahoma City
Hornets, 112-77.
Manu Ginobli scored 17 points to help the Spurs win their se
Predators blank Kings >>
Nashville, TN (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont and David
Legwand each scored twice and Chris Mason stopped 34 shots to record his sixth
career shutout as the Nashville Predators defeated the Los Angeles Kings 7-0
at Gayl
Wolski's pair send Avs over Blackhawks >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Wojtek Wolski tallied two goals to lead
the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the
Pepsi Center.
Joe Sakic added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who returned
SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
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 this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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