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02/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL's two brightest young stars will go head-to-head as Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals attempt to cool down Sidney Crosby's scorching Pittsburgh Penguins in an intriguing matinee from Mellon Arena.
Pittsburgh comes in as the league's hottest team, having won five straight and 11 of its last 12 games. The surge has propelled the up-and-coming club into a fourth-place tie with Ottawa in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Penguins have also notched a point in 15 consecutive contests, recording a 13-0-2 mark over that span.
Pittsburgh's latest victory came Friday at the expense of the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils. Jarkko Ruutu netted a pair of goals and the Penguins scored three times during the first period en route to a 5-4 triumph at Continental Airlines Arena.
Crosby notched a goal and an assist to increase his league-leading point total, while Marc-Andre Fleury came up with 27 saves for the surging Pens.
Pittsburgh has racked up 23 goals during its current win streak and ranks third in the NHL with 200 total markers this season.
The Penguins have also been dominant at home as of late. The team has won seven in a row at the Igloo and own a 17-8-4 record as the host this season.
Washington has been headed in the opposite direction, as the club has gone just 4-9-2 since January 11 and is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Capitals are currently on a two-game slide after losing at Tampa Bay in a shootout on Thursday. Martin St. Louis scored the deciding goal in the third round to give the Lightning a 3-2 victory.
Dainius Zubrus had a goal and an assist and Alexander Semin recorded his 30th goal of the season for Washington, which received 27 saves from Brent Johnson in the losing effort.
Ovechkin, who edged out Crosby for last year's Calder Trophy honoring the NHL's top rookie, was kept off the scoreboard. The Russian sensation still has compiled 34 goals on the season, the fourth-highest total in the league at the moment.
Thursday's setback began a three-game road trip for the Caps, who are just 9-14-5 away from home thus far.
Pittsburgh has taken both meetings with Washington this season and has won six of the last seven games in this series. The Capitals will be trying to stop a five-game losing streak at Mellon Arena, where they haven't won since December 3, 2002.
<< Stars host Sharks in important Pacific clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two Pacific Division powers will collide this afternoon at
the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Stars host a San Jose Sharks
club looking to stop a two-game losing streak.
San Jose currently resides in sec
<< Trojans seek clean sweep in the desert
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winless in Pac-10 Conference play so far
this season, the Arizona State Sun Devils try to cure their ills
tonight as they face the 22nd-ranked USC at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe.
Not
<< Buckeyes on the road to take on Golden Gophers
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's second-ranked team has
traveled to Minneapolis, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the mighty
Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten Conference action.
Ohio State owns its highest
<< NBA's brightest to shine in Las Vegas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's best take center stage on Sunday, as the
Western Conference and Eastern Conference clash in the 56th annual All-Star
Game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
In the 2006 annual event, Dwyane Wade
Canadiens head to Columbus seeking end to downward spiral >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens take to the road in hopes of ending
their recent tailspin, as the free-falling club visits Columbus' Nationwide
Arena tonight for a rare matchup with the Blue Jackets.
Montreal is currently mir
Ducks try to crown Kings once again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks go for a home-and-home sweep of the Los
Angeles Kings when the area foes conclude their weekend series tonight at the
Honda Center.
The teams needed an extended shootout to decide a winner on Saturd
Canucks host Avs, aim for Northwest lead >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks look to continue their recent winning
ways and also regain sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division
when they take the ice at General Motors Place tonight against the Colorado
Avalanc
Nats bring Belliard to camp >>
Viera, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals signed infielder Ronnie
Belliard to a minor league contract on Sunday with an invitation to spring
training.
The 31-year-old hit .272 with 13 homers and 67 runs batted in while spli
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
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