Capitals visit Blackhawks in clash of NHL powerhouses

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Capitals and Blackhawks could very well meet this year in the Stanley Cup Finals, but neither probably feels like a championship- caliber club right now.

Both Washington and Chicago will try to bounce back from disappointing losses this afternoon in a clash of NHL powers at the United Center.

The Capitals lead the league with 99 points, three more than the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks. Washington also owns a 14-point advantage for the top spot in the East, while Chicago comes in three points behind San Jose in the West.

Washington, though, capped a 3-1-1 homestand on Friday with a disappointing loss to Tampa Bay. Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich had the goals for the Capitals, with Fleischmann netting his 20th of the season to surpass his previous career high set last season.

Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's leading point scorer with 96, had his third straight two-point game with a pair of assists, while Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves.

"We didn't do the job as forwards and defensemen," said Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau. "We stayed out too long, we got outworked and we didn't play the way we were capable of playing. That's the reason we lost. It had nothing to do with goaltending."

The Capitals suffered their first regulation home loss since Dec. 28, as they had been 14-0-1 in their previous 15 as host. They were also defeated one day after they clinched the Southeast Division without even stepping on the ice.

It is unknown who will get the start in net today as Washington kicks off a four-game road trip. Jose Theodore is 5-6-1 with a 2.58 goals-against average in 12 career starts versus the Blackhawks, while Varlamov has never faced them.

While the Caps feel they were simply outworked on Friday, the Blackhawks return home knowing a late collapse cost them two points. Chicago held a one- goal lead in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon, but saw the Flyers tie the game with just over two minutes left before Philly's Chris Pronger tipped a pass by netminder Cristobal Huet with just 2.1 seconds left in regulation in what ended up being a 3-2 setback.

"Getting out of here without a point -- that's how we should see it," Huet said after making 31 saves. "We lost two points. It's something you have nightmares about."

Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa tallied for the Blackhawks, who had taken three of four games coming in. Patrick Kane had a nine-game points streak end in the game, a run in which he had totaled four goals and 10 assists.

Antti Niemi is expected to be in goal today for Chicago and he will make his first ever start versus the Capitals.

The Blackhawks had won three straight over the Caps before Washington posted a 4-2 home win over them on Oct. 11 of last season. Chicago blanked the Capitals, 5-0, the last time the teams met at United Center on March 19, 2008.

Sportt Hockey Betting News

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

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 .
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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