Nugent-Hopkins returns, carries Oilers to SO win over Red Wings

Hockey Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted the game-winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout, sending the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Rexall Place.

Nugent-Hopkins, who returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a left shoulder injury on January 2, picked up the puck at center ice and went in deliberately on Wings goalie Joey MacDonald. Nugent-Hopkins faked forehand- backhand and fired a quick wrist shot to the blocker side of MacDonald.

Devan Dubnyk stopped Danny Cleary on Detroit's final attempt to seal the win for the Oilers, who broke a seven-game slide against the Red Wings.

"I think we started out really strong and came out flying," Nugent-Hopkins said. "In the third period, we knew they were going to come out strong, we just had to weather that storm. They got a few good goals but in the end I thought it was a really good character win for us."

Coming off a ridiculous eight-point game in an 8-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Sam Gagner continued his offensive assault on the NHL with two goals and an assist in regulation. Jordan Eberle also added a pair of goals for the Oilers, who got 35 saves from Dubnyk en route to their third straight win.

Todd Bertuzzi scored twice, while Drew Miller and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Red Wings, who had their brief two-game winning streak snapped.

Ty Conklin gave up three goals on nine shots before getting yanked in favor of MacDonald, who stopped 22-of-23 shots.

Edmonton opened the scoring with a power-play tally just 2:42 into the game when Ryan Whitney ripped a slap shot from the point that was stopped by Conklin, but Gagner was parked in front and slammed home the rebound.

Edmonton extended its lead to 2-0 at 5:41 of the opening period after Gagner threw one on net from just inside the left circle and Eberle was the first to spot the puck in the crease amid a scramble and tap it in.

Detroit cut the deficit to 2-1 while shorthanded off a turnover in the defensive zone by the Oilers. Filppula jumped on a loose puck in the slot and wristed one on net, which he didn't get all of, but the lack of velocity on the shot caught Dubnyk by surprise and it trickled over the line for the goal.

The Oilers though, atoned for their blunder when Gagner struck again in the dying seconds of the first period. Ryan Smyth threw one on goal from the right circle and Gagner was in perfect position in front of Conklin to deflect it into the net.

After a scoreless second period, Detroit came out on fire in the third and scored three consecutive goals to take a 4-3 lead.

Bertuzzi tucked one home from in front with a wrist shot 2:18 into the period, then Miller slid one past Dubnyk off a nice centering feed from Darren Helm at 5:49, and Bertuzzi capped the scoring burst with his second of the night 16:19 after he dangled past his checker in the left circle and wired a wrist shot high over Dubnyk's left shoulder.

"If anything, we should feel good we got the one point," Bertuzzi said. "We didn't play very well in the first period. In the second we got a little better and obviously turned it on in the third period, but we still wanted the two points. We gave ourselves a good chance to do it, just came up a little short."

Edmonton fought to the end though, and got rewarded with the tying goal with just 39 seconds to play. Following good forechecking work behind the net, the puck came out front to Eberle, and he made no mistake, tapping it into the open cage.

Game Notes

The Red Wings fell to 6-1 in shootouts this season, while Edmonton improved to 3-4...It was Bertuzzi's second two-goal game of his career...Edmonton finished 2-for-3 with the man advantage, while the Red Wings went 0-for-4 on the power play...Detroit will visit the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday, while the Oilers will be on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs, also on Monday.

Sportt Hockey Betting News


<< Kings down Warriors in OT
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Salmons scored 14, including the go- ahead three-pointer to start overtime, helping Sacramento to a 114-106 win over the Golden State Warriors. DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and a career-high

<< Batum makes 9 three-pointers, Blazers down Nuggets
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was nothing wrong with Nicolas Batum's left knee on Saturday. Batum returned from a brief two-game absence and nailed a franchise record nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 33 points

<< San Diego State handles TCU
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamaal Franklin poured in a game-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 17 San Diego State handled TCU, 83-73, on Saturday. James Rahon netted 16 points to go with five reb

<< Pangos, Sacre lift No. 24 Gonzaga over Pepperdine
Malibu, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Pangos and Robert Sacre each scored 15 points, lifting the 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs over the Pepperdine Waves, 72-60. Guy Landry Edi added 13 points for the Bulldogs (18-4, 8-2 WCC), who bounc

<< Parker sets franchise assists record as Spurs down Thunder
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker exploded for a season-high 42 points and added nine assists to become the Spurs' all-time assists leader as San Antonio handled Oklahoma City 107-96 at AT&T Center on Saturday. Tim Du

Boeljon birdies last for victory in Australia >>
Queensland, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christel Boeljon birdied the 72nd hole Sunday to polish off a come-from-behind victory at the Australian Ladies Masters. Boeljon posted her second straight four-under 68 and won by a single strok

Pratt wins playoff for Myanmar Open title >>
Yangon, Myanmar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australia's Kieran Pratt birdied the second playoff hole Sunday to earn his first Asian Tour title at the Myanmar Open. Pratt bested Adam Blyth and Kiradech Aphibarnrat in the extra session at The Royal M

Lawrie pulls away for Qatar Masters title >>
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie staved off challenges from Jason Day and Sergio Garcia on Sunday to win the Qatar Masters in comfortable fashion. Lawrie, the second-round leader, fired a seven-under 65 on Sunday.

Russia beats Spain to reach Fed Cup semis >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Svetlana Kuznetsova outlasted Silvia Soler- Espinosa in the fourth rubber to give Russia an insurmountable 3-1 lead over Spain in their best-of-five Fed Cup quarterfinal. Russia entered Sunday's action with

Bruins hope to get on track versus Capitals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins hope to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season this afternoon as they visit a Washington Capitals club that has its eyes set on first place in the Southeast Division. The Bruins haven't

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.