Montreal rallies late, downs Ducks in SO

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Plekanec fired the game-winning wrister in the shootout, and the Montreal Canadiens used a late surge in regulation and a controversial goal in the shootout to edge the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, at Honda Center.

The Habs trailed, 1-0, in the shootout heading into the final shooter, and Brian Gionta fired a wrist shot in between the blocker pad and stick of Anaheim netminder Jonas Hiller. Hiller drifted backward toward the net and looked to find the puck, inadvertently knocking it into the net for a goal.

The officials reviewed the tally, as the whistle had not been blown, and confirmed the call on the ice. After James Wisniewski could not score for the Ducks in the fourth round, Plekanec fired a wrister past Hiller's glove for the game-winner.

Plekanec added a breakaway goal in the second period for the Habs, who responded from a 3-0 deficit and scored twice in the final 1:50 of regulation. Gionta and Andrei Markov also scored in the team's third win in four games.

Jaroslav Halak stopped all 21 shots he faced after replacing Carey Price, who gave up three goals on 11 shots in the first period.

Corey Perry, Lubomir Visnovsky and Scott Niedermayer tallied for the Ducks, who have lost all three of their games since the Olympic break. Hiller stopped 40 shots in a hard-luck defeat.

Montreal trailed, 3-1, in the final two minutes but managed to tie the score. First was Gionta, who grabbed an errant Anaheim pass in the offensive zone, skated to the slot and ripped a snap shot past Hiller with 1:50 to play.

The Canadiens then pulled Halak for an extra attacker, and the strategy paid off. Benoit Pouliot grabbed the puck near the right side board and gave it to Scott Gomez, who sent it back to Pouliot. Pouliot quickly dished it to Markov out in front, and Markov snuck it underneath the crossbar with 10.7 ticks left to tie it.

Perry staked the Ducks to a 1-0 lead 8:54 into the game, and Visnovsky made it 2-0 when he took a puck at center ice, skated all the way deep into the slot and fired the puck between Price's legs exactly four minutes later.

With 53 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Niedermayer gave Anaheim what seemed to be a comfortable lead at 3-0.

Plekanec notched the only goal of the middle stanza on a breakaway 7:48 in, firing a forehand shot into the top left corner.

Game Notes

Montreal, earning two points with the win, moved ahead of Boston into sole possession of seventh place in the East...Anaheim sits six points out of the final playoff spot in the West...Habs forward Maxim Lapierre sat out the second of his four-game suspension...The Ducks have lost two straight at home after winning 11 consecutive games at Honda Center...Ryan Getzlaf scored for the Ducks in the shootout.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.