Canucks send Sharks to fourth straight loss

Hockey Betting Lines

03/08/2009 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo turned in a stellar performance in the crease, making 28 saves, as the red-hot Vancouver Canucks bested the San Jose Sharks, 3-1, at GM Place.

Mats Sundin, Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa each scored for the Canucks, who have won four straight, eight of nine and 12 of their last 14 games.

Joe Thornton notched a power-play goal for San Jose, which is swimming in unfamiliar waters, having lost four games in a row. With Evgeni Nabokov still battling a lower-body injury, Brian Boucher was back between the pipes for the fifth consecutive game and made 26 saves in the loss.

Vancouver built a two-goal lead in the first period. While on a delayed penalty, Edler let fly a low slap shot from the point that beat Boucher with Alex Burrows providing a screen in front at 3:15.

The Canucks then did a good job of cycling the puck down low. Pavol Demitra dished to the slot for Sundin, who drove to the net, switched to the backhand and shoveled the puck home at 6:02.

Thornton put San Jose on the board with three seconds remaining in the middle session, then Kevin Bieksa's one-timer on the power play sealed the win with 8:12 left in the third period.

Game Notes

Mattias Ohlund picked up an assist on Edler's tally to tie Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns (321) for the most points by a Canucks defenseman in franchise history...Vancouver had dropped seven straight to the Sharks...The Canucks have won seven in a row at home...Ryan Kesler recorded two assists.

Wsportsbetting Hockey Betting News

<< Alker ends some droughts at New Zealand PGA
Christchurch, New Zealand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Alker fired his second consecutive five-under 67 on Sunday to come from behind and win the New Zealand PGA Championship. Alker won the title by two strokes at 15-under 273 at Cle

<< Louisville beats WVU to win Big East
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrence Williams had 20 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, as sixth-ranked Louisville claimed the outright Big East regular-season title with a 62-59 win against West Virginia at WVU Coliseu

<< Nowitzki leads Mavs in rout of lowly Wizards
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Dallas Mavericks cruised past the Washington Wizards, 119-103, sending the Wizards to their seventh loss in eight games. Jason Terry add

<< Morehead State prevails in double OT to capture Ohio Valley title
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman Steve Peterson made his only field goal in the game count, as his baseline jumper with 1.4 seconds left in the second overtime lifted Morehead State to a 67-65 victory over Austin Peay in a highly

<< Jefferson helps Bucks edge Warriors
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 35 points to lead seven Bucks in double figures, as Milwaukee fended off a late Golden State rally to edge the Warriors, 127-120, at the Bradley Center. Luke Ridn

Trail Blazers remain hot at home, edge Timberwolves >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy dropped a game-high 31 points and handed out six assists, as the Portland Trail Blazers continued their home success with a 95-93 nail-biter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Rose Garden.

All Jacked up: Pacers squeeze by listless Clippers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarrett Jack scored 25 points and converted the go-ahead three-point play with 44.5 seconds left, and the Pacers didn't allow the Los Angeles Clippers a field goal over the final seven-plus minutes, earning

Shin comes from behind for HSBC Champions win >>
Singapore (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jiyai Shin fired a six-under 66 on Sunday to come from behind and capture the HSBC Champions Tournament at Tanah Merah Country Club. She finished at 11-under 277 and won by two strokes over third-round leade

Mourinho eyes United job >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has thrown his hat into the ring to be the eventual successor to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The 67-year-old Ferguson has given no hint that he is consider

Klinsmann: Bayern must win the league >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann has warned his players that they simply must retain their Bundesliga title. A 5-1 demolition of Hannover kept Bayern four points behind current leaders Hertha Berl

MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.