Devils hold off Flyers for 6-4 win
Hockey Betting Lines
02/04/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurtis Foster scored two power-play goals and collected an assist, as the New Jersey Devils fended off a valiant comeback effort by the Philadelphia Flyers to escape the Wells Fargo Center with a 6-4 win Saturday afternoon.
When Foster struck on another two-man advantage, his tally gave the visitors a 6-0 cushion. And the contest hadn't even reached the midway point.
New Jersey goaltender Johan Hedberg made 17 saves through the first two periods, but was beaten four times on 24 shots in the third. Ultimately, the Flyers rally fell short.
Ilya Kovalchuk registered a goal and two assists for the Devils, who have won three in a row after going into the All-Star break with three consecutive losses.
Sergei Bobrovsky surrendered six New Jersey goals on 23 shots and was replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period. Bryzgalov finished with eight saves -- he needed to make only one in the third -- for Philadelphia, which had gained at least a point in its previous five games (3-0-2).
Wayne Simmonds put the Flyers on the board 3:58 into the third and they scored their next three goals in a 4:08 span to create doubt in the game's outcome.
After Jaromir Jagr notched his first goal since December 29 at Pittsburgh, Claude Giroux scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the slot. Jakub Voracek buried a rebound at 13:31, and the Flyers relentless pressure led to New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene tripping Jagr with 23 seconds remaining.
But the Devils overcame a flurry with Bryzgalov on the bench.
New Jersey was scoreless in 14 power-play chances in three previous meetings this season against the Flyers, but snapped its drought on a two-man advantage as Patrik Elias fed Foster for a one-timer at the 3:05 mark of the first period.
Later in the frame, the Devils appeared to catch a break with the Flyers on a power play as no whistle blew when Dainius Zubrus knocked down Giroux at the point. The non-call led to an odd-man rush, and Kovalchuk wound up scoring New Jersey's NHL-leading 12th short-handed goal with 57 seconds remaining.
Zubrus lit the lamp with just 0.4 seconds remaining to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
To make matters worse for Philadelphia, Scott Hartnell took a high-sticking penalty just as Zubrus scored, and Devils captain Zach Parise banged home his own rebound for a power-play goal 38 seconds into the second period.
Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Bobrovsky 59 seconds later, and Foster put New Jersey up 6-0 at 8:22 of the middle stanza.
Game Notes
Ponikarovsky registered his 300th career point with the secondary assist on Zubrus' goal...New Jersey was 4-for-7 on man advantage and now has scored a power-play goal in a season-high four consecutive games...The Flyers were 1- for-7 on the power play. They have at least one power-play goal in six straight...The Devils have won their last three games in Philadelphia.
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Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs 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.