Sliding Blackhawks make a stop in Calgary
Hockey Betting Lines
02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago has not gotten its club record-tying road trip off to the best of starts and a trip to Calgary may not be the remedy it is looking for.
The Blackhawks try to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss overall and seventh on the road as they visit a Flames club that continues to struggle scoring at home.
Chicago is playing the third of nine in a row on the road, losing an overtime test in Vancouver on Tuesday prior to last night's 8-4 defeat in Edmonton. The Blackhawks are 0-4-2 in their past six away from Chicago overall and haven't won as the guest since Dec. 14.
It was a one-man show in Edmonton last night, with the Oilers' Sam Gagner matching an Oiler record with eight points off four goals and four assists. He tied a mark held by greats Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
"What can you say about a game like that," said Chicago forward Patrick Sharp. "That guy (Gagner) had the magic touch tonight."
Sharp's touch wasn't too bad either as he logged a pair of goals, one shorthanded, while Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland also scored in defeat. Chicago has dropped nine of its past 14 overall to slip six points behind Detroit for first place in the Central Division.
The Blackhawks will hope to avoid posting their first five-game slide since March 13-20, 2009 and will look for better goaltending this evening. Starter Corey Crawford was pulled in the third after allowing five goals on 28 shots, while Ray Emery yielded three tallies on 13 shots.
Chicago also lost forward Andrew Brunette with an upper-body injury.
Calgary will be looking to salvage the finale of a three-game homestand following losses to San Jose and Detroit. After getting shut out by the Sharks prior to the All-Star break, the Flames were dealt a 3-1 loss by the Red Wings on Tuesday.
Michael Cammalleri had the lone goal for Calgary, which has lost four of six overall and sits five points out of a playoff spot.
"We had some darn good opportunities and we didn't capitalize," said Calgary head coach Brent Sutter. "It's not like we're not getting opportunities and we had three or four quality scoring chances where we missed the net and didn't even get a rebound out of it."
Miikka Kiprusoff matched Mike Vernon's club record for games played by a goaltender with 526, a mark he will likely break this evening. He gave up three goals on 25 shots in Tuesday's loss.
Calgary also lost a key forward on Tuesday, with Lee Stempniak suffering a high ankle sprain that will keep him out of action for approximately six weeks.
The Flames have been held to just 55 goals at home this year, tied with Columbus for the fewest in the league, but did log a 5-2 home win over the Blackhawks back on Nov. 18.
Chicago, though, has a pair of home victories over the Flames this season as well and has won 12 of the past 15 encounters overall despite a three-game slide in Calgary.
Marian Hossa has logged a pair of goals and three assists versus the Flames this year, with teammates Sharp and Jonathan Toews adding four assists each.
Curtis Glencross and Olli Jokinen have logged five points each for Calgary versus Chicago this season, but Glencross has missed the past four games with a left MCL ailment.
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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