Leafs Philadelphia Disable Edge At Franchise

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"It was a fun game for fans to watch, that's for sure," said Miller. "Lots of good chances and lots of scoring. It was a good hockey game and I'm glad we came out on top."

 

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks probably couldn't have picked a better spot to close out their five-game road trip. The Canucks look to secure their ninth straight victory over the Maple Leafs this evening as the two clubs clash in Toronto.

 

A visit to Toronto could help Vancouver finish the swing on a winning note. The Canucks haven't lost to the Maple Leafs since Nov. 24, 2003 at Toronto, outscoring the Maple Leafs by a 19-9 margin in four meetings at Air Canada Centre since.

 

Vancouver held a two-goal lead over Carolina in the second period on Thursday following goals by Kevin Bieksa and Mason Raymond, but the Hurricanes countered with four in a row until Alexandre Burrows pulled the Canucks to within one with 11:20 to play.

 

While Sedin became the ninth Swedish-born player to reach 700 career points, twin brother Daniel missed the game due to back spasms and is questionable for this contest. Minus one half of the Sedin brothers, the Canucks have lost two straight for the first time since Nov. 3-4 after winning nine of 10.

 

Toronto was in action last night and dropped a 5-4 decision in Buffalo. Nikolai Kulemin converted the Maple Leafs' first successful penalty shot since 2006 and Dion Phaneuf had a goal before receiving a five-minute major and ejection for boarding in the second period.

 

The Maple Leafs now return home for three straight.

 

Selanne was a first-round pick of the original Jets franchise back in 1988 as he was selected 10th overall by the club. He quickly made an impact on the team and in the league by posting NHL rookie records of 76 goals and 132 points in 1992-93.

 

The Finland native's tenure with the Jets lasted only three-plus seasons, however, as he played his final game with them on Feb. 4, 1996 before getting dealt to the Ducks three days later along with Marc Chouinard and a fourth- round pick in the 1996 draft in exchange for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and a third-round pick in 1996. The Jets then relocated to Phoenix at the end of that season.

 

"Well, obviously that was my first NHL team, and obviously starting there, I always said that the hockey is just such a big thing and all the fans and the whole city makes the players feel so special," he said. "It's a dream come true to start your career in Canada, and obviously all the memories that I have there is just so, so awesome."

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Betting Football

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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.