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Lowly Blue Jackets visit DucksHockey Betting Lines02/03/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets' disappointing season may have hit a new low point on Wednesday. They hope the return of sniper Jeff Carter can help turn things around this evening in the finale of a six-game road trip against the Anaheim Ducks. Having already lost the four tests of their swing, the Blue Jackets appeared headed for overtime on Wednesday versus the Kings, until a clock delay helped Los Angeles score the game-winner in the final second of regulation. While bombarding Columbus netminder Curtis Sanford, the Kings' Drew Doughty pounced on a rebound and sent it past Sanford for a power-play goal with four-tenths of a second left. However, replays showed that the clock had stalled at 1.8 seconds for what appears to be at least a second. The play was reviewed and was allowed to stand, but after the game there were questions from the Blue Jackets about the clock delay. In the end, it was just another setback for the Blue Jackets, who sit last in the NHL with 32 points. They have lost seven in a row on the road as well as six straight and 17 of their past 21 overall. "This is hugely disappointing, we thought we were going into overtime with at least one point," Sanford said after making 30 saves. "They controlled the puck at the end, got it on the guy's stick and he made the shot. This one is tough, it's happening too many times this season." Derek Dorsett and Colton Gillies scored for Columbus, which will have Carter back in the lineup for the first time since he suffered a separated right shoulder versus the Ducks on Jan. 8. Carter missed the past 10 games and has 10 goals and 17 points in 30 contests this year, having also missed time with a fractured right foot and lower-body ailment. The Ducks rolled to a 7-4 win at home in that meeting, getting a hat trick from Corey Perry as well as two goals from Teemu Selanne. It was Anaheim's third victory in its past four versus Columbus and second in a row at home in this series. The Ducks have lost two of three since a five-game win streak as they try to get back into the playoff race. They sit tied for 13th in the Western Conference with 45 points, 12 back of a playoff spot. Anaheim opened a four-game homestand on Wednesday, losing a 6-2 decision to Dallas. The defeat halted the Ducks' six-game winning streak as the host. Luca Sbisa and Matt Beleskey each scored for the Ducks, while Jonas Hiller was tagged for all six goals on 26 shots. "We knew how big this game was and we knew how big this game was going to be," said Sbisa. "Dallas is one of the teams we have to catch. They were ready tonight and we weren't." Jason Blake is questionable with a foot injury that has held him out of the past two games for the Ducks.
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Betting FootballNFL 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. |
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