Guerin lifts Blues over Sabres in OT
Hockey Betting Lines
12/24/2006 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Guerin's second goal of the night, coming 1:35 into overtime, sent the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres at Scottrade Center.
Ryan Johnson picked up the other goal and Christian Backman registered two assists for St. Louis, which has won three straight following an 11-game losing streak. Manny Legace made 21 saves to earn the win.
Daniel Briere notched a pair of assists, while Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville tallied goals for Buffalo, which has dropped three of its last four games. Martin Biron took the loss despite stopping 29 shots.
The game-winner came as Doug Weight blew past Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman at center ice and led a 2-on-1 with Guerin over the Buffalo blue line. Weight held until he reached the top of the left circle before dishing across to Guerin, whose tip-in beat Biron at the far post.
It was a hard-luck loss for the struggling Sabres, who have not beaten the Blues since October 1, 1997, a span of 11 games.
Down by a goal heading into the third period, the Blues got a huge break early on which swung the momentum in their favor.
Hecht was denied a second goal of the game, when an official review determined he used a kicking motion with his right skate to redirect a puck into the net at the 1:30 mark of the third.
The ruling seemed to energize the home team, who would tie the game midway through the period when Guerin batted Jay McClement's left circle shot out of the air and through Biron, setting up the brief overtime session.
The Blues opened the scoring when Backman's rising wrister from between the circles hit Johnson and bounced in at 5:31 of the first.
Buffalo picked up the equalizer when defenseman Barret Jackman mistakenly drifted toward Briere as he led a 3-on-2 rush, leaving Hecht wide open to receive his pass and slide it through Legace's pads at 1:20 of the second.
Pominville followed to put the Sabres up 2-1 with 3:22 to go, shoveling home his own rebound from the edge of the crease. Briere hit Legace with the initial shot, and the young forward followed with two chances from in close.
Game Notes
Hecht's goal was the 100th of his career...St. Louis had surrendered a power- play goal in each of its last nine games, but held Buffalo scoreless in three chances...Guerin has three two-goal games this year...Buffalo returns to action Tuesday hosting Washington, while St. Louis travels to Nashville.
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Boyle netted his first career hat trick, with all three goals coming in the third period, as the Tampa Bay Lightning completed a stunning comeback to defeat the New York Rangers, 4-3, at St. Pete Times F
<< No. 4 Wisconsin destroys Pacific
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kammron Taylor had 17 points to lead the
fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers to a 84-47 blowout of the Pacific Tigers at
the Kohl Center.
Alando Tucker had 15 points and Brian Butch and Joe Krabbenhoft e
<< Boozer, Jazz down Grizzlies
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer poured in 24 points, pulled down
11 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Utah past Memphis, 100-97, at
FedExForum.
Mehmet Okur posted 20 points and grabbed nine boards while Deron W
<< Stars hang on to beat Oilers
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Klemm scored a goal and added an assist to
lead the Dallas Stars past the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, at American Airlines
Center.
Marty Turco made 20 saves and Eric Lindros added two assists for the Sta
<< Wild down Red Wings 3-2 in overtime
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored just 45 seconds
into overtime to help the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red
Wings at Xcel Energy Center in the back end of a home-and-home series.
In the extr
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Johnson ran for 135 yards and scored a touchdown to lead the Kansas City Chiefs over the Oakland Raiders, 20-9, at McAfee Coliseum. Trent Green ended 12-of-24 for 148 yards with a touchdown and an
Gordon lifts Bulls over Bobcats >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Gordon poured in 23 points as the Chicago
Bulls crushed the Charlotte Bobcats, 115-76, at the United Center.
Andres Nocioni had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who rebounded from
a 103-92 loss
Spurs topple Hornets >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Parker scored 19 points and tallied
nine assists as the San Antonio Spurs routed the New Orleans/Oklahoma City
Hornets, 112-77.
Manu Ginobli scored 17 points to help the Spurs win their se
Predators blank Kings >>
Nashville, TN (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Arnott, J.P. Dumont and David
Legwand each scored twice and Chris Mason stopped 34 shots to record his sixth
career shutout as the Nashville Predators defeated the Los Angeles Kings 7-0
at Gayl
Wolski's pair send Avs over Blackhawks >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Wojtek Wolski tallied two goals to lead
the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the
Pepsi Center.
Joe Sakic added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who returned
Sportsbooks to bet on football
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
Mysportsbook.com online online sportsbook accepts Visa & Mastercard