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02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will put the NHL's longest home winning streak since the mid-1970s on the line tonight, as they welcome the Edmonton Oilers for a battle at Joe Louis Arena.
It's been over three months since the Red Wings last tasted defeat in the Motor City and Detroit has rattled off 17 straight wins at the Joe since losing to Calgary on Nov. 3. The home mark is already a franchise record and is also the longest such streak in the NHL since the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers tied the league mark with 20 straight wins at The Spectrum.
Detroit, which is 20-2-1 at home this season, hasn't hosted a game since before the All-Star break and recently went 2-2-1 on a five-game road trip. The recent swing brought the Red Wings' road record to 15-15-1 on the year,
Like the Red Wings, tonight's opponent also has done the majority of its damage on home ice. The Oilers are 6-19-2 as the guest his year compared to a 15-8-3 home record and Edmonton has lost seven straight and 14 of its last 15 away from Rexall Place.
However, the Red Wings lost the last two games of their recent road trip, including a shootout defeat in Edmonton on Saturday. Detroit, which leads the Central Division by three points over Nashville and St. Louis, followed up the 5-4 setback to the Oilers with Monday's regulation loss at Phoenix.
Martin Hanzal scored twice to lead the Coyotes to a 3-1 win over the visiting Red Wings, who are also just one point ahead of Vancouver for the top seed in the West. Johan Franzen provided the lone offense for the Red Wings, while Joey MacDonald made his first start since March 30 and absorbed the loss despite giving up just two goals on 22 shots as he was outdueled by Phoenix netminder Mike Smith.
"We had some good scoring chances in the third there," said MacDonald. "We put some pressure on [Smith] and it was a 2-1 game. We just have to have a little more I think."
MacDonald and Ty Conklin will handle Detroit's goaltending duties while regular starter Jimmy Howard recovers from a broken right index finger. Howard suffered the injury in Vancouver last Thursday and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. Howard was in the midst of his best season as an NHLer, going 32-11-1 with a .924 save percentage, a 2.03 goals-against average and five shutouts.
Detroit hopes to have defenseman Brad Stuart back tonight after he sat out Monday's game with flu-like symptoms. The veteran blueliner has four goals, seven assists and a plus-11 rating in 53 games this year.
Edmonton has not fared well in recent years against the Red Wings and when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the decisive goal in the shootout phase of Saturday's 5-4 win, it ended a seven-game skid in this series for the Oilers. The club has still lost four straight and six of its last seven in Motown.
Nugent-Hopkins won't be available to deliver any dramatic goals tonight, as the rookie sensation will be sidelined 7-to-10 days with a sprained shoulder. The 18-year-old recently returned to the lineup after missing a month with a left shoulder injury suffered at Chicago on January 2.
"It's the same shoulder, but a different injury," Nugent-Hopkins said on the team's Twitter account. "It's not close to my first shoulder injury. Hopefully, I can be back soon."
Nugent-Hopkins played in two games before his latest setback and despite the amount of time he's missed recently, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft still leads all rookies in assists (22) and points (35).
The injury to Nugent-Hopkins occurred in Edmonton's 6-3 loss in Toronto on Monday. Phil Kessel tallied twice and added one assist to lead the Maple Leafs to the easy win.
Jordan Eberle scored a pair of goals and Jeff Petry picked up a goal and one helper for the Oilers, who had a three-game winning streak halted and are 11 points out of a playoff spot in the West. Devan Dubnyk allowed five goals on 29 shots for the loss.
"We turned a lot of pucks over and gave them a ton of chances," lamented Eberle. "When you give them all that, they'll put pucks in the net eventually no matter how well your goaltender plays."
In addition to Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers defenseman Theo Peckham is also on the shelf. Peckham has missed the last three games after getting hit in the face with a puck during practice and is questionable for tonight.
<< Demon Deacons and Cavs meet in ACC affair
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will
attempt to snap their four-game losing streak tonight as they head to the John
Paul Jones Arena for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle against the 19th-
ranked Virginia
<< Top-25 matchup pits Orange against Hoyas
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will attempt
to tarnish the second-ranked Syracuse Orange's perfect home record tonight as
the two square off in a Big East battle at the Carrier Dome.
This will be the 87th en
<< 15th-ranked Seminoles set sights on Eagles
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Florida State Seminoles
look to remain in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings
tonight as they head to the Conte Forum to take on the Boston College Eagles.
This will be
<< Top-10 foes collide in Big 12 showdown
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ferrell Center is the venue for a top-10
showdown for the second time in less than a month, as the sixth-ranked Baylor
Bears play host to the seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a crucial Big 12
battle this evening
Bucks and Raptors meet at ACC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks try to avoid a fourth straight loss
this evening when they open a brief two-game road trip against the Toronto
Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
The Bucks played hard on Tuesday to no avail, as they overcam
Skinner, Hurricanes begin trip in Anaheim >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner is starting to find his
groove again after missing time with a head injury. Hopefully the club's
cross country road trip won't derail his momentum.
Carolina begins its three-game journey ton
Spurs continue Rodeo Road Trip in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs were able to get their annual Rodeo
Road Trip off to a promising start, but must face a pesky Philadelphia 76ers
squad that hasn't backed down from any team tonight at Wells Fargo Center.
San Antonio
Sharks, Flames clash in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Staring at a two-week long road trip, the San Jose Sharks
would love to pick up four big points before leaving the friendly confines of
HP Pavilion.
They'll look to accomplish step one of that plan this evening and extend
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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