Ducks beat Flames in lengthy shootout

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Niklas Hagman scored the game-winner in the eighth round of the shootout as the Anaheim Ducks continued their dominance of the Calgary Flames at home with a 3-2 decision.

Bobby Ryan and Matt Belesky scored in regulation while Jonas Hiller stopped 24-of-26 shots for the Ducks, who snapped a two-game slide with their 14th consecutive victory over the Flames in Anaheim.

"We really wanted these two points. It's really important for our team and I really wanted it," said Hiller.

Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla lit the lamp for the Flames, whose last victory over the Ducks in Anaheim came on January 19, 2004.

Miikka Kiprusoff was denied his 300th career win despite making 31 saves.

Calgary trailed 2-1 entering the third period, and Anaheim's Lucas Sbisa was handed a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct for head butting 2:40 into the frame after his head collided with the head of Calgary's Tim Jackman on an open-ice check. The Flames took advantage with the game-tying goal

Iginla split Anaheim's defenseman while receiving a pass at the Ducks' blue line and raced in on a short breakaway, skating into the slot and sending a wrister past the stick side to knot the game at two at the 6:15 mark.

Each team was then awarded a late power play in the third period, but neither converted.

Early in the extra period, Anaheim's Teemu Selanne just missed the game-winner as he hit a post from the right circle after Kiprusoff lost track of the puck.

Iginla and Tanguay also failed to end the game when they came down the ice on a 2-on-1 rush, but Iginla missed the net as he lifted the puck too high over the crossbar.

"The game was more of a roller coaster ride. We battled back to get a point," Flames head coach Brent Sutter said. "In the shootout, you have good goalies making great saves and good players making great moves. They were fortunate to get one more past our goalie."

Ryan broke a scoreless tie with 4:08 remaining in the first period when he settled a rolling pass in the slot before snapping a shot through a screen and past Kiprusoff.

Then nearly two minutes later, Sheldon Brookbank ripped a one-timer from the right point that was redirected into the top-left corner by Belesky to put the Ducks ahead 2-0 after one.

But the Flames cut the deficit to one early in the second period. Blair Jones received a pass to the right of the net before sweeping behind the goal and sending the puck out in front from the left post. Tanguay grabbed the pass in the slot and slid a shot through the legs of Hiller at the 4:41 mark.

Anaheim then had several chances to extend its lead in the second as the Ducks were awarded four power plays, including a two-man advantage in which they hit two posts, but they could not convert and held a 2-1 advantage into the final period.

Game Notes

Five of the last six games between the teams in Orange County have been decided after regulation...Selanne currently sits at 655 career goals, which is one goal behind Brendan Shanahan for 12th on NHL's all-time list...Calgary failed to record a shot in overtime...The Ducks went 0-for-5 on the power play, while Calgary was 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

Xportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< Griner leads No. 1 Baylor over Oklahoma
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brittney Griner netted 27 points to go with eight rebounds and eight blocks as No. 1 Baylor remained undefeated with a 81-54 win over Oklahoma. Odyssey Sims had 14 points while Destiny Williams snat

<< Gallinari suffers left ankle injury
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari exited Monday's game against the Houston Rockets after suffering a chip fracture in his left ankle. The injury came with 9:38 left in the third. From t

<< Rockets outlast Nuggets
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Scola scored 25 points to go with eight rebounds while Kyle Lowry added 20 points and six assists as the Houston Rockets downed the Denver Nuggets, 99-90. Chase Budinger nailed four treys and fin

<< Eagles, Terriers to clash again in Beanpot final
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Whitney tallied twice and Johnny Gaudreau once in a three-goal second-period burst as Boston College subdued Northeastern, 7-1, to reach the Beanpot final for the third straight year. Gaudreau

<< No. 18 Marquette downs DePaul
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darius Johnson-Odom netted a game-high 23 points and all five Marquette starters finished in double figures, as the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles shook off a slow start and defeated DePaul, 89-76. Jamil

Thunder down Blazers in OT >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Westbrook blocked Nicolas Batum's drive to the hoop in the closing seconds of regulation, then hit the go-ahead basket in overtime, as the Thunder handed the Trail Blazers their second home loss of

Clippers' Billups helped off the court >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups, a veteran playmaker on the upstart Clippers, was helped off the court in the fourth quarter after suffering an injury to his lower left leg. The Los Angeles Times reported Billups

Wildcats and Gators collide in matchup of SEC's best >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Florida Gators have a tough task ahead of them, as they invade Rupp Arena this evening, to take on the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in a battle between the Southeastern Conference's top two squ

Buckeyes meet Boilermakers in Big Ten battle >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will try to keep sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference as they welcome the Purdue Boilermakers to Value City Arena for a league battle. This will be the

Bluejays set sights on Purple Aces in MVC action >>
Evansville, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Knocked down a few of pegs in the latest top-25 poll, the Creighton Bluejays now head to Evansville ranked as the 17th- best team in the nation as they clash with the Purple Aces in Missouri Valley Conference a

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“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.

New York Giants betting lines

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.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

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.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.