Kovalchuk leads Devils past Pens

Hockey Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists on Sunday, leading the Devils to a 5-2 win over the Penguins.

Kovalchuk now has 10 points in his last four games -- all New Jersey victories. Zach Parise had a goal and an assist on Sunday while Anton Volchenkov and Dainius Zubrus also found the back of the net. Martin Brodeur made 28 saves and added an assist on David Clarkson's empty netter.

The shorthanded Penguins, playing without centers Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal, got a goal apiece from Evgeni Malkin and Matt Niskanen. They had won nine of 10 coming in.

Marc-Andre Fleury was coming off a 28-save performance against the Bruins, but was pulled Sunday after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Brent Johnson made 11 saves in his stead.

Wwwinnoco Hockey Betting News

<< Thomas lifts Bruins over Capitals
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas stopped 35 shots to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist while Milan Lucic a

<< No. 9 Michigan State defeats No. 23 Michigan
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Draymond Green had 14 points and 16 rebounds, as No. 9 Michigan State earned a convincing 64-54 win over No. 23 Michigan on Sunday. Keith Appling and Branden Dawson both added 10 points for the

<< Serena leads U.S. past Belarus
Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams recorded a Sunday singles victory to move the United States into the Fed Cup World Group Playoffs. The 2011 U.S. Open runner-up Williams improved to 2-0 this week by overcoming Anastasia Y

<< Celtics handle Grizzlies, earn fourth straight win
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Garnett had 24 points and nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics handled the Memphis Grizzlies, 98-80, at TD Garden. Paul Pierce added 21 points while Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox each netted 12 as the Celtics

<< Serbs overcome Belgians to reach Fed Cup SFs
Charleroi, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serbia got a tie-clinching doubles win from Bojana Jovanovski and Aleksandra Krunic on Sunday in order to reach the 2012 Fed Cup semifinals. The Serbs won their best-of-five quarterfinal against host Be

Rangers continue dominance of Flyers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Artem Anisimov had a goal and two assists to lead the New York Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist while Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky and R

Heat get past Raptors >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had a game-high 30 points to go with nine rebounds as the Miami Heat outlasted the Toronto Raptors, 95-89, at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Chris Bosh add

Isles' Hamonic to miss two weeks >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two weeks after taking a slap shot to the face from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on Saturday. Hamonic needed help to g

Italy sneaks past Ukraine to reach Fed Cup semis >>
Biella, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy got a big doubles win from Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci in Sunday's fifth and deciding rubber in their Fed Cup quarterfinal against visiting Ukraine, as the Italians won the best-of- five en

NFL Inactives (Sunday, February 5, 2012) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, IN. NEW YORK GIANTS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 6:30 P.M. (ET) Giants - RB Da'Rel Scott, WR Ramses Barden, C Jim Cordle, T J

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.