11/16/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning will play their first game since the shocking firing of head coach Barry Melrose when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes for today's Southeast Division matchup at RBC Center.
The Lightning made the coaching change Friday, relieving Melrose of his duties after just 16 games and replacing him on an interim basis with associate coach Rick Tocchet.
Melrose was hired on June 24 after the Lightning changed ownership, but the team has struggled to a 5-7-4 mark. Melrose was in his second stint as an NHL head coach. He had most recently served as an analyst for ESPN and had not been behind an NHL bench since a three-year run as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings ended during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season.
Tocchet is in his 25th year in the NHL as either a player or coach. This will mark his first head coaching position.
The Lightning have lost three straight and five of their last six games and Melrose's final test as coach of the club came in Thursday's 4-3 loss to visiting Detroit. Johan Franzen led a balanced scoring attack with a goal and an assist, as the Red Wings rallied from an early deficit to hold off Tampa Bay, 4-3.
Mark Recchi, Jussi Jokinen and Matt Pettinger all scored for the Lightning, while Olaf Kolzig allowed four goals on 39 shots in the loss.
The Lightning are just 3-4-1 as the visiting team this year and have dropped four of five on the road. Tampa will begin a four-game homestand Tuesday evening against Florida.
The Hurricanes haven't fared well recently either, as they've dropped three straight and four of their last five outings.
Carolina's most recent setback came Friday evening in Atlanta, as the red-hot Thrashers picked up their fifth straight victory. Johan Hedberg finished with 27 saves to lift Atlanta to the 3-2 win over the Hurricanes at Philips Arena.
Rod Brind'Amour and Tuomo Ruutu each had a goal while Cam Ward made 22 saves for the Hurricanes.
Carolina is 3-4-0 as the host this year and is opening a four-game homestand tonight. The Hurricanes have dropped two straight at RBC.
The Hurricanes beat Tampa in overtime on October 11 in the first of six meetings between the clubs this year. Carolina has won two straight, four of five and five of the last seven encounters.
The Lightning have dropped three straight and seven of 11 in Raleigh.
<< Sharks pay visit to Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The powerful San Jose Sharks will aim for their ninth
victory in 11 games when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks for this evening's
matchup at the United Center.
The Sharks lead the NHL with 29 points and ended a two-game
<< Blues, Canadiens tangle in St. Louis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to post back-to-back victories
for the first time in nearly a month when they host the Montreal Canadiens in
tonight's matchup at Scottrade Center.
The Blues ended a six-game losing streak thei
<< Spartans begin season of hope against visiting Vandals
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans
lift the lid on the 2008-09 season this evening, hosting the Idaho Vandals in
a non-conference clash at the Breslin Center.
Idaho won its season opener on Friday ni
<< Duke takes aim at 62nd straight non-league home win
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing for the third time in the last six days,
the eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils welcome the Rhode Island Rams to Durham for
a non-conference showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils
Hartley helps Celtic down ten-man Hamilton >>
Hamilton, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Hartley's 86th-minute goal helped
Celtic claim a 2-1 win over Hamilton at New Douglas Park on Sunday, restoring
the Hoops four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table.
The match started
Bears' Orton to start vs. Packers >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton will
start Sunday's game against Green Bay, despite an ankle injury that caused him
to miss last week's loss to Tennessee.
Orton missed last Sunday's 21-14 loss to Te
Jeev Milkha Singh rallies to win Singapore Open >>
Singapore (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeev Milkha Singh closed with a two-under 69
Sunday to come from behind and win the Singapore Open.
Singh completed the tournament at seven-under-par 277, one stroke clear of a
pair of major champions.
NFL Inactives (Sunday, November 16, 2008) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players
for today's NFL games.
DENVER BRONCOS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1:00 P.M. (ET)
Broncos - S Marlon McCree, CB Champ Bailey, RB Selvin Young, RB Alex Haynes, LB
D.J.
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting