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02/16/2012 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Connolly scored the game-winning goal just 1:39 into the overtime period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.
Joffrey Lupul collected the disc in the defensive zone and raced up the left wing on a 3-on-1. Lupul held the puck until he got to the circle and feathered a pass over to Connolly, who easily tapped it in for the winner.
Lupul, Matthew Lombardi and Jake Gardiner all scored in regulation for the Leafs, who snapped a season-high four-game losing streak. James Reimer made 29 saves in the victory.
Ben Eager, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle lit the lamp for the Oilers, who had their four-game winning streak on home ice snapped. Nikolai Khabibulin was tagged for all four goals on 26 shots in defeat.
The Leafs wasted no time opening the scoring, finding the back of the net just 40 seconds into the contest.
Phil Kessel gained the blue line on the rush and cut to the slot before dropping it off for Lupul, who ripped a quick wrister past the glove side of Khabibulin.
Toronto extended its lead to 2-0 just 58 seconds later when Cody Franson sent a pass right up the middle to Lombardi at the blue line and the veteran center went in on Khabibulin and buried a backhander.
The Oilers cut the deficit to 2-1 54 seconds later after Lennart Petrell chased down a loose puck behind the net and swung it out front to Eager, who fired it into an empty cage.
Edmonton knotted the game at two at 8:15 of the second period when Hall drove hard to the net and was rewarded with a nice pass from Sam Gagner before redirecting it past Reimer from in close.
The Leafs retook the lead with a power-play tally at 6:46 of the third period after Clarke MacArthur backhanded a pass off the left wing wall right to Gardiner, who one-timed it past Khabibulin from the point.
Edmonton, though, fought back to tie things at three with 4:04 to play in regulation after Eberle fought off two checkers in the slot and fired a perfect wrister high over the left shoulder of Reimer and just under the crossbar.
"We had a slow start but came back hard and played a good game," Eager said. "We had our chances to win, but unfortunately couldn't convert."
Game Notes
Toronto completed a season sweep of the Oilers after taking the first game of the series, 6-3 on February 6...It was Connolly's first goal since January 5...The Leafs improved to 4-3 in overtime...Toronto is 19-3-0 when leading after the first period...The Oilers finished 0-for-2 with the man advantage, while the Leafs were 1-for-3 on the power play...Toronto will face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, while Edmonton will host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
<< Hawks edge Suns behind Smith's big night
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Smith scored 30 points and grabbed 17
rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off a run in the final minute to best the
Phoenix Suns, 101-99, at US Airways Center.
Willie Green added 20 points, Jeff Te
<< T'Wolves keep Bobcats on the skids
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Love posted 30 points and 18 rebounds
and Nikola Pekovic added 21 and 11, as the Timberwolves sent the spiraling
Bobcats to a 16th straight defeat in a 102-90 decision at Target Center.
The Bobca
<< Mavericks cruise at home over Nuggets
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shawn Marion had 16 points and 10 rebounds and
the Dallas Mavericks led by as many as 31 on the way to a 102-84 win over the
Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Vince Carter chipped in 15 points, Lamar Odom
<< Seguin lifts Bruins over Canadiens in SO
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Seguin scored the winner in the shootout
as Boston took a 4-3 win over Montreal at Bell Centre.
Boston had blown a two-goal lead in the third, but Seguin scored on the second
chance of the shootout when
Blazers steal one from Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford made the game-winning free
throws in the final minute, as the Trail Blazers survived a seesaw battle with
the Warriors, 93-91, at Oracle Arena.
Gerald Wallace chipped in 24 points, Nico
New Mexico downs No. 13 San Diego State >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kendall Williams had 21 points, Drew Gordon
scored 17 with 17 rebounds and New Mexico beat No. 13 San Diego State, 77-67,
on Wednesday night to take sole possession of first place in the Mountain West
Confere
Clippers continue dominance of Wizards >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake Griffin had 23 points and 15 rebounds
and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Washington Wizards for the seventh time
in a row, 102-84, on Wednesday night.
Caron Butler added 21 points and Chris Paul s
Roddick survives scare in San Jose; Monfils withdraws >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Roddick was taken to three sets by
fellow American Denis Kudla Wednesday before ultimately prevailing 6-7 (5-7),
7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in second-round action at the $531,000 SAP Open.
Third-seeded Milos
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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