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05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two seeds in the West will begin their battle for the conference title today, when the San Jose Sharks host the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at HP Pavilion.
The top-seeded Sharks enter this best-of-seven series after an impressive performance in Round 2. San Jose ousted two-time defending conference champion Detroit in five games to deny the Red Wings a fourth straight trip to the West finals.
San Jose, which also beat Colorado in the opening round of this year's playoffs, is in the conference finals for just the second time in club history. The Sharks lost at this stage to Calgary in the 2004 Western Conference finals.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are participating in their second straight conference finals and are hoping to make their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1992. Chicago lost in five games to Detroit in last year's West finals.
Chicago needed six games to defeat each of its opponents in this year's postseason. The Blackhawks sent Nashville packing in Round 1 before ousting Vancouver in the conference semifinals for the second straight year.
After allowing the likes of Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi to carry the offensive load in Round 1, the Sharks formidable top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley dominated the Red Wings in the conference semifinals. This was especially true of the centerman Thornton, who had just three assists against the Avalanche, but rebounded with three goals and five assists in the Detroit series.
Marleau had two goals and two assists in Round 2 to give him seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in these playoffs. Heatley has 11 points (2g, 9a) in the 2010 postseason after notching two goals and five helpers in the West semis.
Still, Pavelski is leading all Sharks this postseason in goals (9), points (15) and plus-minus (7).
Although players like Thornton, Heatley, Marleau and Pavelski have grabbed the headlines for San Jose this spring, the club has really shined defensively and in goal during these playoffs. In fact, with an average of 2.54 goals surrendered per game (28 goals in 11 games), the Sharks have been the hardest team to score against in this postseason.
Credit for San Jose's stingy play is shared between goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and a solid defensive corps that includes steady veterans like Dan Boyle and Rob Blake.
After going 2-4 with a 2.82 goals-against average and a dreadful .890 save percentage in last year's embarrassing first-round exit against Anaheim, Nabokov has rebounded nicely in the spring of 2010. The Russian backstop is 8-3 with a 2.43 GAA and .907 save percentage and was excellent in the Detroit series, playing a key role in all four of his team's wins -- each of which came by just one goal.
One of the primary strengths of Chicago is the club's ability to get scoring from all over its roster. The Blackhawks have four players with double-digit point totals during the 12 games in this postseason and 14 different skaters have scored at least one goal for Joel Quenneville's club.
Chicago's top line may not be as heralded as San Jose's trio of Thornton, Heatley and Marleau, but Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien still make up one of the league's most-feared units.
Toews, Chicago's 22-year-old captain, is having a fantastic postseason with an NHL-leading 20 points (6g, 14a). Although primarily known as a playmaking centerman, Toews showed his goal-scoring skills with a hat trick in Game 4 against the Canucks. He enters the conference finals with points in his last nine games.
Kane is leading the Blackhawks with seven goals in the playoffs and is second to Toews with 15 points.
Chicago's second line features a pair of double-digit playoff scorers in Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, who have notched 14 and 10 points, respectively. Of course, Hossa has been on the losing team in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals, skating with Pittsburgh in 2008 and Detroit in '09.
The Blackhawks also boast tremendous defensive depth with Team Canada members Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook leading the way at the back end.
Seabrook is leading all Chicago blueliners with eight points (2g, 6a) in the postseason, while Keith, who has a goal and five assists, is averaging a team- high 27 minutes, 2 seconds of ice time per game. Keith is also one of three finalists for this year's Norris Trophy.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, Brian Campbell and Brent Sopel also see considerable ice time on the Chicago blue line.
The Blackhawks' main concern still seems to be in net, but Antti Niemi has gone a long way towards correcting that perception during this postseason.
Niemi entered the 2009-10 season with just three games at the NHL level, but still outplayed Cristobal Huet for the No. 1 job. The Finnish netminder has been able to carry that success into the playoffs so far, going 8-4 with a 2.57 GAA and .909 save percentage in 12 games.
This series will mark the first-ever playoff meeting between the Sharks and Blackhawks, but Chicago had the upper hand in the 2009-10 season series, taking three out of four from San Jose.
Keith had the most points out of any player on either team during the season series between Chicago and the Sharks, posting seven assists. Hossa, Brouwer and Kane each had five points over the four games. Pavelski and Heatley led the Sharks with five points apiece, while Thornton added four.
Huet started all four games against San Jose this year, while Niemi has never seen action against the Sharks. Nabokov was 1-1 with a lofty 3.78 GAA against Chicago this year, but is 14-6-3 with two ties in 26 career appearances against the Blackhawks.
The Sharks have been excellent on home ice all year long, going 5-1 as the host in the playoffs and 27-6-8 at the Shark Tank during the regular season.
Chicago has been better on the road than at home in the postseason, going 5-1 as the guest compared to a 3-3 mark at United Center. The Blackhawks were 23-14-4 away from the Windy City in the regular season.
Game 2 of this series is scheduled for Tuesday in San Jose.
<< Blue Jays go for fourth consecutive win in finale with Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting the longest current win streak in the American
League, the Toronto Blue Jays try to make it four in a row this afternoon as
they entertain the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game set at the
Rogers Centre.
<< Celtics and Magic kick off East finals in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics were able to put the NBA's best player,
LeBron James, in the rear view mirror and are now moving on to the Eastern
Conference finals for the second time in three years.
Things don't figure to get any eas
<< Triesman set to leave 2018 World Cup post
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reports claim Lord Triesman is set to step
down as chairman of the England 2018 World Cup bid following his suggestion
that Spain were attempting to bribe referees at this summer's World Cup.
In comment
<< Capello commits future to England
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach Fabio Capello has committed his
future to England until after the next European Championship in 2012.
Under the terms of the contract the Italian signed in December 2007, Capello
or the Footba
Orioles aim to rebound in rubber match against Indians >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their three-game win streak now history, the Baltimore
Orioles try to work their way back into the win column this afternoon as they
close out a three-game set with the Cleveland Indians at Camden Yards.
After holding
A rare catch: Marlins try for first four-game home sweep of Mets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Mets are starting to shake things up in an effort
to halt their current skid, the Marlins have been taking advantage of the
club's struggles on the road.
Florida will try for its first ever four-game sweep at hom
First place in NL Central on the line in Cards-Reds finale >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds can end the weekend in first place in
the National League Central Division with a defeat of the visiting St. Louis
Cardinals in the finale of their three-game series today at Great American
Ball Park.
Rays close out series with Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top team in the American League tries to put some more
distance between itself and the rest of the AL East today as the Tampa Bay
Rays settle in for the finale of a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners
at Tropicana
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
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Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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