10/10/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals enter the 2008-09 campaign as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and will kick off the new season tonight against the Southeast Division-rival Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.
Last year's MVP Alexander Ovechkin is back for another year and the young Russian will once again lead head coach Bruce Boudreau's club. Ovechkin signed a big contract last year and earned every penny with 65 goals and 47 assists for 112 points for the Capitals, who finished first in the Southeast Division with 94 points and a 43-31-3 record before losing to Philadelphia in the opening round of the playoffs.
Ovechkin has been battling a sore leg but is not expected to miss Washington's season opener. He reportedly left practice early because of the problem. Not only did Ovechkin bring home the Hart Trophy for league MVP, he also won the Art Ross Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award. Ovechkin owns 20 goals and 20 assists in 24 career games against Atlanta.
Center Nicklas Backstrom is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and finished with 14 goals and a team-high 55 assists for 69 points. Backstrom was a finalist for the Calder Trophy. Center Michael Nylander is back at full strength after missing most of last season with a torn rotator cuff. He had 11 goals and 26 assists. Right wing Alexander Semin was out early in the season because of a bad back but returned to post 26 goals and 16 assists (42 points).
Washington added veteran goaltender Jose Theodore in the offseason to provide solidarity between the pipes now that both Cristobal Huet and Olie Kolzig are gone. Theodore went 28-21-3 with a 2.44 goals-against average for the Colorado Avalanche last season and is 11-4-0 with a 2.22 GAA in 16 games versus the Thrashers.
New head coach John Anderson will try to turn around an Atlanta club that went 34-40-8 a season ago. The Thrashers were one year removed from their first- ever playoff appearance last season and failed to meet expectations in 2007-08. Anderson, though, needs more than star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk to produce on the offensive end. Kovalchuk had 52 points and 35 assists last season while next highest scorer, Marian Hossa, moved with Pittsburgh during the season to pursue a championship. Hossa didn't get one with the Penguins, then signed with defending-champion Detroit. Center Erik Christensen was added to the roster after the trade-deadline deal that shipped Hossa to Pittsburgh.
Veteran center Marty Reasoner is expected to boost leadership in the locker room for the Thrashers, who acquired veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider from Anaheim in the offseason. Rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian is predicted to make an immediate impact on an Atlanta defensive that suffered mightily last season. Forward Jason Williams was added during the offseason after notching 13 goals with Chicago last season. After a career-low 17 goals in 2007-08, left wing Slava Kozlov should help Kovalchuk in the scoring department.
Atlanta goaltenders Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg will battle it out this season, but Anderson has noted he would like to see Lehtonen make at least 60 starts this season. Lehtonen went 17-22-5 with four shutouts and a 2.90 GAA in 48 games last season. Hedberg appeared in 36 contests and compiled a 14-15-3 mark with a shutout and a 3.46 goals-against average.
Washington and Atlanta each split eight meetings last year, but the Capitals have won the last two matchups.
<< Predators, Blues to begin season with Central clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Nashville Predators are to make the postseason for a
fifth straight season, they will likely have to do so without one of their top
performers from a year ago.
Minus Alexander Radulov, Nashville begins its 2008-09
<< Sharks open promising season at home vs. Blue Jackets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One season after a surprising march to the Western
Conference finals, the Dallas Stars open up their 2008-09 campaign with a home
test versus the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center.
The Stars ended
<< Phils try to go two up on Dodgers in NLCS
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia tries to take a two games to none lead in the
National League Championship Series this afternoon when it plays Game 2 against
the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia drew first blood in the
<< Upstart Rays welcome Red Sox to the Trop for start of ALCS
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will battle for the
right to represent the American League at the World Series, as the best-of-
seven ALCS gets underway this evening at Tropicana Field.
While the defending world ch
Rangers return to New York to host Blackhawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers are back in North America for their
official home debut of the 2008-09 season, as they welcome the Chicago
Blackhawks to Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts opened the regular season w
Devils kick off season at home vs. Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year, New Jersey didn't have a home game until October
27, but the Devils will begin their 2008-09 schedule at the Prudential Center
as they welcome the New York Islanders to Newark for an Atlantic Division
battle.
Browns TE Winslow hospitalized >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns starting tight end Kellen
Winslow was hospitalized Thursday night with an undisclosed illness, head
coach Romeo Crennel stated on Friday.
Winslow, who missed Thursday's practice, is
CFL Previews - Week 16 (October 10-13) >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (4-10) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5-9)
DATE & TIME: Friday, October 10th, 7:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: This is a crucial game for both teams.
Heading into this contest, Winnipeg hol
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.
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