Malkin, Pens host surging Ducks
Hockey Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is no hotter player in the league right now than the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, who has kept his team among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference even without Sidney Crosby.
Malkin looks to continue his surge this evening and help Pittsburgh to a seventh straight home victory as it hosts the Anaheim Ducks, who are on their own successful run since a slow start to the season.
The Penguins have won the first two contests of a three-game residency to match their longest home winning streak of the season. Sunday's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay also pushed their overall mark to 11-2-1 since a six-game slide from Dec. 29-Jan. 11 and has the Pens tied with Philadelphia for second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth overall in the East with 69 points.
That comes as a bit of a surprise given that Crosby has played in just eight games since suffering a concussion last January and remains sidelined indefinitely since his brief return in late November. Malkin has picked up the offense in the captain's absence, leading the NHL with 69 points while ranking second in goals with 32.
Malkin scored twice in the win over the Lightning and just missed an empty-net goal as time expired. He has five tallies and 10 points over a five-game point streak and has logged nine goals and six helpers over an eight-game point streak at home that dates back to Jan. 7. That is tied for the second-longest such streak in club history, trailing only Mario Lemieux's 11-game run from Jan. 5-Feb. 23, 1996.
"It looks like in 2009, when Sidney went down and he kind of took over and was playing unbelievable," Pens defenseman Kris Letang said of Malkin. "But I think his game is better than it was two years ago. I think he's playing great hockey and it's the first time I've seen him being that dominate."
Both Letang and Chris Kunitz ended Sunday's win with a goal and two assists, while James Neal added three helpers. Neal now has a career high-tying 55 points on the season, while Kunitz has seven points in two games.
Brent Johnson rebounded from allowing a pair of goals to Steve Downie just 11 seconds apart in the first period to make 21 saves.
Pittsburgh is likely to go back to Marc-Andre Fleury in net this evening as it hopes to slow down streaking Anaheim. The Ducks are 4-0-2 in their past six, including 2-0-1 on a season-high eight-game road trip, and have logged points in 16 of 18 games since Jan. 6. They are 13-2-3 in that time and have moved to within eight points of the eighth seed in the West despite their 10-22-6 start that also featured a coaching change.
Anaheim is 16-11-5 since Bruce Boudreau took over on the bench for Randy Carlyle and won for the first time when trailing after two periods last night, getting third-period goals from Niklas Hagman and Corey Perry in a 2-1 win at Minnesota.
Perry, coming off a hat trick on Sunday versus Columbus, had the game-winner at 12:21 of the third and Jonas Hiller made 17 saves. The Ducks are 1-21-1 when trailing after two.
"I think the first period we didn't play our best hockey. We were a little sloppy at times and it showed, obviously," Ducks forward Jason Blake said. "That's a good hockey club over there. They fight hard and they fight to the end."
Anaheim also has points in nine of its last 10 on the road (6-1-3) and will be looking to snap a four-game slide at Pittsburgh tonight. The Ducks haven't won in the Steel City since Oct. 6, 2001 and snapped a four-game series losing streak with last year's 3-2 home win over the Pens.
Bobby Ryan scored as part of a two-point night and Saku Koivu had the game- winner for the Ducks. Crosby scored both goals for the Penguins to kick off what was eventually a 25-game point streak that came to an end just a few games before he suffered his concussion.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been a long time since the New Orleans Hornets have been able to string back-to-back wins together. Tonight, they get a chance to do just that when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks in the first of a six-game stretch away f
<< Nets aim to snap skid vs. Grizzlies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mired in their second six-game losing streak of the season,
the New Jersey Nets look to bounce back tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies
at the Prudential Center.
The Nets, who also dropped six straight games from Dec. 27
<< Kings try to stop Lin-sanity from spreading in NYC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the legend of Jeremy Lin grows, so does the confidence
level of the New York Knicks.
Lin continues to work wonders for the Knickerbockers and will lead his team
back to Madison Square Garden tonight in the opener of a f
<< Baffert goes after another Southwest at Oaklawn
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Bob Baffert has decided to start a
pair of three-year-olds in Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes on Monday led by a
Breeders' Cup race winner. The $250,000 mile race is part of the track's
Kentuck
<< Golf Course Review - The Greenbrier (Old White TPC)
White Sulphur Springs, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: Course
Architects: Charles Blair Macdonald, with Seth Raynor (1914), Lester George
(2001-06, restoration), PGA Tour Design along with McDonald and Sons (2010-11).
Year Opened: April
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia State has set its season-opening football game against South Carolina State to Thursday, Aug. 30, director of athletics Cheryl L. Levick announced Wednesday. Kickoff at the Georgia Dome is 7:30 p.m. ET
Spurs search for 9th straight win in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging San Antonio Spurs will resume a nine-game Rodeo
Road Trip tonight against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
The Spurs have won eight in a row overall and improved to 4-0 on the annual
trip following Tue
Pistons and Celtics clash at TD Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Before exiting the New England area for five straight
games, the Boston Celtics will take care of some business at home when the
Detroit Pistons pay a visit to TD Garden this evening.
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Wolves hope to get healthy against visiting Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been a history-making year thus far for the Charlotte
Bobcats. Unfortunately, it's not the type of records they'd like to be
associated with.
Tonight, Charlotte attempts to snap their franchise-record 15-game losing
Maple Leafs aim to end slide in road test with Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to end their longest
losing streak of the season when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for tonight's
battle at Rexall Place.
The Maple Leafs have lost four in a row -- all in regulation -- an
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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