Kings head east to take on Sabres
Hockey Betting Lines
12/19/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to avoid a third consecutive loss when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for this evening's interconference battle at HSBC Arena.
The Kings, who are beginning a three-game road trip tonight, recently ended a four-game homestand with a 2-0-2 mark.
Los Angeles posted back-to-back wins over St. Louis and Minnesota to begin the residency, but then lost to San Jose in a shootout this past Monday before dropping an overtime decision to the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Despite the recent losses, LA can record at least a point in five straight games for the second time this season. The Kings also pulled off the feat with a 4-0-1 record from November 4-13.
The Blueshirts took the 3-2 decision as Michal Rozsival tallied the game- winner with 1:19 left in overtime to give New York the victory at Staples Center.
Patrick O'Sullivan and Dustin Brown had goals for the Kings, who are 3-3-3 so far in December. Brown also had an assist, while Jason LaBarbera allowed three goals on 30 shots in taking the loss.
O'Sullivan extended his point streak to six games and has one goal and six helpers during the run.
The Kings are just 3-6-0 as the visiting team this season and have dropped four of their last five away from the City of Angels.
The Sabres, meanwhile, have lost two of their last three games and are coming off Wednesday's two-goal loss against visiting New Jersey. David Clarkson netted the game-winner early in the third period as the Devils topped Buffalo, 5-3, at HSBC Arena.
Drew Stafford, Patrick Kaleta and Paul Gaustad scored for the Sabres, while Ryan Miller took the loss after allowing five goals on 30 shots. Kaleta returned to the lineup after missing almost three weeks with a concussion.
Derek Roy added an assist and has now registered a point in seven straight games with three goals and six helpers over that span.
Buffalo winger Thomas Vanek, who leads the NHL with 24 goals this season, was kept off the scoresheet in Wednesday's setback. The Austrian sniper had notched a total of six goals in his five outings prior to the most-recent matchup against the Devils.
The Sabres are 8-8-1 as the host this year and have dropped two straight and three of their last four in western New York.
Los Angeles has won four of the last seven meetings with the Sabres, including an 8-2 thrashing in LA on December 6, 2007 -- the most-recent encounter between the clubs. However, the Kings have lost two straight and are just 1-8 with a tie in their previous 10 trips to Buffalo.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils kick off a four-game homestand tonight as they welcome the struggling Ottawa Senators for a meeting at the Prudential Center. The Devils ended a two-game losing streak with Wednesday's victory in Buff
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Jazz resume trek at Detroit >>
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Lakers open road trip in Miami >>
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Friday when they face the Miami Heat in South Beach.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
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 MySportsbook.com’s “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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