11/20/2008 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin registered a goal and three assists, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4, at Honda Center.
David Steckel had a goal and an assist, while Michael Nylander collected two helpers for the Capitals, who had a five-game winning streak snapped by the Devils on Saturday. Mike Green scored a goal and assisted on another before leaving in the first period with an undisclosed injury.
Jose Theodore stopped 28-of-32 shots to get the win.
Bobby Ryan contributed two goals and an assist for Anaheim, which posted a 2-3-1 record during its season-high six-game homestand. Ryan Getzlaf added a goal and an assist.
Jonas Hiller got the start for the Ducks and was pulled after he allowed three goals on six shots. Jean-Sebastien Giguere finished with 24 saves.
Despite a 14-5 edge in shots, Washington had just a one-goal lead through the opening 20 minutes.
The Capitals took advantage of an undisciplined Ducks squad and raced out to a 3-0 lead, chasing Hiller from the crease along the way.
With Anaheim blueliner Bret Hedican in the box for hooking, Green unleashed a rocket from the right point that caromed off the shaft of Tomas Fleischmann's stick in the low slot 2:19 into the contest.
Washington struck again on the power play.
Green, who made a big breakthrough in 2007-08, leading all NHL defensemen with 18 goals, scored his seventh of this season less than two minutes later. Similar to the first tally, the 2004 first-round pick let go a shot from up high, but this time the puck deflected off the hand of Anaheim's Todd Marchant and squeezed between the left arm and body of Hiller.
Looking to jump-start his lethargic team, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle switched goaltenders following Nicklas Backstrom's backhand tally. The move appeared to work, as Ryan, chosen behind Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby in the 2005 draft, put the Ducks on the board at the 7:37 mark, 24 seconds after Backstrom lit the lamp.
Washington defenseman Jeff Schultz had trouble corralling a bouncing puck at his blueline. Ryan stole the puck and made a backhand pass to Getzlaf, charging down the right side, and his wrister sailed over the shoulder of Theodore with 3:04 remaining.
Ovechkin restored a two-goal edge for Washington 2:43 into the middle stanza. While up a man, Chris Clark made a backhand pass to an uncovered Ovechkin in the left circle and he fired a low wrister past Giguere's left pad, extending his goal streak to five games.
Bradley gave the Caps a 5-2 cushion with 2:12 left in the frame.
Steckel found the back of the net midway through the third period, then Ryan countered 27 seconds later, jamming in a rebound.
Teemu Selanne's league-leading ninth power-play goal of the season trimmed the deficit to 6-4 with eight minutes remaining and Washington held on down the stretch.
Game Notes
Ovechkin has compiled six goals and eight assists over his last five games...Washington made its first trip to the Honda Center since January 13, 2006...Anaheim had won three of the last four meetings with the Caps...Washington went 3-for-8 on the power play, while the Ducks finished 1- for-5...Backstrom is riding a six-game point streak (three goals, 10 assists)...Corey Perry notched three assists for Anaheim...Washington forward Alexander Semin sat out his second straight game with an undisclosed upper- body injury.
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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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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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