Maple Leafs try to push win streak to four games versus Islanders

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to stretch their longest winning streak of the season to four games this evening when they visit the New York Islanders in a matchup of the two bottom teams in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto heads to New York's Nassau Coliseum after completing a perfect three- game homestand to give the club its first three-game win streak of the season. The Maple Leafs capped the residency with a 6-4 victory over the Oilers last night.

Phil Kessel scored a pair of power-play goals to go along with an assist, while Tyler Bozak added a goal and two helpers. Nikolai Kulemin scored and had an assist and both Mikhail Grabovski and Jamie Lundmark lit the lamp, while Jonas Gustavsson made 25 saves.

"We're just trying to keep it simple, play a basic hockey game," Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle said after his club went 3-for-8 on the man advantage. "Finally we used some power plays today and scored more goals."

One day after defeating the worst team in the Western Conference, the Maple Leafs visit the Islanders, who are 14th out of 15 teams in the East. Toronto, of course, is 15th and trails New York by five points in the standings.

Toronto has lost eight of its last nine on the road (1-5-3) and should turn to Jean-Sebastien Giguere in net tonight. The former Anaheim netminder has yet to face the Islanders this year and is 1-1-1 with a tie and 2.69 goals-against average versus them lifetime.

While the Islanders don't have a winning streak like the Maple Leafs, they do have a big victory under their belt. New York snapped a four-game skid last night with a 4-2 victory over the Devils, denying New Jersey a share of the Atlantic Division lead.

Freddy Meyer, Jon Sim and Mark Streit all scored for the Islanders and Dwayne Roloson stopped 38 shots for the win.

The Islanders put themselves in a hole midway through the third when defenseman Dylan Reese took a double-minor for high sticking with his club up by just a goal. However, Sean Bergenheim finished off a 2-on-1 break with Blake Comeau with a short-handed tally for a two-goal advantage.

"It was a big play," said Comeau. "They were down a goal and they were on a four-minute power play. Our penalty killing was great tonight."

It is unknown who will start in net tonight for the Islanders, who are 1-0-1 on a three-game homestand. Roloson entered the season just 1-6-0 versus the Maple Leafs, but has won two of three versus them this year while posting a 2.29 goals-against average. Martin Biron, meanwhile, is 11-11-3 with a pair of ties and 2.82 GAA versus them in his career.

Roloson's two victories over the Leafs this year includes a 58-save effort back on Nov. 23, a 4-3 overtime triumph, and after a loss at Toronto in early December, he turned aside 26 shots in a 3-1 home triumph on Dec. 23.

The Islanders have won five of their last seven at home over the Maple Leafs.

Wwwbetgameday Hockey Betting News

<< Flyers visit Rangers in Atlantic Division battle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flyers hope that they made a statement with their last- second victory on Saturday against one of the best teams in the NHL. They've already made their impression on the Rangers this season. Philadelphia visits Madison

<< Avalanche attempt to win season series versus Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to win their first season series with the Dallas Stars in five campaigns as the two clubs meet for the fourth and final time in the regular season this afternoon at American Airlines Center.

<< Predators aim to extend series win streak over Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is a chance that the Predators could visit the Kings in the postseason's opening round depending on how the Western Conference shakes down. Los Angeles would prefer that didn't happen. Currently seeded seventh in the

<< Capitals visit Blackhawks in clash of NHL powerhouses
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Capitals and Blackhawks could very well meet this year in the Stanley Cup Finals, but neither probably feels like a championship- caliber club right now. Both Washington and Chicago will try to bounce back from disappo

<< Taiwan's Tseng wins Women's Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taiwan's Yani Tseng fired a flawless seven-under 66 on Sunday to capture the Women's Australian Open. The two-time LPGA Tour winner finished four rounds on the Commonwealth course at nine-under 283

Lightning play host to Penguins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lightning are coming off a big win over the Eastern Conference's top team. They wouldn't mind posting another one versus arguably the East's second-best team. Tampa Bay will try to record just its third win in its last

Blues wrap road trip versus Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues conclude a six-game road trip this evening that has kept them in the playoff race. They do so against one of the better home teams in the league, the Minnesota Wild, at Xcel Energy Center. The Blues hav

A-10 title up for grabs as Owls take on Spiders >>
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gunning for their ninth Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title, the third in as many seasons, the 17th-ranked and top-seeded Temple Owls take the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this afternoon agai

Buckeyes battle streaking Golden Gophers for Big Ten title >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An unlikely matchup will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse, as the sixth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers will battle the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship game of the Big Ten Conference Tourna

Wildcats and Bulldogs square off for SEC crown >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The championship game of the SEC Tournament pits the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the top-seeded teams from the league's East and West Divisions, respectively. Miss

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

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.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards