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02/18/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was the same-old story for the Kings' offense last time out, but another lackluster effort tonight could cost Los Angeles a hold on a playoff spot.
The Kings try to avoid a sixth loss in eight games this evening as they battle the Calgary Flames.
Los Angeles has struggled on offense all season, currently sitting last in the NHL with 120 goals. Those woes continued on Thursday in a 1-0 loss to Phoenix, the seventh time this season that the Kings were shutout. More importantly, it dropped them into a tie with the Coyotes for the final two playoff spots in the West with 65 points, just two more than the ninth-place Flames.
Though the Kings are just four points behind the Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division, they are only four points ahead of the 11th-place Stars in the West.
Los Angeles lost by a 1-0 margin for the second time in seven games and fourth time this season. It has lost three of four and five of seven, falling on Thursday despite 20 saves from Jonathan Quick.
"You have to score goals to win games and obviously we're not doing that right now," said Los Angeles forward Anze Kopitar. "It's nothing new here, we've been doing this all season long."
Kings forward Jarret Stoll has been out since last Saturday with a lower-body injury, but could return tonight.
The Flames will hope to keep the Kings' offense in check again tonight after extending their point streak to seven games in a row on Thursday. Calgary is 4-0-3 in that span to get within two points of a playoff spot, tough it trails first-place Vancouver by 15 points in the Northwest Division.
The Flames dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Stars on Thursday. Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri had the goals and Miikka Kiprusoff came up with 29 saves.
"We had some chances in the third period and we're able to stick with it," said Iginla. "It's an important point to get here, but it would have been better to get both of them."
The Kings and Flames have split two meetings so far this year, with Calgary halting a four-game series losing streak with a 2-1 shootout at Los Angeles on Jan. 19. That win also ended the Flames' three-game slide in LA.
<< Refreshed Canucks tangle with Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks have been keeping pace for the best
record in the league, but used a lot of extra energy to do so. That made
Wednesday's regulation win that much more refreshing.
The Northwest Division-leading Canuck
<< With an eye on first place, Capitals visit Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals picked up a much-needed win over
the Southeast Division leaders last night. Another victory against a division
rival this evening would next land them a share of first place.
The Caps hope to avoid
<< Moving on up: Hurricanes try to stay hot against Islanders
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Their longest point streak of the season has the Hurricanes
on the verge of getting out of the Eastern Conference basement. Avoiding a
season series sweep this evening at the hands of the Islanders could also have
the team th
<< Blues play host to sliding Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to continue their home success
when they host the sliding Minnesota Wild in today's matinee battle at
Scottrade Center.
The Blues have been nearly unbeatable on home ice all season long, postin
Hawks take their swings at Blazers in Rip City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will resume their five-game road trip in
Rip City tonight against the struggling Portland Trail Blazers.
After opening their trek with a loss to the Lakers, the Hawks rebounded by
winning a 101-99
Grizzlies welcome Warriors to FedEx Forum >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies barely escaped with a victory last
night versus Denver after blowing a commanding 23-point lead, and now look to
extend their winning streak to four games when the Golden State Warriors take
a walk
Bulls, Nets collide in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even if reigning MVP Derrick Rose is unable to go today
for the Chicago Bulls, the current Central Division leaders still have a
decent shot at topping the New Jersey Nets at the United Center.
Rose has missed f
Surging Spurs resume trek against Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It appears life on the road is beginning to get a lot
easier for the surging San Antonio Spurs, as they continue an unblemished
Rodeo Road Trip Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
The S
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
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.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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