Red Wings gain three-point edge on Flames

Hockey Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Holmstrom scored the game-winning goal late in the third period, as the Detroit Red Wings edged the Calgary Flames, 2-1, in a battle between two playoff-hopeful teams at Pengrowth Saddledome.

Pavel Datsyuk also scored for the Red Wings, who have won three in a row and now lead the Flames by three points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Jimmy Howard made 22 saves.

Craig Conroy lit the lamp for the Flames, who have dropped two straight following a four-game winning streak. Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 26-of-28 shots in defeat.

With the scored tied at 1-1 in the third, the Flames had a golden chance to score due to Brian Rafalski's high-sticking double minor at the 3:12 mark. Calgary failed to capitalize on the extended power play.

Holmstrom's goal with 1:19 remaining put the Red Wings ahead. Johan Franzen's slapper from the left point deflected off Holmstrom's stick and past Kiprusoff.

Calgary pulled Kiprusoff for an extra attacker, but Howard and Detroit's defense held strong to secure the victory.

"We need our power play to capitalize for us," Flames head coach Brent Sutter said. "I'm sure there are some guys disappointed but there are 13 games left which is a still lot of hockey to play. Full marks to Detroit, they played well here tonight. We've got to find ways to win tight games."

The Flames got on the board just 1:47 into the first period. The Red Wings turned the puck over while trying to clear their own zone. Nigel Dawes' shot from in close set up a rebound for Conroy, whose backhander found the back of the net.

A Steve Staios interference penalty put Detroit on the power play with 2:06 to play in the second. But just over 30 seconds into the man advantage, Flames forward Curtis Glencross was hooked from behind by Henrik Zetterberg on a breakaway. Glencross failed to capitalize on the ensuing penalty shot.

The Red Wings used the momentum from Howard's stop to score a power-play goal with just under a minute left. Datsyuk made his way into the top of the slot and fired a wrister into the upper left corner of the net to tie the game.

Game Notes

Calgary and Detroit split four games this season...The Red Wings went 1-for-1 on the power play, while the Flames went 0-for-4 on the man advantage...Detroit has won five of its past six games.

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Betting Football

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.