Lightning escape Verizon Center with win over Caps

Hockey Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Walker had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning got a big win in a 3-2 decision over the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

Vincent Lecavalier and Brandon Bochenski each had goal for the Lightning, who had dropped seven of eight coming in. Antero Niittymaki made 28 stops in the win.

It is a big two points for Tampa Bay as the team now has 68 and sits four points back of Boston for the final playoff seed in the East.

Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich each had a goal for the Capitals, who had won four of their previous five. Alex Ovechkin had two assists while Semyon Varlamov made 24 stops.

Washington came into the game having been crowned the Southeast Division champions on Thursday. Despite not playing, the Caps won the division for the third straight year thanks to Atlanta's loss to Columbus.

The Capitals opened the scoring with a power-play tally as Ovechkin fired a pass through the seam from the left point over to the right side where Fleischmann one-timed it home.

Tampa, though, tied it with 48.9 seconds left in the opening frame as Bochenski lasered the puck into the left corner from the right circle for his second goal of the season.

The Lightning took a 2-1 lead with 8:30 left in the second. A left circle faceoff win saw the puck come back to Stephane Veilleux, who left a drop pass for Walker's one-timer past Varlamov.

It was a 3-1 game when Walker fired a shot from the right point that went off of Lecavalier and in. It was initially ruled to not be a goal as the official thought that Lecavalier hit it with a high stick, but the replay showed that it went off Lecavalier and he was awarded his 19th goal of the season.

Niittymaki was solid in the second period as his 14 saves helped the team take a two-goal lead into the break.

Skating on the man advantage, the Caps made it a one-goal game with 8:51 to play. A Mike Green wrist shot from the high slot was re-directed by Laich in front of the net. Niittymaki was there to make the save, but Laich put home the rebound for his 21st goal of the season.

Game Notes

Fleischmann's goal was his 20th of the season, a new career high...Tampa Bay hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday...Washington hits the road for four games beginning in Chicago on Sunday...Despite the loss, Washington has taken 14 of the last 16 games against Tampa...Washington went 2-for-4 on the power play while Tampa was 0-for-1.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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