Ovechkin's red-hot Caps host Crosby and Pens
Hockey Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hottest team in the NHL will take on the defending
Stanley Cup champions today when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals
welcome Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins for an Eastern Conference showdown
at Verizon Center.
The Capitals won their 13th consecutive game Friday night, extending the
franchise-record winning streak with a triumph over visiting Atlanta.
Washington comes into today with 86 points, placing the Caps one point ahead
of San Jose for the most in the NHL.
Pittsburgh, which ousted Washington in last spring's conference semifinals en
route to the Stanley Cup, has lost two of its last three games and is coming
off Saturday's loss in Montreal. The Penguins have 71 points and are three
behind New Jersey for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Capitals have won the only meeting with Pittsburgh this season, notching a
6-3 victory in the Steel City on January 21. Ovechkin had two goals and an
assist to lead Washington, while Crosby had a goal for the Pens.
Ovechkin has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 17 career games against
Pittsburgh and Crosby has nine goals and 18 assists in 16 appearance versus
the Caps.
Washington has taken five of the last seven regular-season matchups with the
Penguins, but Pittsburgh has eight wins in its last 12 trips to D.C.
The Caps recorded a 5-2 victory Friday against the Thrashers, improving
Washington's record this year against Southeast Division opponents to 13-2-0.
Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and assist for the Caps, who
hold a 25-point lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the Southeast.
Michal Neuvirth made 43 saves in the victory, as Washington became the first
NHL club to win 13 in a row since the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils did so. The
1992-93 Penguins were the last club to win 14 in a row when they set an NHL
record with 17 consecutive victories from March 9-April 10, 1993.
"We want to win, but the most important thing is wins in the future," Ovechkin
said. "Right now we keep winning, but we'll think about the playoffs and we'll
think about what we have to do better in the playoffs."
Alexander Semin and Jason Chimera scored 68 seconds apart in the third period,
while Mike Green scored on an empty net to secure the game for Washington,
which hasn't lost since January 12.
Washington has won 10 straight on home ice and can set a new club record for
consecutive home wins tonight. The Capitals, who will play their next four
games on the road, are 22-3-3 as the host this year.
The Penguins were dealt a 5-3 loss by the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.
Brian Gionta recorded two goals and one assist to lead Montreal to the home
victory.
Evgeni Malkin posted a goal and one assist for the Penguins, who had won four
of five coming in. Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis added scores as well.
Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in the third period after allowing four
goals on 28 shots. Brent Johnson finished the contest by yielding one score on
four shots.
Pittsburgh, which is 18-12-0 as the guest this year, will begin a four-game
homestand Wednesday against the New York Islanders.
On the injury front, Pens forward Chris Kunitz, out since January 3 due to
abdominal surgery, has resumed practicing and could be back in the lineup as
soon as today. The 30-year-old has produced six goals and 14 assists in 30
games this season.
<< Magic and Celtics renew rivalry in Beantown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The latest round of what is quickly becoming one of the
best rivalries in the Eastern Conference takes place at TD Garden this
afternoon as the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics host the Southeast's
top squad, the Orla
<< Raptors host reeling Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home cooking figures to be key this afternoon as the
Toronto Raptors shoot for their seventh consecutive win at Air Canada Centre
against a Sacramento Kings team aiming to avoid an 11th straight road loss.
The Raptors open
<< Buckeyes host Hawkeyes in Big Ten action
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will
attempt to complete the regular-season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes when the two
meet in Columbus today for a Big Ten Conference clash.
Iowa is in desperate need of a vic
<< Third-ranked Orange clash with Bearcats in Big East battle
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Off to their best start ever, the third-
ranked Syracuse Orange take their show on the road today to tangle with the
Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East clash at Fifth Third Arena.
On Tuesday, the Orange squas
<< Lopez ends lengthy title drought
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Feliciano Lopez of Spain beat
France's Stephane Robert in Sunday's final at the SA Tennis Open.
Lopez, the third seed, defeated Robert 7-5, 6-1 in just over an hour to win
his second career
Canadiens invite struggling Bruins to Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid tying the longest
losing streak in franchise history when they visit the rival Montreal
Canadiens for today's Northeast Division clash at Bell Centre.
The Bruins have gone the last 10 ga
England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying >>
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying
after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group.
Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside
England and Wales ah
Stricker six clear after three rounds at Riviera >>
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker polished off a five-
under 66 Sunday and stretched his lead to six strokes after three rounds of
the Northern Trust Open.
Stricker, who led by five entering the day, carded a p
Italy tops Ukraine in Fed Cup quarters >>
Kharkiv, Ukraine (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesca Schiavone rallied from a set
down to beat Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine and help defending champion Italy
secure a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals.
Schiavone defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 2
Czechs win doubles match to advance in Fed Cup >>
Brno, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Czech Republic reached the
semifinals of the Fed Cup after disposing Germany in the decisive doubles
match.
The tandem of Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke defeated Anna-Lena Groenefe
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NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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