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"It's a typical game for us where we start out good then mistakes kill us," said Columbus head coach Scott Arniel. "Instead of us making the plays it was them making the plays. We created chances, but they capitalized on theirs and we didn't."
Columbus will close December with two of three games on home ice before beginning the new year on a four-game road trip. The Blue Jackets are 6-10-2 on home ice compared to a 3-12-2 mark as the guest.
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber has been diagnosed with a concussion. The standout defenseman was injured last Friday at Dallas. The team posted on its Twitter account Tuesday that Weber "will be evaluated on a daily basis with no timetable on his return."
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Detroit Red Wing forward Johnny Wilson has died. He was 82. Wilson was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit in the 1950's. He had 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 NHL games with the Red Wings, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs and Rangers.
He is the uncle of current Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson.
Liles was already suffering from a neck injury apparently suffered when he absorbed a hit from Sabres forward Paul Gaustad last Thursday.
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues activated forward B.J. Crombeen from injured reserve on Tuesday, paving the way for his first action this season. Crombeen totaled seven goals and 14 points with 154 penalty minutes in 80 games a season ago for St. Louis, but has missed all 35 contests after fracturing his left shoulder in the Blues' final preseason game.
The 24-year-old did not record a point in 24 appearances this year.
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla scored his 498th career goal in regulation and netted the only score of the shootout, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 2-1 victory over the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets. Iginla's power-play marker three minutes into the third period tied the game, and moved him within two goals of becoming the 42nd player in NHL history to reach the 500-goal plateau.
Brassard's marker came just seconds after a Columbus power play ran out. He collected the puck in the right circle and fired a wrister that got through traffic at 12:02.
ST. Louis Backs Shot For Side >>
LA Russa Against Verlander Pujols >>
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.
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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