Capitals' Theodore shuts out Panthers

Hockey Betting Lines

03/17/2009 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore was spectacular between the pipes, stopping 19-of-19 shots, as the Washington Capitals shut out the Florida Panthers, 3-0, at BankAtlantic Center.

Theodore improved to 28-15-4 on the year and collected his second shutout of the season. Brooks Laich, Viktor Kozlov, and Mike Green scored for the Capitals, who bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday. John Erskine tallied two helpers for Washington.

Washington defenseman Green returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with flu-like symptoms. Green leads all NHL blueliners with 25 goals.

Alex Ovechkin failed in his second chance to become the first Capitals player to ever notch three separate 50-goal seasons.

Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots in defeat for the Panthers, who have lost four straight and five of their last six games. Florida hadn't dropped four in a row since doing so from December 26-31.

Defenseman Bryan McCabe returned to the lineup for the Panthers after missing the last three games due to facial surgery required after he was hit with a puck versus St. Louis on March 7.

After a scoreless first period, Florida gained the first power play of the contest at the 4:22 mark of the second frame. But it was the Capitals that ended up scoring during the Panthers' man advantage.

Laich notched a short-handed goal at the 5:46 mark, firing a wrister from the left circle that deflected off the inside of the right post and into the net for his 18th of the year.

Florida had two more power plays in the second stanza, but failed to capitalize on either. The Panthers fired a total of five shots on goal during their three man-advantage opportunities. Florida also outshot Washington 11-6 in the period, but headed to the third period down 1-0.

After the Panthers killed off an early power play in the third, Kozlov lit the lamp for Washington to give the visitors a 2-0 lead with 17:24 remaining. Kozlov maneuvered with the puck from the left point to the left circle before snapping a wrist shot past the stick-side of Vokoun.

Green scored an empty-net goal with 1:27 remaining to ruin any hopes of a comeback for Florida.

Game Notes

Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Washington was 0-for-1 with the man advantage...The Capitals are 3-2 against the Panthers this season. The club has also won in three straight and four of its last five visits to BankAtlantic Center...The Capitals improved to 18-13-4 on the road.

Myaportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< Horford, Hawks win sixth straight with rout of Kings
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Horford scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks routed the Sacramento Kings, 119-97, at Philips Arena. Josh Smith went for 21 points and 10 boards, while Joe Johns

<< Celtics' Powe leaves game
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Celtics forward Leon Powe left Tuesday's game against the Chicago Bulls with a bruised right knee and will be re- evaluated on Wednesday. Powe was injured in the first quarter when he banged knees with C

<< James' late heroics propels Cavs past Magic
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 43 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer and two game-sealing free throws with 8.7 seconds left, to lift the Cavaliers over the Magic, 97-93, at Quicken Loans Arena. James also had

<< Morehead State moves on to face Louisville
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sophomore Kenneth Faried pulled down 21 rebounds to go with 14 points, as the Morehead State Eagles managed just enough offense to upend the Alabama State Hornets, 58-43, in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA To

<< Brodeur gets No. 552, backstopping Devils past Blackhawks
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Brodeur is now the NHL's all-time winningest netminder. Brodeur made 30 saves to help the New Jersey Devils defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2, at Prudential Center. The 36-year-old Br

Drury helps Rangers edge Habs in SO >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Drury notched the game-winner in the third round of the shootout, as the New York Rangers clipped Montreal, 4-3, at the Bell Centre. After Montreal's Andrei Markov began the round with a goal to tie

Ottawa uses three power-play goals to down Buffalo >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Bell scored two of the three Ottawa power-play goals as the Senators held off the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2, at Scotiabank Place. Daniel Alfredsson chipped in with a goal and an assist, while

Malkin's five-point effort carries Pens over Thrashers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin recorded a five-point outing and eclipsed the 100-point plateau for the season, as the surging Pittsburgh Penguins ended Atlanta's longest winning streak in franchise history at six games w

Mitchell leads Leafs past Lightning in SO >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Mitchell scored the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout, as the Toronto Maple Leafs erased a three-goal deficit, rallying to win 4-3 over Tampa Bay at St. Pete Times Forum. Mitchell also

Wild get by Avs in SO >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Schultz tied the game late in the third period and Marek Zidlicky netted the deciding goal in the shootout, as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, at Xcel Energy Center. Stephan

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.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard