Bruins hope to get on track versus Capitals

Hockey Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins hope to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season this afternoon as they visit a Washington Capitals club that has its eyes set on first place in the Southeast Division.

The Bruins haven't been very impressive in February's early goings, getting blanked 3-0 by the Hurricanes on Thursday before suffering a 2-1 setback to the Penguins yesterday. It marks the first time since Dec. 6-8 that the Northeast Division leaders have lost consecutive games.

Joe Corvo scored and Tim Thomas made 26 saves for Boston, which has lost three of four and owns a five-point edge over Ottawa in the division. The Bruins are also three back of the New York Rangers for the most in the Eastern Conference, but will look to avoid dropping three in a row for the first time since Oct. 22-29.

"You got to start building on the positive and I thought tonight our effort was better and our focus was better," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. "There was a couple of areas, again, that we need to continue to improve on but if our guys go out [Sunday] and give that same effort we're going to turn this around."

Boston will play two straight and eight of its next 10 on the road and remains without Nathan Horton, who has sat out four straight due to a mild concussion.

The Capitals return home to begin a three-game residency after snapping a four-game skid on the road with Saturday's 3-0 triumph in Montreal. Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves for his third shutout of the season and 47th of his career.

Vokoun blanked the Canadiens for the first time in his career and played the majority of the game with just a one-goal lead before Matt Hendricks and Alexander Semin found the back of the net in the third to create some breathing room.

Defenseman Dennis Wideman, who scored in the first, praised his goaltender for preserving the slim edge.

"[The Canadiens] took the game in the second (period), but (Vokoun) made some great saves and kept it 1-0," the Washington defenseman said. Montreal outshot the Capitals 10-3 during the middle stanza.

Washington, which had dropped four of five overall coming in, welcomed Alex Ovechkin back to the lineup as it pulled to within one point of idle Florida for the top spot in the Southeast Division. Ovechkin had been suspended for three games for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh's Zbynek Michalek on Jan. 22 and logged a shot and three hits in just under 20 minutes of ice time.

The Caps moved to 9-14-3 on the road this year and now return home, where they are 18-6-1 on the season and have won eight of nine.

The Bruins took three of four from the Capitals a season ago, but Washington drew first blood in this year's four-game series with a 5-3 home win on Jan. 24 that featured the first hat trick of Mathieu Perreault's career.

Boston has lost two straight and seven of its past nine in Washington.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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