Panthers welcome Preds to Sunrise

Hockey Betting Lines

12/23/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams coming off shutout wins get together tonight, as the Florida Panthers play host to the Nashville Predators at BankAtlantic Center.

The Panthers began a three-game homestand on Sunday with a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Tomas Vokoun halted all 23 shots faced for his second shutout of the season and 27th of his career.

Brett McLean netted his first goal of the season and Richard Zednik also scored for Florida, which snapped a two-game skid but is still 7-2-1 over its last 10 outings. Bryan McCabe added an empty-net power-play goal to seal it.

The victory was just the Panthers' second in their last five home games, and they are 7-4-2 as the host this year. Florida wraps this three-game residency on Friday versus Tampa Bay.

Vokoun, who played eight seasons in Nashville, will likely try for his first career win versus the Predators tonight, as he lost his only other start against them by allowing four goals on 33 shots faced. However, he is 3-0-1 in his last six outings this year with a 1.91 goals against average.

Despite making eight fewer starts than Vokoun this year, Predators backup netminder Pekka Rinne posted his third shutout of not only his career, but this month in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders.

Rinne halted 23 shots in his first appearance since suffering his first loss of the season on December 8. He improved to 7-1-0 with a 2.31 GAA and .912 save percentage in 10 starts this year.

Vernon Fiddler scored the game's only goal in the first period with Martin Erat and Rich Peverley notching the assists. Nashville managed just one goal in a game for the fourth time in its last five contests, but is still 2-2-1 in that span.

Jason Arnott played in his 1,000th career game on Saturday and leads Nashville with 13 goals this season. However, he hasn't scored in any of his last eight contests and has just two assists in that span.

Nashville has lost its last three on the road and is 7-9-2 as the visiting club this year.

The Predators have won two straight over the Panthers, including last year's 3-2 home shootout victory. Nashville is 1-3 with a tie all-time in Florida.

Rinne stopped 24-of-26 shots faced in beating the Panthers this year in his only other career start against them, while Dan Ellis is also 1-0-0 all-time against them.

Ganespot Hockey Betting News

<< The Top 10 Bowl Best Bets (Part Two)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most of the "must-see" bowl games arrive after New Year's Eve, beginning with five games on New Year's Day followed by six more before the BCS Championship contest on January 8. However, there is one ma

<< Caps visit Rangers in battle of first-place clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try to rebound from a lopsided loss when they visit the New York Rangers for tonight's battle between first- place teams at Madison Square Garden. The Capitals, who lead the Southeast Division

<< Streaking Maple Leafs tangle with Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly-hot Toronto Maple Leafs will aim for a sixth victory in seven games when they welcome the Dallas Stars for tonight's interconference matchup at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs earned their second straight b

<< Hoping to halt slide at 10, Isles host Thrashers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders will try to avoid a 10th consecutive loss when they host the Atlanta Thrashers tonight at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders, who are tied with Tampa Bay for last place in the Eastern Conference, have y

<< Kings try to snap skid in road test with Blue Jackets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to avoid their fifth consecutive loss tonight when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets for a battle at Nationwide Arena. The Kings have lost four straight on the heels of a two-game winning

Coyotes visit Avs in Denver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After having a six-game point streak halted, the Phoenix Coyotes get right back to work tonight in a road test against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Coyotes entered last night's game with Edmonton having

Kiprusoff, Flames welcome Ducks to town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a slow start to the season, Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff is helping his team climb up the standings. Calgary will try to rebound tonight against the Anaheim Ducks at Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames lost four of

Bulls open trek against Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Central Division rivals meet Tuesday in Auburn Hills when the Chicago Bulls kick off a four-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. The Bulls come in on a winning note after Ben Gordon scored 26 p

'Canes resume swing in Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Minnesota, where they will take on the Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center. Carolina began the swing with a loss in Boston on Saturday and then allow

Lakers, Hornets square off in the Big Easy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers conclude a tough four-game road trip Tuesday when they arrive in the Big Easy to face the New Orleans Hornets. The Lakers improved to 1-2 on the trek Monday in Memphis

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.