Leafs-Oilers not what it used to be

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was a time when the Edmonton Oilers playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on a Saturday night was a glittering affair.

In the 1980s, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Co. would come in to Maple Leaf Gardens and dismantle the Leafs, as they did most other teams, but it was OK because it was a chance for fans to see the Brantford-born Gretz and his fast- skatin', high-scorin' teammates up close.

There was a buzz in the air, scalpers were giddy with the outrageous premiums they received for even their lousiest ducats, and transplanted Albertans living in Toronto could rejoice as their team stuck it to the self-absorbed, big-city Leaf lovers.

These days, not so much.

Only the truly puck pious - and there are many in Leafs (Abomi-)Nation - could get excited about Saturday's matchup pitting the NHL's 29th-place team (Leafs) against the 30th-place team (Oilers). Only the Boston Bruins, who hold Toronto's first-round pick in each of the next two entry drafts, could muster excitement for this clunker.

That said, the storyline was Pat Quinn coaching his first game for another NHL team in Toronto since the Leafs fired him following the 2005-06 season. Not surprisingly, the barrel-chested Irishman was featured in a welcome-back video during the first period. It was a nice touch, but the Leafs will likely do a welcome-back video for Jamal Mayers and Matt Stajan, too, so there you go. And don't rule out a Pavel Kubina bobblehead at some point.

CROSS-CANADA CHECK-UP

MONTREAL CANADIENS: The Montreal Canadiens are hot. The Habs have won 10 of their last 14 games and eight of those victories have been backstopped by Jaroslav Halak. Nothing like a goaltending controversy to send the always-rabid Montreal hockey media into a full, salivating frenzy. Will Halak stay? Will he go? Will Carey Price be traded? Who knows? Who cares? As long as the Canadiens keep winning, fans will love them - win or tie.

OTTAWA SENATORS: From mid-January to the Olympic break, the Sens won an amazing 14 of 16 games, which made my good friend Brett very, very happy. You see, he is a lifelong Sens fan, and I'm not sure he's ever fully recovered from the 2007 Stanley Cup final and Ottawa's less-than-stellar performance in a five- game series loss. Since the Olympic break ended, however, the Sens have lost five of six. In those six games, Ottawa has scored eight goals. The team has scored more than one goal in only one of those six games since the medals were presented. Jonathan Cheechoo, after scoring 56 goals in 2005-06, had five in 61 games this season before being dispatched to AHL Binghamton on the eve of the Olympics. In 13 games with the Baby Sens, Cheech has four goals and four assists.

CALGARY FLAMES: The Flaming C's have won five of six games as bronze-medal- winning goalie Miikka Kiprusoff continues his mule-like workload with apparently few negative effects. The Flames are now one point behind Detroit for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Anyone else wondering if there is just a wee bit of awkwardness between Canucks teammates and Olympians Roberto Luongo (Canada) and Ryan Kesler (USA)? And is teammate Pavol Demitra (Slovakia) looking at Kesler and saying, "If it weren't for that ridiculous save Louie made in the dying seconds of the semi-final, it coulda been me in the gold-medal game"? The Canucks have won eight of their last 12 games and are tied with the surprising Phoenix Coyotes for third in the West. More importantly, the Canucks survived a 14-game, month-and-a-half road trip because of the Olympics. They welcomed fans back Saturday with a convincing 5-1 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators in their first home match since January 27.

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Stephen Knight is a Toronto-based writer who has written about hockey since 1994.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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