Sabres double up Flyers

Hockey Betting Lines

02/21/2007 - Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Briere posted a goal and two assists as the first-place Buffalo Sabres crushed the last-place Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3.

Chris Drury, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who have won seven of their last nine and improved to 4-0-1 on their current six-game home stand.

Adam Mair tallied his first goal in 43 games for Buffalo, while Andrew Peters scored for the first time since March 26, 2004.

Simon Gagne continued his torrid play as of late with two goals and Mike Richards notched a career-high three assists for the Flyers, who have dropped three of their last four.

Philadelphia netminder Robert Esche, in his first start since February 3, gave up four goals on 14 shots before being pulled early in the second period.

The game started off with a bang as R.J. Umberger and Brian Campbell exchanged fisticuffs just over two minutes into the opening period. Umberger, though, was whistled for instigating and was handed a game-misconduct penalty as the Sabres took advantage of the ensuing power play.

With time running out on the man-advantage, Roy fired the puck past a screened Esche 4:04 into the period to give Buffalo the first score of the game. Gagne's first goal of the game briefly knotted the contest midway through the period, but Peters answered with his first goal of the season 38 seconds later to make it 2-1 Sabres.

Mair then redirected Campbell's shot from the point 1:45 into the middle stanza to make it 3-1 and just 40 seconds later, Briere scored on the power play to make it a three-goal contest and chase Esche from the game.

Philadelphia did not go down quietly as Gagne's second goal of the game -- a cross-ice pass that deflected off a Sabre and past Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller -- midway through the second period brought the Flyers within 4-2. Sami Kapanen then scored on a nice individual effort 5:17 into the third to make it a one-goal game.

Drury, however, answered with a power-play tally just over two minutes later and Pominville scored with 6:53 left in the third to restore the Sabres' three-goal advantage.

Game Notes

Miller ended the game with 32 saves...Gagne has recorded nine goals and four assists in his last seven games...Kapanen's score broke a 14-game goal-less drought...Flyers defenseman Alexei Zhitnik played in his 1,000th game...Esche has given up 13 goals in two starts in Buffalo this season and was pulled in both games...Antero Niittymaki took over for Esche and finished with just six saves.

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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.