Franzen's dandy period helps Wings stave off elimination

Hockey Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Franzen notched a natural hat trick in a fabulous first period, sparking the Detroit Red Wings to a resounding 7-1 win over San Jose to stay alive after four games of their Western Conference semifinal series at Joe Louis Arena.

Franzen was a Todd Bertuzzi shin pad away from matching the NHL playoff record for goals in a period. He completed the hat trick in a span of 3:26, with his third tally giving Detroit, which was facing elimination, a 4-0 lead at 11:16.

Franzen eventually picked up his fourth goal on a power play at 7:33 of the third to go along with two assists -- setting a franchise record for points in one playoff game -- and breaking the mark of five set by Norm Ullman in 1963-64 and Steve Yzerman in 1996.

"It was nice for (Franzen) to step up and shoot (the puck) in the net," said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. "He is like all scorers or anybody who's hot, you shoot the puck and it finds a way in the net."

Bertuzzi and Henrik Zetterberg both collected three assists for the Red Wings, who avoided getting swept out of the playoffs for the first time since losing a 2003 first-round matchup with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Only two teams have ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series -- the New York Islanders in 1975 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. Detroit's quest to join the small fraternity continues Saturday in San Jose.

Valtteri Filppula and Brian Rafalski also scored for the two-time defending conference champions, while Calder Trophy nominee Jimmy Howard made 28 saves.

San Jose starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov stopped just four of the nine shots he faced in the forgettable opening frame. Thomas Greiss replaced Nabokov at the beginning of the second period and finished with 26 saves.

"We're all disappointed," said San Jose head coach Todd McLellan. "Not so much the fact we lost, but the fact we weren't prepared when we knew what was coming. We said all the right things but didn't respond to it. We got away from our game. It wasn't going our way, we didn't stick with it. We have some work to do."

The Sharks had won six in a row since defenseman Dan Boyle's own-goal in Game 3 of their opening-round series against Colorado.

The Red Wings' offensive surge began 5:40 into the contest. With a tripping penalty to San Jose center Dwight Helminen winding down, Franzen fired a shot from the top of the left circle that deflected off Bertuzzi at the edge of the crease and through the legs of Nabokov.

Franzen, who had just two goals entering Thursday, lit the lamp at 7:50, spinning after some contact with Nabokov and swatting a backhander as he fell to the ice.

"The Mule" struck again at 10:43. Bertuzzi gathered a stretch pass from Nicklas Lidstrom and carried the puck across the blue line before making a drop pass to a trailing Franzen, who ripped a shot that beat Nabokov over the glove.

Franzen found the back of the net again 33 seconds later. Boyle failed in his attempt to glove the puck out of his zone. Franzen grabbed the loose puck between the circles and snapped a shot that Nabokov kicked out with the right pad but Franzen buried his own rebound.

For the remainder of the period, the Swede was thought to have become the third player to score four goals in a single period of a playoff game, joining Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux and Tim Kerr of the Flyers.

However, the goal was credited to Bertuzzi during the intermission.

Filppula added a goal with 1:10 to play in the first, throwing the puck toward the net and having it bounce off the skate of San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray.

Rafalski and San Jose forward Dany Heatley traded power-play goals in the middle stanza.

Game Notes

Carl Liscombe (1945) and Ted Lindsay (1955) also scored four goals in one playoff contest for Detroit...Lemieux scored four goals in the first period on April 25, 1989 against Philadelphia during a 10-7 victory in Game 5 of a Patrick Division final...Kerr pulled off the feat on April 13, 1985, against the New York Rangers in the second period of a 6-5 win during Game 3 of a Patrick Division semifinal...Franzen has a point in all 11 playoff games (six goals, 11 assists)...It was the first four-goal game of Franzen's career. The six points were a career high for Franzen...San Jose has never swept a playoff series in its 19-year history...Lidstrom had two assists and was a game-high plus-five...Sharks center Torrey Mitchell finished a minus-four...The last time the Red Wings scored five goals in a single period of a playoff game was May 5, 1996 in the first period of an 8-3 victory over St. Louis in Game 2 of the second round.

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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.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.