Briere leads Flyers past Sabres

Hockey Betting Lines

03/20/2009 - Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Briere scored two goals late in the second period to help the Philadelphia Flyers edge the Buffalo Sabres, 6-4, at HSBC Arena.

Mike Richards had a goal and two assists while Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter and Mike Knuble each lit the lamp for the Flyers, who had dropped three of four coming into the contest. Martin Biron made 39 saves in the win.

With 86 points, Philadelphia currently holds the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 games to play.

Derek Roy, Dominic Moore and Thomas Vanek each had a goal for the Sabres, who have lost five of their last six games. Patrick Lalime gave up all six goals on 31 shots.

Thanks to three consecutive power plays in the first period, Buffalo had several scoring chances and wound up with 13 shots on net, but were unable to put any past Biron, who made a beautiful glove save on Tim Connolly with 2 1/2 minutes to play in the frame.

Philly, though, did light the lamp in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead.

Richards was hooked on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot with 2:14 left in the frame, but his wrister dinged off the crossbar. However, he did score on a power play with 1:32 left in the frame as he skated down the right wing, cut through the middle and slipped a low shot between the pads of Lalime with 1:32 left in the first period.

Buffalo tied the game 3:55 into the second period as Jason Pominville sent a saucer pass from the right boards to the low left side, where Vanek chipped it past Biron.

The Sabres took a 2-1 lead less than three minutes later as Moore from the right side of the net banked the puck off the left skate of Biron and across the goal line.

However, the Flyers tied the game on the power play halfway through the second as Richards' slap pass from the top of the right circle was redirected into the net by Gagne in the slot.

Buffalo, though, regained the lead with under six minutes to play in the second as Roy jammed in a loose puck right near the goal line for a 3-2 advantage.

However, Briere scored twice over a span of 2:05 in the second period against his former team to give his current club a 4-3 lead heading into the third period.

Briere's first goal came when he received a pass from Matt Carle and chipped the puck past the glove of Lalime with 2:40 left in the frame.

Briere then scored the 200th goal of his career as Richards sent a backhand pass from the right boards to the slot, where Briere slapped it past Lalime.

Philadelphia gave itself some insurance at the 4:31 mark of the third. Knuble made a pass from the right side to the left, where Claude Giroux paused before flicking a shot on net. The puck was stopped, but popped into the air and Knuble banged it in. The goal was reviewed to see if Knuble hit it in with a high stick, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the call and the goal was allowed to stand.

Carter sealed the win with 2:11 to play.

Chris Butler scored his first NHL goal just before the clock expired to account for the final score.

Game Notes

The Flyers play in Pittsburgh on Sunday...The Sabres travel to New York where they will play the Rangers on Saturday...The Flyers took all four games against the Sabres this season...Philly went 2-for-3 on the power play while Buffalo failed on all seven of its chances.

Wwwsportinglife Hockey Betting News

<< Pens stay red-hot, crown Kings
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both registered a goal and picked up an assist, helping the sizzling Penguins crown the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1, at Mellon Arena. Bill Guerin and Tyler Kennedy also

<< Nets' bench shines in win over Heat
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Douglas-Roberts notched a career- high 18 points and Jarvis Hayes matched that number as the New Jersey Nets fended off the Miami Heat, 96-88. Vince Carter notched 17 points, nine rebounds an

<< Suarez to end brief retirement, return to Chivas for '09
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Central defender Claudio Suarez will return to Chivas USA in 2009, the Major League Soccer club announced on Friday. The veteran Mexican international previously announced his retirement from profession

<< Roddick drops Djokovic; Nadal wins at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Roddick straight-setted defending champion Novak Djokovic, while Rafael Nadal also advanced in his quarterfinal match at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, the ATP World Tour's first Masters event o

<< Kings destroy Knicks
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Martin poured in a game-best 30 points to lead the Kings to their first win against an Eastern Conference team this season with a 121-94 shellacking of the struggling Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Williams, Jazz take down Thunder >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams finished with 24 points and 11 assists as the Utah Jazz recorded a much-needed 101-94 road victory over the Thunder. Carlos Boozer chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds, while Paul

Bynum's career night leads injury-plagued Pistons over Clips >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Bynum set a career high with 22 points, as the short-handed Detroit Pistons pulled away late to crush the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-90, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit, which beat LA for

Paul, Hornets sting Grizzlies >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul dropped 32 points, handed out nine helpers and recorded five steals, all game-highs, as New Orleans got by Memphis, 96-84. David West netted 29 points with seven boards and Rasual Butler ch

Franzen and Red Wings crush Thrashers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Franzen registered a goal and two assists as the NHL-leading Detroit Red Wings cruised past the Atlanta Thrashers, 6-3, at Philips Arena. Brian Rafalski, Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler and Daniel Cleary als

Boston tops San Antonio in Garnett's return >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston lineup after a month-long absence, and the Celtics took advantage of six missed free throws by the Spurs to earn an 80-77 win. Garnett, who hadn't played in a game

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.