Rafalski's OT tally lifts Detroit over Buffalo

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Rafalski's power-play goal 31 seconds into overtime gave Detroit a 3-2 win over Buffalo at Joe Louis Arena.

Buffalo's Tyler Myers was called for delay of game late in regulation and the penalty carried over to the extra session. Nicklas Lidstrom had the puck in the high slot and slid a backhand pass to the left circle where Rafalski cranked a one-timer through a screen and past Ryan Miller for the win.

Pavel Datsyuk and Patrick Eaves each had a goal for the Red Wings, who have won four of their last five. Jimmy Howard made 24 stops in the win.

The win enabled Detroit to move one-point ahead of idle Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jochen Hecht scored both goals while Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville each got two assists for the Sabres, who have dropped their past two. Miller finished with 34 saves.

Buffalo continues to hold down the top spot in the Northeastern Division and third overall slot in the Eastern Conference.

The Red Wings grabbed the lead just 2:02 into the game on Datsyuk's 21st tally of the season.

Just 1:13 later, Eaves made it a 2-0 game as he grabbed the puck in the neutral zone, skated down the left wing, got past his defender and from a knee chipped the puck over Miller.

Buffalo, though, got a goal back at the 7:02 mark of the frame. Pominville blasted a shot on net from the right point that was stopped, but the rebound was left out by Howard and Hecht was there to backhand it home.

The Sabres tied the game 5:30 into the second. After a Connolly shot left a rebound in the slot, Pominville grabbed it and dropped it back to Hecht, who wristed it home from just inside the left circle.

Game Notes

Buffalo continues its five-game road trip in Atlanta on Tuesday...Detroit takes a three-game road swing in Canada starting in Calgary on Monday...Detroit has won four of the last five against Buffalo...Detroit went 1-for-4 on the power play while Buffalo was 0-for-3.

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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.