Ducks visit Vancouver without Selanne

Hockey Betting Lines

12/22/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will continue a five-game road trip tonight without Teemu Selanne, as they travel to Vancouver to battle the Canucks at GM Place.

The Duck began their swing in Edmonton on Friday and posted a 3-2 shootout win. Jonas Hiller tied a club record with 51 saves and then stopped all three Oiler skaters in the shootout. Hiller tied the club mark first set by Mikhail Shtalenkov on March 22, 1998 and later matched by Jean-Sebastien Giguere on March 21, 2004.

Hiller was starting in place of Giguere, who returned to Montreal following the death of his father. He is expected to be with the team tonight.

Corey Perry scored in regulation and was the only successful skater in the shootout, as the Ducks won for the second time in three games while also halting a three-game road losing streak. Rob Niedermayer also recorded a goal in a victory that improved Anaheim to 8-5-1 as the road team this year.

However, Selanne is expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks after suffering a laceration to his left quadriceps muscle in a collision along the boards with Oilers defenseman Denis Grebeshkov. The 38-year-old forward went down and blood was seen on the ice as he was trying to make his way to the bench before being helped off the ice.

Selanne's absence could affect the Ducks' power-play unit, as all but one of his 14 goals this year have come on the man advantage. His NHL-leading 13 power-play goals account for more than half of the Ducks' power-play markers this year, with the club notching 24 on the season.

Two of those power-play goals by Selanne came in a 7-6 shootout loss to Vancouver on Halloween night. Selanne added two assists in that game for a four-point night, while Perry had five points on a goal and four assists. Giguere started the game but allowed four goals on 13 shots before being lifted for Hiller, who made 14 saves but was beat by Mattias Ohlund in the 13th round of the shootout.

Kevin Bieksa had a goal and two assists in that win, while Steve Bernier scored twice. Roberto Luongo got the win despite allowing six goals, but won't be in net for this game as he continues to be sidelined due to a strained left groin.

The win was Vancouver's fourth in its last five games versus the Ducks.

The Canucks wrap a four-game homestand tonight and lost for the first time on the trek on Saturday. After netting a total of nine goals in wins over Florida and Edmonton to start the residency, Vancouver's offense was shut down in a 3-1 loss to Chicago.

Daniel Sedin had the lone goal for Vancouver and Curtis Sanford made 30 saves. Sedin has three goals and two assists over his last three games.

Vancouver, which trails Calgary by one point for first place in the Northwest Division, is 9-4-1 at home this year.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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