Blackhawks try to stop slide in Edmonton

Hockey Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The return of two of Chicago's top forwards wasn't enough to halt the club's losing streak last time out and the Blackhawks will try to avoid matching their longest skid of the season tonight when they visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place.

The Blackhawks have lost three straight for the fourth time this year and another setback tonight will tie Chicago's season-high skid that lasted from Jan. 2-8. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both returned from injuries on Tuesday, but that couldn't prevent the Blackhawks from dropping an overtime decision in Vancouver.

The recent slump has dropped the Blackhawks into a tie with St. Louis for the fifth seed in the West and third in the Central Division. Chicago is still only four points behind Detroit for first in the division as well as the top seed in the West.

The Blackhawks have lost two of three against the Oilers this season and Chicago was thoroughly embarrassed the last time it visited Edmonton. The Oilers slammed the visiting Hawks by a 9-2 score back on Nov. 19, as Taylor Hall notched a hat trick. Ray Emery started in net for Chicago, but was pulled after surrendering seven goals on 27 shots.

The Oilers, who are seeded 14th out of 15 teams in the West, have won four of the last seven meetings with Chicago. The Blackhawks had won six straight in Edmonton before getting routed back in November.

The Blackhawks have lost their last four road games and were dealt an overtime setback Tuesday in Vancouver. The 3-2 setback kicked off a nine-game road trip for Chicago, which is 10-9-3 on the road this year compared to a 19-6-4 mark in the Windy City. The current swing is tied for the longest stretch of consecutive road games in franchise history.

Daniel Sedin scored 3:37 into OT to give the Canucks the win over Chicago on the first night of NHL action following the All-Star break. Jamal Mayers and Viktor Stalberg scored for the Blackhawks, while Corey Crawford made 30 saves in the loss.

"I felt like we definitely played well enough to win tonight," said Crawford. "It's definitely frustrating."

Toews had missed one game before the break with an upper-body injury and had one assist and five shots on net in Tuesday's loss. Sharp failed to record a point in his first game back from an eight-game absence due to a wrist injury.

The Oilers posted a 4-7-2 record in January, but they did win two of three to close the month. Edmonton posted a 3-2 win Tuesday against visiting Colorado, as Taylor Hall's goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner.

"It was nice to get that one and hold on in the end. Nice to get the win," Hall said.

Eric Belanger and Jordan Eberle also lit the lamp for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for the win.

Oilers rookie forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is close to returning from a left shoulder injury that he suffered in Chicago on Jan. 2, but he isn't expected to play tonight. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 draft is leading all rookies with 35 points despite missing the last 12 games.

Edmonton is 13-8-3 as the host this year and is playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight. The Oilers will complete the residency Saturday against Detroit.

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Betting Football

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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.