Canucks aim to extend winning streak versus Kings

Hockey Betting Lines

03/09/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The scorching Vancouver Canucks will aim for a fifth straight victory when they visit the Los Angeles Kings for a battle at Staples Center.

In addition to winning four in a row, the Canucks have also won come out on top in eight of nine and 12 of their last 14 contests. Vancouver is eight points behind Calgary for first place in the Northwest Division and with 76 points is the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

The Canucks were last in action on Saturday, when they recorded a rare win over the visiting San Jose Sharks. Roberto Luongo turned in a stellar performance in the crease, making 28 saves, as Vancouver downed the Sharks, 3-1, at GM Place.

Luongo is 23-8-5 this season and has won four straight and 12 of his last 13 starts.

Vancouver had dropped seven straight to the Sharks and earned its first win over San Jose since a road victory on April 7, 2007.

Mats Sundin, Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa each scored for the Canucks. Sundin has a goal and three assists over his last three games.

Tonight's test marks the first of two straight on the road for Vancouver, which is 16-11-4 as the guest this year and has won five of its last seven away from B.C. The Canucks will visit Anaheim on Wednesday.

The Kings will shoot for a third straight win after posting consecutive wins over Dallas and Minnesota to begin a three-game homestand that ends tonight. LA notched a 5-4 overtime victory in Thursday's game against the Stars and beat the Wild on Saturday in a close regulation decision.

Kyle Quincey had a goal and an assist as Los Angeles slipped past Minnesota, 4-3, at Staples Center.

Anze Kopitar, Kyle Calder and Teddy Purcell each had a goal for the Kings, while Jonathan Quick made 21 saves in the win.

Kopitar has recorded a goal in four straight games. The Slovenian centerman is tied for second on the team with 23 goals this year and is leading the Kings with 57 points.

The Kings are currently 13th in the West with 65 points and are just five points out of a playoff berth.

LA is 15-13-8 as the host this year and will play its next two games on the road, beginning with Friday's game in Vancouver. However, this is not technically a home-and-home series as the Canucks have a date with the Ducks in between their battles with the Kings.

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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.