Crosby powers Pens over Isles to tie for division lead

Hockey Betting Lines

04/08/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Crosby posted a goal and three assists, as Pittsburgh recorded a spirited 7-3 victory over the New York Islanders in the final regular-season game at Mellon Arena.

Crosby, the 22-year-old Pens captain, is on the cusp of reaching the 50-goal mark for the first time and also eclipsed the 500-point mark for his career. He has recorded four goals and 11 assists in his last six games for 104 total points this season, and took over the NHL goal-scoring lead from Alex Ovechkin by one (49-48).

Bill Guerin tallied twice while Tyler Kennedy added a goal and a helper for the Penguins, who have won four of six and pulled into a tie again for the Atlantic Division lead with New Jersey. The Devils lost to Florida, but hold the tiebreaker after winning all six meetings with Pittsburgh this season.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots for the win.

Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey tallied for the Islanders, who had made a brief but futile charge towards a playoff berth with five wins in their last six games coming in.

Martin Biron started and took the loss after he allowed four goals on 10 shots in the first period. Dwayne Roloson finished the contest by making 22 saves.

Fleury made three successive stops on an Islanders' short-handed break early in the second, but he couldn't stop Bailey's deflection of a Mark Streit shot for a 4-3 game at 6:49.

Guerin was ruled to have made contact with a Crosby slapshot on a Pittsburgh power play with 5:26 to play in the second for a two-goal edge then Kennedy's blast made it 6-3 just over two minutes later.

Guerin tallied once more, at the 1:46 mark of the third period for a four-goal bulge and the home team coasted to victory.

Pittsburgh got off to a hot start after Brooks Orpik rippled the net from the right circle just 23 seconds in, then Alex Goligoski struck from 15 feet out during a power play at 5:01.

Moulson's deflection in the slot pulled the Isles within a goal on a power play at 8:29, but Evgeni Malkin's solo rush down the left wing made it 3-1 for Pittsburgh with 4:45 left in the first.

Okposo's wrister less than two minutes later brought New York back within a goal, but Crosby registered his 49th of the season inside the final minute.

Game Notes

Mellon, once known as the Civic Arena, is the oldest building in the NHL, and has housed the Penguins since their 1967 inception. Pittsburgh will move into Consol Energy Center for next season...Mario Lemieux holds the franchise record with six 50-or-more goal seasons, the last coming in 1996-97...Lemieux also posted six straight 100-point years to begin his career, while Crosby has four in his first five...Pittsburgh has won four of five meetings with the Islanders this season.

Gambliung Hockey Betting News


<< Bulls beat LeBron-less Cavs to help playoff chances
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joakim Noah's tip-in with 1:21 left ended up being the game-winner after a wild final minute of misses and miscues, as Chicago inched past Cleveland, 109-108, at the United Center. With LeBron James sit

<< Orioles hold off Rays to avoid sweep
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Atkins went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, and the Baltimore Orioles hung on for a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays to salvage a game in this season-opening three-game set. Nolan Reim

<< Bolts nip playoff-bound Sens in shootout
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teddy Purcell scored the lone goal in the shootout, lifting the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Purcell was Tampa Bay's third shooter and used a forehand-to-backhand mov

<< Panthers topple division-seeking Devils
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nathan Horton scored the game-deciding goal in the third period and Scott Clemmensen made 42 saves against his former team, as the Florida Panthers held off the New Jersey Devils, 3-2. Horton and Michael F

<< Golf Tidbits: Inside the ropes, Tiger hasn't changed much
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As you might have noticed, Tiger Woods returned to action Thursday at The Masters. For Woods, it was the end of a self-imposed "indefinite break" that started soon after his Thanksgiving weekend car accide

Modano plays hero amidst fan adulation as Stars clip Ducks in SO >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If this was Mike Modano's final home game in a Stars uniform, it sure was a storybook ending. Modano scored the tying goal with 1:47 left in regulation and netted the winner in the shootout as Dallas o

Boston College, Wisconsin to meet NCAA men's ice hockey final >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Smith notched a pair of goals and one assist, as Boston College dominated Miami-Ohio, 7-1, in a Frozen Four matchup from Ford Field. Joe Whitney added a goal and two helpers for the Eagles (28-10-3)

Clippers-Kings, Box >>
L.A. CLIPPERS (94)Butler 3-10 0-0 6, Gooden 8-13 1-1 17, Kaman 10-16 3-3 23, Davis 4-12 1-2 11, Gordon 7-14 3-4 21, Collins 2-5 0-0 4, Jordan 3-4 0-0 6, Blake 1-5 0-0 3, Skinner 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 1-2 1-1 3, Novak 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-82 9-11 94.SA

Canucks-Sharks Sum >>
Vancouver 0 0 2-2San Jose 1 3 0-4First Period-1, San Jose, Pavelski 25 (Clowe, Setoguchi), 18:35.Second Period-2, San Jose, Couture 5 (Vlasic, T.Mitchell), 1:57. 3, San Jose, Thornton 20 (Heatley, Marleau), 5:16. 4, San Jose, Malhotra 14 (T.M

Cabrera drives Indians past White Sox in 11 innings >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th, and the Cleveland Indians notched a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in the rubber match of a season-opening three-game set.

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards