Bergenheim, Islanders double up Devils

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean Bergenheim scored a short-handed goal late in the third period as the New York Islanders took down the New Jersey Devils, 4-2 at Nassau Coliseum.

Freddy Meyer, Jon Sim and Mark Streit also scored for the Islanders, who ended their four-game losing streak. Dwayne Roloson stopped 38 shots for the win.

Mike Mottau and Ilya Kovalchuk each found the net for the Devils, who had won two straight coming in. Former Islander netminder Yann Danis filled in for the resting Martin Brodeur and allowed four goals on 29 shots in defeat.

After Isles defenseman Dylan Reese was assessed a double-minor for high sticking at 9:15 in the final period, Blake Comeau started a 2-on-1 break, finding Bergenheim wide open in front for the score at 11:33, extending the Isles margin to 4-2.

The goal was reviewed as the net appeared to come off its hinges slightly, but the call stood.

The Devils had a 5-on-3 advantage for almost a minute shortly after the goal, but the Islanders and Roloson were able to stand a furious New Jersey attack.

Danis was pulled with 1:37 left, but the extra skater didn't help the Devils trim their deficit.

Mottau put the Devils on the scoreboard first at 2:52 into the game, as he simply threw the puck on net from the right boards and sailed between a screened Roloson's legs.

The Islanders tied the game on a 3-on-2 break as Josh Bailey dished to Tim Jackman, who lifted a wrister that bounced off of Danis and was tipped in by Meyer with 2:37 left in the opening period.

In the second, Richard Park drove the neutral zone and was sandwiched between two Devils defenders as the puck trickled back to Sim, who blasted it past Danis at 11:59 to give the Isles the 2-1 lead.

Just 50 seconds later, the Islanders added to the lead on the power play when Frans Nielsen fed Streit at the left point, for a slapshot that was deflected by a Devil and trickled past Danis.

But the Devils bounced back 1:41 into the third, when Dean McAmmond left a drop pass for Kovalchuk, who uncorked a slap shot from the right boards for his 36th goal of the year.

Game Notes

Bergenheim's short-handed goal was the sixth for the Islanders this season...Prior to the contest, the Islanders announced that forward Doug Weight will miss the remainder of the regular season following impending surgery on his left shoulder...McAmmond finished with two assists for the Devils...New Jersey next plays on Monday at home against Boston...The Islanders host Toronto on Sunday.

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.