Division-leading Devils, Flames tangle in New Jersey

Hockey Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first-place teams will battle tonight in the Garden State, as the New Jersey Devils welcome the Calgary Flames to Prudential Center.

The Devils are the top team in the Atlantic Division and with 87 points are also the second seed in the Eastern Conference -- one point ahead of Southeast-leading Washington.

Calgary, meanwhile, is first in the Northwest Division and third in the West with 84 points on the year.

New Jersey will try to get back on track after having a four-game winning streak halted with Saturday's blowout loss against the New York Islanders.

The Devils made the trip across the Hudson River to face New York and were handed a 7-3 setback against the Islanders, who are last in the NHL with just 51 points this year. Sean Bergenheim posted his first career hat trick to lead the Isles at Nassau Coliseum.

Brian Gionta, Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias scored for the Devils, who also lost for just the third time in their last 12 outings. Langenbrunner has three goals and three assists during a five-game point streak.

Martin Brodeur took the loss, allowing six goals on 26 shots through the first two periods, and remains three victories away from tying Patrick Roy for the all-time win mark. Brodeur was dealt his first loss in five games since returning to action after elbow surgery had kept him sidelined for nearly four months.

Kevin Weekes finished the contest by stopping the only shot he faced in the final 20 minutes.

Tonight's test marks the first of two straight on home ice for the Devils, who will also host Phoenix on Thursday. New Jersey is 22-10-1 as the host this year and has won seven in a row in Newark.

The Flames are 2-2 so far on a seven-game road trip and have lost the last two legs on the swing. Since pounding Philadelphia, 5-1, on Thursday, Calgary was handed a 6-1 setback at Carolina on Friday and then lost 5-2 this past Sunday in Atlanta.

Jarome Iginla netted his 30th goal of the season for the Flames in the most recent loss to the Thrashers. It's the eighth straight season the Calgary captain has reached that mark. Iginla has also recorded a point in eight straight games, posting nine goals and eight assists over that stretch.

Olli Jokinen, who was Calgary's big acquisition at the trade deadline, has been held pointless in two games since notching a pair of goals in his Flames debut against the Flyers last week.

Miikka Kiprusoff gave up all five goals on 20 shots against the Thrashers and has been scored on a total of 14 times in his last four outings. Kiprusoff is 0-2-1 in his career against the Devils.

Calgary, which is 17-13-2 as the guest this year, will close its longest trip of the season with stops in Detroit and Toronto.

The Devils have won two of the last three meetings with the Flames, including a 1-0 overtime victory in Calgary on December 23 of last season. Calgary has taken two of three and four of its last six road tests in the series, but this will be the Flames' first game at the Prudential Center, which opened at the start of the 2007-08 campaign.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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