Thrashers shoot for rare victory over Coyotes

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Thrashers couldn't have picked a worse time to post their second-longest losing streak of the season. A visit from the Coyotes on Sunday could extend the winless drought by another game.

Atlanta will try to snap a five-game overall skid and pick up just its second win over visiting Phoenix in franchise history when the clubs meet this evening at Philips Arena.

The Thrashers won their first two games following the Olympic break and were tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference before their current five-game slide that has dropped them six points back of the eighth spot.

Atlanta may find it tough to get on track tonight seeing as it has just one win and a tie in 12 all-time meetings with Phoenix. The Thrashers have also lost four of five at home to the Coyotes since joining the league, with their lone win over Phoenix coming at home on Nov. 23, 2003.

The Coyotes have gone 3-0 with a tie in four meetings since that game.

Atlanta has scored just six goals over its current losing streak, two of those coming from Clarke MacArthur and Ron Hainsey in Friday's 5-2 home loss to the New York Rangers. Johan Hedberg stopped 30-of-34 shots in the loss and allowed three first-period goals.

"These are extremely important games," said Hedberg. "From my own part, two mistakes early on and we're down three goals. I've got to be way better than that. Right now we're not getting anything for free and we have to work for everything we get. It's very frustrating right now."

The Thrashers lost the opener of a five-game homestand and are on their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide from Dec. 19-Jan. 5.

Already without Evander Kane (left foot) and Christoph Schubert (hip), Zach Bogosian is day-to-day because of a hand injury.

Hedberg, who has started six of Atlanta's seven games since the break, is 3-5-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average in his career versus the Coyotes, while Ondrej Pavelec has never faced them.

The Coyotes picked up their 41st victory on Saturday with a 4-0 blanking of the Hurricanes, the club's highest single-season win total since moving to Phoenix in 1996. The franchise record for wins in a season is 43, set by the 1984-85 Winnipeg-based club.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves to post his NHL-leading and club-record tying eighth shutout of the season. Bryzgalov, who set a single-season career high in shutouts and notched his 16th career blanking, matched Nikolai Khabibulin's club mark set in 1998-99.

Lee Stempniak and Martin Hanzal each scored a pair of goals for the Coyotes, who began a four-game road trip by winning their fourth game in a row. They also moved two points ahead of Los Angeles for the fourth spot in the Western Conference.

"I thought we played a solid road game," said Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett. "Bryzgalov made some really timely saves, and I thought we capitalized on some opportunities. We were able to push the lead along every period."

After netting just 14 goals in 62 games with Toronto, Stempniak now has five goals in four games with Phoenix since coming over in a trade.

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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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