Flyers score seven straight to rout Sabres

Hockey Betting Lines

02/16/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wayne Simmonds and Maxime Talbot both scored a pair of goals, as the Flyers finished strong to down the Sabres, 7-2, on Thursday.

Scott Hartnell had a goal and three assists, Jakub Voracek notched a goal and an assist and Claude Giroux had five helpers for the Flyers, who scored seven unanswered goals to win for just the second time in seven games.

Ilya Bryzgalov, starting for the first time since February 7, made 27 saves to earn the victory.

Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek both had a first-period goal for the Sabres, losers of three in a row. Jhonas Enroth stopped 15-of-18 shots before being replaced by Ryan Miller, who made 13 saves.

Footbsll365 Hockey Betting News

<< Granger, Pacers end losing streak
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines)- Danny Granger scored 32 points, including four clutch free throws down the stretch, as Indiana held off New Jersey, 93-88, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. David West added 16 points and six rebounds, whil

<< Toews, Hossa help Blackhawks down Rangers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist in a big first period and the Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It was a much-n

<< Seattle, investor announce plans for possible new arena
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Investor Christopher Hansen and the city of Seattle announced on Thursday a proposal to build a new arena with the hopes of bringing an NBA and NHL team to the city. Hansen, a hedge-fund manager who wo

<< Snaer, Florida State sneak past Virginia Tech
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Snaer knocked down a clutch three- pointer with four seconds remaining and No. 20 Florida State escaped against Virginia Tech, 48-47, at Tucker Center. Ian Miller paced Florida State (18-7, 9-2 A

<< No. 6 Miami-Florida downs NC State
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Riquna Williams scored a game-high 24 points, as No. 6 Miami-Florida defeated North Carolina State, 73-61, on Thursday. The Hurricanes (24-3, 12-1 ACC), who have won 12 straight games, got 17 points and 17 re

Maryland handles Virginia >>
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tianna Hawkins had a double-double with a career-high 26 points and 14 rebounds, as the eighth-ranked Maryland Terrapins dominated the Virginia Cavaliers, 73-56. Alyssa Thomas added 16 points an

Hill's shooting leads Ohio State over Indiana >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tayler Hill went 7-for-8 from beyond the arc and ended with 27 points, leading No. 9 Ohio State to a 75-54 victory over Indiana. Amber Stokes had 14 points and seven assists for the Buckeyes (23-3, 10-3

St. Louis wins it for Tampa Bay in OT >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin St. Louis scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 32.8 seconds left in overtime, as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the San Jose Sharks, 6-5. Steven Stamkos had two goals and two assi

Almagro, Nalbandian reach quarters in Brazil >>
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and defending champion Nicolas Almagro secured a berth in the quarterfinals at the $475,300 Brasil Open. Almagro fought his way past Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 at this clay

Alabama upsets No. 7 Kentucky >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Robinson scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds as Alabama upset No. 7 Kentucky, 77-75, at Foster Auditorium. Meghan Perkins added 14 points and a block and Kyra Crosby contributed

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.