Kings seek rebound effort versus Flames

Hockey Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was the same-old story for the Kings' offense last time out, but another lackluster effort tonight could cost Los Angeles a hold on a playoff spot.

The Kings try to avoid a sixth loss in eight games this evening as they battle the Calgary Flames.

Los Angeles has struggled on offense all season, currently sitting last in the NHL with 120 goals. Those woes continued on Thursday in a 1-0 loss to Phoenix, the seventh time this season that the Kings were shutout. More importantly, it dropped them into a tie with the Coyotes for the final two playoff spots in the West with 65 points, just two more than the ninth-place Flames.

Though the Kings are just four points behind the Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division, they are only four points ahead of the 11th-place Stars in the West.

Los Angeles lost by a 1-0 margin for the second time in seven games and fourth time this season. It has lost three of four and five of seven, falling on Thursday despite 20 saves from Jonathan Quick.

"You have to score goals to win games and obviously we're not doing that right now," said Los Angeles forward Anze Kopitar. "It's nothing new here, we've been doing this all season long."

Kings forward Jarret Stoll has been out since last Saturday with a lower-body injury, but could return tonight.

The Flames will hope to keep the Kings' offense in check again tonight after extending their point streak to seven games in a row on Thursday. Calgary is 4-0-3 in that span to get within two points of a playoff spot, tough it trails first-place Vancouver by 15 points in the Northwest Division.

The Flames dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Stars on Thursday. Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri had the goals and Miikka Kiprusoff came up with 29 saves.

"We had some chances in the third period and we're able to stick with it," said Iginla. "It's an important point to get here, but it would have been better to get both of them."

The Kings and Flames have split two meetings so far this year, with Calgary halting a four-game series losing streak with a 2-1 shootout at Los Angeles on Jan. 19. That win also ended the Flames' three-game slide in LA.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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