Devils aim to keep rolling against East-leading Rangers

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils have matched their longest winning streak of the season and will try to keep rolling tonight, when they face the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

The Devils have used a potent offensive attack to record wins in each of their last four games, matching a streak from Dec. 12-17. New Jersey has notched 20 goals in its last four trips to the ice and it posted a pair of key wins over Atlantic Division rivals over the weekend.

New Jersey jumped out to a 6-0 lead in Philadelphia on Saturday and held on for a 6-4 win over the Flyers. The Devils then posted a 5-2 triumph Sunday against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

With 60 points, the Devils are seeded sixth in the East, but are also fourth in the Atlantic, where they are one point behind Pittsburgh and three in back of Philadelphia. The Rangers, meanwhile, are five points ahead of Philly and eight in front of Jersey.

New York has also been hot lately, winning four of its last five (4-0-1). The only setback for the Rangers during that stretch came in a shootout loss in New Jersey last Tuesday. The Blueshirts have still taken six of the last nine meetings with the Devils overall and New York has claimed three of the last four matchups in the Big Apple.

One player who has clearly made a difference for New Jersey during its current winning streak is Ilya Kovalchuk. The Russian forward had a goal and two assists in Sunday's decisive win over the Penguins and now has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in his last four games.

"We are consistently doing the right things," said Kovalchuk. "We create a lot of chances and defensively we didn't give much."

Zach Parise also had a goal and an assist in the victory over the Pens, while Anton Volchenkov and Dainius Zubrus also found the back of the net. Both Parise and fellow forward Patrik Elias are riding five-game point streaks.

Martin Brodeur made 28 saves to post Sunday's win and he also added an assist on David Clarkson's empty netter.

The Devils have won three straight and four of their last five on the road and are 15-10-1 as the guest this season.

New Jersey defenseman Adam Larsson (back) and forward Ryan Carter (hand) are questionable for tonight's game. Both players were injured in last Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

New York has won two straight since dropping last week's shootout decision against the Devils. The Rangers are coming off Sunday's impressive 5-2 rout of the visiting Flyers. Artem Anisimov had a goal and two assists to lead the New York to the easy win over their division rivals.

Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist while Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko all scored for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist, who had posted shutouts in his previous two starts, allowed two goals on 23 shots in the win.

"I think we know how important these games are," said Gaborik. "We come with a lot of energy and stick with our system. We have played very well against them this year and this game was one of them."

Lundqvist is expected to be back in net tonight to face the Devils. New York's No. 1 netminder had made 32 consecutive starts in the series with New Jersey before Martin Biron received the call last Tuesday. Biron is 8-15-3 with a pair of ties in his career against the Devils, while Lundqvist has built a stellar 23-9-5 record versus New Jersey.

The Rangers began a three-game homestand on Sunday and are 16-5-2 as the host this year.

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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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.