Leino, Sabres visit Flyers

Hockey Betting Lines

02/16/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Philadelphia Flyers hope the return of Ilya Bryzgalov can help them avoid their sixth loss in seven games, as they get set to host the Buffalo Sabres in tonight's clash at Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are just 1-4-1 over their last six games and have played the last three without Bryzgalov as the starter. The Russian backstop has recovered from his flu-like symptoms and was able to suit up as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup in Sunday's 4-3 road loss in Detroit, but tonight is expected to be his first start since posting a shutout in a 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Feb. 7.

While Bobrovsky has been torched for 18 goals in his last four starts, Philadelphia's problems right now go beyond the crease. Special teams has been a major issue for the Flyers, who are just 2-for-26 on the power play in the last six games while allowing the opposition to score nine times on 32 chances with the man advantage over the same stretch.

The Flyers will likely be down a few forwards tonight. Zac Rinaldo will serve the first part of a two-game suspension for a hit Sunday against Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson. Czech forwards Jaromir Jagr (flu-like symptoms) and Jakub Voracek (upper body) are also questionable for tonight. Voracek sat out Sunday's test, while Jagr, who turned 40 years old on Wednesday, missed practice on his birthday. Defenseman Andrej Meszaros is also questionable with an upper-body injury.

Another injured Philadelphia forward, James van Riemsdyk, has been out since Jan. 12 with a concussion and there is still no word on his return.

Meanwhile, ex-Flyers forward Ville Leino will return to Philadelphia tonight for the first time since he signed a six-year, $27 million deal with Buffalo in the summer. Leino had 83 points in 124 games (playoffs included) for Philadelphia over the previous two seasons, but the Finn has disappointed this year with just four goals and 11 assists in 45 games for the Sabres.

Leino has one goal in two encounters against the Flyers this season, but both were in Buffalo. Philadelphia won both of those meetings and has taken four of six overall in this series. The Sabres have won three of their last four regular-season tilts at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are tied with Pittsburgh for second place in the Atlantic Division and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia failed to help its playoff standing this past weekend when it lost regulation tilts to the New York Rangers and Red Wings.

Brayden Schenn had two goals for Philadelphia in its 4-3 setback in Detroit, while Max Talbot recorded the Flyers' other goal. Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 25 shots.

"We have to find ways to win [close] games," said Schenn, who has four of his eight goals this season over his last five contests.

Philadelphia is kicking off a two-game homestand tonight and the club is just 13-9-5 as the host this year compared to a superior 18-9-2 road mark. The Flyers will end the brief residency on Saturday afternoon against Pittsburgh.

Buffalo can't afford to go on many slumps if it wants to make the playoffs and losing its last two tilts in regulation did not help its cause. With 54 points, the Sabres are still 10 behind Toronto for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East.

The Sabres scored a total of two goals over their two-game slide, which came directly on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Buffalo's most recent setback came in the finale of a four-game homestand on Tuesday, as the visiting New Jersey Devils scored three times in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory.

Jason Pominville, who is on a five-game point streak, scored the only goal for the Sabres on Tuesday, while Ryan Miller was tagged for three goals on 30 shots in the loss. New Jersey went 2-for-7 on the power play.

"We had to defend a lot out there tonight," said Miller. "We had to kill a bunch of penalties and we did a good job of that. I thought we played a good game out there, just came up short."

Buffalo is out on the road for just one game before returning to western New York for another four-game homestand. The Sabres are 11-15-0 on the road this year and 13-11-6 as the host.

On the injury front for Buffalo, Cody McCormick has sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight's game.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.