Avs top Bolts in shootout on disputed goal

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12/18/2008 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milan Hejduk was awarded the game-winning goal on a controversial call in the shootout, as the Colorado Avalanche edged the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Hejduk was the fourth skater in the shootout after the first three were unsuccessful, and veered to the left for a backhander. His shot was stopped by Mike Smith's blocker, but the officials huddled and ruled it a goal, judging that Smith had thrown his stick.

On the play, Smith moved his stick out for the poke check, gripping it near the end of the handle. As he moved to his right for the save, the stick came loose and flew out of his grip. Whether or not it was intentional, the goaltender was visibly displeased with the officials' judgment.

Despite the protests of Smith and Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet, the call stood and Andrew Raycroft then made a glove save on Martin St. Louis, ending the contest for an Avalanche win.

Raycroft made 37 saves through regulation and overtime for Colorado, which moved to 2-1 on its current four-game road trip. Paul Stastny tallied the lone regulation goal for the Avs.

Smith turned aside 34 shots for the Lightning, who have lost two in a row after a win last Thursday halted a nine-game slide. Jeff Halpern, who made his season debut after undergoing knee surgery during the summer, notched a goal for Tampa Bay.

Stastny's tally opened the scoring at 3:46 of the first period, though at the 7:35 mark of the middle frame Halpern fired a rebound from the slot past Raycroft to make it a 1-1 game.

Smith made 13 saves in the third period, while Raycroft stopped nine shots, sending the game to overtime.

Each goaltender needed to make a handful of stops in the extra session, though Raycroft caught a bit of luck with 1:09 left. St. Louis' shot from the right side hit off the right post, and the teams eventually went to the shootout.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay forward Ryan Malone returned from a five-game absence...Colorado forward Ben Guite played for the first time since November 8. He had been out with an injury to his ribs. Avs forward Darcy Tucker also returned, having not played since November 24 because of a knee ailment...The Avs complete their road swing against the Panthers on Sunday...Tampa Bay plays at Atlanta on Saturday.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.