Bolts nip playoff-bound Sens in shootout

Hockey Betting Lines

04/08/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teddy Purcell scored the lone goal in the shootout, lifting the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Purcell was Tampa Bay's third shooter and used a forehand-to-backhand move and lifted the puck over Ottawa goaltender Brian Elliott's left pad. The game ended after Mike Fisher's attempt at an equalizer was no good.

Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis tallied a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who had lost four of five. Mike Smith stopped 35 shots and then all three shootout chances to notch the victory.

Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are guaranteed the fifth seed in the East after Pittsburgh beat the Islanders on Thursday. Ottawa's opponent in the first round will be either New Jersey or Pittsburgh -- whichever team does not win the Atlantic Division.

Elliott made 26 saves in defeat.

Trailing by three midway through the game, the Senators rallied to tie the score.

Nick Foligno got Ottawa on the board with the first of the team's three power- play goals at 12:44, and Spezza brought the visitors within one while on the man advantage with his 23rd goal of the year at 18:42.

Fisher completed the comeback 4:16 into the third with another power-play score. Spezza held the disc at the center point and dished down low to Daniel Alfredsson, who passed across the ice for Fisher, who one-timed the puck into the net.

Ottawa had another power play moments later but couldn't convert, and neither team had any major chances in overtime.

St. Louis opened the scoring 8:01 into the game on a backhander from in close that beat Elliott on the short side, and Purcell's power-play marker with 28 seconds left in the opening period pushed Tampa Bay's lead to 2-0.

On another man advantage 3:33 into the second, Stamkos made it 3-0 with his 48th of the year. St. Louis faked a slapshot from the right circle and slid the puck to Stamkos on the left, and Stamkos fired the disc into a wide-open net.

Game Notes

Stamkos is tied with Washington's Alex Ovechkin for second place in goals scored...Ottawa finished its season 18-21-2 on the road and will conclude its regular season Saturday at home versus Buffalo...The teams split the four-game season series...The teams combined for 62 penalty minutes.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

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