Grabovski's goal pushes Maple Leafs past Islanders

Hockey Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikhail Grabovski's overtime tally was the difference, and the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the New York Islanders, 3-2, at Air Canada Centre.

Lee Stempniak and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs, who have won six of nine. Martin Gerber made 28 saves to earn the victory.

"They have had a bad season, but look at that lineup; they have a bunch of good guys there," Ponikarovsky said. "We played hard to bounce back."

Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau tallied within 45 seconds of each other in the first period for the Isles, who had won two straight and four of five coming into the game. Joey MacDonald allowed three goals on 28 shots to take the loss.

"We blew it by not taking advantage of the penalties that the Leafs picked up," Islanders defenseman Mark Streit said. "Our power play obviously was poor. But overall, we're improving, and we're taking positive steps going into next season."

After regulation ended in a 2-2 tie, the Leafs struck quickly in the extra period. After an Islanders turnover in their own zone, Anton Stralman blasted a slapshot that MacDonald saved. The shot brought the goaltender too far out of the net, and Grabovski's shot from in close easily found the net 50 seconds into the frame.

"I was going for the rebound, and it bounced so hard that it bounced all the way back to Mikhail," Ponikarovsky said, "and it landed on his stick and he was able to put it in."

Stempniak's wrister from the slot put Toronto on the board with 2:33 left in the opening period, but Okposo tied the game 15 seconds later after jamming the puck past Gerber from right in front of the crease.

Comeau's wrister just 45 seconds after the previous goal staked the Isles to a 2-1 lead at the conclusion the first period.

After a scoreless second period, Toronto tied the game on Ponikarovsky's 19th goal of the year at the 8:46 mark of the third. Neither team could muster the game-winner down the stretch, sending the game to overtime.

Game Notes

The Leafs have taken 3-of-4 from the Isles this season, but the Islanders are only 1-1-2 in those four games...New York began a season-high six-game road trip and will also travel to Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Carolina and Ottawa...The Islanders went 0-for-5 on the power play, while Toronto went 0- for-2.

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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.

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