Bolts sign C Pouliot; add Fleming to coaching staff

Hockey Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday signed center Marc-Antoine Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract.

The 25-year-old Pouliot registered seven goals and 14 points in 35 games with Edmonton last season.

"He will add depth at the forward position and has a great chance to become a contributor in Tampa Bay," said Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman.

Originally selected by the Oilers in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Pouliot has 21 goals and 32 assists in 176 career games.

The Lightning have also named Wayne Fleming assistant coach. He has more than 30 years of coaching experience, both internationally and at the NHL level. He served as an assistant to Pat Quinn in Edmonton last season.

Wwjazzsports Hockey Betting News

<< Athletics sign Suzuki to new 4-year contract
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -The Oakland Athletics have signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a new four-year contract that keeps him locked up through his arbitration years.The deal announced Friday supersedes his previous 2010 contract and includes a club option

<< Swisher out of Yanks lineup with sore heel
NEW YORK (AP) -Right fielder Nick Swisher was a late scratch from the New York Yankees' lineup because he woke up with a sore left Achilles' heel.Swisher was initially set to bat second Friday, but when he arrived at Yankee Stadium before the game a

<< Oakland locks up C Suzuki with extension
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics and catcher Kurt Suzuki have agreed to a contract extension through the 2014 season with a vesting option for 2015. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that the deal is

<< Dodgers designate Miller, recall Jansen
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have designated pitcher Justin Miller for assignment and recalled pitcher Kenley Jansen. The right-hander posted a 4.44 earned run average and no record in 19 rel

<< Thomas and Liu in finals of U.S. Junior
Ada, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Thomas and Jim Liu both won twice on Friday to advance to Saturday's 36-hole final of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Thomas, 17, earned a 2 & 1 victory over Scott Wolfes

Royals' DeJesus out for the year >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals outfielder David DeJesus is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his right thumb after further examination showed a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Earlier Frida

Peters takes truck pole at ORP >>
Clermont, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Timothy Peters will start on the pole for Friday's AAA Insurance 200 Camping World Truck Series race after topping the qualifying charts at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Peters turned a lap of

Lakers: Kobe will return from knee surgery by camp >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -The Los Angeles Lakers say Kobe Bryant recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.Bryant will be fully recovered well before training camp opens Sept. 25, the Lakers said in a brief statement Friday. The two-time NBA

Red Sox activate Beckett for Friday's start >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox activated Josh Beckett to start Friday's game in Seattle after he spent more than two months on the disabled list with a lower back strain. Beckett has been out the last 56 games si

Jays-Tigers postponed; doubleheader slated for Sunday >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second test of a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sund

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.