Boyle's hat trick helps Lightning past struggling Rangers

Hockey Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Boyle netted his first career hat trick, with all three goals coming in the third period, as the Tampa Bay Lightning completed a stunning comeback to defeat the New York Rangers, 4-3, at St. Pete Times Forum.

Boyle, who is only the second defenseman in Tampa Bay history to record a hat trick, also notched an assist on Vincent Lecavalier's game-tying goal as the Lightning won their third straight game, equaling their best win streak of the season. Tampa Bay had gone 1-7-1 in its last nine games before the three-win stretch.

Marc Denis allowed three goals on just 16 shots in two periods of play before Johan Holmqvist took over netminding duties in the third and made 12 saves to ice the win.

Martin Straka had a goal and an assist, and Blair Betts and Aaron Ward also tallied for the Rangers, who dropped their fifth straight contest. New York last dropped five in a row to close the 2005-06 regular season.

Henrik Lundqvist returned to the lineup after battling the flu and made 22 saves, but stopped just six of ten shots in the final stanza amidst the Rangers collapse.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the final period, Tampa Bay's offense exploded for three goals in under five minutes to tie things up before grabbing the lead for good later in the stanza.

Boyle started things off by scoring on the power play with 1:02 expired in the period.

He followed up that effort just 1:27 later with another marker, then assisted on Lecavalier's power-play goal that tied the score at 5:56.

Boyle completed the hat trick on a wrist shot from the slot to make it 4-3 with 8:57 left.

Amazingly, New York outshot Tampa Bay 12-10 in the final period and also pulled their netminder with under a minute remaining, but couldn't get off a shot with the man-advantage.

New York finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Lightning went 2-for-6.

Given a 5-on-3 for over a minute, the Rangers cashed in just 42 seconds later with their first score of the contest. Brendan Shanahan fired a shot from the left faceoff circle that was blocked, but the rebound came out to Straka just inside the right circle and he was able to bang the puck into empty net at 16:37 in the first period.

The Blueshirts struck again with just 52 ticks remaining in the period, off a turnover just inside the blue line. Betts corralled the puck and fired a 49- foot slapshot that flew over the glove of Denis for the 2-0 advantage.

New York took a 3-0 lead on Ward's third tally of the season and his first since October. Nylander started the play, sliding a pass to Straka after striding across the blueline. Straka played the puck off the boards before sending a cross-ice pass to Ward, who beat Denis on a one-timer at 8:17 in the second period.

Game Notes

Lecavalier has a point in 11 of his last 12 games, recording 11 goals and 10 assists in the stretch...Brad Richards had a pair of assists for Tampa Bay...Michael Nylander also returned for New York after missing three games with the flu...The Rangers are 3-1-2 in their last six matchups with the Lightning, but have lost in five of their last seven visits to Tampa...Tampa Bay has the weakest penalty-killing team in the NHL, allowing a goal in one out of every four power-plays against them this season...The official attendance was 20,122.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.