05/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Superstitions are often the invention of people in desperate situations. The NHL playoffs have a mythic connection to the number 33 that is rooted in such superstition, and it's about to be put to the test once again.
Only twice in NHL history have teams come back from 3-0 deficits to win a seven-game series. If first happened in 1942, when the Toronto Maple Leafs charged back to defeat Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals. Thirty-three years later the same miracle occurred as the New York Islanders rebounded from a three games-to-none hole to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 quarterfinals.
So, if my limited math ability is good enough to solve this equation, 2008 would be 33 years since the Isles last pulled off the 0-3 magic. And it just so happens that the Penguins and the Red Wings, the only two teams to ever blow 3-0 leads, are holding 3-0 advantages in this year's conference finals.
Could it possibly happen again? Unfortunately for fans of the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars, the answer is "not likely".
The Red Wings opened their three-game edge over the Stars with a 5-2 win on Monday, and Pittsburgh gained the same lead over Philadelphia with a 4-1 decision on Tuesday night.
Both the Flyers and Stars have been thoroughly dominated by their opponents and the 33-year superstition is the only thing the teams have going for them at this stage.
Detroit is rolling through the Western Conference playoffs, having won nine straight games after being tied with Nashville at 2-2 after four games in the opening round.
In the current series, the Red Wings have outscored Dallas by an 11-4 margin, continuing the stingy style of play that helped them against the Stars in the regular season. The Red Wings won three of the four regular-season meetings with Dallas this season, and the Stars managed just five goals in those four tests.
In fact, the Stars have yet to hold a lead at any point during the first three games of this series.
Detroit's manhandling of the Stars seems to be a clear cut case of the cream rising to the top. The Red Wings' top-line of centerman Henrik Zetterberg and wingers Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom has proven to be too much for Dallas to handle. The trio has combined for 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in the three games, and has done a superb job of shutting down the opposing offense as well.
The Red Wings haven't even missed second-line centerman Johan Franzen, who leads the league with 12 goals in this year's playoffs but has missed Games 2 and 3 with concussion-like symptoms.
Also, Detroit's tremendous depth at the blue line and strong showing from Chris Osgood in goal makes it even less likely that the Stars could come back from 0-3. In addition to having the best defenseman of his era in Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wings also have a stable of stalwart rear-guards in Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios and Brad Stuart.
Meanwhile, Osgood has been nearly unstoppable since taking over the starting goaltending job from Dominik Hasek after Game 4 of the Nashville series. The 35-year-old netminder has won nine consecutive playoff games -- all this season -- tying his own franchise record set from the tail end of the 1998 and start of the 1999 playoffs.
Pittsburgh has also been able to impose its will on the Philadelphia Flyers, who would have had a tough time stopping the Pens even before losing their top-two defensemen to injuries.
The Penguins have outscored Philly, 12-5, in the East finals and have been nearly flawless in the set when holding a lead. Pittsburgh is 11-1 in this year's postseason after sweeping Ottawa in the opening round and ousting the New York Rangers in five games during the conference semis. The 1982-83 Edmonton Oilers were the last club to begin the playoffs at 11-1, but they were eventually swept by the New York Islanders in the finals.
Pittsburgh has received the usual prolific scoring output from its superstar forwards - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa - but the entire team has also shown an overall commitment to playing sound defense.
The disciplined play of the Penguins, has made it extremely difficult for the Flyers to play their game, which is dumping the puck in deep and charging at the net. So far, Philadelphia has rarely been seen creating havoc from in close, and that has allowed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to sit back and basically relax in goal.
The way the conference finals have gone, it would be shocking if either the Flyers or Stars could push their series to seven games, and downright earth- shattering if one of them were able to pull off the most monumental of comebacks.
It's usually not a good idea to tempt fate, but in this case it's a safe bet that the myth of 33 years will come to an end.
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Confederation of North, Central American
and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) unveiled the qualification
format for the inaugural 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League, it was announced
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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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