Online Betting Overview

The Montreal Canadiens are having a very strange season. Earlier in the year, the Canadiens used one of its assistant coaches as a scapegoat and fired him during the morning skate. Then the Canadiens fired head coach Jacques Martin and replaced him with Randy Cunneyworth. The pay per head sportsbook experts in Montreal ignored the Canadiens’ desperate need for a better direction and focused solely on the fact that Cunneyworth could not speak French. That seemed like a big deal to the Montreal press. Then the Canadiens’ traded Mike Cammalleri in the second intermission of a game and pulled him from the locker room. Strange things are going on in Montreal.

The Capitals have not had an easier time this year. The Washington management tried to pin the team’s lack of success on head coach Bruce Boudreau and fired Boudreau earlier in the season. The problem is that rookie head coach Dale Hunter is not having any more success with the team than Boudreau did. But the sports bookie software is starting to notice a change in the Capitals that has not occurred with the Canadiens. Despite all of the personnel moves that Montreal has made, the Canadiens are still floundering in the basement of the Northeast Division. The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, is only one point out of first place in the Southeast Division.

Montreal Canadiens

The overriding problem in Montreal is not the coaching, even though the coaching staff has been taking the fall for the issues the team has been facing. A sportsbook.com review of the Canadiens’ roster shows small forwards and slow defensemen. Cammalleri was not traded because it made the team better, he was traded because he spoke out against the way the team was playing. Randy Cunneyworth is not going to have any success in Montreal so long as the Montreal front office remains more focused on the team’s image than the product on the ice. Goaltender Carey Price is struggling and the Canadiens cannot score goals. You need more than good coaching to solve those problems.

Washington Capitals

The Caps have suddenly come to life and seem to be responding to Dale Hunter’s system. In the last 10 games, Washington has gone 7-3-0 and that includes a three-game winning streak. But the Capitals are still being victimized by inconsistent goaltending. Tomas Vokoun was supposed to wrestle the starting job away from youngster Michal Neuvirth. Every time it seems like Vokoun has himself under control, he stumbles and Neuvirth needs to come in to save the day. That is something that the Capitals have seen before and it has hindered the team’s playoff success.

The Bottom Line

For all of its problems, the Washington Capitals are at least showing a glimmer of hope. The glimmer in Montreal is being clouded by insignificant bickering and decisions made based on emotion as opposed to what is best for the team.

Pick: Washington Capitals

Sports Betting Overview

When the 2011-2012 NHL season started, the Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers had high hopes. The Ducks were coming off an extremely successful season where the team made the playoffs and finished with 99 points in the standings. But with losses of key players and the mysterious decline of goaltender Jonas Hiller, the Ducks have plummeted to the bottom of the Pacific Division. The team fired its coach and brought in Bruce Boudreau and things improved for a couple of weeks. But when the honeymoon was over, the team sunk right back into the tank. Nothing seems to be going right in Anaheim, and there doesn’t appear to be any signs of it getting any better.

The Edmonton Oilers and its fans did not know what to expect this season. The pay per head sportsbook experts placed the Oilers at the bottom of the Western Conference in preseason polls. But the experts were shocked when the Oilers came flying out of the gate and started to rocket to the top of the Western Conference. After about a month, reality set in again and the Oilers started its climb back down the standings. Edmonton is that frustrating mixture of very young and veteran players that cannot seem to gel together. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin started out with fantastic numbers, but then his performance fell off and the team followed him down the standings.

Anaheim Ducks

The price per head sports experts are wondering what has happened to Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller. In 35 games played this year, Hiller is 10-17-6. He is facing a lot of shots and that is causing his goals against average to balloon and his save percentage to drop. The Ducks need to put a defense around Hiller or else this season will be lost. There is only so much that Bruce Boudreau, or any coach, can do with a roster that is thin on defense. The Ducks are 4-5-1 in the last 10 games, but that does include a three-game winning streak. The team is hoping to extend that streak with this road game. The problem is that Anaheim is 3-10-5 on the road and not playing very good hockey away from home.

Edmonton Oilers

When the Edmonton Oilers crashed this season, it happened on the road. The Oilers are 6-16-1 away from home, which means that the World Juniors tournament that caused the Oilers to have to go on an extended road trip really hurt this young team. A sportsbook.com review of the season also shows that the team is missing the production of rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has been injured on and off all season long. The goaltending in Edmonton is failing the team and the Oilers have gone 2-7-1 in the last 10 games as a result.

The Bottom Line

The NHL fans in Edmonton support their team no matter what. When Edmonton came bursting out of the gate at the beginning of the season, the fans were loving it. The fans did not get to see much of the collapse because it happened on the road. Edmonton is hoping to get its groove back with this home game.

Pick: Edmonton Oilers

Online Betting Overview

Those simultaneous hissing noises you hear coming from Washington, DC and Pittsburgh, PA are the air being let out of the Capitals’ and Penguins’ seasons. The Penguins used to be resilient. It used to be that Pittsburgh could at least be competitive without its captain Sidney Crosby. But the price per head bookie experts have watched the Penguins fall from the top of the Atlantic Division to fourth place. One of the more distressing thing for Penguins’ fans is that Pittsburgh is holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by only one point. A little more stumbling and the Penguins could find itself on the outside looking in.

It has become extremely obvious by now that firing Bruce Boudreau as head coach of the Washington Capitals was not the answer to improving the team. The price per head sports experts would also like to point out that replacing Boudreau with rookie NHL head coach Dale Hunter was an even worse move. Hunter never had any leadership qualities when he was a player and that lack of leadership is spilling over into his head coaching style. The Capitals are afloat in a sea of mediocrity and it is hard to tell what can bring the team out of it. Even winning a couple of games last week did not seem to help. When things like this happen, fans look first at the coach and then the captain. The coach has been replaced, and team captain Alex Ovechkin is getting more and more disinterested by the day.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are still playing hard every night and it could just be going through a stretch where nothing is going right. A 5 dimes review of the Penguins’ last 10 games shows a record of 4-6-0. But that stretch includes a four-game losing streak where the Penguins cannot seem to do anything right. The fans in Pittsburgh need to be patient as Pittsburgh is only 10 points out of first place in the division. If there is a team in the NHL that has the capability to suddenly go on an extended winning streak, then that team would be the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Washington Capitals

For the first time in a very long time, the Washington Capitals have allowed more goals than it has scored. The other very noticeable attribute of the Capitals’ 2011-2012 record is that the NHL scores the Capitals are logging on the road are terrible. The Capitals are 7-12-1 on the road, but the team is 14-5-1 at home. The Capitals come into this game on a two-game losing streak and it is just one of many losing streaks the Caps have been on since Dale Hunter took over.

The Bottom Line

The Pittsburgh Penguins have shown an ability to fight back all season long despite long odds against them. The Washington Capitals have displayed signs of giving up at several points in the season. The goaltending with Tomas Vokoun has not panned out as it was supposed to and the Caps are not scoring. There is much more wrong with the Caps than just questionable coaching.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL Betting News: Injuries Take Away From Penguins, Capitals Rivalry

The outlook for this week’s rivalry game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals won’t have nearly the same fierceness to it with a handful of notable stars missing from the visitor side. Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang remain out as they continue to battle concussion-like symptoms, with Jordan Staal and James Neal joining that group of injured players this past weekend. Despite the injuries the Penguins are still holding on to a playoff position in the Eastern conference in eighth place, while the Capitals are currently on the outside looking in from tenth. However, Washington can close the two-point gap between these teams with a win on Wednesday, as they continue to look for an identity under new head coach Dale Hunter.

NBA Pay Head News: Heat, Clippers Set To Explode Wednesday

While the talent assembled in South Beach remains one of the most interesting stories in the NBA today, the Los Angeles Clippers have broken through with a solid assembly of their own talent, as the additions of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups have transformed them in to a legitimate contender. Paul is averaging over 15 points per game and close to 10 assists, while consistently making the highlight reel with some huge connections with Blake Griffin. Billups meanwhile is second only to Griffin in team scoring, and has been a calming influence on both sides of the floor. While it is still far too early to call a visit from the Miami Heat a preview of this year’s NBA finals, there should be a ton of explosive plays when Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh join Griffin, Paul, and Billups on the court.

College Basketball Betting News: Orange Attempt To Extend Undefeated Run Wednesday

After knocking off one of their toughest opponents so far this season in No. 20 Marquette on Saturday night, the top-ranked Syracuse Orange will have three days to prepare for their next game, as they travel to play the Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday. Villanova has just one win through its first four Big East games, and is .500 overall on the year, while Kris Joseph and the Orange have put together four straight wins to open the Big East portion of their schedule, and 17 straight overall. Meanwhile, the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats travel to Auburn on Wednesday in an SEC showdown, one day after the No. 5 Baylor Bears look to extend a perfect season of their own against No. 22 Kansas State.

Golf Betonline News: PGA Tour Lands In Hawaii This Thursday

The PGA Tour season will continue this Thursday in Honolulu, at the Waialae Country Club as Mark Wilson looks to defend his title. Steve Stricker looked good heading in to the final round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, with Webb Simpson not far behind, and both should be on hand and among the favorites with the $5.5 million purse up for grabs.

NCAA football will receive the spotlight this week until the NFL playoffs starts on the weekend, and some hoops action on the college and NBA levels will take you into the weekend.

Monday

Rose Bowl Odds (5:00 PM ET): No.5 Oregon is a 4-point favorite at Bet Online in the “Granddaddy of Them All” in Pasadena, but No.10 Wisconsin has gained two points on them in regards to the spread in this meeting of the last two teams to lose the Rose Bowl.

Fiesta Bowl Odds (8:30 PM ET): No.3 Oklahoma State is a 4-point favorite over No.4 Stanford in a game that may be the most entertaining of the bowl season. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is still being tipped to go first in the NFL draft, but he fell in the eyes of players that use bookie software and didn’t even win the Heisman, while the Cowboys feel they should be in the national-title game.

Tuesday

Sugar Bowl Odds (8:30 PM ET): No.13 Michigan is favored by 2.5 points over No.11 Virginia Tech, who are coming off a beating at the hands of Clemson in the ACC championship game, and the Wolverines have a much-improved defense, which has led them to the BCS in Brady Hoke’s first season as head coach.

Wednesday

Orange Bowl Odds (8:00 PM ET): The aforementioned No.15 Clemson Tigers are favored by a field goal over No.23 West Virginia, and this matchup features two coaches in Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen who are very aggressive in their play-calling, so this game could feature a lot of points.

Thursday

Michigan Indiana Odds (9:00 PM ET): The No.12 Hoosiers have to be moving up in the eyes of players that use price per head services after upsetting Ohio State, their second win over a top-two team this season. They should be the favorites at home against the No.16 Wolverines, who are on the ascent in the Big Ten, which has quietly returning to prominence with five teams in the top 25 this week.

Friday

Bulls Magic Odds (8:00 PM ET): Chicago has been touted as a team that should go after Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who is a free agent at the end of the season and will have to deal with questions about where he will play until the trade deadline, or he is moved. He will get a closer look at the Bulls when they come to town on Friday, and reigning MVP Derrick Rose is getting into the flow of the season. Expect a lot of discussion surrounding this game to be about the possibility of Rose and Howard pairing up in the Windy City, and it’s a game that should be checked out by online betting players.

NCAA football betting players and fans have a busy week ahead as the bowl season takes over, while a little hoops action from the NBA and NCAA ranks will keep you occupied as well.

Monday

Bowl Betting Madness: It all starts at noon as Houston takes on Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl, while 1:00 PM ET features three contests (that’s no BetOnline scam) as South Carolina and Nebraska meet in the Capital One Bowl, Michigan State and Georgia clash in the Outback Bowl, and Ohio State and Florida face off in the Gator Bowl. The Rose Bowl goes off at 5:00 PM ET with Wisconsin and Oregon, while Stanford and Oklahoma State wrap up the day in the Fiesta Bowl.

Tuesday

Sugar Bowl Odds (8:30 PM ET): Michigan is a 2.5-point favorite in the Sugar Bowl, and some players that use price per head software will point to the improvement of the Wolverines’ defense as the reason that they have returned to prominence under head coach Brady Hoke. However, Virginia Tech is coming off a terrible loss to Clemson in the ACC title game and they’ll be out to show they’re a better team than the one that got whipped by the Tigers twice in 2011.

Wednesday

Marquette Georgetown Odds (7:00 PM ET): Players that buy price per head software will tell you that the Big East is the toughest basketball conference in the country, and a pair of top-20 teams clash in the nation’s capital as Georgetown hosts Marquette. The Hoyas weren’t being thought of as a threat in the Big East, but a quick start has many jumping on their bandwagon.

Thursday

Heat Hawks Odds (8:00 PM ET): It seems that anytime Miami plays, it’s must-see-TV, and the Heat will be in Atlanta on Thursday night to take on the Hawks, who are the epitome of a mid-pack team. It doesn’t even matter if the Hawks beat the Heat on this night, Atlanta has struggled terribly in the playoffs and that should be their mission this season. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in tow, the Heat will be fine.

Friday

Cotton Bowl Odds (8:00 PM ET): It’s not a BCS bowl, but the Cotton Bowl between Arkansas and Kansas State could end up being the best of the bunch. The Razorbacks are 7.5-point favorites in this meeting of top-10 teams, and the Wildcats still aren’t getting much respect around the country, so a win over an SEC team would be huge for their profile and they could end up cracking the top five with a victory over the Razorbacks. This will be an excellent contest for college football betting players.

Sports Betting Overview

The Washington Capitals are in trouble. As most people expected, firing head coach Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with rookie NHL head coach Dale Hunter was not the answer to the Capitals’ woes. The pay per head sportsbook experts do not seem phased by the recent challenges facing the Capitals as Washington is still a 6 ½ to 1 favorite to win the Stanley Cup this season. But anyone that has been watching the Capitals play lately has seen signs that this team is far from being a Stanley Cup contender. Team captain Alex Ovechkin is taking dumb penalties out of frustration and the Caps’ goaltending situation is not as stable as the team once thought. Tomas Vokoun is doing just fine, but Michal Neuvirth is not playing well at all. Vokoun cannot play every game this season, so Neuvirth is going to need to step up his game or get replaced.

By contrast, everyone has been able to see the Rangers play as of late thanks to the HBO series “24/7” that has been following the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers as each team gets ready to compete in the 2012 Winter Classic. The thing that has been impressing the price per head sports experts about the Rangers is the consistency with which the Rangers play. The Rangers are tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference with those same Philadelphia Flyers mostly because the Rangers are a very well-balanced hockey team. The defense is steady and able to join in the offensive rush once in a while, and the offense is spreading the scoring around. When you back all of that up with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, then you have a very potent hockey team.

Washington Capitals

A betonline.com review of the Capitals’ last 10 games shows a record of 5-4-1. But it is the Caps’ overall road record that is raising eyebrows throughout the league. The Caps are 6-10-1 on the road and it looks like a completely different team when it is away from Washington, DC. At home, the Caps are 11-5-1 and play a completely different brand of hockey. The Caps score a lot of goals but it also gives up a lot of goals as well. If Washington wants to maintain its status as a Stanley Cup contender, then it will need to start playing better defense. This game against the Rangers is a chance for Washington to show that it can play the defense it needs to play to compete.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are riding a five-game winning streak and look like a John Tortorella coached team. They are aggressive but smart and always able to cover their mistakes in their own end. The Rangers have that level of discipline that the Capitals need. But the Rangers get their discipline from their coach. Henrik Lundqvist is having an all-star season and has to be considered an early candidate for the Vezina Trophy. But the Rangers are also getting some good play from backup Martin Biron as well. This is a very balanced hockey team that is able to lift itself up when it is having a bad night. It is up to the challenge of going into Washington and facing a good home team.

The Bottom Line

NHL fans in Washington really thought that they had a Cup contender on their hands the past few years. But now the frustration is starting to show on the players and the fans in Washington. This game is not going to help the demeanor of the hockey fans and players in Washington, DC.

Pick: New York Rangers

While Toronto Raptors fans are awaiting the beginning of the NBA season, which is on Christmas Day, but there is plenty on the slate to keep players occupied next week and here is a preview of the matchups you should consider.

Monday

Steelers 49ers Odds (8:30 PM ET): This line is off the board right now as Pittsburgh’s Bet Online odds have to be evaluated once Ben Roethlisberger’s status is released, and this is a chance for San Francisco to show they belong among the elite in the NFL.

Tuesday

Blackhawks Penguins Odds (7:30 PM ET): These two teams are favored by those that purchase price per head bookie software to win the Stanley Cup and both teams have won the Cup in recent years. The Penguins have been hit with injuries and of course, Sidney Crosby is back on the shelf with his concussion problems, and they’ll have their hands full against the Blackhawks, who are battling with Detroit at the top of the Central Division.

Wednesday

Poinsettia Bowl Odds (8:00 PM ET): The No.18 Horned Frogs are 10-point favorites in San Diego against Louisiana Tech, who have won seven in a row heading into this bowl matchup. TCU has also won seven in a row and only an overtime loss against SMU is holding them out of, at least, consideration for a BCS bowl and they’re familiar among those who use pay head services after their upset of Wisconsin in last year’s Rose Bowl, albeit with a different cast.

Thursday

Texans Colts Odds (8:20 PM ET): Houston is a 7.5-point favorite in Indianapolis, and the Colts could be still searching for their first win of the season. It has been revealed that head coach Jim Caldwell will likely be fired if the Colts go 0-16, so this will be a test of the Colts’ mental strength and whether or not they’re willing to fight for their coach in the face of a trying season.

Friday

West Virginia Baylor Odds (9:00 PM ET): Some think the Bears have a good chance to be a darkhorse in the NCAA Tournament in March, and now that forward Perry Jones is back in the lineup, that could be a very good bet to make. But the Bears will be hosting a West Virginia team that is going to give them all they can handle, and being coached by Bob Huggins, you know that the Mountaineers are a tough, hard-nosed team that isn’t going to back down from the Bears, even in Waco. It’s these types of games that will make a team stronger and a win for Baylor would give them some credit among NCAA basketball betting players.

It’s no BetOnline scam to see the highlight of the sports betting weekend coming on Thursday, where there are a trio of football games to occupy yourselves with. The week also begins with football, slips in some hockey and ends with some college football.

Monday

Chiefs Patriots Betting (8:30 PM ET): New England is a 16.5-point favorite at home, and some sportsbook reviews would be leaning towards the Patriots to cover that large spread; they’re at home, coming off a huge divisional win over their rivals, the New York Jets, and they’re facing a Kansas City team without former Patriot Matt Cassel; instead, Tyler Palko is under center for the Chiefs.

Tuesday

Leafs Lightning Betting (7:30 PM ET): Toronto has lost four of their last five in Tampa Bay, and they’ll be the underdogs at most price per head services on Tuesday against the Lightning, who have won six of their eight games at home this season.

Wednesday

Blues Penguins Betting (7:00 PM ET): It doesn’t seem like a big game, but it should be the second game for a Pittsburgh team that has Sidney Crosby on the ice. The captain is slated to return from more than 11 months off after suffering a concussion and while the Penguins have done well without him, they’re a contender for the Stanley Cup with a 100% Crosby in the lineup.

Thursday

Packers Lions Betting (12:30): The football bonanza begins with a massive matchup from the NFC North, and Green Bay is a 6-point road favorite according to your pay per head sportsbook.

Dolphins Cowboys Betting (4:15 PM ET): Dallas is a 7-point favorite at home in a contest of two teams that have won three in a row. The Cowboys may also be playing for the lead in the NFC East.

49ers Ravens Betting (8:20 PM ET): Jim Harbaugh has led a renaissance in San Francisco, but his 49ers are 3-point underdogs when they visit Baltimore, who happen to be coached by Jim’s big brother John.

Friday

Arkansas LSU Betting (2:30 PM ET): The top-ranked Tigers are 12.5-point favorites in Baton Rouge over the No.3 Razorbacks in a special Friday matchup that will not only affect the SEC standings, but it’ll have a say in the BCS standings as well. LSU is the unanimous No.1 team in the country, and they’ll bring arguably the best defense in the nation into a game where they’ll have to be at their best to slow down Arkansas’ high-flying attack. The Razorbacks are also 0-3 ATS on the road this season, and that may be a factor to think about before you bet on sports this Friday.

NHL Sports Betting News: Sabres Push Forward Without Miller

The Buffalo Sabres have learned that netminder Ryan Miller will be out indefinitely with a concussion following a hit from Boston Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic in Saturday night’s 6-2 loss. Miller was hit by Lucic while attempting to play the puck outside of his crease, and while Lucic was assessed a two-minute charging minor, there has been no word from the league on suspensions or fines. With Miller out, Jhonas Enroth will move in to the starters role, with Drew MacIntyre called up from the AHL to back him up. The injury could not have come at a worse time for the Sabres, which play four games in six nights this week beginning on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens.

NBA Pay Head News: Labor Negotiations Continue With More Games Compromised

After meeting over the weekend and assessing the latest proposal from the owners, the NBA players are expected to meet on Monday and come together on an agreement to turn down the latest offer. While the BRI issues are closing in on what is acceptable for both sides, the latest deal is rumored to include a clause on escrow that essentially will take away from everything that has been bargained for in the past week. If this is true, it will serve as another major setback for negotiations, and likely force the cancellation of more games.

College Basketball Intertops News: Wildcats Face Tough Road Test Tuesday

While the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels will not take to the floor this week, the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats will face a tough test traveling to face the No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks in a crucial early season matchup. Both teams are expected to contend in this year’s March Madness tournament, and an early win this week will be significant for either team in regards to both confidence and chemistry. That game will highlight a big night for college basketball in general, with other marquee matchups that include the No. 10 Florida Gators traveling to take on Jared Sullinger and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, while the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils try and overcome a tough test from the Michigan State Spartans.

NFL Betting News: Tebow, Broncos Face Tough Test Against Jets

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos have been all of the talk in the NFL over the past couple of weeks, perhaps even beyond what they deserve in terms of national coverage. But with another big road win this past Sunday against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos are now 3-1 under Tebow and just one game back of the AFC West lead. While Tebow completed just two passes in the team’s most recent win, he is undoubtedly acting as a leader in the huddle and has also been a major threat on the ground. Denver won’t be able to escape the spotlight this week with a visit from the Jets on Thursday Night Football, the first Thursday game of the season.