Sports Betting Overview

Whenever two New York City teams meet in a playoff series, the press is quick to dub that series a “Subway Series.” Aside from its potential commercial implications, calling a series a “Subway Series” indicates that these are two cross-town rivals battling it out for bragging rights. The state of New Jersey has become such a part of the sports landscape in New York City that the NHL Eastern Conference Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers has taken on the feeling of a “Subway Series” for the teams and the fans. The online sportsbook observers could not help but notice how split the crowd seemed in game one of this series that was played in Madison Square Garden. The whole aura probably removes any home ice advantage that the Rangers would have, which just leaves the teams to play hockey.

The Devils had a lot of problems getting offense to the net in game one. That was a recurring theme in the regular season that New Jersey thought it had rectified when the playoffs started. The price per head bookie websites also took note on how much trouble the Devils’ defense and goaltending seemed to have containing a rather energetic set of New York forwards. These kinds of things are not exactly what the Devils wanted to see at the outset of this series.

New York Rangers

The Rangers played a very disciplined game in game one and it resulted in a New York win. But more importantly, the Rangers were able to spread the scoring around. New York only scored three goals, but three players each had at least two points in that game. A bodog review of the New Jersey defensive approach shows that the Devils almost abandoned the trap and tried to play the Rangers one-on-one. As talented as the Devils may be, the New Jersey defense is not able to skate with the New York offense. The Rangers will continue to exploit New Jersey’s problems on defense and, as long as New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist can keep pucks out of the net, the Rangers will continue to apply pressure on Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur.

New Jersey Devils

If the Devils want to get back into this playoff series, then it will have to start pushing back against the offensive push of the Rangers. The Devils’ forwards were not coming back on defense in game one and that was leaving the New Jersey defense alone with the Rangers’ offense. New Jersey needs to get back to its game of cycling defense down low and moving up and down the ice as a five-man unit. If the Devils continue to play this fragmented game, then it will be playing right into the hands of the Rangers.

The Bottom Line

NHL fans know that the Rangers have not shown enough consistency in these playoffs to be able to sweep a series. The Devils will win a game or two before this is over. But the Devils need to adapt immediately if it wants to change the tone of this series, and that shift needs to happen in this game two.

Pick: New Jersey Devils

NHL Betting

After being double up on 4-2 in their series opener against the Los Angeles Kings on home ice Sunday, the Phoenix Coyotes will look to bounce back with a much better effort on Tuesday when they play game two of their best-of-seven Western conference final series. Phoenix was outshot 48-27 in the loss, with netminder Mike Smith allowing four goals despite making an incredible 44 stops. Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick only needed 25 saves, but made several key stops late in the third to keep the game at 3-2, earning first star honors. Captain Dustin Brown scored the game-winner, ensuring Los Angeles at least a split as well as the chance to take a commanding two-games-to-none series lead heading to the Staples Center. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers played game one of their series at Madison Square Garden on Monday, with game two scheduled for Wednesday night before the teams head to New Jersey.

NBA Pay Head News: Pacers Look To Avoid Going Down 2-0 Tuesday

Even with Chris Bosh out of the lineup on Sunday, the Indiana Pacers had no answer for MVP Lebron James and Dwayne Wade in a 95-86 loss in which they were outscored as a team by Miami’s top tandem 42-38 in the second half. Bosh left late in the first half after suffering a lower abdominal injury, and there is no word yet on whether he will be okay for game two. If the Pacers are going to have any chance at earning a split in Miami they are going to have to do a much better job of defending James and Wade, who made it look far too easy in the series opener. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers will open their Western conference semi-final on Tuesday as well with game one against the San Antonio Spurs. It marks the first time that the Clippers have reached the second round since the franchise relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles

MLB Blogs News: First Place Orioles Face Another Tough Test Versus Yankees

The Baltimore Orioles came within two runs of sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays at home over the weekend, but after losing the finale on Sunday, Matt Wieters and company will have no time for rest as they welcome the New York Yankees to town on Monday. The surprising Orioles will play a two-game mini series against the Yankees before traveling to Kansas City for another two against the Royals before interleague play begins this weekend.

Golf Bodog News: Bradley Looks To Defend Title At HP Byron Nelson Championship Beginning Thursday

After watching on as Matt Kuchar secured his first PGA Tour win in two years at the Players Championship on Sunday, Keegan Bradley will now look to defend his title at the HP Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas beginning on Thursday. With a $6.5 million purse up for grabs there is sure to be a strong turnout, as the long road to the US Open begins.

Jeremy Stephens (20-7) vs. Donald Cerrone (17-4) – Lightweight

If you can find a prop that involves fight bonuses, Bet Online reviews may recommend that you wager on Stephens, who has earned four in his last nine fights. The “Lil Heathen” has a tough chin and has never lost a fight via knockout, although he has been submitted three times. He possesses knockout power of his own with 14 wins by KO, but he still comes in as a +225 underdog.

Cerrone was riding a six-match winning streak before running into Nate Diaz, but he comes in as a -265 favorite because of his versatility, especially on the mat where he has 13 submissions. Most players that will be using price per head services will tell you that styles make fights in combat sports, and if Stephens has an issue with stopping submissions, he’s running into the wrong guy in Cerrone, who has won four fight bonuses in his last five fights. The “Cowboy” needs a big performance to get back on the road he was on before losing badly to Diaz, which is a shot at the lightweight title.

Chan Sung Jung (12-3) vs. Dustin Poirier (12-1) – Featherweight

These two are unbeaten in six combined UFC fights since coming over from the WEC (which the UFC bought out), and this could be the early favorite at the best online betting sites for “Fight of the Year”. Poirier comes in as a huge -315 favorite in a match that will see the winner challenge champion Jose Aldo and he is well-rounded with the same number of KO wins as submission victories and decisions (five) and his lone loss came back in August 2010 in his WEC debut against Danny Castillo

He’ll go up against the “Korean Zombie”, as Jung earned the nickname for his ability to take power shots, while stumbling forward to land more of his own. He avenged a WEC loss to Leonard Garcia by submitting him with the first twister in UFC history, which earned him the “Submission of the Year” award in 2011 and Jung is known for his exciting fights and punching power. He is rated at +265 and could be a good underdog bet if he can land a few shots on Poirier, and he can hold his own on the mat, so give him a look when you bet on sports on Tuesday.

Online Sportsbook Overview

Things were not supposed to go like this for the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. Neither team was supposed to be tangled in a fierce battle in the second round of the playoffs, especially with each other. The Capitals slid into the playoffs and were supposed to be dispatched by the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Even the best sportsbook online did not give the Capitals much of a chance of winning a game from the Bruins, much less the entire series. But by the time the series was over, the Bruins were sent packing and the Capitals went on to the second round.

The New York Rangers were the best team in the Eastern Conference all season long. The Rangers were supposed to slam in to the playoffs and destroy the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The price per head sportsbook experts had the Rangers as the odds-on favorite to win it all this season. But the Rangers needed overtime in the seventh game to beat the Senators and now New York is facing down game six with those pesky Capitals. It is funny how things can sometimes work out in a manner that no one expected but yet it still grabs everyone’s interest.

Washington Capitals

There is no doubt that a goaltending star is born in Washington with rookie Braden Holtby. Unlike Semyon Varlomov before him, Holtby is a Washington rookie goaltender that is holding up well to the pressure of the playoffs. By the time Varlomov was knocked out of the playoffs in his rookie year, he was giving up basket loads of goals each game. Holtby is not cracking under the pressure and he seems to be getting better with each game. A 5 dimes review of the Capitals’ effort around Holtby shows a team that is playing at a level it had not achieved during the regular season. Then again, that is what the playoffs are all about.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are not making anything easy on itself in these playoffs. Overtime games have become commonplace in this series with the Capitals, and the Rangers are just barely winning these overtime games. This series had its triple-overtime epic that Alex Ovechkin could have ended for the Capitals just a few minutes into the first overtime period. Some of it is luck with the Rangers, and some of it is the spectacular play of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

The Bottom Line

The NHL fans in New York would love to know where the Rangers’ offense has gone in the playoffs, but the fans will take the wins they have seen so far. This series has become a goaltending battle, and the rookie is doing just fine at keeping pace with the veteran. This series will come down to offense and, in the end, the Washington Capitals should have a much more potent offense than the New York Rangers.

Pick: Washington Capitals

Monday

Angels Twins Odds (8:10 PM ET): Jered Weaver takes to the mound one start after his no-hitter against Minnesota, and most online betting USA sharps would note that that pitchers struggle in their next start after a no-hitter or a perfect game. The Twins will be out for revenge at home on Monday and will go with Francisco Liriano, who tossed a no-hitter last year and was rocked in his next outing.

Tuesday

Devils Flyers Odds (7:30 PM ET): New Jersey has a chance to send their Atlantic Division rivals to the golf course as they have a 3-1 series lead, and players that use the best online sports betting sites http://www.payperhead.com/may see the Flyers without star forward Claude Giroux, who hit Dainius Zubrus in the head in Game 4 and may have to sit out a critical Game 5.

Wednesday

Knicks Heat Odds (7:00 PM ET): Miami is favored by 11 points at home against New York, who staved off elimination with a huge win in Game 4, and they got Amare Stoudemire back, but he may not be able to save the Knicks in Miami, where they lost the first two in this series by a combined 43 points. If the Knicks don’t get out to a good start, their season is as good as over.

Thursday

Rays Yankees Odds (7:05 PM ET): Online sports betting sharps have watched a busy first month in the American League East and even though Baltimore is currently leading the way, New York and Tampa Bay will eventually move up the standings. The Yankees will send out C.C. Sabathia on Thursday night, while the Rays counter with David Price in a matchup of powerful southpaws.

Friday

Angels Rangers Odds (8:05 PM ET): C.J. Wilson won’t get a warm reception in Texas on Friday night as he left the Rangers for their rivals from Los Angeles, and ironically, he’ll go up against the man that the Rangers got to replace him. Yu Darvish has been very good in his first few starts in the major leagues after dominating in Japan, and if he can lead the Rangers to a win over Wilson, he’ll be even more of a fan favorite in the Lone Star State. The Angels have gotten off to a slow start to the 2012 campaign, and this is a huge series for their sport betting chances.

Nate Diaz (15-7) vs. Jim Miller (21-3) – Lightweight

Diaz is a +195 underdog against Miller, who is favored at -225 and a Bet Online review of this match would show that both men are black belts in jiu-jitsu, but Diaz may have the edge standing up with his five-inch reach advantage and his unique style of boxing that is used by Diaz and his older brother Nick. Miller also has an older MMA sibling, Dan, and he’ll want to take this to the ground, but Diaz can handle himself there. Take the upset in the main event.

Josh Koscheck (17-5) vs. Johny Hendricks (12-1) – Welterweight

Hendricks is a -130 favorite over Koscheck in what could be the fight of the night between two wrestlers who also have heavy hands. Sharps who work with price per head services have watched Hendricks win three in a row and two of them have earned “Fight of the Night”, but Koscheck is a tough customer who will engage with him and two of his losses have come against champion Georges St. Pierre. However, Hendricks will be just too much and he’ll pull out a close decision victory.

Rousimar Palhares (14-3) vs. Alan Belcher (17-6) – Middleweight

Palhares may be the most physically imposing middleweight in the UFC, but he still makes a few too many mental errors. Still, he is a -265 favorite over Belcher in another matchup of jiu-jitsu black belts, but Belcher isn’t on the level that Palhares is and if the Brazilian gets his hand on a leg, Belcher could be in trouble as four of Palhares’ last five wins have come by some sort of leg lock. Belcher hasn’t fought since September, so he could be a little rusty. Take Palhares for the win if you’re betting online.

Pat Barry (7-4) vs. Lavar Johnson (16-5) – Heavyweight

Johnson and Barry open up this card and it’ll be a surprise if this goes the distance, and Barry is a -195 favorite against Johnson at +170. Barry is a kickboxer and Johnson’s background is his boxing, but he works out of American Kickboxing Academy. If this match goes to the mat, it’s because someone is getting knocked out, and even though Barry survived his last match against Christian Morecraft, which may have been his last if he lost, he’ll fall on Saturday night. Go with Johnson in your sports betting picks.

Sports Betting Overview

The Washington Capitals were not supposed to beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL playoffs. But Washington rookie goalie Braden Holtby got hot as Boston goalie Tim Thomas cooled off and the Capitals sent the defending champion packing. Then the online betting sites said that the Capitals would get swept by the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs. In game one, it seemed like that may be the case. But then the Capitals bore down and slowed the Rangers almost to a halt in game two and came away with the win. Holtby continues to impress and the Capitals are not getting swept by the New York Rangers in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

To the price per head bookie experts, it almost looks like the New York Rangers are making things more difficult than they need to be in these playoffs. There is no way that the eighth seeded Ottawa Senators would take the first seed New York Rangers to a seventh and deciding game in the NHL playoffs. Yet, that is exactly what happened. The Rangers are still having a problem consistently scoring goals, and it could cost them dearly in this series. As the series shifts to Washington, there is a lot for New York fans to be concerned about.

Washington Capitals

When the Rangers won game one of this series and limited the Capitals to only 18 shots, everyone started to think that the Rangers could just grind this series out and win with defense. But the Capitals had an answer in game two and Braden Holtby made 26 saves to make the win stick. Once again, the Capitals had precious few shots on net. But Washington is doing its best to make every shot count. Can Braden Holtby out-duel New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist like he did Boston’s Tim Thomas? So far, Holtby has shown that he can stay in any game and give his team a chance to win.

New York Rangers

A 5 dimes review of game two shows that the Rangers are going to have the same problem with the Capitals that the Bruins did. The Capitals have found another rookie goalie that is performing well in the playoffs. Washington wants to avoid the same mistakes it made with Semyon Varlomov as it develops Braden Holtby. The Rangers, in the meantime, are still trying to figure this Holtby kid out. This series will come down to goaltending, and the Rangers have a lot of confidence in their guy between the pipes.

The Bottom Line

NHL fans in Washington know that the Rangers are not a timid hockey team by any stretch of the imagination. The Rangers will come into game three and start pounding the Capitals like any good playoff team would do. But no matter how much the Rangers pound the Capitals, New York still has to beat Holtby. That has proven to be a very formidable challenge.

Pick: New York Rangers

With limited certainty about their future in the desert, the Phoenix Coyotes have made things a little more interesting by winning the first two games in their best-of-seven conference semi-final series against the Nashville Predators as the series shifts to Tennessee. The closer the Coyotes get to the Stanley Cup finals the more complicated the argument for relocation should become, while the Predators now face an uphill climb down two games as they head home for game three on Wednesday. The Philadelphia Flyers needed overtime to take game one of their series against the New Jersey Devils, with Daniel Briere scoring his second of the game in overtime. The series resumes on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

NBA Sports Betting News: Celtics Look To Bounce Back; No Rose In Chicago

After registering the best record in the NBA following the All Star break, the Boston Celtics appeared to be one of the most dangerous teams in the association heading in to the playoffs, where their experience and momentum was expected to be key in their series against the Atlanta Hawks. However, after getting thoroughly outplayed in an 83-74 loss to open the series, the Celtics are looking for answers heading in to game two at Atlanta. Rajon Rondo will be back for Boston after being ejected late in game one, but winning will come down to how the Celtics play as a team and not the performance of any one individual. The same can be said about the Chicago Bulls as they continue their opening round series against the Philadelphia 76ers without Derrick Rose. Rose tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, leaving the Bulls to fight for an NBA title without the league’s reigning MVP.

MLB Betting News: Orioles Set For Yankees, Red Sox This Week

With 14 wins through their first 22 games of the season, the Baltimore Orioles head in to this week tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. There has been debate about how much stock that players can put in the Orioles’ early success for obvious reasons, with the memory of 14 straight losing seasons putting a damper on the optimism of a strong start. Fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out if Baltimore is for real, with back-to-back three-game sets at Yankees Stadium and Fenway Park. The Orioles were swept in a three-game home series against New York earlier in the year, and will spend the next month playing some of the top teams in the league with the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Rays all in line.

Golf Online Betting News: Glover Looking For Answers Ahead Of Wells Fargo Championship

After watching Jason Dufner steal a win at the Zurich Open from the grasp of Ernie Els in a thrilling playoff this past weekend, the stage is now set for the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Defending champion Lucas Glover has failed to finish in the top-10 even once this season, missing the cut in two of his five events. Glover should feel confident playing a course that he won on last season, so perhaps that will help him get going.

Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller – Lightweight

Some sportsbook reviews would tell you that the winner of this match will get a shot at the belt, which is currently held by Ben Henderson, but he’ll face Frankie Edgar in a rematch this summer. Diaz, the younger brother of Nick, put on a clinic against Donald Cerrone in December, while Miller, who is the younger brother of Dan, came back to stun Melvin Guillard in January. Miller is a -210 favorite, and that’s a little high as both are jiu-jitsu black belts and you could argue that Diaz has the edge standing up.

Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks – Welterweight

Hendricks is a slight -120 favorite despite Koscheck’s edge in experience, and most players that use price per head software would point to Hendricks’ 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch, Koscheck’s former teammate. Koscheck has a lot of big-match experience and he’ll be looking to prove that he deserves to be a top contender against 170 pounds, while Hendricks is on the rise, so the odds are about right for this match.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher – Middleweight

Brazil’s Palhares is a -300 favorite at betting sites as he has been tearing through the lower tier of the middleweight division, and you would be warned to not leave a limb out for Palhares, especially a leg as the first-degree jiu-jitsu artist will submit you at the drop of a dime. Belcher hasn’t fought since September and while he is also a solid jiu-jitsu artist, he isn’t on the level of the wacky Brazilian, who is always at risk of making a mental error to hand his opponent the fight.

Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson – Heavyweight

Barry is a -205 favorite in this heavyweight affair, and you shouldn’t see much action on the ground in this battle as three of Barry’s four losses have come via submission, while the ratio is four in five losses for Johnson. Johnson isn’t well known to casual UFC fans as he just made his debut in January, knockout out Joey Beltran, and Barry has been with the company since December 2008, so the public fans are far more familiar with him and that is the major reason he has such a large online betting edge.

Offense

The St. Louis Blues have never had a problem scoring goals. As a matter of fact, the Blues have scored less goals this year than it did last year. In the 2010-2011 season, the Blues scored 240 goals. But in the 2011-2012 season, the Blues scored 210 goals. The price per head sports experts have never really considered Hitchcock a defensive-minded coach, but he has always been big on forechecking. The Blues’ offense has become obsessed with keeping the play in the opposition’s end and making sure that the puck does not cross into the St. Louis end. The forwards play great positional hockey and are extremely aggressive. It is a complete change from last season and it has made a significant difference in the way that the Blues approach each game.

Defense

Sportsbook reviews of winning teams in the past show that it is impossible to have two starting goalies. That would be crazy, right? Last season, the Blues spent the entire year trying to figure out if Jaroslav Halak was really a starting goaltender in the NHL. In the off-season, the team brought in Brian Elliott to try and give some stability to the goaltending position. Ken Hitchcock looked at the situation and declared that St. Louis had two starting goaltenders, and both goalies went on to win 20 games each in the 2011-2012 season. It was a smart decision because it gave Hitchcock two starting goalies in the playoffs. When Jaroslav Halak was injured in the opening round against the Sharks, Elliott stepped in and the Blues never missed a beat.

The rest of the St. Louis defense has played great all season long. The team keeps the puck from getting in front of its net and offers plenty of support to both goaltenders. The Blues finished giving up only 165 goals against for the entire season, which allowed the team to finish as the top defensive team in the league. Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.

Summary

In only his first season as head coach, Ken Hitchcock has already made decisions that have put the Blues on the right path. The team is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and should strike fear into the heart of any team it plays. NHL fans in St. Louis are trying not to get too optimistic, but this St. Louis team makes it difficult to not see flashes of the Stanley Cup when fans dream at night. The scary thing is that Hitchcock is only getting started.