Niemi standing tall for Hawks

Hockey Betting Lines

06/01/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The consensus among hockey experts is that the Chicago Blackhawks' biggest weakness is in net, but so far in the Stanley Cup Finals, Antti Niemi has not cooperated with that assessment.

Niemi almost single-handedly kept the Philadelphia Flyers from tying the best- of-seven series at one game apiece Monday night, saving his best goaltending for when his team needed it most.

Despite getting thoroughly outplayed in the final 20 minutes of Game 2, the Blackhawks were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory. Niemi was the biggest reason for the close victory, as he made 32 saves on the night and stopped 14- of-15 shots in the third period.

So far, Niemi has owned the third period in the Stanley Cup Finals, and his team is taking a 2-0 lead to Philadelphia as a result. After giving up five goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday's wild Game 1, the Finnish netminder shut the door by stopping all six shots he faced in the third period to help Chicago take that game by a 6-5 count.

While he was solid in the third period of Game 1, Niemi's performance on Monday night was nothing short of game-saving.

Chicago had grabbed a 2-0 lead on a pair of quick goals by Marian Hossa and Ben Eager late in the second period. But, the Flyers' Simon Gagne scored on the power play 5:20 into the third period and Philadelphia continued to dominate the remainder of the game. When Chicago's skaters weren't able to block shots in front of Niemi, the goaltender was always there to deny the tying goal.

"I think our "D" played maybe a little bit better in front of the net in blocking shots and letting me see the puck," said Niemi after Game 2. "But it's always a little bit about the luck, too, how you see the puck, and how it bounces."

One thing we always hear about Niemi is his ability to stay on an even keel. He has the ability to never get too high after a strong game or too low after a sub-par performance, like the one in the series opener that had folks questioning his ability yet again.

Through this whirlwind of a season, Niemi has displayed a quiet confidence that is obviously serving him well on hockey's biggest stage.

It also served him well back in September when Niemi outplayed Corey Crawford for the right to begin the season as Cristobal Huet's backup. Of course, Niemi would eventually supplant Huet as the starter, but he has never taken his promotion for granted.

An undrafted free agent signed by Chicago in 2008, Niemi had played in just three NHL games prior to the 2009-10 campaign and none of those were playoff contests. In fact, if the 26-year-old was born about two weeks later he would have been considered a rookie this season.

"Maybe that's better he's had no experience," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said of Niemi after Game 2. "He just shows up to play every night. He works real hard in practice. He doesn't like any pucks getting by him. We're real confident when he's in net."

Niemi is quickly becoming a legend in Chicago, where the hockey fans haven't celebrated a Stanley Cup title since 1961. If he continues to play the way he did on Monday night, the Blackhawks will be lifting the most famous trophy in sports soon enough.

FLYERS LOOKING FOR HELP AT HOME

While Niemi was able to thwart Philadelphia's comeback chances in Games 1 and 2 in Chicago, the Flyers are hoping to get back in the series with the next two games on home ice.

Of course, Philadelphia joined a select group earlier this postseason when it came back from a 3-0 series deficit to oust Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, so rallying from two games down shouldn't seem like too daunting of a task for the Flyers.

As good as Niemi was in Game 2, the Flyers are still feeling confident after dominating the third period on Monday.

"It's just a bounce here or there. Unfortunately, they're getting them right now," said Flyers captain Mike Richards. "But we have to work harder to create some for ourselves."

Philly's play at home in this postseason should be a source of hope for the Flyers. The Orange and Black is 7-1 at the Wachovia Center in the playoffs.

"Obviously, not the way we wanted to start the series," Richards added. "But going home, I said all along, we played well there. We feel very comfortable playing there. So we have to go in and play like we have been lately."

The Flyers are right to be confident about their chances of getting back in this series in Philadelphia, but Chicago has also been superb on the road in the postseason, going 7-1 away from United Center.

Philadelphia also has to compete with history once again because only two teams in NHL history have lost the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals on the road and come back to win the series.

Luckily for the Flyers, they don't have to look far for inspiration, Pittsburgh pulled off the feat last spring, losing Games 1 and 2 in Detroit before winning the series in seven.

Wwwjustformen Hockey Betting News

<< Slovenia makes final roster cuts
Ljubljana, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek trimmed his World Cup roster to 23 players Tuesday, making Dejan Kelhar, Darjan Matic and Mirnes Sisic the final three cuts. Matjaz previously trimmed his 30-man preliminary

<< Nigeria's Anichebe cut due to injury
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nigeria striker Victor Anichebe was left off the team's World Cup roster due to an injury, it was announced Tuesday. Anichebe, who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, was a notable omissio

<< Mauer continues to lead AL All-Star balloting
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is the top vote-getter after the second set of American League All-Star balloting results. The reigning American League Most Valuable Player has drawn 1

<< Lidstrom coming back for another season
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom is set to return for the 2010-11 season. Lidstrom's contract expired at the conclusion of this past season and the Red Wings' website said the 40-year-old vetera

<< Ivory Coast includes six forwards on Cup team
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson included six forwards on his final World Cup roster Tuesday, a group led by Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane, Seydou Doumbia, Gervinho an

Soderling stuns Federer in French quarters >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a rematch of last year's final, Robin Soderling stunned defending champion Roger Federer in Tuesday's quarterfinal action at the French Open. With the loss, Federer failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal f

June 12 targeted for Rachel Alexandra start >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra came out of her Memorial Day workout in fine condition and will likely make her next start on June 12. "We were impressed with Rachel's Memorial Day work

A wide-open Belmont Stakes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not since 2006 have the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners both failed to show up for the Belmont Stakes. That year the race was won by Jazil, a horse with just one win in seven career starts. This y

Houston, New York aiming for consistency in mid-week clash >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo travel to take on Red Bull New York in a mid-week Major League Soccer fixture between two teams that have taken decidedly different paths to their current .500 records. The Dynamo have b

Pirates trade for P Eveland >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left-hander Dana Eveland from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for minor league pitcher Ronald Uviedo. The 26-year-old Eveland compiled a 3-4 record with a

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards

MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

MySportsbook is a large, publicly traded company with strong financial backing. You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.