Slumping Sharks try to bounce back against Canucks

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the San Jose Sharks are coming off their most lopsided defeat of the season, the Vancouver Canucks are dealing with the loss of one of their biggest weapons.

San Jose will try to halt a three-game slide this evening at GM Place against a Vancouver squad that will be without Mikael Samuelsson for the next few weeks.

The Canucks own a slight three-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Northwest Division, a margin that might be tough to hold onto without Samuelsson. The Swedish forward has a career-high 30 tallies and 53 points over 70 games this year, but Vancouver's second-leading goal scorer left Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders with an upper-body injury that will sideline him for two-to-three weeks.

"He was playing really well, obviously he was contributing to our success, and it's something we have to deal with," head coach Alain Vigneault told the Canucks' Web site.

Samuelsson had a seven-game point streak end in the setback, while Ryan Kesler's 13-game run -- which was the longest active streak in the NHL -- was also halted. Daniel Sedin was able to expand his point streak with an assist, giving him three goals and 14 assists on the run.

Kyle Wellwood and Alexandre Burrows scored for the Canucks, who saw their seven-game home win streak end and failed to record at least one point for only the second time since the Olympic break (6-2-1). Roberto Luongo allowed four goals on 12 shots through two periods before being pulled in favor of Andrew Raycroft, who ended with seven saves.

"We came into the game not respecting the competition," Luongo said.

The Canucks, who play the fourth contest of a five-game homestand that followed an NHL-record 14-game road trip, could have used Samuelsson for this game. Their 4-2 home setback to the Sharks on Nov. 29, the first of four meetings between the teams this year, was the Canucks' eighth loss in their last nine versus the Sharks.

San Jose has also come out on top in six of its last eight trips to Vancouver, but the club will be aiming to rebound from an 8-2 pounding at the hands of Dallas on Tuesday. It marked the Sharks' largest margin of defeat this year and was their worst outing since a 7-2 loss versus Chicago on Nov. 25.

Dan Boyle and Devin Setoguchi lit the lamp for the Sharks, who are 3-4-1 over their last eight games and have put together their worst slide since an 0-2-3 skid from Dec. 3-12. Evgeni Nabokov turned aside 13-of-17 shots before being pulled in the second period for Thomas Greiss, who made 10 saves in relief.

"They capitalized on our turnovers and sloppy play in our zone," said Sharks defenseman Rob Blake. "We turned the puck over way too much."

San Jose now leads Chicago by only two points for the top seed in the Western Conference and has fallen seven points back of Washington in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.

The Sharks' current slide also includes a setback on the first two contests of a six-game road trip, and San Jose has lost three straight and four of its last five on the road.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
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