Frustrated Kings visit Islanders

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02/11/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been an offensively-frustrating road trip for the Los Angeles Kings, one they will continue this afternoon against a New York Islanders club that failed to post a point for the first time in six games last time out.

The Kings rank dead-last in the NHL with 115 goals and it is safe to say that they would be contenders in the Western Conference if they could just score some goals. Los Angeles is 15-0-1 on the year when scoring three or more goals, but failed to hit that mark on Thursday in Florida.

Drew Doughty managed just a third-period tally for the Kings in a 3-1 loss to the Panthers, two nights after Los Angeles beat hosting Tampa Bay by the same score. Still, the Kings have been held to a mere two goals in the three losses so far on their 1-3-0 six-game road trip that ends in Dallas on Sunday.

"We started the game in the first really well and just couldn't find the back of the net," Kings forward Dustin Brown said. "It was more of the same for us. We have got to find ways to score more goals."

Los Angeles got a rare rough outing from Jonathan Quick, who allowed two goals on 11 shots before getting replaced by Jonathan Bernier. The backup stopped all 11 Panther shots fired his way, though head coach Darryl Sutter was cautious after the game about reading into his goaltending switch.

"Just something different. It's no big deal. I'm not a guy who (usually) pulls my goalies. It's not my style," said Sutter.

While the Kings sit four points back of the first-place Sharks in the Pacific Division, the Islanders are 10 points out of a postseason berth in the East despite a recent season-high five-game point streak (3-0-2) that was halted on Thursday. New York was handed a 4-2 loss by visiting Montreal, getting goals from Matt Moulson and Mark Streit.

Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves in the loss for an Islanders club that was coming off a 1-0 shootout win over the Flyers on Tuesday. John Tavares notched his 100th career assist in defeat.

"We had some chances on the power play," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "We got pucks to the net late, but it was a little too late."

The Islanders had won six in a row over the Kings before notching a 3-0 shutout at home over them last season. Moulson scored twice and current backup Al Montoya notched 35 saves.

The Kings also lost for the first time in seven trips to Long Island. They had gone 5-0-0 with a tie over the unbeaten streak.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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