Clifford's goal the difference in Kings' win over Lightning

Hockey Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Clifford scored the eventual game-winner midway through the second period as the Los Angeles Kings skated past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, at Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Anze Kopitar and Dustin Penner also scored for the Kings, who got 24 saves from Jonathan Quick in the victory to snap a two-game skid.

Steven Stamkos notched his league-leading 35th goal for the Lightning and Dwayne Roloson stopped 17-of-20 shots in a losing effort. The Lightning have now lost two of their last three contests after winning five straight.

Clifford's game-winner came at 10:16 of the second period as a result of a blown coverage by the Lightning.

With the puck deep in their defensive zone, Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi warded off some pressure and spotted Clifford coming out of the penalty box. Scuderi sent a home run pass up the middle of the ice right to the tape of Clifford, who went in alone on Roloson and backhanded it through the legs of the Lightning netminder.

The Kings extended their lead to 3-1 at 17:46 of the second frame when Mike Richards warded off his defender behind the net, wheeled out front and found Penner, who ripped a quick wrist shot past Roloson.

Tampa pulled Roloson with a minute remaining in regulation, but was unable to generate any good scoring chances.

Los Angeles opened the scoring just 2:47 into the game when Justin Williams ripped a slap shot from the right point right to the tape of Kopitar, who cleverly deflected the puck over the left pad of Roloson.

The Lightning tied it up at 7:49 of the second period with some excellent play off the rush.

Teddy Purcell pushed the puck out to the neutral zone and raced up the left wing. He gained the blue line and went in on a 2-on-1 rush with Stamkos. Purcell glided to the left circle before sliding the puck over to Stamkos, who converted an easy tap-in for the goal.

Game Notes

The Kings improved to 11-4-6 under head coach Darryl Sutter, and 19-4-5 when scoring the first goal of the game...Kopitar has 11 points in his last 12 games...The Kings failed to convert on two power-play chances, while the Lightning went 0-for-3 with the man advantage...Los Angeles improved to 15-2-4 when Richards records at least one point...Tampa Bay will visit the New York Rangers on Thursday, while the Kings will face the Florida Panthers, also on Thursday.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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