Caps try to end series in Game 5 against Habs

Hockey Betting Lines

04/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Washington Capitals will try to close out their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight, when they host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 at Verizon Center.

Since losing the opener of this best-of-seven series in overtime, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals have rattled off three straight wins, including a 6-3 victory over the Habs in Montreal on Wednesday. Washington has exploded for 17 goals over the last three games to grab the 3-1 series lead.

Washington is holding a 3-1 series lead for the first time since it ousted Buffalo in the 1998 Eastern Conference finals for the franchise's only trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals are 2-6 all-time in Game 5s when leading three games to one in a series.

The Capitals have to like their chances in tonight's game after posting the NHL's best record at home during the regular season, going 30-6-5 in D.C.. The Canadiens were 19-17-5 on the road this year.

Montreal, meanwhile, needs to make a monumental comeback to win this series. The Canadiens have come back from a 3-1 series deficit in recent memory, winning the final three games against Boston in the 2004 conference quarterfinals. That was the only time the club was able to win a series after trailing 3-1.

The Canadiens, who were swept by Boston in last year's playoffs, have lost 10 of their last 11 postseason games, including six straight on home ice.

Habs head coach Jacques Martin is expected to make the switch back to goaltender Jaroslav Halak tonight after giving Carey Price the start in Game 4. Halak started the first three games before being replaced with Price midway through Game 3. However, Price did not fare much better than Halak in Game 4, allowing four goals on 36 shots.

Price also logged four penalty minutes late in Game 4, as the netminder was twice whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third period. Both penalties came directly after Washington goals. Price shot the puck into a crowd of Capitals after Jason Chimera's goal made it 4-2 with 7:59 left and then hit Nicklas Backstrom while the Washington forward skated past the Montreal bench following his empty-net goal in the closing seconds.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice and added an assist in Wednesday's victory to help the Capitals move within a victory of the conference semifinals. Ovechkin has four goals and four assists in the series after going without a point or a shot in Game 1. Washington's captain has 15 goals and 25 points in his last 15 playoff games.

Backstrom had a goal and two assists and Mike Knuble scored twice. Semyon Varlamov, making his second straight start in place of Jose Theodore, stopped 36 shots. Varlamov will get the call again tonight for the Caps.

"I thought we had a lot of good shots and good looks," said Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau. "That was the start of our game coming back. They played real good in the second and the crowd was really into it. They blitzed us but we were able to weather the storm."

Dominic Moore, Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta each notched a goal for the Canadiens

"The game plan we had from the start has worked, but we've fallen asleep at times and that hurts us," said Gionta. "In every game we've played real strong, but at a certain point there is a breakdown and they score. So we have to regroup cause one more loss and it's over."

The Canadiens are expected to play tonight without defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who is suffering from an unspecified illness.

The Habs and Caps have never faced each other in the postseason before this spring, but played a very tight season series this year. Each team won two games and only one of the four tilts was decided by more than one goal -- a 4-2 win by Washington on Jan. 5.

If necessary, Game 6 of this series will be played Monday in Montreal.

Sportsbook-internet-sportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< Brewers hope to keep offense rolling versus Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Good pitching and scoring runs is what every big league manager dreams of. So Milwaukee Brewers skipper Ken Macha must be resting well since his ballclub has been doing plenty of both this week. The run-rampant Brewers ho

<< Mets welcome Braves to Citi Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taking care of business within a division is vital to a team's success in any of the four major sports in this country. Baseball's National League East is one of the more competitive divisions and will have two storied fra

<< Yanks continue West Coast swing in Anaheim
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A New York Yankees squad that's yet to lose consecutive games this season will try to keep that mark intact when the defending world champions invade Southern California for tonight's clash with the Los Angeles Angels of Anah

<< Rays return home to face Jays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-throwing right-hander Matt Garza can continue the Tampa Bay Rays' best start in franchise history tonight when they return home to open a three-game series at Tropicana Field with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays, who

<< Smith, Rockies welcome Marlins to Coors Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a second straight start, Colorado starter Greg Smith has to follow an excellent outing by teammate Ubaldo Jimenez. Smith is set to take the hill this evening when the Rockies begin a three-game series with the Flori

Oswalt goes for Astros in opener with Bucs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros staff ace Roy Oswalt seems to have corrected his early problems and will shoot for back-to-back winning starts when he takes on the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Minute Maid

Bruins aim to close out series in Buffalo >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-seeded Boston Bruins will try to complete a first-round upset tonight, when they visit the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Bruins have won three straight in th

Red Wings visit Coyotes for pivotal Game 5 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to take their first lead of the Western Conference quarterfinals tonight, when they visit the Phoenix Coyotes for Game 5 at Jobing.com Arena. The clubs have split the first four games of this

Canucks host Kings in Game 5, series tied 2-2 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to regain the lead in their Western Conference quarterfinal series tonight, when they host the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 at General Motors Place. The third-seeded Canucks won Game 4 by a 6-

Internacional, Flamengo advance in Libertadores >>
Porto Alegre, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Internacional defeated Deportivo Quito 3-0 on Thursday night to win Group 5 of the Copa Libertadores, and advanced to the knockout stage along with four other Brazilian clubs. Andrezinho, Bolivar and

Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009

Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.

MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.

Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.

Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.

After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.

Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.

Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.

If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.

Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

MySportsbook.com is the Internet’s largest online sportsbook site serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, MySportsbook.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, MySportsbook.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Antigua and the UK, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, horse racing and online casino games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.