Avalanche seek rare successful trip to Vancouver

Hockey Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sliding Colorado Avalanche will try to post a rare win over the first-place Vancouver Canucks when the Northwest Division rivals meet this afternoon at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Colorado has lost four straight -- all in regulation -- to match their longest skid of the season. The Avs also dropped four straight during an 0-3-1 skid from Nov. 2-8.

If recent history is any indication, the Avs are unlikely to end their slide today, as Vancouver has compiled an 11-0-2 mark in the last 13 meetings in this series. The Canucks have won the last three encounters and have outscored Colorado by a combined 9-0 margin in two matchups this season.

The Avs have also lost five of their last six home games against Vancouver, which currently holds a 10-point lead over Minnesota atop the Northwest standings.

The Canucks had a three-game winning streak snapped by the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, but the shootout defeat allowed Vancouver to extend its run of gaining at least a point to five in a row. The Canucks are 3-0-2 during that run and are 7-2-3 over their last 12 trips to the ice.

Vancouver pushed the Red Wings to overtime thanks to Mason Raymond's goal with 4:24 left in regulation, but the Canucks were denied two points after Pavel Datsyuk scored the winner in the shootout to lift Detroit to the 4-3 triumph. The victory pushed the Red Wings' lead over Vancouver for the No. 1 seed in the West to four points.

Raymond, Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Kesler all scored for the Canucks, while Roberto Luongo made 40 saves in the loss.

"We played good in the third and found a way to tie it up, get a point at least," said Luongo.

The shootout loss ended a six-game homestand (3-1-2) for Vancouver and the Canucks will begin a four-game road trip today. Alain Vigneault's club boasts a strong 16-9-1 record as the visiting team this season.

Meanwhile, Colorado began a four-game homestand on a down note on Thursday, as the Avs lost their fourth straight tilt overall in a 1-0 setback against Minnesota. The Avalanche fired 37 shots at Niklas Backstrom, including 17 in the third period alone, but were still denied a goal. The Wild's Greg Zanon notched the only score of the game in the first period and Backstrom made sure it held up for the win.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 20 saves for the Avalanche and he allowed Zanon to score on a floater from the point.

"That shot went through a bunch of guys and just found the back of the net," said Giguere about the goal. "Most of the times it hits someone, but what can you do."

Colorado is 14-13-0 as the home team this year and will also face Chicago and Carolina during this residency.

The Canucks played the last game without forward Chris Higgins due to flu-like symptoms and he is questionable for today's game. The Avalanche are still without star forward Matt Duchene, who is sidelined with a knee ailment.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.