Wild try to end futility against Dallas

Hockey Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to stop their longest current losing streak against any team in the league when they host the Dallas Stars this evening at Xcel Energy Center for the final time this season.

Minnesota has dropped its last six games (0-3-3) against the Stars, including all three matchups this year. Two of those setbacks have come in a shootout. The Wild's last win over the Stars was at home on December 19, 2005.

On Sunday, David Backes' pair of scores lifted the Blues to a 5-3 win over the Wild at Scottrade Center. Marian Gaborik scored and picked up one assist for Minnesota, which has lost two of three. Adam Hall and Pavol Demitra also tallied.

Gaborik and Demitra have been red-hot as of late. Demitra is currently riding a nine-game point streak (seven goals, eight assists), which is one off his career-best 10-game point burst, set in 2001.

Gaborik, meanwhile, has scored a goal in four straight contests and has totaled five tallies and four assists over his last four games.

Niklas Backstrom picked up the loss on Sunday, stopping 21 shots before leaving the game after two periods. Josh Harding was a perfect four-of-four in 18 minutes of third-period relief.

The Wild are a stellar 20-5-4 at home this year, but will hit the road on Thursday to battle Colorado. The club is three points behind Vancouver for the lead in the Northwest Division.

Dallas was also last in action on Sunday, but unlike the Wild, came out winners. Mike Ribeiro and Jere Lehtinen both scored a pair of goals to help the Stars defeat the San Jose Sharks, 5-2.

Stu Barnes scored for the Stars, who have won six of their last eight games and trail Anaheim by seven points for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Marty Turco blocked 17 shots in the win.

The Stars were without center Eric Lindros, who missed his third straight game on Sunday because of a lower body injury. He is questionable for tonight's contest.

Dallas is still without center Steve Ott (ankle surgery), left wing Brenden Morrow (right wrist surgery) and right wing Matthew Barnaby (concussion).

The Stars are 16-12-1 as the visitor this season and return home for a big game against the Ducks on Friday.

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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.