Penguins aim to rebound against struggling Bruins

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02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins had their hot streak doused Wednesday in Toronto and will try to get back in the win column when they visit the struggling Boston Bruins in today's game at TD Garden.

The Penguins had posted their season-high eighth straight win Tuesday against the visiting Maple Leafs, notching a 5-4 shootout win at Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh erased a three-goal deficit in the third period to win that contest and Evgeni Malkin scored with just 6.6 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Malkin also provided the winning tally in the shootout.

Wednesday's finale of the home-and-home did not go as well, however, as Toronto shut down Pittsburgh's offensive attack in a 1-0 decision at Air Canada Centre. It was the first loss for the Penguins since Jan. 11, when they were also dealt a 1-0 loss by Washington.

Pittsburgh fired 25 shots at James Reimer on Wednesday and he stopped all of them to post his second shutout of the year. Clarke MacArthur netted the game's lone score for the Maple Leafs.

Brent Johnson earned his first start in net for Pittsburgh since Jan. 10 and he played well in defeat, making 23 saves for the Penguins. No. 1 netminder Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be back in net today for the Pens.

"I'm obviously disappointed in the loss, but it's definitely a step in the right direction," said Johnson, who hasn't won since December 3 and was pulled from his previous two starts. "I tried to simplify things out there and things were working pretty well tonight. I felt confident, felt good."

Pittsburgh is 14-11-2 as the guest this year and is playing the second tilt of a four-game road trip today. The Pens will also visit New Jersey tomorrow afternoon before capping the swing Tuesday night in Montreal.

Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby (neck) and Jordan Staal (knee) and defenseman Simon Despres (lower body) have been skating recently, but there is still no word on when any of them will return to game action. Crosby, of course, was diagnosed with soft tissue damage in his neck earlier this week, which seems to be an improvement from the post-concussion symptoms that the team believed was preventing him from playing.

The Bruins have dropped two of their last three games and have posted a 6-5-1 record over the last few weeks. Boston is still leading the Northeast Division with 66 points and is just three points behind the New York Rangers for the top spot in the East.

Boston's struggles against Carolina continued in its last trip to the ice, as the Bruins dropped a 3-0 home decision against the Hurricanes on Thursday. That setback allowed the Hurricanes, who are tied for last in the East, to sweep the four meetings with the B's this season.

The Bruins simply could not solve Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward on Thursday, as they fired 47 shots at the former Conn Smythe winner and he turned aside every one of them. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins, who have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games.

"We have to understand that we are not that great of a team when we go out there and just play through the motions," said Boston head coach Claude Julien. "The reality is that right now we are playing like a team that is at the bottom of the standings, not near the top."

The Bruins are 17-8-2 as the host this year and are completing a three-game homestand this afternoon.

Boston and the Pens have met just once this season when the B's posted a 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh on Dec. 5. The Bruins have won three of five overall in this series, but the Pens have taken three straight in Beantown.

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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.

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