Flyers rally to upend Chicago on Pronger's last-second score

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Pronger scored the game-winner with 2.1 seconds left in regulation as Philadelphia edged Chicago, 3-2, at Wachovia Center.

With time winding down, Claude Giroux carried the puck down the right-wing side and waited at the outer edge of the right circle, until Pronger raced down the left side and was able to redirect the cross-ice pass into a half- open net.

Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell also recorded third-period scores for the Flyers, who have won three of four.

Michael Leighton, who was making his 13th consecutive start, stopped 39-of-41 shots for Philadelphia, which has won 13 of the last 15 meetings against Chicago since December, 1997.

Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa tallied for the Blackhawks, who had taken three of four games coming in and failed in their bid to tie idle San Jose for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Sharks still hold a two-point lead (95-93) over Chicago.

Cristobal Huet made 31 saves in the setback.

In a scoreless first period, Leighton made 15 saves and Huet stopped 12 shots.

Leighton continued to shine in the second, diving across the crease to stop a Hossa chance midway through. Huet responded by staying strong despite intense Flyers pressure in the final 90 seconds of the period, including a great sprawling stop on Dan Carcillo from 10 feet.

Gagne broke the deadlock at the 1:18 mark of the third period, taking a dish from Carcillo and beating a diving Huet from the left circle.

Versteeg knotted the game at 3:01 while Chicago was on the power play, chipping home a rebound from the left side.

Hossa gave the 'Hawks a 2-1 lead with 7:09 left in regulation, but Hartnell fought off a defender and beat Huet off the left post with 2:04 to play.

Game Notes

Pronger's last game-winning tally occurred on January 19 against Columbus, and his last goal of any kind came on January 23 against Carolina...Chicago has not won in Philadelphia since November 9, 1996, having lost eight straight since then...Hartnell broke a 13-game goalless drought stretching back to January 30.

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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.