Capitals' Theodore shuts out Panthers

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03/17/2009 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore was spectacular between the pipes, stopping 19-of-19 shots, as the Washington Capitals shut out the Florida Panthers, 3-0, at BankAtlantic Center.

Theodore improved to 28-15-4 on the year and collected his second shutout of the season. Brooks Laich, Viktor Kozlov, and Mike Green scored for the Capitals, who bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday. John Erskine tallied two helpers for Washington.

Washington defenseman Green returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with flu-like symptoms. Green leads all NHL blueliners with 25 goals.

Alex Ovechkin failed in his second chance to become the first Capitals player to ever notch three separate 50-goal seasons.

Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots in defeat for the Panthers, who have lost four straight and five of their last six games. Florida hadn't dropped four in a row since doing so from December 26-31.

Defenseman Bryan McCabe returned to the lineup for the Panthers after missing the last three games due to facial surgery required after he was hit with a puck versus St. Louis on March 7.

After a scoreless first period, Florida gained the first power play of the contest at the 4:22 mark of the second frame. But it was the Capitals that ended up scoring during the Panthers' man advantage.

Laich notched a short-handed goal at the 5:46 mark, firing a wrister from the left circle that deflected off the inside of the right post and into the net for his 18th of the year.

Florida had two more power plays in the second stanza, but failed to capitalize on either. The Panthers fired a total of five shots on goal during their three man-advantage opportunities. Florida also outshot Washington 11-6 in the period, but headed to the third period down 1-0.

After the Panthers killed off an early power play in the third, Kozlov lit the lamp for Washington to give the visitors a 2-0 lead with 17:24 remaining. Kozlov maneuvered with the puck from the left point to the left circle before snapping a wrist shot past the stick-side of Vokoun.

Green scored an empty-net goal with 1:27 remaining to ruin any hopes of a comeback for Florida.

Game Notes

Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Washington was 0-for-1 with the man advantage...The Capitals are 3-2 against the Panthers this season. The club has also won in three straight and four of its last five visits to BankAtlantic Center...The Capitals improved to 18-13-4 on the road.

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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.