Mighty Caps host sliding Stars

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03/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals were struggling heading into the Olympic break but the NHL's point leaders seemed to regain their swagger last week.

The Caps will shoot for a fourth straight victory tonight, when they host the Dallas Stars at Verizon Center.

Washington set a franchise record with 14 straight wins from January 13- February 7, but then lost its last three tests before the Winter Games. Since the league returned to action last week, however, Washington has been a perfect 3-0.

Washington has also won a club-record 13 straight on home ice and has a superb 25-3-3 record as the host this season. The Capitals' last loss in DC came December 28 against Carolina.

The Capitals lead the Eastern Conference and the NHL with 96 points. They are also 30-points ahead of Atlanta for first place in the Southeast Division.

Washington is coming off Saturday's victory in a defensive battle against the visiting New York Rangers. Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season, leading the Capitals to the 2-0 win at Verizon Center.

Eric Fehr and Eric Belanger lit the lamp for the Capitals.

"You need to win games 2-0, 2-1, when you're in the playoffs," said Theodore. "We played really well. We never panicked and never gave them much, especially in the third."

Washington failed to score at least three goals for the first time since January 2, a streak of 23 consecutive games. It was two off the Caps' franchise record of 25 straight games scoring at least three times, originally set from December 22, 1984-February 14, 1985.

Capitals superstar winger Alex Ovechkin also failed to register a point for the third time in his last four games. He is still leading the NHL with 90 points, but has just one assist in his last four outings.

The Stars, meanwhile, have lost three straight games and that slide is not helping the club's playoff chances. Dallas, which missed the postseason last year, is currently six points out of playoff berth in the West.

Dallas was dealt a decisive loss Saturday in Pittsburgh as Sidney Crosby lit the lamp twice and collected an assist to lift the Penguins to the 6-3 win at Mellon Arena.

Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro and Brandon Segal each had a goal for Dallas. Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen, making his first start since being acquired from Atlanta in February and first start overall since last April 11, stopped 28 shots in defeat. Lehtonen missed most of the 2009-10 campaign while recovering from offseason back surgery.

Marty Turco could get the start tonight as the Stars try to ease Lehtonen back into the regular grind of an NHL season.

Tonight marks the middle test of a three-game road trip for the Stars, who are just 10-16-7 as the guest this year. Dallas will cap the swing Wednesday in Buffalo.

The Caps and Stars are meeting for the only time this season. Washington notched an overtime win in Dallas last season. That snapped a three-game losing streak in the series for the Capitals.

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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.