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Devils expect to debut Kovalchuk in home-and-home finale with Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

02/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils hope a big-time acquisition can get them back on the right track when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center in the finale of a home-and-home series.

The Devils made a huge trade on Thursday night, getting sniper Ilya Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela from Atlanta for defenseman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Kovalchuk, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, has 31 goals and 58 points this season. The 26-year-old winger posted 328 goals and 287 assists in his eight seasons with Atlanta and is expected to make his debut with New Jersey tonight.

The Russian will try to ignite a Devils team that is first in the Atlantic Division, but has lost two straight and four of their last five contests. Jersey is currently just one point ahead of Pittsburgh for first place.

The Maple Leafs posted a shutout victory Tuesday against the visiting Devils. That win halted a six-game losing streak (0-4-2) for Toronto, which is 14th in the Eastern Conference with 47 points.

Tuesday's game marked the Maple Leafs debuts of Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Dion Phaneuf, both of whom were acquired by Toronto in trades on Sunday.

Giguere, who was acquired from Anaheim for goaltender Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake, made a big splash by turning aside all 30 shots to post a shutout in the 3-0 victory at Air Canada Centre.

It was the second shutout of the season for Giguere and the 33rd of his career. He became only the second goaltender in team history to record a shutout in his debut. Ed Belfour was the first, beating Pittsburgh 6-0 on October. 10, 2002.

"He was solid, he's very professional, incredible focus and concentration out there, that's what I noticed about him," Toronto head coach Ron Wilson said about Giguere. "He was solid, saw the puck and our defensemen did a great job in front of him clearing people and handling rebounds."

It's uncertain if Giguere will get his second straight start tonight or if Jonas Gustavsson will man the crease.

Nikolai Kulemin, Phil Kessel and Francois Beauchemin each tallied for Toronto, which acquired Phaneuf and forward Fredrik Sjostrom as part of a six-player trade with Calgary on Sunday. Phaneuf registered five shots on net and had six hits in 24 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time.

On the injury front, Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek is scheduled to have season-ending shoulder surgery this upcoming Wednesday. Komisarek's injury will also cause him to miss the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he was selected to represent Team USA.

Martin Brodeur is expected to be back in net for New Jersey tonight after Yann Danis gave the legendary netminder a rare rest on Tuesday. Playing in only his eighth game of the season, Danis stopped 23-of-26 shots for the Devils.

"We tried, we had chances and it wasn't going in for us, but you can't fault the guys for lack of effort," Danis said.

The Devils are 18-9-0 as the host this year, but have lost three of their last five at the Rock.

Toronto and the Devils have split two meetings this year with each team winning on home ice. New Jersey has taken six of 10 overall in the series and the Maple Leafs have dropped three of five and four of their last seven in the Garden State.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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