Sillinger lifts Islanders over Penguins in final seconds

Hockey Betting Lines

02/19/2007 - Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Sillinger scored with 26.8 seconds to play, as the New York Islanders handed the Pittsburgh Penguins their first loss in regulation in over a month with a 6-5 win at Nassau Coliseum.

With time winding down in the third, Sidney Crosby set up Mark Recchi for a one-timer from the low right side, on which Rick DiPietro made a save.

The Islanders skated back down the ice on transition and, from the top of the right circle, Andy Hilbert sent a pass to Sillinger, who, from the slot, used Mark Eaton as a screen and snapped a shot on net. Marc-Andre Fleury slowed down the puck with his glove, but it retained enough momentum to trickle into the net with 26.8 to play.

Pittsburgh pulled Fleury from the net but was only able to get one shot on net, and the Islanders gave the home crowd a victory.

"It was a big win. Obviously any time you outscore Pittsburgh something is going right," said Sillinger.

Chris Simon scored two goals and Randy Robitaille added three assists for the Islanders, who have won three of their last four contests.

Rick DiPietro stopped 25 shots in the win for New York, which, with 66 points, is in a three-way tie with Toronto and Montreal for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ryan Malone notched his second-career hat trick, Mark Recchi had two goals and three assists, and Sidney Crosby added four assists for the Penguins, who lost in regulation for the first time since January 10 and went 14-0-2 during that run.

"I think our mistakes were just big mistakes and the puck ended up in our net," said Crosby.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots for Pittsburgh, which has 73 points and moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference thanks to the streak.

Pittsburgh broke a 4-4 tie just 48 seconds into the third period when Crosby flicked a shot on net from the right circle on which DiPietro made a save, but the rebound went right to the slot and on his second attempt Malone got the puck into the back of the net for a 5-4 win.

However, the Islanders tied the game a little over a minute later when Robitaille fed a pass from the left point to the top of the right circle and Simon blasted the disc into the left corner of the net.

The Penguins grabbed a 1-0 lead just 45 seconds in when Malone grabbed a loose puck out of the air, laid it on the ice and shot it between the pads of DiPietro.

The Islanders tied the game on the power play when Arron Asham sent a pass from the right boards to the high slot where Viktor Kozlov shot it under the right pad of Fleury with 5:11 left in the first.

However, Pittsburgh scored the next two goals to assume a 3-1 lead.

Shortly after a 5-on-3 advantage expired, Crosby sent a pass between the legs of two defenders from the left side of the net to the right side where Recchi tapped it in with just 49 seconds left in the first.

In the second period Malone tucked in a wraparound attempt from the right side of the net just 49 seconds in. The play was reviewed to see if the puck crossed the goal line, and after a lengthy review the goal was awarded.

New York, though, responded with three goals to grab a 4-3 lead.

Simon scored his first goal in 26 games when he accepted a pass from Robitaille at the inside of the left circle and redirected it into the net 2:03 into the second.

Just 15 seconds later on a delayed call Jason Blake banged an errant shot out of the air and into the net to tie the game.

A little less than six minutes later Kozlov snapped a shot from the right circle that Fleury saved, but Miroslav Satan pounced on the rebound and banged the puck into the net for his 21st goal of the year.

Recchi, though, tied the game when he banged in a loose puck during a 5-on-3 advantage with 1:59 remaining in the second.

Game Notes

Both of Malone's hat tricks have come against the Islanders, with the last one occurring on December 15...The Islanders host the Maple Leafs on Thursday...Pittsburgh travels to Tampa Bay for a contest on Thursday...The Penguins went 2-for-5 on the power play, while New York finished 1- for-3...Marc-Andre Bergeron, who the Islanders acquired on Sunday from the Edmonton Oilers, had two assists in his debut with New York.

Mysportsboo Hockey Betting News

<< Davydenko, Djokovic win Rotterdam openers
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko and fifth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic were among Monday's first- round winners at the $1 million ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The world No. 3

<< Schnyder wins Dubai opener
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the $1.5 million Dubai Duty Free Women's Open. Schnyder snuck past Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-7 (5-7)

<< Webb moves to second in Rolex Rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Karrie Webb finished third on Saturday at the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay and, in the process, moved to second in this week's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. Annika Sorenstam, who has yet t

<< This Week in Golf - February 21st through February 25th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS - WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain, Tucson, Arizona - Four months before he escaped the carnage a winner at Winged Foot, Geoff Ogilvy ne

<< Howell cracks top 20 in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Howell III collected his second PGA Tour win on Sunday, defeating Pebble Beach winner Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the Nissan Open. That win propelled Howell to 16th in this week's offici

A knockout round with a British flavor >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This week's Round of 16 Champions League slate offers up eight tasty matchups, with four featuring English League clubs. Much like a meal of fish and chips and warm beer, the first knockou

Rivera out in Chicago; eyeing Chargers >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears announced Monday that defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will not return for a fourth season. The club has given the former standout linebacker permission to speak with the San Diego C

Golf Course Review - Ocean Hammock Golf Club >>
Palm Coast, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & STATS: Course Architect: Jack Nicklaus. Year Opened: 2000. Location: Palm Coast, Florida. Slope: 147. Rating: 77.0. Par: 72. Yardage: 7,201. Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 380 Yds 10 - Par 5 522 Yds

Loit wins first-rounder in Bogota >>
Bogota, Colombia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Frenchwoman Emilie Loit was among Monday's first-round winners at the $175,000 Copa Colsanitas Santander tennis tournament. Loit leveled Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-1 on the re

Kotalik out 4-to-6 weeks >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Sabres forward Ales Kotalik is expected to be sidelined the next 4-to-6 weeks due to a right knee injury. Kotalik suffered the injury in Saturday night's shootout loss to Boston. He has 14 goals an

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.