Flyers bring back Leighton

Hockey Betting Lines

06/30/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers have signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a two-year contract, just one day before the NHL's free agency period begins.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, CSNPhilly.com reported earlier that it is for $3.1 million over the two years.

Leighton, 29, shined in the Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals as he started the final 13 games after relieving an injured Brian Boucher in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston.

He went on to post an 8-3 record with a 2.46 goals against average and three shutouts, but was pulled twice in the Stanley Cup Finals, which the Flyers lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks.

"We are pleased to have Michael under contract for the next two seasons," said Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren. "Michael came to our team in December last year and played extremely well for us in the regular season and the playoffs. Michael is an athletic goalie who we feel is just coming into his own as an NHL goaltender and we look forward to Michael building on the level of play he established this past season."

Claimed off waivers from Carolina last December, he appeared in 27 games in the regular season, many as a starter after Ray Emery was lost for the season. He went 16-5-2 with one shutout and a 2.48 GAA.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to come back to the Flyers organization for two more years," said Leighton. "It was my intention all along. This is what I wanted. I really enjoy playing here, my teammates, the organization and the fans are so passionate. I just think it is a good fit for me."

Over his nine seasons in the NHL, he has appeared in 103 games and is 34-40-4 with 10 ties, a 2.94 GAA and four shutouts. He has also played for Chicago and Nashville.

Mysportstracker Hockey Betting News

<< Johnson, Rodriguez pace Astros over Brewers
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Johnson went 4-for-4 with a two-run double and Wandy Rodriguez threw seven strong innings, as the Houston Astros earned a 5-1 decision over the Milwaukee Brewers in the rubber match of a three-g

<< Lincoln gets first win as Pirates take series in Chicago
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Lincoln notched seven scoreless innings and Garrett Jones snapped a scoreless tie in the eighth with an RBI double as Pittsburgh topped the Chicago Cubs, 2-0, in the finale of a three-game set from Wr

<< Report: Police reviewing video of Vick party
Virginia Beach, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Virginia Beach police are reportedly reviewing a surveillance video to determine the timeline of events in regards to a shooting incident that occurred outside a local restaurant celebrating Michael

<< Houston aims to hand TFC its first home loss
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo travel to take on Toronto FC in an inter conference Major League Soccer match on Thursday night at BMO Field. The Dynamo (5-7-2) are coming off a 2-2 draw vs. the Colorado Rapids to snap

<< Ex-NBA star pleads not guilty to Vegas casino debt
LAS VEGAS (AP) -Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker pleaded not guilty and a judge set trial for November on criminal bad check charges alleging Walker failed to repay almost $1 million in gambling debts and penalties to three Las Vegas casinos.The 3

Small wins PGA Professional title for second straight year >>
French Lick, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Mike Small withstood a final round charge from Sonny Skinner to capture the 43rd PGA Professional National Championship by three shots on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort.

Enright wins his MLB debut as D-Backs double up Cards >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Young hit a two-run homer and Barry Enright picked up a win in his major league debut, as Arizona salvaged the finale of a three-game series against the Cardinals with a 4-2 decision. Enright (

Warriors extend qualifying offers to Morrow, Watson >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors have extended qualifying offers to guards Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson, making both players restricted free agents. The deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers

Scott Hairston, Padres crush Rockies to avoid sweep >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Hairston went 2-for-5 with four RBI as the San Diego Padres dominated the Colorado Rockies, 13-3, in the finale of a three-game set. Jerry Hairston Jr. and Everth Cabrera each drove in two runs

Gay gets qualifying offer from Grizzlies >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies extended a qualifying offer to Rudy Gay on Wednesday, making the forward a restricted free agent. Gay, the eighth overall pick in the 2006 draft, ranked second on the Grizzli

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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