Controversy has surrounded the New England Patriots virtually from the time the final gun sounded after the AFC title game. That is because accusations of the Pats deflating footballs began to fly, as if that really had anything to do with the 45-7 beating they administered to the Indianapolis Colts. Super Bowl bettors have not looked upon the Patriots as a team that needed to “cheat” to win games; rather, they have offered enough support to bet the Seattle Seahawks out of the favorite’s position and make this game a pick’em.

In trying to make a case for either team to win, it is necessary to come up with the reasons for such a rationalization. That is what is going to be undertaken here. Can the Patriots prevent the Seahawks from repeating as the world champions? They have the ability to do it, we presume, but it doesn’t hurt to present some evidence.

In the Super Bowl betting odds that have been posted on this game, Vietbet customers can see that it is a pick’em:

Super Bowl Betting Preview

New England Patriots pick ’em vs Seattle Seahawks

Over 47.5 points -110
Under 47.5 points -110

Let’s go 1-5, shall we?

1. The Patriots are the most efficient offensive team in the NFL, as they have scored one point for every 12.2 yards they have gained. That is an extraordinary figure, and much better than Seattle’s 14.9 in that category.
2. New England’s defense may be underrated, and that is evidenced by the way they were able to handle Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game, as they held him to just twelve completions in 33 attempts and just 126 yards. So they took the quarterback who threw for more touchdowns than anyone in the league and held him to just 3.8 yards per attempt. The Pats held their opponents below 60% completions, which is outstanding.
3. The Patriots are extremely versatile on offense. In other words, they are the kind of team where you simply cannot “game plan” to stop the run or pass. Consider that they were able to come back from two touchdowns down – TWICE – against the Baltimore Ravens without even using the running game. They totaled FOURTEEN rushing yards in the contest, which was the lowest figure for any team to win an NFL post-season game, and they didn’t hand the ball to a running back once in the second half. Then they turned around against the Colts and beat them down to the tune of 177 yards rushing, led by the new workhorse, LaGarrette Blount. So Vietbet patrons literally can’t expect any real bias, one way or the other, from them.
4. They are extremely good in the red zone, getting there 4.2 times per game, more than any other team in the NFL, and they have scored touchdowns 62% of the time in those situations. Meanwhile, Seattle has allowed opponents to score TD’s on 57% of their red zone trips.
5. The Patriots are not going to allow Seattle to get a lot of pressure on Tom Brady, who suffered only 21 sacks on the season. Brady has only been pressured 28% of the time on pass attempts, and that represents exemplary performance on the part of the New England offensive line, which has jelled to the point where they had the second best rate of sacks (only 4.4%) in the league. Left tackle Nate Solder has not allowed a quarterback sack in his last five games.

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The post Super Bowl Betting Odds – Five Reasons the Patriots Will Win Super Bowl 49 appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

The New England Patriots realize that part of being the more experienced team in playoff football involves the expectation that they are not going to be the team that makes more mistakes, or the bigger mistakes. Quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick have been around a long time, and they will be entering their NINTH conference championship game together for a team that is one of the best in the NFL at taking care of the “rock.” On Sunday they will be going up against a team that has been only so-so in the turnover department when they face off against the Indianapolis Colts in NFL betting action that begins at 6:40 PM ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. This game will be televised live nationally by CBS.

The Patriots, as Vietbet customers are well aware, stumbled at the outset of the season, losing two of their first four games, including a very humiliating 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. At that time the naysayers came out in droves. Calls were made for the retirement of Brady, and it was generally thought on the part of pundits that the era of the Patriots as an extremely formidable NFL entry were over.

But this team lost only two more games the rest of the season, and that included a season finale against Buffalo that was virtually meaningless. So they won ten out of 11 games during a stretch where it really meant something, completely erasing any doubts people had about them. Now Brady and Belichick are on the verge of going to their sixth Super Bowl together, and if they do, they can at least partially thank their grasp of fundamentals for bringing them to this position.

In the NFL betting odds that have been posted on the AFC Championship game by the people at Vietbet, the Patriots are the favorites:

New England Patriots -6.5
Indianapolis Colts +6.5

Over 54 points -110
Under 54 points -110

If you look at New England’s offensive stats on a per-drive basis, you’ll see how well they take care of the ball. They have turned it over on only 7.5% of all their drives, and that is just a tiny bit behind the two league leaders, Green Bay and Seattle, who happen to be playing in the NFC championship game. The only player who has turned the ball over from scrimmage this season is Brady, as no other player but him has fumbled the ball. That’s pretty amazing. All told, the Patriots are +13 in the turnover department. And knowing that this team takes care of the ball informs Vietbet customers that they can get the ball down the field without making a lot of silly errors.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis has not been so lucky in the turnover department, registering a minus-6, which was the worst at of any playoff team. Andrew Luck is extremely talented, utterly fearless, and threw 40 TD passes, but he may fit the category of “boom or bust.” He threw sixteen interceptions in the regular season and added two more in the playoffs. In last year’s post-season meeting with New England, he was intercepted four times. The Colts had 31 turnovers on the season, which was third most in the NFL. So if you are handicapping this game to lay down a wager at Vietbet, you have to figure that if either of these two teams is going to be the one that makes the mistake that changes the course of the contest, it is Indianapolis.

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The post AFC Championship – Patriots Can Grab Edge in Turnover Department From Colts appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

It may not be so “rock ’em-sock ’em” as the Ali-Frazier trilogy, but the battles between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been a big part of recent NFL history. As Manning’s Denver Broncos and Brady’s New England Patriots line up for action on Sunday, these two signal-callers have scored very big on the stat sheet, so many people getting ready to wager on this game at BetAnySports are expecting a shootout – something that is reflected in the pro football odds that are listed. The game will kick off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA at 4:25 PM ET on Sunday.

The Broncos seem to have gotten better and better. They won the first two games of the season, making things more difficult then perhaps they should have been in defeating the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs, two teams that could very possibly make the playoffs. Then they went to Seattle for a rematch of their Super Bowl drubbing, and came back from a large deficit, only to lose in overtime to the Seahawks. After that they had a bye week, and have come back with four straight dominant victories. What is interesting about these wins is that three of them have come against genuine playoff contenders (Arizona, San Francisco, San Diego), and all of them have been by two touchdowns or more. Football bettors can argue that they are playing better than anyone in the league right now.

The Patriots have encountered a slightly different story. They started the season winning two of their first three games, though they were not altogether impressive in doing so. Then the roof appeared to cave in on them at Kansas City, as they were destroyed 41-14 at the hands of the Chiefs. But that was a wake-up call, as they have won four straight games, culminating in a 51-23 rout of the Chicago Bears last weekend at home.

NFL Betting Line – Broncos vs Patriots – the Broncos are laying a field goal and a price:

Denver Broncos -3 (-120)
New England Patriots +3 (+100)

Over 54 points -110
Under 54 points -110

The matchup everybody is excited about obviously involves the quarterbacks. Manning has completed 69% of his passes this season, with 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Brady is 64% accurate, with 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Demariyus Thomas has come on like a freight train and now has 767 yards receiving. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Sanders, who was an off-season acquisition, has become a star quickly working with Manning, as his 120 yards last time out against San Diego boosted his total to 634 on the season. Denver has averaged 6.2 yards per play on offense, and that is a yard and a half more than it has allowed. BetAnySports customers know that this team reached out to make some moves toward improving the defense, and that has happened. DeMarcus Ware, who built an All-Pro career with Dallas, has combined with Von Miller for 16 quarterback sacks. And the Patriots will be staring across the line of scrimmage at a former teammate, as Aqib Talib has been an outstanding addition to the Denver secondary.

The last time these quarterbacks faced each other was in last year’s AFC championship game. Denver won that contest by a 26-16 score and went on to lose the Super Bowl. However, in the 15 meetings between the two, Brady’s clubs have won ten times. We will see if the Patriots, who have suffered some attrition at the running back spot (Stevan Ridley is out for the season), can get a ground attack going against the Denver defense allowing just 3.4 yards per carry. But analysts of the pro football odds have been put on notice that Rob Gronkowski is back, and in a big way. He had 149 yards receiving against Chicago, and now leads this club with 558 yards and seven touchdown catches. Can strong safety TJ Ward, another of Denver’s big off-season acquisitions, cover him?

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The post NFL Week 9 – Broncos vs Patriots appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

By Charles Jay

The Washington Redskins, who had been down and out, have now won two games in a row, and part of it can be associated with the insertion of a quarterback who had been given a brief NFL rebirth. Now VietBet patrons see that they will make another change, going back to their original starter, who returns from injury as this team ventures to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a scheduled 1 PM ET kickoff at TCF Bank Stadium.

Colt McCoy had come in as a “relief pitcher” of sorts when Kirk Cousins was benched against Tennessee, and he completed 11 out of 12 passes as the Redskins beat the Titans. Then he got a start at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, and proceeded to hit 25 of his 30 passes as Washington scored a straight-up win as a 9.5-point underdog in the NFL football odds. Now this game of musical chairs at the quarterback position will continue, albeit by necessity, as Robert Griffin, the former Heisman Trophy winner who the Redskins have invested millions in, has been announced as the starter for Sunday’s game. In making this decision, coach Jay Gruden, sensing that his team is gathering momentum, passed over the opportunity to wait until after the bye week, when he could have given Griffin a little extra rest for the ankle he dislocated in the second game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Vikings have the same 3-5 straight-up record as the Redskins, although while Washington is 3-5 against the football pointspread as well, Minnesota is 4-4 versus the number. Minnesota has been engaging in some very low-scoring games lately, the most recent of which was a 19-13 victory over Tampa Bay in overtime last Sunday.

Gruden is a coach who advocates for the West Coast offense, and so the philosophy has been to encourage Griffin to stay in the pocket is much as possible, take short drops, and get rid of the ball. Against Jacksonville he was on a rollout near the sideline but he simply landed badly on his right foot and dislocated the ankle. Cousins came in and put up big numbers against the Jags, but the luster eventually wore off for him. Nine interceptions later, he was yanked in favor of McCoy, who proceeded to complete 86% of his passes for almost eleven yards an attempt. But Gruden had made it clear to everybody that when Griffin was healthy enough, he was going to get the start. And so this is what VietBet customers have in front of them.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are breaking in rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and with mixed results. Pressed into action at New Orleans when Matt Cassel went down with the season-ending injury, Bridgewater had to get adapted quickly. He looked like a star in a home win against Atlanta the next week, but things have been rough since. At the moment, he is 60% accurate with a pair of touchdown passes and five interceptions. He has also been sacked 16 times, which is a sizable number when compared to his 155 attempts, but that is generally a product of not making decisions quickly enough.

VietBet patrons note that this is an intriguing matchup along the coaching lines, as Gruden, who was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati before taking that job in Washington, opposes Mike Zimmer, who was defensive coordinator for the Bengals until this, his rookie season as a head coach with Minnesota. Zimmer might be carrying a certain edge into the festivities, as his team has 25 sacks; the pass rush will be a factor if it takes Griffin some time to get re-acclimated.

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The post NFL Week 9 Preview – Redskins vs Vikings appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

The San Francisco 49ers took advantage of a lot of offensive mistakes on the part of the Dallas Cowboys in the season’s first week and coasted home to a victory. On Sunday night the Chicago Bears have no intention of getting that sloppy on the offensive end. The atmosphere should be electric as the Bears and Niners meet in the official regular season christening of the brand-new Levi’s Stadium as pro football betting action for BetAnySports patrons, televised by NBC, commences at 8:30 PM ET.

Tony Romo, who came back for the Cowboys after having back surgery, was generous, throwing three interceptions, and San Francisco jumped out to a 21-3 first quarter lead, which increased to 28-3 at the half, and they didn’t need to score any second half points to salt away the victory (although there were some totals bettors at BetAnySports who were undoubtedly not happy).

Chicago seemingly was surprised by the Buffalo Bills last week, as they just could not slow down the running game enough. They did well to fight back from a ten-point deficit to force overtime, but lost the opener at Soldier Field (23-20). Jay Cutler put the ball in the air 49 times.

In the NFL betting odds that have been posted at BetAnySports, the Niners are favored to make their debut in the new stadium a success:

San Francisco 49ers -6.5 (-120)
Chicago Bears +6.5 (+100)

Over 48.5 Points -110
Under 48.5 Points -110

Marc Trestman knows that his offense is going to put some points on the board over the long haul, with wide receivers like Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes. But achieving a certain balance between the run and pass has to be a high priority for him. The Bears ran the ball just 18 times against Buffalo, while Cutler went 34 of 49, suffering through two sacks and two interceptions.

Trestman was very concerned about the defense, which was aging. But it looks like the “same old, same old” to football bettors at BetAnySports. Last year Chicago had the worst run defense in the NFL, giving up more than five yards a carry. And the way the Bills were able to move it on the ground was not a good harbinger of things that might come against the Niners, who now have the ability to have a fresh back in the game at all times with Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde.

Whether the San Francisco defense is a notch or two lower with some personnel changes was hard to gauge against Dallas, although the Cowboys did average 5.5 yards a rush against them. It is a tricky transition when you have had to replace three members of the secondary, as they did, and then have to start the season without NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith. The “X” factor on offense for the Niners is obviously Colin Kaepernick, and it may be incumbent upon veteran Jared Allen, who has always had some success chasing down quarterbacks, to contain him.

Perhaps each of these teams can do what they want to do against the other offensively, which is why there is a challenging over/under figure posted in the pro football betting odds.

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The post NFL Betting – 49ers vs Bears appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

The Ohio State Buckeyes recently got some shocking and unsettling news about the young man who not only was supposed to be their field leader, but also a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. On Saturday they will take to the field for the season opener against the Navy Midshipmen in college football betting action that is scheduled to get underway at Noon ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Ohio State had high hopes to contend for the four-team national championship playoff, and they are trying to maintain those hopes despite losing quarterback Braxton Miller for the season. They will insert a freshman as they go up against Navy, which employs a veteran at the helm of its option offense and ranked second in the nation in rushing last season.

Ohio State is currently ranked fifth in the nation by the Associated Press, and sixth in the USA Today poll. The Middies, who beat Middle Tennessee in the Armed Forces Bowl last season, could vault into those polls with a victory.

In the college football betting lines that have been posted on this game by the people at VietBet, the Buckeyes are the big favorites:

Ohio State Buckeyes -16.5
Navy Midshipmen +16.5

Over 55.5 Points -110
Under 55.5 Points -110

Miller, who threw for 2094 yards and 24 TD’s last year, with 1068 yards on the ground, has suffered a shoulder injury and was ruled out for the season. he is going to be replaced by J.T. Barrett, a redshirt freshman. The way coach Urban Meyer talks, he is perfectly comfortable with Barrett running the spread option offense, and indeed Meyer has recruited quarterbacks specifically for this attack. So perhaps college football bettors shouldn’t sell the Buckeyes short. Barrett will have plenty of help as he operates, including running back Ezekiel Elliot, who averaged a robust 8.7 yards a carry last season. Wide receiver Jeff Heuerman tallied almost 18 yards per reception.

If VietBet customers want to see some numbers, they should look at the Navy offense. Keenan Reynolds was brilliant running the triple option scheme last season, totaling 1346 yards with 31 TD’s, which set an NCAA record for quarterbacks. He also threw just two interceptions in 126 attempts. While he was the leading rusher, Navy usually has running backs in profusion, and they trailed only Auburn among Division I teams in 2013 with 324 yards rushing per game.

It has been said that this may be the best team Ken Niumatalolo has had in Annapolis, and this is close to being a home game for the Midshipmen. Still, there is a certain athletic superiority on the part of Ohio State, and there is going to be that lingering problem on the part of Navy in stopping the run: they allowed 4.5 yards per carry last season after permitting 4.8 in each of the two seasons prior to that. One also has to consider that Ohio State has had additional time to get itself prepared to face this option attack.

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By Charles Jay
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The post College Football Betting – Ohio St vs Navy appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

By Charles Jay

You could not have played much worse than the San Francisco 49ers did last week when they lay down and rolled over against the Denver Broncos. We understand that winning games in the pre-season is not a major priority, but certainly this team is going to look for an effort that is much crisper when it lines up against the San Diego Chargers in NFL sportsbook betting action on Sunday at 4 PM ET at the brand-new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Over two games, the Niners have been outscored 57-3, and outgained by over 300 yards. In their first possession of the pre-season, they kicked a field goal, but have delivered no points since. Last week’s 34-0 shutout loss to Denver was especially embarrassing, since San Francisco was playing its inaugural game in the new palace.

The Chargers might be looking for a little redemption themselves, after they went to Seattle and got blown away 41-14 at the hands of the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Their defensive line took a real beating, as Seattle gained 243 yards on the ground, and as most football bettors are aware, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh likes to wear down opponents with the running game.

In the NFL sportsbook betting odds that have been posted on this game at Vietbet, the Niners are laying some points:

San Francisco 49ers -6
San Diego Chargers +6

Over 42 Points -110
Under 42 Points -110

The starters are scheduled to play a lot in this game, and perhaps that is good news for the Niners, if that limits the playing time of Blaine Gabbert, the former first-round bust in Jacksonville who has thrown 34 passes for only 2.4 yards per attempt. Colin Kaepernick should get some extensive work here, but NFL sportsbook bettors have heard through the press that Harbaugh is not overly concerned with the performance of his offense. The 49ers are expected to be right there at season’s end, and indeed, they are priced at +425 to win the NFC championship as it is posted at Vietbet.

The biggest concern, undoubtedly, is the condition of the field. Levi’s Stadium was built for a cost of $1.2 billion but when San Francisco conducted a public practice session the other day, there was so much in the way of discoloration and divots on the field, with players slipping all over the place, that the session had to be cut short. When footing and the safety of the players is a real issue, that may impact how much time the starters really get, so we imagine Harbaugh, as well as San Diego coach Mike McCoy, maybe playing that one by ear. And one of the things Vietbet customers will have to follow throughout the season is the wind factor in this stadium, because by all accounts, it has been playing havoc with kickers. That may impact the way NFL sportsbook bettors take a look at the posted total.

We see that the Niners are six-point favorites in the football betting line, but one must keep in mind that in approaching these preseason games, Harbaugh does not necessarily draw up a game plan for his opponent. His main concern is keeping everybody healthy and making sure that Kaepernick and some of the members of the first-team offense have some reps before they go into the season opener. If they run the ball down San Diego’s throat, you’re likely to see a very unhappy Charger staff by Monday morning.

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The post NFL Betting Lines – 49ers vs Chargers appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

By Ian Palmer

In NFL betting news, it’s a well-known fact that Canada’s largest city of Toronto has long wanted an NFL franchise. However, if a group of local buyers is successful in landing the Buffalo Bills, they say they don’t plan on moving the club north of the border. A group of Toronto investors, which includes New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi, Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainments (MLSE) and media mogul Edward Rogers, is bidding on the club, but claim they will do everything they can to keep the team in Buffalo.

All bidders must submit the required paperwork to the Bills by July 29 to stay in the running. After the proposals have been received by the NFL club, there will be more in-depth financial studies done which will include lawyers and investment banks. Bon Jovi’s group of investors has been studying designs for a new stadium, but hasn’t publicly mentioned any possible sites for one. The Bills currently play at Ralph Wilson Stadium, which is named after the team’s former owner. When Wilson passed away on March 25 at the age of 95 the franchise was put up for sale shortly after.

The Bills are locked into the stadium with a 10-year lease which runs until the end of the 2022 season and there’s a $28.4-million penalty if the club wants to break the lease after the 2019 campaign. In addition, if new owners are successful at breaking the lease before 2019 in a court battle, there’s a $400-million relocation fee attached to the agreement. The Toronto consortium said it has a couple of locations in mind for a new home for the team and will soon meet with Buffalo developers to discuss them.

Many Bills fans believed the group planned on relocating the franchise to Rogers Stadium in Toronto if it bought the team. However, it would be one of the smallest stadiums in the league as it exceeds the NFL 50,000 seating-capacity minimum by just 4,000. The Bills have played several regular-season games at Rogers Stadium over the years and Toronto politicians have openly admitted to trying to bring an NFL club to town and said a brand new stadium would be built if needed.

Another possibility for Bon Jovi and the Toronto group is to pump some money into the Bills’ current 41-year-old home in Orchard Park and just keep the team there. But if a new stadium is built, the group has plans for either a 15-acre or 25-acre version depending on where the exact location would be and how much parking space would be required. If the 25-acre version is chosen it will be built with a retractable roof. A new stadium will likely hold between 60,000 to 72,000 fans and will cost a minimum of $750 million.

If Bon Jovi’s syndicate does purchase the Bills, the singer will reportedly be the club’s controlling owner. The NFL allows groups of people to own franchises, but one member must own a minimum of 30 per cent of the shares. There are several other prominent and wealthy people interested in buying the club though. These include Donald J. Trump, Thomas Golisano, the former owner of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, and Terry Pegula, who is the current owner of the city’s hockey team.

The post NFL Betting News – Bon Jovi buying the Bills? appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

By Ian Palmer

In hockey betting news, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally named a new head coach, announcing that Mike Johnston has been hired to fill the vacancy. The Penguins new general manager Jim Rutherford gave former coach Dan Bylsma his walking papers three weeks ago, but needed to fill the position before the NHL Draft on June 27. The 57-year-old Johnston formerly coached the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Johnston does have some coaching experience at the NHL level as he was an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks between 1999 and 2006 and with the Los Angeles Kings between 2006 and 2008. He has been the general manager and coach of Portland for the last six seasons. Johnston said all assistant coaches hope to one day become a head coach in the NHL and he’s thrilled that this dream has now come true. He added that he coached at a small Canadian college for four years and sent letters to several NHL clubs claiming he was ready to coach in the big leagues, but little did he know how wrong he was at the time.

Since then the native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has worked as an assistant coach for Canada at the Winter Olympics in 1998 as well as at the IIHF World Championship for Canada six times and also twice for his homeland at the World Junior Championships. He said his first experience dealing with NHL stars came at the 1998 Olympics since it was the first year pro players were allowed to compete in the event. Johnston’s ultimate goal is to bring the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh and he believes the best way to achieve it is to have his team play a puck-possession game especially with star centers Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in the lineup.

Johnston was successful playing that style of hockey in Portland as he coached the team to a club-record 48-point improvement in his first full season there in 2009/10. His Winterhawks team also reached the final of the WHL the last four years and made it to the 2012/13 Memorial Cup Final where they were beaten by the Halifax Mooseheads. Along with hiring Johnston, the Penguins announced that former Tampa Bay Lightning coach and Penguins forward Rick Tocchet has joined the squad as an assistant coach.

The club also fired former assistant coaches Todd Reirden and Tony Granato, but said Jacques Martin, goaltending coach Mike Bales and video technician Andy Saucier will all remain with the Penguins. However, Johnston will be adding one more assistant coach to his current staff. GM Rutherford said Johnston was the best candidate for the job due to the style of hockey he prefers to play. However, reports out of Pittsburgh indicated that Rutherford’s first choice for the position was Eric Desjardins, who just singed as head coach with the Vancouver Canucks.

The post Hockey Betting News – Mike Johnston named head coach of Penguins appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.

By Ian Palmer

In hockey betting news, the Nashville Predators have added some more attacking options by signing three offensive forwards on July 15. The NHL club agreed to one-year contracts with veterans Derek Roy and Mike Ribeiro for relatively small change. The team also recently locked up free-agent forward Ollie Jokinen and traded for forward James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins to provide some much-needed scoring prowess.

Ribeiro found himself eligible for free agency just a few weeks ago when the Phoenix Coyotes decided to buy him out of his last contract which still had three years to go on it at a total cost of $22 million. Nashville general manager David Pole therefore considered him to be a bargain at just $1.05 million for the 2014/15 season. Poile said the 34-year-old is an experienced, creative, and talented center who will definitely help his squad’s offense.

Poile added that Ribeiro knows he has to produce for the Predators since he’s on just a one-year deal. Ribeiro played 80 games for the Coyotes last season and scored 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points. He’s appeared in 865 career regular-season games in the NHL and has racked up 204 goals along with 454 assists for 656 points. Phoenix GM Don Maloney claimed he decided to buy Ribeiro out of his contract since he had some behavioral issues that the Coyotes organization couldn’t tolerate.

Ribeiro admitted that he has some personal issues last year since he and his wife were separated and he rarely had the chance to visit his children. He stated that he’s been working on his personal life since the 2013/14 campaign ended and he’s now in a better frame of mind and is looking forward to getting his career back on track in Nashville. He added that he wants to prove to the Predators that he’s a good person who is committed to the team as well as his family and can still produce at an elite NHL level on the ice.

Poile said he spoke with former teammates of Ribeiro as well as ex-managers, and coaches and the player’s wife before signing him and he’s comfortable with his decision. Poile signed the 31-year-old Roy to a one-year deal worth $1 million. The center played for the St. Louis Blues last season where he scored nine goals and 28 assists for 37 points in 75 games. He’s also played for the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, and Vancouver Canucks in the past and has appeared in 666 career regular-season contests with 492 points on 177 goals and 315 assists. Roy’s best years came in Buffalo where he managed to score at least 63 points in four consecutive seasons.

The Predators have been one of the NHL’s busiest franchises during the offseason as they also fired former head coach Barry Trotz with Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs for the past two years. The team has stocked up on offensive players as it attempts to ice an attacking lineup. The new signings will help alleviate the forward unit considering center Mike Fisher will be sidelined for several months due to an Achilles tendon injury. Poile said his squad could have as many as six new faces in the forward positions once the 2014/15 season faces off in early October.

The Predators’ leading scorer last campaign was team captain and defenseman Shea Weber. In addition to announcing the signings of Ribeiro and Roy, the club said it signed draft picks Kevin Fiala and Viktor Arvidsson of Sweden to three-year entry-level deals.

The post Hockey Betting News – Nashville adds scoring depth appeared first on Sportsbook-Site.com.