Wild stop surging Blues

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikko Koivu netted a goal and two assists, and the Minnesota Wild notched a 4-2 win over the streaking St. Louis Blues at Xcel Energy Center.

Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen both had a goal and an assist for the Wild, while Guillaume Latendresse tallied for the 25th time, extending a career-best.

Josh Harding, playing again in place of the injured Niklas Backstrom (groin), made 35 stops in Minnesota's second straight win following a four-game skid.

"We have to win the games coming up," Harding said. "We were ready to play, and we got a big win. (The Blues are) a great hockey club -- you got to give them all the credit in the world. Fortunately, we came out on top (Sunday)."

Paul Kariya and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues, who had won seven of their last eight to move within striking distance of a playoff berth. St. Louis stands five points behind idle Detroit for the eighth and final spot in the West.

"We're not gaining ground, everyone around us is winning," said Blues forward Keith Tkachuk. "This really hurts, no question about it. Some of the teams won today too, so it's frustrating. We have to go on a serious run to get into the playoffs."

Chris Mason stopped only 4-of-7 shots in the first period before Ty Conklin finished the game with 12 saves.

The Wild got started quickly, getting on the board at the 1:54 mark of the first period. Koivu won a faceoff in the offensive zone, and the puck drifted back to Cam Barker. Barker fired a one-timer, which Brunette redirected past Mason for the goal.

St. Louis was unable to solve Harding in the early-going, and Koivu extended Minnesota's advantage with a power play tally at the 13:12 mark of the opening frame.

Then, with 1:10 left on the clock, Latendresse completed the dominating period with his 25th goal of the year for a 3-0 Wild lead after 20 minutes.

Koivu helped turn the game into a rout with a nifty behind-the-back pass to Miettinen, who was in position to easily flick the puck into the net with 5:12 remaining in the second.

Berglund's unassisted tally on a power play with 2:51 left in the second got the Blues to within three entering the third, and Kariya made it a two-goal game with his 15th at the 6:08 mark of the final period.

Harding, though, was able to stop the remaining 12 shots in the final 20 minutes, as the Wild skated off with the victory.

Game Notes

Backstrom has missed three consecutive games...Minnesota is six points behind Detroit for the eighth spot in the conference...The Wild improved to 22-9-3 at home, while St. Louis fell to 20-11-4 on the road...The season series is tied 2-2...Martin Havlat had a pair of assists for Minnesota...St. Louis finished up a six-game road trip at 4-2-0.

Sportslone Hockey Betting News


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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

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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.