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02/17/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Morrison and Trevor Linden each scored in the shootout to lift Vancouver over Chicago, 2-1, at the United Center.
Matt Cooke scored the lone goal in regulation and Roberto Luongo made 34 saves, plus two more in the shootout for the Canucks, who have won three straight and moved into first place in the Northwest Division two points ahead of Calgary.
"This wasn't our best game," said Luongo. "We need to improve the effort, but it was good to get the win."
Patrick Sharp scored the only goal for the Blackhawks, who have lost two straight games in a shootout. Patrick Lalime made 28 saves for Chicago, which despite the loss has recorded at least a point in three consecutive games.
After Martin Havlat was stopped by Luongo to open the shootout, Linden skated in on Lalime and beat him stick side with a wrister. Martin St. Pierre was then stoned by Luongo and Morrison capitalized by beating Lalime stick side for the victory.
"I didn't know what to expect from St. Pierre," said Luongo of the shootout. "I was lucky to be able to stop it."
"We gave a great effort, especially in the third period," said Lalime. "It was a tight-checking game. We played very well and we just came up short."
The Blackhawks broke the scoreless deadlock early in the third period thanks to a great faceoff win by St. Pierre. Facing Morrison at the left faceoff circle, St. Pierre beat Morrison to the puck, unloading a shot off the drop. Luongo made the initial save, but the rebound found its way out front to Sharp, who hammered it home for the lead 5:14 into the stanza.
Cooke, though, tied the game 5:13 later when he skated into the offensive zone along the left side boards and from the top of the circle riffled a slap per past the stick side of Lalime.
The overtime went back and forth with it ending when Luongo made a save of a Havlat breakaway shot as time expired.
Havlat argued that a penalty shot should have been given, feeling that he was hooked enough off the puck to call one. However, the officials felt differently, especially since Havlat got the shot off.
Game Notes
Chicago was playing at the United Center for the first time since January 28...The Blackhawks went 4-2-1 on a seven-game road trip...Chicago has lost nine of 10 at home...Vancouver ended a two-game road trip unbeaten and improved to 3-0 in its last three on the road...Chicago went 0-for-8 on the power play, while Vancouver went 0-for-5...Morrison has scored in 6-of-7 shootout tries this season...Havlat had an eight-game point streak end...The Canucks won the season series 3-1.
<< Patriots place franchise tag on Samuel
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots put the franchise tag
on cornerback Asante Samuel, which should keep the 26-year-old standout with
the organization for at least one more year.
A fourth-round pick in the 2003 NFL
<< Chela advances to quarterfinals in rainy Brazil
Costa do Sauipe, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth seed Juan Ignacio Chela had
to wait an extra day, but finished off a straight-set win over Spaniard Ruben
Ramirez Hidalgo, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals at the $456,000
Brasil
<< Blues finally beat Predators
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Legace stopped 19 shots for his fifth
shutout of the season and 18th of his career, as St. Louis snapped a 14-game
losing streak to Nashville with a 1-0 win over the Predators.
Bill Guerin scored
<< Sprague wins truck opener at Daytona
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jack Sprague captured the first Craftsman
Truck Series event of 2007. The No.60 Toyota crossed the finish line just
a few feet ahead of Johnny Benson.
The victory was Sprague's first of the season an
Creamer still tied for lead at SBS Open >>
Oahu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer and Sherri Steinhauer both shot two-
under 70 Friday to remain tied for the lead after two rounds of the SBS Open.
Creamer and Steinhauer, part of a three-way tie for the lead after the first
round
Roddick into semifinals in San Jose >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Andy Roddick fought off fellow
American Vincent Spadea to move into the semifinals at the $416,000 SAP Open.
Roddick, who titled here in 2004 and '05, topped the eighth-seeded Spadea,
6-3,
Three share lead at Jacob's Creek Open >>
Lockleys, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Sterling and David Lutterus both
fired rounds of six-under 66 Saturday to jump from 17th place into a tie for
the lead at the Jacob's Creek Open Championship.
Sterling and Lutterus were joined
Minoza holds tentative lead at suspended Indonesia Open >>
Jakarta, Indonesia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frankie Minoza of the Philippines held a
one-shot lead when the third round of the Indonesia Open was suspended
Saturday due to inclement weather.
Minoza was five-under par through 17 holes in h
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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