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.
<< Wade carries Heat over Sixers
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade poured in 38 points on 14-of-25
shooting, pacing Miami to a 104-91 wire-to-wire victory over the Philadelphia
76ers.
Udonis Haslem added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Carlos Arroyo chipped in
<< Bobcats win sixth straight, snap Orlando's eight-game win streak
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson recorded 28 points, six
rebounds and as many assists, as Charlotte matched a franchise-best winning
streak with its sixth straight win, 96-89, over Orlando.
Raymond Felton checked i
<< Report: Beckham to miss World Cup due to Achilles tear
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - English superstar soccer player David Beckham
will reportedly miss the World Cup in June after suffering an apparent tear to
his left Achilles while playing for AC Milan.
The injury occurred Sunday night in a
<< Raiders acquire LB Wimbley from Cleveland
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders announced Sunday that they
have acquired linebacker Kamerion Wimbley from the busy Cleveland Browns for
an undisclosed draft choice.
While the draft choice remains undisclosed officially,
<< Coyotes nip Thrashers in SO
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Aucoin scored the game-winning goal in
the fourth round of the shootout, as the Phoenix Coyotes edged the Atlanta
Thrashers, 3-2, at Philips Arena.
Rich Peverley got Atlanta on the board with a
North Carolina among NIT field >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Illinois, Arizona State, Virginia Tech and
Mississippi State were anointed as the top seeds for the 32-team 2010 National
Invitation Tournament.
The field was revealed Sunday night, approximately three ho
Westbrook, Durant lead Thunder over Jazz >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Westbrook poured in 30 points and
dished out 11 assists, as the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Utah Jazz,
119-111.
Kevin Durant added 35 points for the Thunder, who have won five in a row
No. 2 Stanford wins Pac-10 title by downing UCLA >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tournament MVP Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 16
points and 10 rebounds as No. 2 Stanford downed 23rd-ranked UCLA, 70-46, in
the championship game of the Pac-10 conference.
Jayne Appel added 15 points and
Ducks beat Sharks; Selanne inches closer to milestone >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teemu Selanne posted a goal and one assist and
crept closer to becoming the NHL's all-time leading Finnish goal scorer, as
Anaheim topped San Jose, 4-2, at Honda Center.
Selanne posted his 599th career go
Evans, Kings cruise past lowly Timberwolves >>
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyreke Evans came just shy of a triple
double, finishing with 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the
Sacramento Kings routed the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-100, at ARCO Arena.
Donte
Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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Big Ten Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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