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02/15/2007 -
The Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks turned key victories into leaps to first place.
Shea Weber scored twice and Tomas Vokoun made 22 saves to give Nashville a 5-0 home win over the San Jose Sharks that vaulted the Predators back on top of the NHL standings Wednesday night.
Nashville jumped over idle Buffalo, the Eastern Conference's top team, and stayed one point ahead of Detroit for first place in the Central Division and the Western Conference. The Red Wings rallied for a 3-1 victory at Dallas on Wednesday.
``The past few games, we didn't play the way we wanted to, and we slacked off a little bit,'' forward J.P. Dumont said of the Predators, who had dropped four of six. ``Other teams caught us, and that game was good not just for everybody, but just for ourselves to show how good we are.''
The Canucks are trying to do the same.
Vancouver defenseman Sami Salo scored 4:20 into overtime, his third extra-session goal of the season, to lift the Canucks to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. Daniel Sedin and Markus Naslund also scored to push the Canucks into a first-place tie with Calgary in the Northwest Division.
Marian Gaborik celebrated his 25th birthday with a goal and an assist, and Pavol Demitra also scored for the Wild, who are one point behind.
``We needed our guys to be totally on top of their game,'' Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said after the Canucks improved to 15-3-3 since Christmas. ``Both teams knew it was an important game with first place up for grabs, and both teams wanted it.''
In other NHL games, it was St. Louis 4, Columbus 2; Ottawa 4, Florida 0; Pittsburgh 5, Chicago 4 in a shootout; and New Jersey 5, Montreal 2.
Vokoun was the beneficiary of a boatload of offense during his sixth start in seven games. He posted his fourth shutout this season and 20th of his career.
``We played from the first minute to the last minute how we are supposed to play,'' Vokoun said.
Martin Erat had a goal and an assist, Dumont and David Legwand each added a goal.
The Predators bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Los Angeles last Saturday that snapped an eight-game home winning streak, and did it by chasing Sharks goaltender Vesa Toskala midway through the first period.
The Canucks pulled out their win the hard way, topping the Wild on their home ice and doing it against the NHL's best overtime team. Minnesota is 14-1-4 in games decided after regulation.
Vancouver improved to 8-1 in overtime and won for the first time in St. Paul in four trips this season.
``It's huge to win here,'' Salo said. ``Especially this year, we've struggled in this building.''Blues 4, Blue Jackets 2
At Columbus, Ohio, St. Louis rookie David Backes had his first two-goal game in the NHL. Backes, playing in his 25th game, notched his third and fourth goals. He has three in three contests.
Bill Guerin scored a goal, Dallas Drake added an empty-netter and Manny Legace stopped 20 shots. Lee Stempniak had two assists for the Blues, who improved to 11-11-6 on the road.
Rick Nash and Alexander Svitov had goals for Columbus, which has dropped five of six.Senators 4, Panthers 0
At Ottawa, Martin Gerber made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season, and 10 Senators scored points.
Gerber, making a rare start in place of suspended goalie Ray Emery, got his first shutout in 21 games with Ottawa this season. It was the Swiss goalie's seventh career shutout and first in 51 regular-season games since Jan. 7, 2006.
Chris Phillips, Mike Fisher, Mike Comrie and Dean McAmmond all had goals in Ottawa's third straight victory.
Florida's Ed Belfour stopped 29 shots one night after shutting out Montreal.Penguins 5, Blackhawks 4, SO
At Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin tied the game late in the third period after the host Penguins wasted a multiple-goal lead for the third game in a row, then teamed with Erik Christensen to score in the shootout.
The Penguins earned a point for the 14th consecutive game - they are 12-0-2 during that stretch - for the first time since they won 12 times and tied twice from Dec. 19, 1996 through Jan. 21, 1997. They also won their fourth consecutive shootout decision after losing five of six.
Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, the NHL scoring leader with 88 points, got an assist but failed to score a goal for the eighth consecutive game - the longest streak of his two-season career.
Tuomo Ruutu completed Chicago's comeback from a 3-1 deficit. Craig MacDonald, Patrick Sharp and Martin St. Pierre added goals for the Blackhawks.
Ronald Petrovicky, Maxime Talbot and Michel Ouellet also scored for Pittsburgh.Devils 5, Canadiens 2
At East Rutherford, N.J., Brian Rafalski scored twice during two-man advantages and the host Devils tallied three times on the power play, sending Montreal to a season-high fifth straight loss.
Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and Sergei Brylin also scored and Martin Brodeur made 19 saves for his 35th win. New Jersey beat the Canadiens for the eighth straight time, a streak that dates to 2004.
The Devils have won five of six games and 16 of 22 (16-3-3).
Sheldon Souray and Sergei Samsonov scored for the Canadiens, who have lost 11 of 15.Red Wings 3, Stars 1
At Dallas, Henrik Zetterberg netted the go-ahead goal with 4:36 left after setting up the tying score a little over four minutes earlier for Detroit.
The Stars held a 1-0 lead midway through the third period behind rookie goalie Mike Smith, who was trying for his second shutout in three games. But Pavel Datsyuk tied it at 11:14.
Mathieu Schneider added an empty-netter with 33 seconds left to snap Dallas' three-game winning streak.
Mike Ribeiro had a second-period power-play goal for the Stars.
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Tim Hardaway says he hates 'gay people'
MIAMI (AP) -Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said Wednesday that he hates gay people, but later said he regretted the remarks.``You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people,
<< Red Wings-Stars, Sums
Detroit 0 0 3-3Dallas 0 1 0-1First Period-None. Penalties-Ribeiro, Dal (tripping), 7:14; Schneider, Det (roughing), 20:00.Second Period-1, Dallas, Ribeiro 8 (Jokinen, Robidas), 6:34 (pp). Penalties-Filppula, Det (holding), 5:24; Langfeld, Det (inte
<< Sharks-Predators, Sums
San Jose 0 0 0-0Nashville 2 0 3-5First Period-1, Nashville, Dumont 12, 6:22. 2, Nashville, Weber 9 (Arnott), 10:02. Penalty-Grier, SJ, double minor (cross-checking), 14:00.Second Period-None. Penalties-Cheechoo, SJ (boarding), 3:57; Michalek, SJ
<< Blackhawks-Penguins, Sums
Chicago 1 1 2 0-4Pittsburgh 1 2 1 0-5Pittsburgh won shootout 2-0First Period-1, Chicago, MacDonald 3 (Vrbata, Kukkonen), 8:29 (sh). 2, Pittsburgh, Petrovicky 3 (Moore, Ruutu), 10:32. Penalties-Lapointe, Chi (slashing), 6:44; Seabrook, Chi (hookin
Celtics end 18-game skid; Spurs snap Pistons' seven-game win streak >>
The Boston Celtics finally ended the longest losing streak in franchise history, beating a Milwaukee Bucks team that was struggling almost as badly as they were. The San Antonio Spurs finished an eight-game road trip with a win against Detroit that
Knight reprimanded for comment about officiating >>
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -Texas Tech coach Bob Knight was reprimanded by the Big 12 Conference for comments about officiating in a double-overtime loss at Oklahoma State.After Saturday's 93-91 defeat, Knight said a call on a charge was ``horrendous'' and
With every Pac-10 loss >>
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Arizona State coach Herb Sendek wore an all-black sweatsuit to his news conference this week. The outfit reflected ASU's season, but not Sendek's mood.He's remained upbeat even as his Sun Devils (6-18, 0-13 Pac-10) try to avoid b
Amaechi says Hardaway comments show need for more talk about gays in sports >>
Former NBA center John Amaechi, who disclosed last week he's gay, said anti-gay comments by another retired player ``demonstrate the need to continue the conversation.''Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said on a radio show Wednesday that he hat
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.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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