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.

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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.