Avalanche edge Wild in shootout

Hockey Betting Lines

03/13/2009 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wojtek Wolski notched the winner in the shootout as Colorado nipped Minnesota, 2-1, at Pepsi Center.

Wolski opened the round with a backhander, then Minnesota's Owen Nolan was denied by the right pad of Peter Budaj. Milan Hejduk followed with another successful backhand shot and Budaj stifled Mikko Koivu to lock up the game for Colorado.

"Obviously it's more fun to win, and we've got to win a few more," Hejduk said of his team, which is mired in the Northwest Division basement.

John-Michael Liles picked up the only goal of regulation for the Avalanche, who have won two of three. Budaj had a relatively easy game, stopping 16-of-17 shots.

Marc-Andre Bergeron tallied for the Wild, losers in three of four. Despite 40 saves, Niklas Backstrom suffered the loss.

Bergeron netted a man-advantage goal just after the midway point of the first period, then Liles answered on a power play just 37 seconds into the second period for a 1-1 game.

The Avs failed to net a clincher in the third period or overtime in spite of a combined 17-4 shot advantage over the game's final 25 minutes.

"Our team is great when everybody works hard and plays hard, but when we are passengers, we do not play well," said Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire.

Game Notes

Colorado improved to 9-1 in the shootout, while Minnesota fell to 4-3...Avs defenseman Adam Foote left the game after the first period with a head injury and did not return.

Musportsbook Hockey Betting News

<< McDonald helps Blues cage the Sharks
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy McDonald posted a goal and one assist as St. Louis slipped past San Jose, 3-1, at Scottrade Center. Brad Boyes and Barret Jackman registered the other goals for the Blues, who have won six of eight.

<< Morrison propels Stars over Hurricanes
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcomer Brendan Morrison netted his first goal in a Stars uniform and it proved to be the game-winner, as Dallas fended off the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, at American Airlines Center. Mike Ribeiro and Steve

<< Lakers down Spurs to capture division title
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant's three-point dagger with 1:46 to play helped the Los Angeles Lakers fend off the San Antonio Spurs, 102-95, and clinch the Pacific Division title. A Kurt Thomas jumper and Tony Parker thr

<< Columbus edges Pens in shootout to stop Pitt's winning streak
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kristian Huselius scored the first goal of the game and notched the game-winning goal in the shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena.

<< Kessel tallies twice as Bruins down Senators
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel scored twice and P.J. Axelsson added a goal and an assist as the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins got by the Ottawa Senators, 5-3, at TD Banknorth Garden. Aaron Ward and Chuck Kobasew a

Carroll helps Missouri pull away from Texas Tech >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeMarre Carroll led the way with 19 points and five rebounds, as 14th-ranked Missouri returned some order to the Big 12 Tournament, blitzing Texas Tech, 81-60, in a quarterfinal matchup at the

Reasoner lit the lamp in OT as Thrashers down Oilers >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marty Reasoner scored with 49.3 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Atlanta Thrashers to a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Zach Bogosian, Bryan Little and Jim Slater also s

Kirilenko falls in California; Sharapova returns >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian glamour girl Maria Kirilenko came up an opening-round loser Thursday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. Kirilenko succumbed to Romanian Edina Gallovits 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on the hardc

Hewitt wins opener in California >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia downed Czech Jan Hernych during first-round action Thursday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, the ATP's first Masters event of the year.

Syracuse tops UConn in 6-OT epic >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Devendorf's buzzer-beater in regulation left his hands too late to count, but after five overtimes of hanging on, 18th-ranked Syracuse dominated the sixth extra session to beat No.3 Connect

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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