Denver Crush: Avs destroy Wild in Game 4 win

Hockey Betting Lines

04/16/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Arnason posted a goal and an assist, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild, 5-1, in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Pepsi Center.

Ruslan Salei had a goal and an assist, while Jordan Leopold collected two assists for the Avalanche, who evened this best-of-seven series. Jose Theodore stopped 24-of-25 shots to earn the victory.

Mikko Koivu scored the lone goal for the Wild, who will host Game 5 on Thursday. Niklas Backstrom allowed five goals on 29 shots before he was replaced by Josh Harding at the start of the third period. Harding made seven saves the rest of the way.

The Avalanche erupted for three goals in the first period.

Andrew Brunette opened the scoring at 4:01 when he came across the middle and deflected Salei's wrister from the left point up and over Backstrom.

An errant clearing attempt by Minnesota's Keith Carney found the stick of Wojtek Wolski, who ripped a shot from the right circle that beat Backstrom on the stick side at 5:37.

A bad turnover by the Wild in the neutral zone resulted in the Avalanche taking a 3-0 lead. Arnason collected the disc, walked across the blue line and launched a slap shot that sailed past the glove of Backstrom with 8:52 remaining before the first intermission.

The game got a little chippy in the middle stanza, as a frustrated Wild team took a slew of penalties.

While up a man, Salei gathered a feed from Arnason and fired a slap shot from the left point that made it 4-0 at 7:42.

Colorado struck again on the power play with 3:46 remaining in the second. Ryan Smyth carried the puck down the right side and drove hard to the net before sliding a backhand pass to Milan Hejduk for an easy tap-in.

Koivu notched a short-handed goal at the 3:11 mark of the third, but it was far too little for the Wild.

Game Notes

Colorado had dropped four straight playoff games on home ice...All of Minnesota's nine goals in the series have come in the third period or overtime...Koivu has a four-game goal-scoring streak...The previous six playoff meetings between these clubs were decided by a 3-2 score...Colorado finished 2-for-13 on the power play, while Minnesota went 0-for-5.

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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.

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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.


Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

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