Stewart, Yip help Avs upend Blues

Hockey Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Stewart had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche downed the St. Louis Blues, 5-2, at Pepsi Center.

Brandon Yip had two goals while Paul Stastny added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who have won three of their last four. Craig Anderson stopped 32 shots in the loss.

Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson each lit the lamp for the Blues, who have dropped four of five. Chris Mason started in net but was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals on 15 shots. Ty Conklin finished the game between the pipes and stopped all 18 shots he faced.

With the score tied in the second, the Avs exploded for three goals in the frame to take the lead.

The first one came at the 2:25 mark of the period when Ryan Wilson threw a shot on net from the high slot that hit off of Stewart and went into the net.

About 1 1/2 minutes later, Marek Svatos' forechecking caused a turnover in the St. Louis end, and he threw the puck to the right circle where Stastny lifted a backhander into the right corner.

Just over 2 1/2 minutes after Stastny's goal, Yip's simple wrister from the left circle found its way past Mason, who was pulled in favor of Conklin after the goal, for a 5-2 lead.

In the third period, Anderson was sharp as he stopped all 11 shots he faced to keep St. Louis from gaining any momentum.

St. Louis got on the board just 3:34 into the game on Brewer's sixth goal of the season.

Colorado, though, tied the game just 28 seconds later as T.J. Galiardi received a pass at the right circle and skated into the low slot where he fired a wrister into the top right corner.

Less than four minutes later, Johnson again gave the Blues a one-goal lead on his fifth goal of the season, but Yip's tip-in on the power-play with 3:18 left in the first tied the game back up.

Game Notes

Colorado hosts Atlanta on Wednesday...St. Louis hosts Detroit on Tuesday...Colorado took a 4-0 decision in St. Louis on December 7...Colorado is 8-0-0 on Monday this season...Colorado went 1-for-6 on the power play while St. Louis failed to score on any of its three chances.

Sport-lines Hockey Betting News

<< Jayhawks capitalize on turnovers to top Texas
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Morris posted 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, as No. 1 Kansas overcame a poor shooting performance by clamping down defensively on the 14th-ranked Longhorns to earn an 80-68 Big 12 victory

<< Carter and Orlando stay hot with win over Hornets
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter scored 34 of his season-high 48 points in the second half, rallying Orlando to a second straight victory, 123-117 over the New Orleans Hornets. Carter scored nine during a 19-0 rally in

<< Muse, Boston College top BU in Beanpot final
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Almeida picked up the game-winning goal early in the third period, as Boston College held off a late Boston University rally to post a 4-3 victory in the championship game of the 58th annual Beanpot

<< Bryant sidelined for second straight game
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant missed Monday's game against San Antonio due to a sprained left ankle. It's the second straight game Bryant has sat out. He was also absent on Satur

<< No. 25 Pitt breezes past Robert Morris
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ashton Gibbs scored a game-high 20 points, and 25th-ranked Pittsburgh crushed non-conference foe Robert Morris, 77-53, at Petersen Events Center. Jermaine Dixon added 18 points for the Panthers (18-6), w

Lombardi's career night propels Phoenix over road-weary Oilers >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matthew Lombardi had a career-high five-point night with a pair of goals and three assists, as Phoenix blew out Edmonton, 6-1, for its seventh win in eight games. Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 33 shots for t

Lady Vols rally to beat Vandy >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelley Cain scored a career-high 19 points and No. 5 Tennessee came back from an eight-point deficit to top Vanderbilt, 69-60, to sweep the regular season series. Glory Johnson, Angie Bjorklund and Aly

James, Westbrook take home NBA weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for the period ending Februar

Ducks win 10th in a row at home, snap LA's victory streak >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Perry had a goal and two assists to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-2 win over Los Angeles and snap the Kings' franchise- best nine-game winning streak. Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne each had a goal and an

Gasol carries short-handed Lakers over Spurs >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pau Gasol had a spectacular all-around game with 21 points, 19 rebounds, a season-high eight assists and five blocked shots, pacing the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com is a must-have for the smart veteran sports investor who enjoys following the odds almost as much as betting them. Simply put, no one offers more betting options and offers them faster than MySportsbook. This football sportsbook is known for its ability to set the early market odds on events without having to worry about weak lines. Professional players are well aware that getting a crack at the early betting line is worth as much as, and sometimes more than, huge bonuses or reduced prices. MySportsbook's fearless, yet smart bookmaking style is what keeps everyone watching, including most other sportsbooks.

This is also a great choice for those who just want to have a worry free, fun experience. The ownership’s motto is “Sweat the game, not the payout”. These are not just decorative words used to fill space on the homepage. MySportsbook aims to give their customers the fastest withdrawals in the industry. Payouts are processed within 24 hours by an online sportsbook that carries our A+ financial rating.

Those who enjoy proposition and future wagers consider MySportsbook.com a top choice. Smaller players who seek large bonuses would do better at their sister book, Sportsbooks.com.

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