Blues face key home showdown with Wild

Hockey Betting Lines

02/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have a chance to move closer towards playoff contention when the improving club hosts the Minnesota Wild tonight at the Scottrade Center.

The Blues still remain far out of the postseason race, but can pull within 10 points of Minnesota, which currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with a victory this evening.

St. Louis will also attempt to extend its win streak to three games and is coming off an outstanding defensive effort. Manny Legace needed to make only 19 saves to register his fifth shutout of the season as the Blues blanked the potent Nashville Predators, 1-0, Friday at the Scottrade Center.

Bill Guerin scored the game's only goal on a brilliant move in the final minute of the second period as St. Louis finally ended a 14-game losing streak against Nashville. The Blues had not beaten the Predators since April 3, 2004.

Guerin's tally was his fifth in the last three games and the All-Star forward has amassed six goals and two assists during a five-game scoring streak.

St. Louis will now try to end its recent struggles against the Wild, who have won six of their last seven matchups with the Blues. In the only meeting between the clubs this season, Minnesota skated away with a 5-2 road victory on January 30.

The Blues, who own a 13-15-3 mark as the host, will be playing the second test of a three-game homestand. St. Louis finishes out the stretch Tuesday against Columbus.

Minnesota also comes in off a big win over Nashville, as the Wild spoiled Peter Forsberg's debut in a Predators' uniform with a 4-1 triumph Saturday at Gaylord Entertainment Center.

The Wild snapped a 1-1 deadlock with three third-period goals. Marian Gaborik had the go-ahead marker with 8:01 left to play, while linemate Pavol Demitra scored once and assisted on Gaborik's tally.

The Slovakian duo has been on a scoring tear as of late. Gaborik has racked up 14 goals and eight assists over his last 16 outings, while Demitra, who played eight seasons with St. Louis from 1997-04, has amassed 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) during a current eight-game scoring streak.

Brian Rolston finished with a pair of assists and Niklas Backstrom stopped 25- of-26 shots for Minnesota, which has won three of its last four and pulled within a point of Calgary and Vancouver for first place in the Northwest Division.

Foorball365 Hockey Betting News

<< Young stars face off as red-hot Penguins entertain Caps
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL's two brightest young stars will go head-to-head as Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals attempt to cool down Sidney Crosby's scorching Pittsburgh Penguins in an intriguing matinee from Mellon Arena.

<< Wounded Rangers look to regroup against Blackhawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after suffering a devastating home loss, the New York Rangers will try to rebound when the Chicago Blackhawks enter Madison Square Garden for a Sunday matinee. New York's fading playoff hopes took a seriou

<< Stars host Sharks in important Pacific clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two Pacific Division powers will collide this afternoon at the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Stars host a San Jose Sharks club looking to stop a two-game losing streak. San Jose currently resides in sec

<< Trojans seek clean sweep in the desert
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winless in Pac-10 Conference play so far this season, the Arizona State Sun Devils try to cure their ills tonight as they face the 22nd-ranked USC at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe. Not

<< Buckeyes on the road to take on Golden Gophers
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's second-ranked team has traveled to Minneapolis, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten Conference action. Ohio State owns its highest

Canadiens head to Columbus seeking end to downward spiral >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens take to the road in hopes of ending their recent tailspin, as the free-falling club visits Columbus' Nationwide Arena tonight for a rare matchup with the Blue Jackets. Montreal is currently mir

Ducks try to crown Kings once again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks go for a home-and-home sweep of the Los Angeles Kings when the area foes conclude their weekend series tonight at the Honda Center. The teams needed an extended shootout to decide a winner on Saturd

Canucks host Avs, aim for Northwest lead >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks look to continue their recent winning ways and also regain sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division when they take the ice at General Motors Place tonight against the Colorado Avalanc

Nats bring Belliard to camp >>
Viera, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals signed infielder Ronnie Belliard to a minor league contract on Sunday with an invitation to spring training. The 31-year-old hit .272 with 13 homers and 67 runs batted in while spli

Mauresmo spoils Belgian finale for Clijsters >>
Antwerp, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amelie Mauresmo of France continued her dominance at the Proximus Diamond Games tennis tournament, winning the title for the third straight year and beating Belgian native Kim Clijsters for the crown f

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.