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.

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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.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

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.