Blues visit Islanders at Nassau Coliseum

Hockey Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues will try to get back on track tonight when they visit the New York Islanders for an interconference clash at Nassau Coliseum.

The Blues pushed their winning streak to a season-high five games by posting consecutive victories to begin their post-Olympic schedule. However, St. Louis had its momentum halted in a big way Saturday, dropping a 7-3 road decision against Colorado.

St. Louis is still battling to stay in the playoff race. The Blues are currently six points out of the eighth and final postseason berth in the Western Conference.

Chris Stewart netted the first hat trick of his career and added an assist as to lead the Avalanche to Saturday's rout.

Alexander Steen had two goals and David Perron added a marker for the Blues. Chris Mason started in net, but was pulled in the second period for giving up four goals on 15 shots. Ty Conklin played the rest of the game and gave up two goals on 17 shots.

"We were just a step behind tonight," said Steen. "Skating is the biggest part of the game cause you can't clutch and grab and hold anymore and they were just a step ahead of us all night."

St. Louis, which has a solid 18-10-4 mark as the visitor this year, is playing the fourth test of a six-game road trip tonight.

Meanwhile, the Islanders have lost three straight games and are just 3-12-0 in their last 15 contests. The swoon has dropped New York to 14th place out of 15 teams in the East.

New York was dealt a 3-2 loss Tuesday in Philadelphia, marking the 15th straight victory for the Flyers against the Isles -- the longest active stretch of victories by one team over any single opponent in the league.

The Isles led 2-0 in the second period, but Philadelphia rallied to keep its streak alive.

Rookie John Tavares and Kyle Okposo scored for the Islanders, while Dwayne Roloson allowed three goals on 35 shots in the loss.

"I thought we played well," said Roloson. "We did the things we needed to do to win the hockey game. Unfortunately, they capitalized on a couple power plays -- that's just the way things have been bouncing for us."

Tonight's test marks the first of three straight on home ice for the Isles, who are 17-13-2 as the host this year. They will also host New Jersey and Toronto during the residency.

The Blues posted a 4-1 home win over the Isles on November 21 and have won two of three and four of the last six meetings between the clubs. St. Louis is 4-2 with a tie in its last seven trips to Long Island.

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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.