Blues' playoff odds getting longer

Hockey Betting Lines

03/18/2010 -

ST. LOUIS (AP) -The St. Louis Blues are clinging to the hope of another miracle run to the playoffs. Time is running short, especially after the latest home-ice failure.

The Blues are seven points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot with only 13 games remaining. They've got three teams to leapfrog, having dropped to 11th place after Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

And despite recent improvements under interim coach Davis Payne, they're still the NHL's worst team at home with a dismal 12-17-5 record.

Yet, St. Louis remains optimistic heading into Thursday's game at New York against the Rangers. The Blues finished with a 9-1-1 rush last spring, vaulting to sixth place and ending a three-year playoff drought with much the same cast, and the players believe there's no reason why they can't recapture that feeling.

``You never know,'' forward David Perron said. ``How many games we got left? If we win them all. ... We did that last year, and we're ready to do it again this year.''

It's an uphill task, given that five of the remaining seven games this month are against teams who are currently in playoff positions; the Rangers are only three points out of the final Eastern Conference spot. There are two games remaining against the Blackhawks, second in the West, and one against the Devils, fourth in the East.

Seven games are at home, which would be a positive for most teams. The Blues have 20 road wins, third-most in franchise history, but have blown too many leads at home.

They had shown signs of a home-ice turnaround before the Olympic break and an extended trip that followed, winning three in a row, before fizzling against the Avalanche.

Even with a sweep of the three remaining games against the Predators, seventh in the West and nine points ahead of the Blues, they'd need help. Goalie Chris Mason figured a 10-3 finish might be enough, but knew the best policy was not to look ahead.

``We're all aware of the points we have to make up,'' Mason said. ``We have to go in and focus and get points in our next game. Let's worry about New York.''

The Blues basically stood pat at the trade deadline, banking on a surge from underachievers like Brad Boyes and Paul Kariya to complement a young roster studded with recent first-round draft picks. Boyes has only 12 goals after totaling 76 the previous two seasons, and only two of Kariya's 15 goals have come at home.

Mason, the dominant factor in the Blues' finish last season, has been a lot more inconsistent.

Effort alone simply hasn't been enough lately, either. The Blues outshot Colorado 39-26 and dominated most of the third period without scoring, and had a hefty advantage in shots (38-20) in a loss at Minnesota on Sunday that wrapped up a 4-2 trip.

Plus, against Colorado they squandered a goal that matched the franchise record for fastest to start a game. Alex Steen put the Blues ahead at the eight-second mark, but it was their only lead.

``I don't know if you can script a better start than that,'' forward David Backes said.

Payne, elevated from Peoria of the AHL to replace Andy Murray in early January, refused to entertain doom and gloom talk. He's certain there'll be no trouble motivating players to chase a dream that appears to be slipping away.

``Not difficult in that regard,'' Payne said. ``Lots of fight and lots of time left for our hockey club.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwnydailynews Hockey Betting News

<< Pitt, Gibbs shooting for more in NCAA tournament
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Ashton Gibbs glanced at the statistics sheet following Pittsburgh's 50-45 loss to Notre Dame in the Big East tournament and didn't believe what he saw.The Panthers, forced into a slow-paced game by the Fighting Irish's deliberate of

<< Butler keeps 20-game winning streak in perspective
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Every time Brad Stevens walks into Hinkle Fieldhouse, he peers into the rafters.There he sees the overflowing banners listing conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances and quickly realizes what Butler has become: A nationa

<< Nadal, Murray, Roddick advance; Djokovic stunned at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick were among the top seeds to move on, while No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic was sent packing in Wednesday's fourth-round action at the upset-plagued $4.5 million BNP Par

<< Clippers rally past Bucks to snap eight-game skid
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman scored 20 points and the Los Angeles Clippers surged in the fourth quarter to snap an eight-game skid with a 101-93 win over the Bucks. Drew Gooden totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds for t

<< Warriors rally from 21 down to top Hornets
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Tolliver registered a career-high 30 points, as the Warriors rallied from down 21 late in the third quarter for a 131-121 triumph over the New Orleans Hornets. Monta Ellis scored 28 points and t

Bucs sign S Sean Jones >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed free agent safety Sean Jones to a two-year contract on Wednesday. Jones spent the 2009 season in Philadelphia and started nine games. He had 61 tackles, two interceptions and a sac

Magic visit Heat in possible playoff preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals square off in the shadow of South Beach Thursday when the Miami Heat play host to the playoff-bound Orlando Magic. The Magic have been on a roll recently and are currently the second seed in the Eastern Con

Road-weary Hornets visit Nuggets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sole possession of second place in the Western Conference is on the line for the Denver Nuggets tonight as they get ready to host the reeking New Orleans Hornets. Denver is currently deadlocked with idle Dallas for the No.

Bruins set for rematch with Cooke, Penguins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Penguins and Bruins met, Boston wound up losing its best offensive player to a concussion after a questionable hit by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cooke is expected to be in the lineup tonight when Pittsburgh

Rangers, Blues tangle at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams trying to break into the playoff picture in their respective conferences will meet tonight in the Big Apple as the New York Rangers host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have 71 poi

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

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

FOOTBALL BETTING LINES

NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting