Wild send Oilers to second straight shutout loss

Hockey Betting Lines

03/02/2007 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik each registered two goals and an assist and Josh Harding turned aside all 30 shots he faced for his second career shutout as the Minnesota Wild blanked the reeling Edmonton Oilers, 5-0.

Edmonton has been shutout its last two games since the departure of star forward Ryan Smyth, who was dealt to the Islanders on Tuesday after the Oilers and Smyth failed to come to terms on a new contract.

Edmonton netminder Dwayne Roloson lasted just two periods, giving up three goals on 19 shots before being pulled in the third period in favor of Jussi Markkanen.

Branko Radivojevic also found the back of the net for the Wild, who won for the fourth time in their last five games.

An Edmonton turnover handed Demitra a breakaway opportunity and the right winger cashed in at the 11:23 mark of the opening period for the first score. Gaborik followed with a power play tally with 3:47 left in the first to give the Wild a 2-0 lead.

Minnesota made it a three-goal game 5:30 into the middle stanza. Oilers defenseman Matt Greene fell down at the blue line, allowing Mark Parrish to skate in alone on Roloson. Parrish's shot slipped through Roloson and Radivojevic was there to stuff home the rebound.

Gaborik then tallied his second goal of the game at the 13:21 mark of third period and Demitra completed the scoring with his second marker of the game with 3:49 left to play.

Edmonton had one last chance to end its scoring drought with a late 5-on-3 power play, but Harding and the Wild held on to preserve the shutout.

Game Notes

The Wild have won three of the five meetings this season...The Oilers had not been shutout in back-to-back games since October 11 and 14, 2003...Minnesota went 2-for-6 on the power play, while Edmonton squandered three chances with the man-advantage...Markkanen ended with just six saves on eight shots.

Wwwtrenitalia Hockey Betting News

<< Washington downs No. 23 USC
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Appleby scored 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting as Washington downed 23rd-ranked Southern California, 85-70. Jon Brockman added 17 points and was 7-of-9 from the floor for the Huskies (17-12, 7-10

<< Garbin ousted in Acapulco quarterfinals
Acapulco, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seed Tathiana Garbin was upset in the quarterfinals at the $180,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel tennis tournament, losing to fellow Italian Sara Errani, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Garbin, who was last w

<< Yellow Jackets stun No. 8 Tar Heels
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thaddeus Young scored 25 points and was a sizzling 5-of-6 beyond-the-arc as Georgia Tech stunned No. 8 North Carolina, 84-77, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Anthony Morrow added 18 points for the Ye

<< No. 21 Phoenix top Ramblers
Chicago, Il (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicole Soulis and Kati Harty both netted 12 points, as No. 21 Wisconsin-Green Bay downed Loyola-Chicago, 78-60, at the Joseph J. Gentile Center on Thursday. Natalie Berglin, Rachel Porath and Erin Templin each

<< Mavs win franchise-best 14th straight game
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki continued his push for the league's MVP and the Mavericks equaled a franchise-record with their 14th straight win, escaping a pair of missed three-pointers from LeBron James in the fin

Blackhawks swept under by Avalanche >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Richardson and Jeff Finger each had a goal and an assist, and Peter Budaj made 23 saves as the Colorado Avalanche routed the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-1, at the United Center. Brett McLean,

No. 6 Memphis rolls past UTEP >>
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 21 points to help No. 6 Memphis beat Texas-El Paso, 78-67, at Don Haskins Center. Jeremy Hunt added 19 points and six rebounds for the Tigers (26-3, 15-0 C- USA), who have an 1

Blazers bombard Bobcats >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored a career-high 30 points, leading Portland to a 127-90 pounding of Charlotte. Zach Randolph and Martell Webster each added 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who snapped a two-game

Naslund lifts Canucks over Coyotes >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Markus Naslund scored the game winner with a little over four minutes to play to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at General Motors Place. Daniel Sedin had two goals, wh

Ferrero cruises into Acapulco semifinals >>
Acapulco, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero cruised into the semifinals at the $690,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel tennis tournament by scoring a 6-4, 6-1 win over fifth-seeded Argentine Gaston Gaudio.

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.