Avs top Bolts in shootout on disputed goal
Hockey Betting Lines
12/18/2008 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milan Hejduk was awarded the game-winning goal on a controversial call in the shootout, as the Colorado Avalanche edged the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Hejduk was the fourth skater in the shootout after the first three were unsuccessful, and veered to the left for a backhander. His shot was stopped by Mike Smith's blocker, but the officials huddled and ruled it a goal, judging that Smith had thrown his stick.
On the play, Smith moved his stick out for the poke check, gripping it near the end of the handle. As he moved to his right for the save, the stick came loose and flew out of his grip. Whether or not it was intentional, the goaltender was visibly displeased with the officials' judgment.
Despite the protests of Smith and Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet, the call stood and Andrew Raycroft then made a glove save on Martin St. Louis, ending the contest for an Avalanche win.
Raycroft made 37 saves through regulation and overtime for Colorado, which moved to 2-1 on its current four-game road trip. Paul Stastny tallied the lone regulation goal for the Avs.
Smith turned aside 34 shots for the Lightning, who have lost two in a row after a win last Thursday halted a nine-game slide. Jeff Halpern, who made his season debut after undergoing knee surgery during the summer, notched a goal for Tampa Bay.
Stastny's tally opened the scoring at 3:46 of the first period, though at the 7:35 mark of the middle frame Halpern fired a rebound from the slot past Raycroft to make it a 1-1 game.
Smith made 13 saves in the third period, while Raycroft stopped nine shots, sending the game to overtime.
Each goaltender needed to make a handful of stops in the extra session, though Raycroft caught a bit of luck with 1:09 left. St. Louis' shot from the right side hit off the right post, and the teams eventually went to the shootout.
Game Notes
Tampa Bay forward Ryan Malone returned from a five-game absence...Colorado forward Ben Guite played for the first time since November 8. He had been out with an injury to his ribs. Avs forward Darcy Tucker also returned, having not played since November 24 because of a knee ailment...The Avs complete their road swing against the Panthers on Sunday...Tampa Bay plays at Atlanta on Saturday.
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Krejci netted his first career hat trick and Phil Kessel continued his amazing points streak with two goals and an assist, as Boston beat Toronto, 8-5, securing its 12th straight home win. Marc Sav
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
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