Second period blitz helps Wings down Chicago

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pavel Datsyuk's breakaway tally capped a five- goal eruption in the second period and proved to be the game-winner, as Detroit overcame an Andrew Ladd hat trick and held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4, at United Center.

Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jason Williams and Valtteri Filppula each lit the lamp in the middle stanza for the Red Wings, who have won four of five and maintained their grip on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jimmy Howard stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced for Detroit.

The first three-goal game of Ladd's career wasn't enough for Chicago, which had bested the Red Wings in the last three matchups.

Duncan Keith had the other goal for the Central Division-leading Blackhawks.

Cristobal Huet started in net for Chicago and got pulled after yielding four goals on 17 shots. Antti Niemi made seven saves the rest of the way.

Detroit entered the second period staring at a two-goal deficit. Rafalski unloaded a one-timer on a power play at 4:12, then Lidstrom netted the equalizer 28 seconds later.

Filppula made it 4-2 at 10:27, just 42 seconds after Williams managed to tap in a Henrik Zetterberg feed despite having two Chicago players draped all over him.

Datsyuk slipped a backhander through the pads of Niemi with 2.7 seconds remaining for a three-goal cushion.

Ladd beat Howard with a wrister on the stick side two minutes into the third, and trimmed the deficit to 5-4 on a redirection of a Keith shot at 12:06.

The Blackhawks continued to press, but didn't complete the comeback.

Keith scored on a rebound 4:24 into the game. Ladd converted a Filppula turnover deep in the Detroit zone for a 2-0 Chicago lead at 11:37.

Game Notes

Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi each had two assists for Detroit...Bertuzzi was injured in the second period on a collision with Chicago forward Ben Eager and did not return...Madden picked up two assists...The Red Wings had been shut out in each of their previous two visits to the Windy City.

Wwwracingcasino Hockey Betting News

<< Xavier edges Charlotte to reach A-10 tourney final
Upper Marlboro, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyeasha Moss finished with 15 points, as fifth-ranked Xavier held off Charlotte, 51-49, in a semifinal matchup in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Ta'Shia Phillips added 11 points, 14 rebounds and f

<< Kentucky fends off Gators to wrap up perfect season at home
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darius Miller and Eric Bledsoe each scored 14 points, as third-ranked Kentucky held off Florida, 74-66, to complete a perfect season at Rupp Arena. Patrick Patterson added 13 points and John Wall ended

<< Dodgers C Martin out 4-6 weeks
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin will miss four to six weeks of action due to a pulled groin muscle. The injury will sideline Martin for the remainder of Spring Training and Opening Day.

<< Young scores 32 as Sixers down Raptors
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points and Jrue Holiday had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 114-101 win over the Tor

<< Royals' Gordon to miss 3-4 weeks
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals announced Sunday that third baseman Alex Gordon is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks with a broken right thumb, leaving his status for Opening Day unclear. Gordon was

Israel stays alive against Chile in Davis Cup >>
Coquimbo, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Israeli doubles specialists Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram posted a big victory on Sunday, as the Israelis pulled within 1-2 of the host Chileans in their best-of-five first-round Davis Cup matchup

Irish reach Big East semis with win over St. John's >>
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Skylar Diggins scored 21 points to help sixth-ranked Notre Dame defeat No. 16 St. John's, 75-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Devereaux Peters had 13 points and Lindsay Schrader

Duke downs N.C. State for ACC title >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Thomas scored a team-high 18 points and added six rebounds and six assists as ninth-ranked Duke defeated N.C. State for the ACC women's title. Karima Christmas chipped in 13 points, while J

Leuer and Taylor lead Wisconsin over Illinois >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor each scored 20 points to lead 15th-ranked Wisconsin to a 72-57 victory over Illinois at Assembly Hall. Trevon Hughes posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 reboun

Northern Iowa claims second straight MVC crown >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kwadzo Ahelegbe poured in a game-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds, as the top-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by taking down the second-

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.