Wild fend off Oilers in battle of playoff-hopefuls
Hockey Betting Lines
03/29/2009 -
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Gaborik scored the game-winning goal
and dished out an assist, as the Minnesota Wild edged the Edmonton Oilers,
3-2, in a battle between two playoff-hopeful teams at Rexall Place.
Andrew Brunette and Martin Skoula also lit the lamp for the Wild, who ended a
four-game road trip with a 2-2-0 mark. Owen Nolan had two assists for the
victors. Niklas Backstrom stopped 31 shots to improve to 34-23-7 on the year.
Center Mikko Koivu returned to the lineup after missing three games with a
knee injury.
Minnesota sits in the 11th spot in the Western Conference with 80 points. The
Wild are three points behind St. Louis for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Ales Kotalik and Fernando Pisani scored for the Oilers, who have dropped four
of their past five outings. Dwayne Roloson turned aside 18 shots in the loss.
Since Anaheim beat Colorado on Sunday, Edmonton dropped to 10th in the West
with 81 points.
Trailing 2-0, the Oilers cut the deficit in half on a goal from Pisani just
1:04 into the third stanza. Ethan Moreau charged down the right side of the
ice and made his way behind the net before dumping the puck off to Pisani out
front. Pisani chipped the disc between Backstrom's pads.
Gaborik lit the lamp just over three minutes later to extend Minnesota's
margin back to two. Gaborik's wrister from the left circle beat Roloson glove-
side during a delayed penalty.
Kotalik and Hemsky teamed up to cut the gap to 3-2 with 4:52 to play. Hemsky
set Kotalik up for a one-timer from the left circle. And Kotalik's shot went
sailing past Backstrom on the stick side.
The Oilers pulled Roloson with about one minute left to gain the extra
attacker. But Backstrom and the Wild defense held strong to secure the
victory.
The Wild drew first blood at the 7:01 mark of the first period on Brunette's
20th goal of the year. The puck was slowly sliding in front of Roloson after
Gaborik fanned on a shot. Brunette collected the disc and fired a
backhander past Roloson.
Less than two minutes later, Skoula's slap shot from the left point snuck
through the five-hole of Roloson to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead.
Both teams had nine shots on goal during a scoreless second stanza.
Game Notes
Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play...Minnesota had lost their previous
four games in Edmonton...Minnesota won the season series with Edmonton, 4-2.
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Oklahom
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
New York Giants betting lines
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Dallas Cowboys betting lines
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
Oakland Raiders betting lines
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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