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05/12/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Once considered an afterthought, the eighth- seeded Montreal Canadiens are improbably headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 17 years after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2, in Game 7 of the conference semis -- the final game at Mellon Arena.
Brian Gionta scored twice, Michael Cammalleri added his league-leading 12th goal this postseason and Jaroslav Halak was outstanding in making 37 saves to help lead the Canadiens to their first conference finals since 1993, the last time the storied franchise won the Stanley Cup.
Dominic Moore and Travis Moen also scored for Montreal, which is the first eight-seed in the Eastern Conference to win two playoff series since the current format was adopted in 1994. The Habs have certainly had the flair for the dramatic this postseason, ousting the heavily-favored Presidents' Trophy- winning Capitals in seven games in the first round before disposing of the defending Stanley Cup champs on Wednesday.
The Habs will next face either long-time rival Boston or Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals.
Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal tallied for the Penguins, who were looking to become the first team since the 1990-92 Bruins to advance to the conference finals in three consecutive seasons.
The two-time defending conference champs were doomed by the lack of production from their stars. Sidney Crosby ended the series with one goal and four assists, Evgeni Malkin had only a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals on 13 shots in this contest before being lifted for Brent Johnson. Neither Crosby nor Malkin had a point in Wednesday's decisive game.
Pittsburgh, which had won its last four Game 7s, closed out the only home its ever known in forgettable fashion. Ironically, Montreal also won the first- ever hockey game played at what was known then as Civic Arena in 1967.
Crosby was called for boarding just 10 seconds into the game, and the Canadiens tallied the all-important first goal on the ensuing power play.
During another delayed penalty on Pittsburgh, Montreal's PK Subban sent a backhand toward the net from the left boards. Gionta stood directly in the path of the puck and was able to redirect it past Fleury on the short side 32 seconds into the contest.
The visitors kept putting together good chances, while Pittsburgh struggled to test Halak; Montreal nearly made it 2-0 with 12:40 left in the first, but Maxim Lapierre's shot hit the right post.
As time wound below six minutes remaining in the first, Lapierre forced the puck behind the net but was checked by Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik. As the puck bounced away, Orpik continued to check Lapierre, leaving the slot wide open. Moore was able to force a turnover in Pittsburgh's zone, skate to the vacated slot area and fire a wrister past Fleury at 14:23 for a 2-0 edge.
It only got worse for Pittsburgh, which gave up two more goals in the first five-plus minutes of the second period.
Another turnover in the Pens' zone led to Montreal's third goal, which was a perfect display of passing between Jaroslav Spacek, Andrei Kostitsyn and Cammalleri, who received a pass in the slot and one-timed it past Fleury at 3:32.
Pittsburgh looked to have an opportunity to get back into the game on a power play a short time later, but it was the Habs who increased their advantage while shorthanded at 5:14. Moen grabbed another Penguins turnover and moved up ice, passing it to himself ahead of defenseman Sergei Gonchar as he skated past the blue line. He corralled the puck at the top of the left circle and blasted a shot past Fleury, who was pulled in favor of Johnson after the play.
A fortunate bounce finally helped the Pens crack the scoreboard. Kris Letang had a shot from in close get blocked and sent off toward the side boards, but the disc bounced off the referee's skate and back to Kunitz, who was stationed to the left of the crease and fired it into the net at 8:36 for a three-goal game.
Pittsburgh started to gain control of the game's pace and cut its deficit to two with a power-play goal late in the second, when Staal shook off a defender and tipped in Alexei Ponikarovsky's blast from the top of the slot with 3:30 remaining for a 4-2 contest.
The Pens looked to climb closer in the third with a power play to start the frame, but Halak made a couple outstanding saves on Crosby and Malkin from just outside the crease.
The hosts' momentum was killed when they took a too-many-men penalty with 11 minutes left, and Montreal sealed Pittsburgh's fate with a power-play tally.
At exactly the midpoint of the period, Gionta was stationed at the left post and shoved Cammalleri's rebound into the wide-open net before Johnson could get into position.
The Penguins pulled Johnson with over four minutes to play in the game, but Halak stopped all 18 shots he faced in the third period to help Montreal seal the shocking victory.
Game Notes
This was the first Game 7 at Mellon Arena since 1996, when Pittsburgh lost to Florida in the East finals...Edmonton is the only eight-seed to advance to the conference finals, and they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 before losing to Carolina...The team that has scored first has won 95 of 132 Game 7s...Cammalleri scored four goals in the last three games...Road teams are 3-0 in Game 7s this postseason...Pittsburgh dropped to 7-5 all time in Game 7s, including 2-5 at home...Montreal is 13-8 in Game 7s in its history, including 5-5 on the road...The Canadiens are the first team to defeat both the Presidents' Trophy winners and defending champs (with the two designations belonging to two different teams) since the 1990-91 Northstars...Montreal has won its last four Game 7s dating back to 2004...The Penguins will move into the CONSOL Energy Center next season.
<< Hurricanes give Shannon new four-year contract
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Hurricanes have signed head
football coach Randy Shannon to a new four-year contract.
The 44-year-old Shannon was named head coach of the Hurricanes prior to the
2007 season and has co
<< Buckeyes' Lighty re-injures foot
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ohio State guard David Lighty suffered a
broken bone in his left foot during spring workouts and will have surgery,
Ohio State head coach Thad Matta announced Wednesday.
Lighty, whose recovery time
<< Woods says he has inflamed joint in his neck
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods said Wednesday that an MRI taken on
Wednesday showed he has an inflamed facet joint in his neck.
The world's top-ranked golfer posted the results on his Web site and said when
the facet joints are
<< Purdue's Siller reinstated
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Siller, who started three games
at quarterback in 2008, was reinstated by Purdue on Tuesday and is permitted
to rejoin the football team.
Siller was dismissed from the university due to
Bergesen strong on mound as Orioles prevail over Mariners >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Bergesen surrendered a run in 7 2/3
innings and Miguel Tejada drove in two runs, as the Baltimore Orioles earned a
5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, in the second test of a three-game set at
Camden
Nats minor leaguer Strasburg pulled during no-hitter >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals minor league pitcher
Stephen Strasburg was pulled after six innings of no-hit baseball for Triple-A
Syracuse Wednesday night against Norfolk.
The phenom struck out seven batters an
Rays take advantage of mistakes to post rare series win over Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Price pitched into the seventh inning,
and Tampa Bay capitalized with three unearned runs to win its first series in
Anaheim since 1999 by posting a 4-3 victory over the Angels in the rubber
match o
Flyers take another step towards history, force Game 7 with Bruins >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Leighton turned aside 30 shots in
his first career playoff start, as the Philadelphia Flyers took another step
towards history with a 2-1 victory over Boston in Game 6 of their Eastern
Confere
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.
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
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