Isles, Panthers clash at the Coliseum

Hockey Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Florida Panthers will try to post their first three-game winning streak since early December when they visit the New York Islanders for today's clash at Nassau Coliseum.

Florida, which leads Washington by two points atop the Southeast Division, has posted consecutive 3-1 victories since Tuesday's disappointing 4-0 road loss to the Capitals.

Another win today would give the Panthers their first three-game win streak since Dec. 3-8 and would also ensure that Florida stays ahead of the Caps in the division race. Washington also has a tilt this afternoon against the Rangers in New York City.

The Panthers were in action Saturday afternoon in New Jersey and were able to record a 3-1 victory against the Devils. Florida's Kris Versteeg put the Panthers ahead in the second period with his fifth goal in four meetings against New Jersey this season. Versteeg has 21 total goals this season to lead Florida and he also paces the club with 46 points.

Former Devils backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen got the better of his former teammate, Martin Brodeur, stopping 27 shots for the win. Sean Bergenheim also scored and Mikael Samuelsson added an empty-net goal in the victory.

Jose Theodore could get the start in net for Florida today for the first time since Jan. 20. The veteran backstop recently returned from a knee injury and suited up as Clemmensen's backup on Saturday. He is 14-9-5 with a 2.50 goals- against average this season.

Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison left Saturday's game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. He is questionable for today's test.

Florida is 12-12-4 as the guest this year and is completing a brief two-game trip today.

The Islanders have earned a point in six of their last seven games (4-1-2) and are coming off Saturday's overtime win against visiting Los Angeles. Mark Streit netted the game-winning goal 96 seconds into extra session to lift New York to the 2-1 decision.

Michael Grabner scored the lone goal in regulation for the Islanders, who bounced back from Thursday's regulation loss to Montreal. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 34-of-35 shots to pick up the win.

The Isles are trying to break into the Eastern Conference playoff picture and are currently eight points out of a postseason berth.

Today's contest marks the end of a three-game homestand for New York, which is 12-12-5 on Long Island this season.

Florida beat the Isles twice back in October and has taken five of seven overall in this series. The Panthers have two wins in their last three trips to the Coliseum and Theodore recorded a shutout there back on Oct. 8 in a 2-0 decision for Florida.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


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.