Blues rally to edge Flames, move closer to eighth spot in West

Hockey Betting Lines

03/21/2009 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy McDonald and Jay McClement scored 51 seconds apart in the third period to help the St. Louis Blues take a crucial 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames at Pengrowth Saddledome.

T.J. Oshie scored the other goal while Chris Mason stopped 33 shots in the win for the Blues, who snapped a two-game slide.

The win gives St. Louis 75 points on the season and is now just two points back of Nashville for the final spot in the Western Conference with 10 games to play.

"We've got a hard-working team, that's been our attitude all season long," said St. Louis coach Andy Murray. "I thought we played good on the forecheck in the third and we were able to get the two points tonight."

Mike Cammalleri and Dustin Boyd each lit the lamp for the Flames, who have dropped five of seven and have a three-point lead over the Canucks for first place in the Northwest Division. Miikka Kiprusoff had 25 saves in the loss.

"We sat back, we don't usually sit back but tonight we did," said Calgary center Craig Conroy. "They never gave up and kept coming. We have 11 games left and they have to be our best 11 of the year."

The Blues got the only goal of the first period while shorthanded as Oshie skated down the ice and from the left side lifted a backhander over the right shoulder of Kiprusoff at the 4:04 mark.

The Flames tied the game just 2:33 into the second on Cammalleri's 35th goal of the season, a power-play tally, and then took a 2-1 lead as Boyd jammed the puck into the net during a battle in front at 7:35 of the middle stanza.

McDonald's 12th goal at the 9:24 mark of the third tied the contest while McClement's wraparound from the right side gave the Blues the lead.

Game Notes

St. Louis hosts Los Angeles on Tuesday...Before the game, St. Louis announced that forward Keith Tkachuk is day-to-day with a left wrist injury he suffered in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Vancouver...Calgary had won six straight and 13 of 14 over St. Louis, including seven straight in Calgary...The Flames host the Red Wings on Monday.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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