Luongo strong as Canucks top Avs

Hockey Betting Lines

02/16/2012 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

David Booth, Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen all scored for the Canucks, who have won five of six.

"It was nice to get this one in regulation because after the second period I was sure that was going to overtime or a shootout," said Luongo. "We know that come the playoffs these are the types of game that we're going to be in."

Erik Johnson scored the lone goal of the game for the Avalanche, who have dropped their past two.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere started the game in net for Colorado, but left late in the first period with a groin injury after giving up a goal on nine shots. Semyon Varlamov let in one goal on 21 shots the rest of the way.

"We had a slow start, but I thought we picked up our game in the second period," said Colorado head coach Joe Sacco. "It's disappointing to not win because I thought we played a solid game, just didn't capitalize on our chances."

It took just 13 seconds for Vancouver to grab the lead in this one as a rush play saw Mason Raymond lose control of the puck along the right wing, but it slid to the slot and Booth was able to backhand it home.

The score remained that way until halfway through the second period when Milan Hejduk sent a pass from the left circle to the right where Johnson was wide open for the easy wrister into the net.

The game-winning goal came with 6:29 to play. Colorado tried to clear it up the boards, but it bounced off of Ryan Kesler. Chris Higgins grabbed the puck and passed it over to the left circle where Hansen one-timed it home.

Burrows sealed the win with an empty-netter, his 20th of the year.

Game Notes

Burrows has reached 20 goals in four straight seasons...Vancouver has won all four games against Colorado this season, scoring 15 times while giving up just three goals...Vancouver hosts Toronto on Saturday...Colorado plays in Edmonton on Friday.

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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.