Dumont, Preds hold on to clip Blues

Hockey Betting Lines

12/29/2009 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.P. Dumont registered the game-winning goal while Shea Weber posted three assists, as the Nashville Predators edged the St. Louis Blues, 4-3, in a Central Division battle at Scottrade Center.

Marcel Goc, Patric Hornqvist and Joel Ward also scored for the Predators, who put the brakes on a three-game skid and will close the 2009 calendar year with a New Year's Eve contest at Columbus on Thursday. Pekka Rinne turned aside 24 shots in the victory.

Andy McDonald and Alex Steen both posted a goal and an assist for the Blues, who have dropped three straight. Carlo Colaiacovo also scored while Chris Mason allowed four goals on 30 shots in the loss.

Nashville led 4-1 after Dumont's tally 5:16 into the final stanza, but the Blues came to life and made it interesting down the stretch.

At the 9:08 mark of the third, Steen's sixth goal brought the Blues within two. He streaked down the left-wing side and, from a very sharp angle near the base of the circle, somehow found room between Rinne and the near post and his laser wrist shot lit the lamp.

Nashville's Steve Sullivan was whistled for interference soon after and the Blues cashed in on the ensuing power play. A blast from the right point was saved by Rinne, but the rebound was loose and McDonald swiped the disc over the goal line from atop the crease with 7:30 to go.

Still trailing 4-3, the Blues tried desperately to find the equalizer, but the Predators defense clamped down. The best chance for St. Louis in the waning minutes was a near-miss 2-on-1 that failed to materialize due to a tipped pass in the neutral zone.

Just 1:29 after the opening faceoff, Colaiacovo's fourth of the year gave the Blues an early lead, the Preds tied it up at the 5:04 mark of the first via Goc's eighth goal of 2009-10. Goc's shot from outside the left circle made its way through traffic and past Mason.

Hornqvist's tally at 12:43 of the opening stanza gave Nashville a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of action.

The only goal of the middle session was by Ward, a power-play tally at 4:09. A shot from the top of the right circle by Weber was stopped by skates and sticks in front, but Ward whacked at the loose puck and pushed it over the goal line for his seventh marker.

Game Notes

Nashville improved to 14-1 when leading after two periods this season and improved to 11-7-2 on the road in 2009-10...The Blues have lost three straight home games...This marked the third consecutive win in St. Louis by the Preds...The Blues will also close 2009 on the year's final night by hosting the Vancouver Canucks.

Intercasio Hockey Betting News

<< Spurs used balanced scoring to crush Minnesota
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson led six Spurs in double figures with 24 points, as San Antonio beat the Timberwolves for the 10th straight time, 117-99. Roger Mason netted 18 points, while Manu Ginobili added 14

<< Bulls push Pacers' losing streak to seven
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrick Rose led all scorers with 28 points, as the Chicago Bulls handed the Indiana Pacers a seventh straight defeat, following a 104-95 win in a Central Division matchup at the United Center. John Sa

<< Stars edge Blackhawks
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Ott scored twice, including the game- winner early in the third period, as Dallas clipped Chicago, 5-4, in a spirited contest at American Airlines Center. Mike Ribeiro picked up a goal and

<< No. 12 Kansas State hammers Cleveland State
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacob Pullen posted 18 points to lead five Kansas State players in double figures, as the 12th-ranked Wildcats defeated Cleveland State, 85-56, at the Bramlage Coliseum. Curtis Kelly had 17 points and

<< White leads Ole Miss past Jacksonville St.
Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrico White led all scorers with 29 points, as No. 16 Ole Miss defeated the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 90-75, at Smith Coliseum. Zach Graham scored 14 points and Chris Warren added 11 points and

Leach files motion to coach Texas Tech in bowl game >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Tech coach Mike Leach filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction against a school- imposed suspension, hoping to coach the Red Raiders in Saturday's Alamo Bowl game ag

Wisconsin stifles Miami's offense to take Champs Sports Bowl >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Clay ran for a pair of scores, as 24th- ranked Wisconsin held on to beat No. 14 Miami-Florida, 20-14, in the Champs Sports Bowl. Miami scored with 1:22 left to get within one touchdown before recov

Line of Scrimmage: Week 17 - Revisiting Preseason Predictions >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With winter having descended upon this little corner of the northeast U.S., it's time to recall a warmer, more innocent time roughly four months ago when I rolled out my predictions for the 2009 season. As al

Syracuse tops Seton Hall in Big East opener >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wes Johnson dominated the interior with 20 points and 19 rebounds, helping No. 5 Syracuse survive its first true road test of the season with an 80-73 victory over Seton Hall in a Big East battle at the

Lobos down Red Raiders in battle between ranked foes >>
Albuquerque, NM (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darington Hobson scored 23 points and collected 12 rebounds to lead the 19th-ranked New Mexico Lobos to a 90-75 win over No. 20 Texas Tech in non-conference action at The Pit. Curtis Dennis posted

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.