Blues hope to keep flying high in trip to Colorado
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03/06/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues are in position to record their longest
winning streak in over six years, but to reach that mark they'll have to find
a way to halt their struggles versus the Colorado Avalanche this season.
St. Louis goes for a sixth straight victory when it visits Colorado and the
Pepsi Center this evening.
The Blues open their post-Olympic schedule with six straight games on the
road, a season high, and they have won the first two contests of that trek to
run their overall win streak to five games. After a victory at Phoenix on
Tuesday, St. Louis claimed a 6-1 triumph in Dallas on Thursday behind a pair
of goals from Paul Kariya that give him 398 in his NHL career.
Kariya also had an assist and Alexander Steen, Patrik Berglund, Brad Boyes and
T.J. Oshie all added goals for the Blues, who haven't won six straight since
December 6-18, 2003. St. Louis has 23 goals over its current win streak.
"Going into the [Olympic] break there, I thought we were playing our best
hockey of the year," said goaltender Chris Mason after making 29 saves.
"Fortunately enough, we seem to be carrying it over after the break. We're
playing hard, getting the pucks at the net and making it difficult for the
goalie."
Andy McDonald added an assist for St. Louis to give him three goals and two
assists over a five-game point streak.
St. Louis, now 18-9-4 as the visitor this year, are within three points of a
playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Blues hope their current momentum can help them capture their first win
over the Avalanche this season. St. Louis has been outscored 9-2 in losing
both of its previous meetings this year with Colorado, including a 5-2 road
setback on February 8 that dropped the club to 3-6-0 in its last nine trips to
Denver.
Mason was pulled in the second period of that loss after allowing five goals
on 15 shots faced. Ty Conklin halted all 18 shots he faced in relief.
Chris Stewart has three goals and three assists for Colorado in the two
meetings this year, and the forward has four goals in his last seven games. He
did not score in the Avalanche's last contest, a 3-1 setback to Phoenix on
Thursday.
Craig Anderson made 27 saves but allowed the game-winning goal to former
teammate Wojtek Wolski with 23.7 seconds left in regulation. Wolski was dealt
to Phoenix on Wednesday for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.
Mueller scored in his Phoenix debut on Wednesday night and assisted on John-
Michael Liles' tally Thursday, but Colorado still lost for the third time in
four games and is two points behind Vancouver for first place in the Northwest
Division.
"We've come back from tough losses where we maybe should have got a point, but
we respond the right way," said Anderson.
Colorado kicks off a three-game homestand tonight and is 20-9-2 as the host
thanks to wins in five of six and nine of its last 12 at the Pepsi Center.
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Carolina Hurricanes, who'll be taking aim at an eighth consecutive victory in
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins closed out their pre-Olympic break
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matchup with the New Yo
Kings vie to bounce back against Canadiens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off just their second regulation loss in 14 games,
the Los Angeles Kings will try to post their first victory over the Montreal
Canadiens in seven years tonight in a meeting at Staples Center.
The Kings came out of
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks have gotten off to a bit of a slow
start since the Olympic break. A visit from the Columbus Blue Jackets could
provide the spark they need.
San Jose continues a five-game residency tonight seeking an 11
Suddenly-slumping Senators to host rival Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators will try to get back in the win column
tonight, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a battle between Northeast
Division foes at Scotiabank Place.
The Senators have 76 points and are one back of Bu
Hornaday Jr. claims Atlanta pole >>
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Hornaday Jr. will start on the pole for
Saturday's E-Z GO 200 Camping World Truck Series race after topping the
qualifying charts at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hornaday, the defending series champion, secured
Bob Bryan, Isner get U.S. on the board against host Serbs >>
Belgrade, Serbia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A doubles team of Bob Bryan and John Isner
got the United States a much-needed point on Saturday, as the last-minute
pairing bested a Serbian duo of Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic in their
best-of
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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