Coyotes try to end eight-year playoff drought versus Avalanche

Hockey Betting Lines

03/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On the verge of securing their first postseason appearance in eight years, the Phoenix Coyotes return to Jobing.com Arena tonight to take on the Colorado Avalanche in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.

Phoenix has been one of the NHL's most interesting and unlikely success stories this season, with the franchise declaring bankruptcy in May and subsequently being taken over by the league. The Coyotes' troubles certainly haven't extended to the ice, though, as the club's 98 points are the third- most in the Western Conference and 19 more than its entire total of the previous season.

The Coyotes, who presently occupy the No. 4 seed in the West by virtue of being in second place in the Pacific Division, could have a playoff spot secured before they even step on the ice tonight. Phoenix will clinch a spot if the Flames lose to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon or if it earns a point in this contest tonight.

A franchise record-tying nine-game winning streak from March 4-21 has helped the Coyotes get to this point, but the team has dropped two straight following that surge. After being shut out at Central Division-leader Chicago on Tuesday, Phoenix came up a bit short in Thursday's shootout loss to Nashville in the finale of a three-game road trip. David Legwand scored the winning goal in the third round of the shootout to give the Predators a hard-fought 4-3 triumph.

The Coyotes trailed 3-1 after two periods, but received late goals from Wojtek Wolski and Keith Yandle to force overtime and pick up a point.

"We didn't have as much energy as we would have liked," Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett said. "We were able to sneak a point out of it, so we'll take it."

Wolski was acquired by Phoenix from Colorado on March 3 as one of a whopping seven trades made by the Coyotes prior to the deadline. The former Avalanche first-round pick has made a nice impact with his new team, amassing four goals and five assists along with plus-five rating in 11 games.

Peter Mueller, shipped to the Avalanche along with center Kevin Porter as part of that deal, has benefited from the switch as well. The young forward has generated 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) and a plus-five rating in his first 11 outings with Colorado, and came up with a pair of assists to help spark Wednesday's 4-3 shootout victory over visiting Los Angeles.

Mueller also scored in the shootout for the Avs, who halted a three-game skid and avenged an overtime loss to the Kings in Los Angeles two nights prior. Chris Stewart came up with the deciding goal in the final phase, while Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny each had power-play tallies for Colorado in regulation.

"We did a great job on the power play, especially at the start of the game," said Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson, who ended with 27 saves. "But we've got to finish. We had a chance to bury them, but (Kings goaltender Erik) Ersberg gave them the momentum."

The much-needed win moved Colorado within one point of the Kings for the sixth seed in the West, with Detroit even with the Avs in the standings as well. Colorado trails first-place Vancouver by five points in the Northwest Division race, but does hold a game in hand on the Canucks.

The Avalanche begin a challenging two-game road trip this evening, with a bout against Western Conference leader San Jose to follow. Colorado has not had much success when visiting Arizona recently, as the Coyotes have won their last three tests as the host in this series.

Colorado's only previous stop at Jobing.com Arena this season came on March 4, one day after the Wolski-Mueller trade. Phoenix came away with an exciting 3-1 decision, with Wolski netting the tie-breaking goal with only 23.7 seconds left in regulation.

The Avalanche have won the other two meetings between the clubs in 2009-10, both of which were held in Denver.

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Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

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