Brodziak, Roloson help Oilers top Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/07/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwayne Roloson was sensational between the pipes, stopping 39 shots, as the Edmonton Oilers scored four unanswered goals to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1, at Air Canada Centre.

Kyle Brodziak tallied twice, while Ales Hemsky and Fernando Pisani also lit the lamp for the Oilers, who improved to 1-1-1 on an important four-game road trip. Roloson collected his 23rd victory of the season.

Alexei Ponikarovsky had the lone goal for the Maple Leafs, who had recorded at least a point in their previous eight games (5-0-3). Newly-acquired goaltender Martin Gerber stopped 14 shots in his first defeat with Toronto.

The former Ottawa Senator turned aside 37-of-38 shots in his Toronto debut on Thursday. Gerber collected the win as the Maple Leafs claimed a 2-1 road triumph over an Alexander Ovechkin-less Washington club.

After a scoreless first period, Toronto drew first blood 1:08 into the second frame on a power-play goal from Ponikarovsky. Ponikarovsky fired a shot on Roloson before dancing around an Edmonton player and lighting the lamp with a backhander off his own rebound.

The Oilers responded 21 ticks later with a score from Hemsky to tie the tilt. Shawn Horcoff hit Hemsky, who got past Maple Leafs' Ian White at the blueline, with a perfect pass to set up a breakaway. Hemsky fired a shot through the five-hole for his 21st of the year.

Brodziak lit the lamp at the 8:34 mark to put Edmonton ahead 2-1. After stealing the disc away from White at center ice, Brodziak found himself on a breakaway, and Gerber let another shot trickle through his pads.

The Oilers extended their lead to two on Pisani's goal. Denis Grebeshkov's pass from the left point made its way to Pisani, who was stationed at the bottom of the right circle. Pisani took a shot that was deflected into the upper left-hand corner of the net.

Brodziak's empty-net goal late in regulation cemented the win.

Game Notes

The Oilers snapped a three-game skid to the Maple Leafs...Edmonton played its third straight game without captain Ethan Moreau, who is sidelined indefinitely with an eye injury and will not be available for the remainder of the Oilers' road trip...The Oilers had dropped four in a row on the road. They improved to 17-15-2 as the visitor for the season....Edmonton will conclude their road trip on Tuesday in Montreal.

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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.