Bruins shoot for another win over Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

12/10/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will be aiming for a repeat of recent history when the current Northeast Division leaders host another go-around with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs this evening at TD Garden.

These two divisional foes also squared off in Boston on Saturday, with the Bruins coming away with a lopsided 7-2 victory behind Marc Savard's third career hat trick.

The Bruins also received a goal and an assist from both Marco Sturm and Zdeno Chara in a strong bounce-back effort from a 5-1 defeat at Montreal one day earlier. Goaltender Tuukka Rask did his part as well, stopping 31 of the Maple Leafs' 33 shots on the night.

"It would have been totally unacceptable for us to come out and not be ready to play." said Boston coach Claude Julien after Saturday's win. "We had to redeem ourselves and it was fortunate we had back-to-back games to do that."

The game marked the return of Toronto's Phil Kessel to TD Garden for the first time since the talented young forward was traded from Boston to the Leafs in the offseason for a package of draft choices, including two first-rounders. The 22-year-old was a first-round selection of the Bruins in 2006 and spent his first three NHL seasons with the B's, notching career bests of 36 goals and 60 points in 70 games last year.

Kessel did not fare well in his first encounter against his old club, as he failed to score a point and finished with a minus-three rating.

"There was pressure, but that was probably the worst game I've played in a while," Kessel admitted. "I just didn't have a good game tonight and I've got to be better."

The Maple Leafs rebounded strongly from Saturday's rout by producing a 5-2 home triumph over Atlanta on Monday, then followed up with last night's 3-2 decision over the New York Islanders at the Air Canada Centre. It's the sixth win in the last eight games for Toronto, although the team remains buried in the Northeast Division basement with a total of 27 points.

Jason Blake snapped a 2-2 tie with 4:05 remaining in regulation of Wednesday's contest, with the former Islander chipping in a rebound of his initial miss past New York goaltender Dwayne Roloson.

Vesa Toskala, who gave up three third-period goals on only 10 shots in relief of an equally-ineffective Joey McDonald during Saturday's setback, finished with 30 saves in Wednesday's win.

The Maple Leafs are hoping their improved play as of late will enable them to earn a rare recent win in this series. Boston has defeated Toronto six straight times and has prevailed in eight of its last nine bouts with the Leafs.

The Bruins, who have gone 7-1-1 over the last nine overall games, did finish Saturday's tilt without the services of defensemen Derek Morris (undisclosed) and Dennis Wideman (upper body). Morris is expected to participate in tonight's matchup, however, while Wideman is considered questionable to play.

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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.