Caps try to stay hot versus Lightning

Hockey Betting Lines

03/19/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will shoot for a fifth win in six games when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning for tonight's Southeast Division clash at St. Pete Times Forum.

The Capitals began the month of March with four consecutive losses, but have since won four out of five games. Washington has all but wrapped up its second straight Southeast Division crown, as it is 13 points ahead of second-place Carolina with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.

Washington has dominated the Lightning recently, going 3-0 against Tampa this season to extend its series winning streak to eight games. The Caps have also won 10 of 13 overall against the Bolts and have taken four straight and six of 10 in Tampa.

The Capitals had a three-game winning streak halted in Monday's 5-1 loss at Atlanta, but rebounded with Tuesday's shutout victory in Florida. Jose Theodore was spectacular between the pipes, stopping all 19 shots, as the Capitals blanked the Panthers, 3-0, at BankAtlantic Center.

Theodore improved to 28-15-4 on the year and collected his second shutout of the season. Brooks Laich, Viktor Kozlov and Mike Green scored for the Capitals, while John Erskine tallied two helpers for Washington.

Green, who leads all NHL defenseman with 25 goals this season, returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with flu-like symptoms.

Alex Ovechkin failed in his second chance to become the first Capitals player to ever notch three separate 50-goal seasons. The Russian superstar leads all NHL players with 49 goals on the year.

Tonight's test marks the third stop on a five-game road trip for the Capitals, who close out the swing with stops at Carolina and Toronto. Washington is 18-13-4 as the guest this year and has won six of its last seven road tilts.

The Lightning are second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference standings, but have recorded at least a point in three straight games, going 2-0-1 in that stretch.

Tampa was handed a shootout loss Tuesday night against visiting Toronto. John Mitchell scored the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout, as the Maple Leafs erased a three-goal deficit en route to the 4-3 victory.

Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos and Matt Pettinger scored for the Lightning. Tampa Bay staked Karri Ramo to a three-goal lead but watched it slip away as he allowed three goals on 39 shots with each coming over the final 20:24.

Martin St. Louis added two assists and pushed his point streak to six games. He has four goals and five helpers during the run.

Tampa is playing the second of four straight on home ice tonight and is just 11-14-10 as the host this season. The Bolts have dropped four straight and seven of eight at the Forum.

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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.

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