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03/18/2010 -
ST. LOUIS (AP) -The St. Louis Blues are clinging to the hope of another miracle run to the playoffs. Time is running short, especially after the latest home-ice failure.
The Blues are seven points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot with only 13 games remaining. They've got three teams to leapfrog, having dropped to 11th place after Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
And despite recent improvements under interim coach Davis Payne, they're still the NHL's worst team at home with a dismal 12-17-5 record.
Yet, St. Louis remains optimistic heading into Thursday's game at New York against the Rangers. The Blues finished with a 9-1-1 rush last spring, vaulting to sixth place and ending a three-year playoff drought with much the same cast, and the players believe there's no reason why they can't recapture that feeling.
``You never know,'' forward David Perron said. ``How many games we got left? If we win them all. ... We did that last year, and we're ready to do it again this year.''
It's an uphill task, given that five of the remaining seven games this month are against teams who are currently in playoff positions; the Rangers are only three points out of the final Eastern Conference spot. There are two games remaining against the Blackhawks, second in the West, and one against the Devils, fourth in the East.
Seven games are at home, which would be a positive for most teams. The Blues have 20 road wins, third-most in franchise history, but have blown too many leads at home.
They had shown signs of a home-ice turnaround before the Olympic break and an extended trip that followed, winning three in a row, before fizzling against the Avalanche.
Even with a sweep of the three remaining games against the Predators, seventh in the West and nine points ahead of the Blues, they'd need help. Goalie Chris Mason figured a 10-3 finish might be enough, but knew the best policy was not to look ahead.
``We're all aware of the points we have to make up,'' Mason said. ``We have to go in and focus and get points in our next game. Let's worry about New York.''
The Blues basically stood pat at the trade deadline, banking on a surge from underachievers like Brad Boyes and Paul Kariya to complement a young roster studded with recent first-round draft picks. Boyes has only 12 goals after totaling 76 the previous two seasons, and only two of Kariya's 15 goals have come at home.
Mason, the dominant factor in the Blues' finish last season, has been a lot more inconsistent.
Effort alone simply hasn't been enough lately, either. The Blues outshot Colorado 39-26 and dominated most of the third period without scoring, and had a hefty advantage in shots (38-20) in a loss at Minnesota on Sunday that wrapped up a 4-2 trip.
Plus, against Colorado they squandered a goal that matched the franchise record for fastest to start a game. Alex Steen put the Blues ahead at the eight-second mark, but it was their only lead.
``I don't know if you can script a better start than that,'' forward David Backes said.
Payne, elevated from Peoria of the AHL to replace Andy Murray in early January, refused to entertain doom and gloom talk. He's certain there'll be no trouble motivating players to chase a dream that appears to be slipping away.
``Not difficult in that regard,'' Payne said. ``Lots of fight and lots of time left for our hockey club.''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.
<< Butler keeps 20-game winning streak in perspective
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Every time Brad Stevens walks into Hinkle Fieldhouse, he peers into the rafters.There he sees the overflowing banners listing conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances and quickly realizes what Butler has become: A nationa
<< Nadal, Murray, Roddick advance; Djokovic stunned at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick
were among the top seeds to move on, while No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic was sent
packing in Wednesday's fourth-round action at the upset-plagued $4.5 million
BNP Par
<< Clippers rally past Bucks to snap eight-game skid
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman scored 20 points and the Los
Angeles Clippers surged in the fourth quarter to snap an eight-game skid with
a 101-93 win over the Bucks.
Drew Gooden totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds for t
<< Warriors rally from 21 down to top Hornets
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Tolliver registered a career-high 30
points, as the Warriors rallied from down 21 late in the third quarter for a
131-121 triumph over the New Orleans Hornets.
Monta Ellis scored 28 points and t
Magic visit Heat in possible playoff preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals square off in the shadow of South Beach
Thursday when the Miami Heat play host to the playoff-bound Orlando Magic.
The Magic have been on a roll recently and are currently the second seed in
the Eastern Con
Road-weary Hornets visit Nuggets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sole possession of second place in the Western Conference
is on the line for the Denver Nuggets tonight as they get ready to host the
reeking New Orleans Hornets.
Denver is currently deadlocked with idle Dallas for the No.
Bruins set for rematch with Cooke, Penguins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Penguins and Bruins met, Boston wound up
losing its best offensive player to a concussion after a questionable hit by
Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke.
Cooke is expected to be in the lineup tonight when Pittsburgh
Rangers, Blues tangle at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams trying to break into the playoff picture
in their respective conferences will meet tonight in the Big Apple as the
New York Rangers host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers have 71 poi
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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