Columbus edges Pens in shootout to stop Pitt's winning streak

Hockey Betting Lines

03/12/2009 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kristian Huselius scored the first goal of the game and notched the game-winning goal in the shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena.

After the initial four shooters failed to find the net, Huselius' wrister went through the five-hole of Marc-Andre Fleury to give the home team a 1-0 edge in the shootout. It all came down to Evgeni Malkin, but he fired wide left to hand the game to the Blue Jackets.

With the win, Columbus snapped Pittsburgh's seven-game winning streak.

"It was a win that felt like a relief. We played so well for a period of time. Once we caught on to what they were doing, we made an adjustment," said Columbus head coach Ken Hitchcock. "From the six minute mark of the first period through the second period we played great. We did everything we needed to do. We did some great things with the puck, then holy smokes."

Jason Williams and Antoine Vermette tallied a goal and an assist apiece for the Blue Jackets, who have won three consecutive contests. Steve Mason made 38 saves to pick up his 28th win on the year. With the win, the 20-year-old broke Marc Denis' club record set back in 2002-03.

Sergei Gonchar, Pascal Dupuis, and Maxime Talbot scored for the Penguins, who lost for the first time since February 22 in Washington. Malkin and Sidney Crosby had two helpers each in defeat. Fleury turned away 25-of-28 shots.

"They played strong defensively. We didn't get a lot of speed in the first two periods," said Crosby. "We played into their hands turning the puck over a lot. And in the third we put some more pressure on them, got some turnovers and some good goals."

The Blue Jackets drew first blood at the 8:42 mark on Huselius' 19th of the year. Fedor Tyutin, who was stationed at center ice, hit Huselius with a pass at the blueline and Huselius finished the play with a shot from the left circle that slid past the pads of Fleury.

Columbus took their 1-0 lead into the second period after both teams fired 10 shots on goal in the frame.

Williams lit the lamp with 3:01 remaining in the second stanza to give the home team a 2-0 advantage. Fleury tried to pass the disc off to a teammate behind the net, but Vermette stole the puck and hit Williams in front of the net. Williams' backhander flew past the stick-side of Fleury.

Vermette's slap shot from the point sailed past the glove of Fleury at the 1:03 mark of the third period to give the home team a 3-0 lead. But Pittsburgh came charging back with three unanswered goals.

Gonchar got the scoring started for Pittsburgh with a slap shot from the right point with 11:27 to go. Just over a minute later, Dupuis lit the lamp off a rebound from a Malkin wrap-around attempt.

With 8:02 remaining, Malkin stole the disc from behind the net and backhanded a pass to an open Talbot, who lit the lamp with a shot from the left circle to knot the game at three.

"We went backwards with the puck twice and nothing good happens when you have a lead and go backwards with the puck," said Hitchcock. "Both (the second and third) goals we went backwards with the puck and then, game on. They started come at us pretty good, in waves."

The game eventually went to overtime, where the Penguins outshot the Blue Jackets 3-0. But Pittsburgh failed to score in the extra session and the tilt went into a shootout.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Columbus couldn't convert on any of their six power-play opportunities...The Penguins had won six of the nine all-time meetings with the Blue Jackets.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

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