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Blackhawks visit Devils in matchup of playoff-bound clubsHockey Betting Lines04/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff-bound clubs from opposite conferences will meet tonight in Newark when the New Jersey Devils host the Chicago Blackhawks at Prudential Center. The Devils have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but are still locked in a battle for the Atlantic Division title. New Jersey enters tonight just one point behind idle Pittsburgh for first place in the division and third in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks can move closer to clinching the Central Division crown with two points tonight. Chicago is five points ahead of Nashville and six in front of Detroit. A victory tonight would eliminate Nashville from contention for the crown, but not Detroit. The Blackhawks haven't won a division title since claiming the Norris Division in the spring of 1993. Chicago is also three points behind San Jose for the top seed in the West. The Sharks play tonight in Minnesota. The Blackhawks ended a three-game slide Wednesday, posting a decisive win in Minnesota. Tomas Kopecky scored twice and Antti Niemi posted his seventh shutout of the season, lifting the Blackhawks to the 4-0 win over the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Niemi stopped 21 shots for Chicago and could get another start tonight. Ben Eager and Jonathan Toews also tallied for the Blackhawks, who won for the first time in Minnesota since December 28, 2008. "I don't think we want to worry about a turning point," said Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook. "I think we just want to continue to play the same way we've been playing the last two games. I thought we played well. We played hard. We battled and I think we just have to continue to do that and work at that." Despite posting a solid 20-14-4 mark as the guest this year, the Blackhawks have dropped six of their last eight road games. This evening's tilt marks the end of a three-game road trip for Chicago. The Devils enter tonight on a two-game slide and they have dropped three of four and five of their last seven contests. New Jersey did record a point Tuesday in a 1-0 home overtime loss to Boston. Patrice Bergeron's goal with 18.3 seconds left in the extra session was the difference for the Bruins. With time winding down in the extra session, Mark Stuart gained control of a loose puck in the slot and unloaded a shot from the right circle. The puck hit Mark Recchi in front and slid to Bergeron, who tucked it into the open net. Martin Brodeur stopped 33 shots in defeat for the Devils, who were dealt their second 1-0 loss in six games. "It's definitely disappointing. It doesn't feel good to lose, but we have to battle through this because it's like this during the playoffs," Brodeur said. "We didn't play a great hockey game but came out of it with a point." New Jersey has struggled on home ice lately, losing two straight and three of its last four at the Rock. The Devils still boast an impressive 25-10-3 home record this season. The Blackhawks posted a 5-1 home victory over New Jersey on Dec. 31, giving Chicago two straight wins in the series after the Devils were 10-0 with a pair of ties in the previous 12 encounters. Chicago is still 0-7 with a tie in its last eight trips to the Garden State. The Blackhawks last won in New Jersey on Dec. 30, 1997, when the Devils played in East Rutherford at what is now known as the Izod Center.
<< Rangers continue playoff push versus Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers will get another chance at improving their playoff chances when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at St. Pete Times Forum. The Rangers are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference and four poi
<< Knicks resume Western swing in clash with Warriors
<< Lakers return home for key showdown with Jazz
<< Magic enter San Antonio hoping to complete Texas two-step
<< Grizzlies visit Hornets, try to stave off elimination
Sharks hope to avoid defeat against Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks will try to avoid another late-season slide when they visit the Minnesota Wild for tonight's clash at Xcel Energy Center. The Sharks, who lead the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 104 point
Eastern powers collide as Cavs host Hawks >>
Stars and Oilers clash in Big D >>
Flames visit Avs for important West battle >>
Canucks aim for playoff berth in Anaheim >>
NFL Football Office Pool Printable SheetsNFL Office Pool SheetsMySportsbook.com is considered one of the finest online sportsbook according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction. MySportsbook is offering a free printable NFL football office pool sheets. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury. Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football pool sheets needs.
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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