Avs win sixth straight, blank Stars

Hockey Betting Lines

01/24/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots to pick up his fifth shutout of the season, as the surging Colorado Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars, 4-0, at Pepsi Center.

Chris Stewart and Paul Stastny each had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who have won six in a row for the first time since February 26- March 8, 2008. Brett Clark and T.J. Galiardi also lit the lamp for Colorado, which sits atop the Northwest Division with 66 points.

Marty Turco turned aside 32-of-36 shots for the Stars, who finished a three- game road trip with a 1-2-0 mark.

Clark's power-play goal at the 5:16 mark of the first period got Colorado's offense going. Clark's slapper from the point proved to be too fast for Turco.

The Avalanche scored a short-handed goal with 8:30 remaining to make it a two- goal game. Galiardi gained control of the disc after stealing it away from a Dallas player along the boards in the Colorado zone. He charged down the right side of the ice on a breakaway and capped things off with a wrister that got past Turco.

Anderson made 12 saves over the first 20 minutes.

Stewart's wrister from the right circle gave the Avalanche a 3-0 margin at the 8:54 mark of the second. That was the score heading to the third, as Anderson stopped seven shots in the middle frame.

Stastny scored a power-play goal at the 12:36 mark of the third, a period that saw Anderson make eight saves.

Game Notes

Colorado posted a 4-1 home win over the Stars when the clubs met on December 26 and the Avs have taken three of four and four of the last six encounters in this series. Dallas has also lost five of its last six in Denver...Colorado improved to 15-6-2 at home this season...The Avalanche will complete their five-game homestand when they face Minnesota on Thursday...Colorado was without defenseman Adam Foote and forward Marek Svatos. Foote, Colorado's captain, has missed the last six games with an ankle injury, while Svatos has sat out the last three with a bruised chest...The Stars were without captain Brenden Morrow and fellow forward Jere Lehtinen. Both players have missed the last four games with upper-body injuries...The Avs went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Dallas went 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

Rouelette Hockey Betting News

<< Hartley's FG in OT sends Saints into Super Bowl
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal 4:45 into overtime moved the Saints into the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, as they beat Minnesota, 31-28, in the NFC Championship Game. The Saints

<< Watson birdies last two holes to beat Couples by one
Kaupulehu-Kona, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Watson and Fred Couples staged a classic battle on Sunday and it was Watson, who birdied the final two holes, that walked away with the title at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. Watson fired a s

<< Astros agree to terms with Byrdak
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros avoided arbitration with left-handed pitcher Tim Byrdak by coming to terms on a one-year contract worth $1.6 million, plus bonuses. The 36-year-old Byrdak was 1-2 in 76 appearances in

<< Venus advances to quarters in Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams outlasted Italian Francesca Schiavone on Monday to secure her spot in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Williams, the No. 6 seed, battled back afte

<< Turkoglu's late free throws lifts Raptors over Lakers
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hedo Turkoglu made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left and the Raptors survived a final missed shot from Kobe Bryant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 106-105, at Air Canada Centre. Andrea Bargnani had 2

Line of Scrimmage: Monday Morning Playoff Fragments (Champ. Round) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This is how it's supposed to work. When an NFC Championship ends in the fashion that Sunday's instant classic between the Saints and Vikings did, the celebration for the winners is more jubilant, and the grie

Duke holds off Maryland >>
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Thomas poured in 20 points, as the sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils edged the Maryland Terrapins, 58-57, in Atlantic Coast Conference play at Comcast Center. Joy Cheek added nine points and 11 rebound

Anthony sidelined with ankle injury >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to miss Monday's game against Charlotte due to a sprained left ankle. Anthony, who is second in the league at 29.7 points per game, suffered the inju

Djokovic, Davydenko gain quarterfinal spots >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic and sixth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko both moved into the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Djokovic, the 2008 Aussie Open champion, advanced with a 6-1, 6-

Williams sisters advance to quarters in Melbourne >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Serena Williams and her sister, seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams, secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The top-seeded Serena needed just over

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.

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.