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02/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will attempt to continue their recent success against the Washington Capitals when the two Southeast Division members get together tonight at the Verizon Center.
Florida has won 11 of the last 14 matchups between these teams, including the last three encounters. The Panthers have outscored the Capitals by a 17-7 margin during those three most recent wins.
The Panthers currently lead cellar-dwelling Washington by three points in the division standings and are coming off a lopsided home victory. Chris Gratton scored twice and added an assist to lead Florida to a 7-2 rout over the Boston Bruins Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center.
Stephen Weiss had a goal and two assists to help the Panthers end a two-game slide, while Juraj Kolnik finished with three helpers in the win. Ed Belfour turned aside 25 shots in goal for Florida.
Florida's season hasn't lived up to expectations, though, and the club decided to make a move before today's trade deadline by shipping veteran forward Gary Roberts to Pittsburgh.
The Panthers get younger in return, as they received 24-year-old defenseman Noah Welch in the deal. A former second-round pick in 2001, Welch has one goal, one assist and 22 penalty minutes in 22 games with Pittsburgh this season.
Roberts, who had to waive a no-trade clause for the deal to go through, has 13 goals and 16 assists through 50 games so far this season. The 40-year-old was grabbed 12th overall by Calgary in 1984 and has 424 goals and 451 assists in 1,137 career games for 875 points.
Washington has dropped six of its last seven contests and has fallen hopelessly out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. As a result, the Capitals were active sellers on the day before the league's trade deadline, shipping left wing Richard Zednik and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat Monday in separate deals.
Zednik was dealt to the New York Islanders for a 2007 second-round draft choice, while Nycholat was traded to Ottawa for minor-league defenseman Andy Hedlund and a sixth-round pick.
Washington just completed a home-and-home weekend series with New Jersey. The Caps posted a surprising 4-2 win at the Meadowlands on Saturday, but the Atlantic-Division leading Devils rebounded with a 3-2 triumph Sunday at the Verizon Center.
Brooks Laich and Alexander Ovechkin had the goals for Washington and Brent Johnson made 26 saves in defeat.
Sunday's loss kicked off a four-game homestand for the Capitals, who are 14-13-5 as the host this season.
Florida is 7-1-1 (1 tie) in its last nine visits to the Verizon Center and earned a 4-1 road victory over Washington last month.
<< Gators try to right the ship as postseason approaches
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Florida Gators have lost
two of their last three games, and they will attempt to get back to their
winning ways as they battle the Tennessee Volunteers tonight in Knoxville.
On Sat
<< League-leading Cougars head to Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BYU Cougars own sole possession
of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings, and are set
for a much-anticipated matchup with the 25th-ranked Air Force Falcons
this e
<< Report: Livingston's season over
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston
will reportedly miss the remainder of the season because of a severe knee
injury suffered Monday night.
Livingston dislocated his left knee early in the
<< Twins sign P Crain to three-year deal
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins agreed to terms with
pitcher Jesse Crain on a three-year contract through the 2009 season.
The 25-year-old Crain went 4-5 with a 3.52 earned run average and one save in
68 appearanc
First-place Canucks wrap up road swing in St. Louis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks hope to complete a four-game road
trip on a positive note tonight, when they visit the St. Louis Blues at
Scottrade Center.
So far the Canucks have earned a point in each stop on the tre
Streaking Canadiens begin road swing against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having re-discovered their winning ways, the Montreal
Canadiens begin an important road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden
against a New York Rangers team in desperate need of a victory.
The Canadiens have rebounded str
Cavs, Hornets square off in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers try and stop a two-game losing
streak this evening when they host the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at
Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavs have dropped two in a row after a two-game win
Devils and Pens battle in the Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will get another opportunity to show
the Pittsburgh Penguins who is boss in the Atlantic Division when the two
clubs meet tonight at the Mellon Arena.
The Penguins endured a stretch where they won 12
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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