Canucks rip Senators in return home

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikael Samuelsson scored twice, as the Vancouver Canucks returned home to GM Place with a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The Canucks were forced to play 14 straight games on the road, spanning six weeks, because of the Olympics. It was the longest sequence of road games by a team in NHL history.

Alexandre Burrows, Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo also scored for the Canucks, who have won three of their last four games. Canadian gold medal-winning goaltender Roberto Luongo pushed aside 13 shots.

Jason Spezza tallied the lone score for the Senators, who have dropped five of six. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire racked up 30 saves.

The Canucks started the scoring off on the power play at 17:46 in the first period. Salo passed the puck from the right point over to the left to Pavol Demitra, who found Samuelsson for the wrister and the goal.

Ottawa tied the game at the three minute mark of the second. Spezza carried the puck the length the ice, splitting defenders and eventually putting the puck through Luongo's legs.

Vancouver re-took the lead at 2-1 on a Burrows breakaway. Burrows stole the puck in the defensive zone and carried it in on Leclaire, beating the netminder above the right shoulder for his 31st of the season at 9:12 of the second period.

The Canucks struck again 2:18 later when the streaking Samuelsson scored his second of the night and 30th of the year on a perfect pass from Daniel Sedin through the middle of the zone for the backhanded score.

Vancouver extended its edge to 4-1 at the 16:07 mark, as Henrik Sedin found the puck behind the net and threw it in front to Daniel Sedin for the easy put in.

Salo put the game out of reach at 5-1 with just under nine minutes remaining, taking a pass in the slot from Alexander Edler on the right boards and lifting it over a screened Leclaire.

Game Notes

Salo and Samuelsson each added an assist...Ottawa never managed more than eight shots in a period...Vancouver next plays at home on Sunday against Calgary...Ottawa next plays on Tuesday at home against Toronto.

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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.

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