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03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Washington Capitals have already secured a playoff spot, the Florida Panthers have been making a late push for the postseason with their play as of late.
The resurgent Panthers aim for their first victory this season over the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals, who'll be without superstar Alex Ovechkin, when the Southeast Division members collide tonight at the BankAtlantic Center.
Florida's playoff chances took a serious hit after the team lost its final six games prior to the Olympic break, with five of those defeats coming in regulation. The Panthers also dropped their first outing upon returning from the NHL's shutdown for the Vancouver Games, but have won four of five tests since to climb back into the race.
The Panthers still have an uphill climb, however, as the club currently trails Boston by six points for the eighth and final postseason seed in the East as it begins a critical four-game homestand.
Florida returns home after a 2-1-0 road trip capped by Saturday's impressive come-from-behind win over the San Jose Sharks, who stand atop the Western Conference at the moment. After rallying from an early two-goal deficit to force overtime, the Panthers claimed a 3-2 decision when Bryan Allen scored 2:46 into the extra session.
Shawn Matthias scored off a rebound of an Allen shot five minutes into the third period to tie the contest at 2-2, then won a faceoff in overtime and sent the puck back to Allen for a wrister that snuck past a screened Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to complete the comeback.
"We've got a young team, so hopefully this is a huge confidence builder for us," said Florida head coach Peter DeBoer. "After the first period I thought this was going to be a long night, but we found a way to come back and I'm proud of the guys."
Tomas Vokoun did his part as well in the thrilling win, with the veteran netminder stopping 37-of-39 shots on the afternoon.
Florida hopes Saturday's triumph can serve as a springboard as it attempts to end its lack of recent success against the powerful Capitals. Washington has racked up 26 goals in winning all five previous meetings between the divisional foes this season, and they've gone 5-1-0 in their past six visits to the BankAtlantic Center.
The high-scoring Caps have gone 5-1-1 since the break and clinched their third straight Southeast Division title last week. The team also put forth a furious rally its last time out, erasing a three-goal deficit in a 4-3 overtime verdict over Central Division-leader Chicago Sunday at the United Center.
Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr all scored within a 2:16 span in the third period to force extra time, and Backstrom beat Blackhawks netminder Antti Niemi on an odd-man rush 3:10 into overtime to lift Washington to the improbable win.
Jose Theodore finished with 20 saves for the Capitals, whose 101 points are five better than San Jose for tops in the NHL.
"We were aware of [Chicago's] starts. They just do a really good job at the beginning of the game," Laich said. "Once it got to 3-0, Jose shut the door to give us a chance."
Washington prevailed despite not having Ovechkin available for the majority of the contest after the reigning league MVP was given a game misconduct for shoving Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell into the end boards from behind at the 12:16 mark of the first period. The hard hit was deemed excessive by the NHL office, resulting in a two-game suspension for the league's leading scorer.
The Capitals began a four-game road trip with Sunday's win and own a 20-10-5 record as the visitor for the season.
<< Playoff-hopeful Suns welcome Wolves to the desert
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoffs are likely a foregone conclusion for the
Phoenix Suns, who resume a season-long seven-game homestand tonight against
the Western Conference's worst team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns improved
<< Sens try to regain swagger against Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have found it hard to recapture their
earlier success upon returning from the Olympic break. The playoff hopefuls
hope a visit from the Eastern Conference's last-place team will help end those
struggles.
<< Habs aim for sixth straight win versus playoff-hopeful Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Montreal Canadiens will shoot for a sixth
straight victory tonight when they visit the New York Rangers in a battle
between Original Six clubs at Madison Square Garden.
The Canadiens and Rangers are both figh
<< Thrashers try to end skid in clash with Sabres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers could be in much worse shape than
they are when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race. Still, the
club will not be able to improve their postseason chances until they end a
lengthy losing strea
Avs hope to continue dominance of Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Strong play on the road this season has kept the St. Louis
Blues in contention for a postseason berth. The club hasn't been able to
achieve the same success at home, however, and it's had all kinds of trouble
when facing the
Oilers hoping to end longtime suffering in Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last thing that the Edmonton Oilers need at this point
in the season is a trip to Minnesota. The road-weary club will try to snap its
12-game slide in the Twin Cities, where the Wild shoot for a third straight
victory ton
Sharks to pay a visit to slumping Stars >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars will meet three times
before the end of March. That isn't likely to help Dallas' playoff chances.
The first of those three scheduled meetings takes place tonight, as Western
Conference-
Isles try to end road woes in tough test with Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to extend their seven-game
home winning streak when they take on a New York Islanders club that will be
looking to avoid a ninth straight setback on the road tonight at GM Place.
Vancouver ha
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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MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.
(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977. Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.
Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer. In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season.
MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season. Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite. After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.
Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions. They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown.
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