Little, Thrashers send Islanders to 10th straight loss
Hockey Betting Lines
12/23/2008 - Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bryan Little scored twice, including the go- ahead power-play tally in the third period, as the Atlanta Thrashers beat New York, 4-2, sending the Islanders to their 10th consecutive defeat.
Mathieu Schneider and Colby Armstrong also scored for Atlanta, while Ilya Kovalchuk had two assists on a milestone night. Kovalchuk, playing in his 500th game, recorded points 500 and 501 in his career.
Johan Hedberg made 23 saves for the Thrashers, who have won two of their last three games overall and beat the Islanders for the third time in as many tries this season.
Andy Hilbert and Sean Bergenheim had the goals for the Islanders, who fell to 0-9-1 in their last 10 contests. New York is in the midst of its longest losing streak since dropping 10 straight from December 22, 1997 through January 10, 1998. Joey MacDonald made 23 saves for New York, which last won November 29 at home against Ottawa.
Little gave the Thrashers a 3-2 edge at 7:42 of the third as Atlanta took advantage of a Mike Comrie slashing penalty. Kovalchuk blasted the puck from above the left circle and Little was at the left side of the net for the successful rebound, also marking Kovalchuk's milestone 500th point.
The Isles couldn't take advantage of a power play later in the period following Eric Boulton's hooking penalty at 10:35, and Hedberg came up with a pair of saves on shots from Freddy Meyer in the final 1 1/2 minutes.
Armstrong then added an empty-net goal for the final margin.
Schneider, who played for the Islanders from 1994-96, gave the Thrashers the first-period lead. Boris Valabik fed a cross-ice pass to Schneider, who blasted a successful one-timer from above the right circle high and past MacDonald at the 8:54 mark.
Hedberg stopped all 10 shots he faced in the opening period, and the Thrashers gained a two-goal lead at 6:38 of the middle period. Ron Hainsey took a shot from the left point. Slava Kozlov and Todd White both couldn't capitalize on chances in front, but Little mopped up and scored from the left side of the net.
Kovalchuk hit the crossbar on a sharp angle midway through the second and then the Isles broke a long goal drought on Hilbert's eighth of the year with just 3:12 remaining in the stanza. Trent Hunter's shot from the right side squeezed by Hedberg and through the crease, but Hilbert was on the other side for the easy tap-in.
The Islanders, who were blanked 1-0 at Nashville on Saturday, posted a goal for the first time since the 16:32 mark of the second period of a 4-1 loss at Minnesota last Friday.
New York squared the contest 23 seconds into the third on Bergenheim's short- handed tally. Mark Streit was in the penalty box for high-sticking in the final minute of the second. Bergenheim outmuscled White for the disc in the left circle, spun and fired the puck into the net.
Game Notes
The Isles' last 11-game skid came from March 16-April 5, 1996. The team record skid is 12, established during the inaugural 1972-73 season and equaled during the 1988-89 campaign...The Islanders host Toronto on Friday, while Atlanta's next game is also Friday, at home against Carolina...Kozlov had two assists and has 27 points (13g, 14a) in his last 27 contests...The Islanders are 7-17-3 against the Eastern Conference this season, including a 1-6-1 record versus the Southeast Division. In 2007-08, the Islanders finished 10-7-3 against Southeast opponents...Kovalchuk has 12 points (3g, 9a) in his last nine contests...White has a seven-game point streak.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Simon Gagne had a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers downed the Ottawa Senators, 6-4, at Wachovia Center. Matt Carle, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Andreas Nodl and Joffrey Lupul each had a
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Wizards, 80-72.
Gerald Wallace added 16 points and eight boards for the Bobcats, w
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<< Butler did it! Bulldogs down suddenly slumping Xavier
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Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics became the first team in NBA
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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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Football Betting Lines
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.