Thrashers shoot for rare victory over Coyotes

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Thrashers couldn't have picked a worse time to post their second-longest losing streak of the season. A visit from the Coyotes on Sunday could extend the winless drought by another game.

Atlanta will try to snap a five-game overall skid and pick up just its second win over visiting Phoenix in franchise history when the clubs meet this evening at Philips Arena.

The Thrashers won their first two games following the Olympic break and were tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference before their current five-game slide that has dropped them six points back of the eighth spot.

Atlanta may find it tough to get on track tonight seeing as it has just one win and a tie in 12 all-time meetings with Phoenix. The Thrashers have also lost four of five at home to the Coyotes since joining the league, with their lone win over Phoenix coming at home on Nov. 23, 2003.

The Coyotes have gone 3-0 with a tie in four meetings since that game.

Atlanta has scored just six goals over its current losing streak, two of those coming from Clarke MacArthur and Ron Hainsey in Friday's 5-2 home loss to the New York Rangers. Johan Hedberg stopped 30-of-34 shots in the loss and allowed three first-period goals.

"These are extremely important games," said Hedberg. "From my own part, two mistakes early on and we're down three goals. I've got to be way better than that. Right now we're not getting anything for free and we have to work for everything we get. It's very frustrating right now."

The Thrashers lost the opener of a five-game homestand and are on their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide from Dec. 19-Jan. 5.

Already without Evander Kane (left foot) and Christoph Schubert (hip), Zach Bogosian is day-to-day because of a hand injury.

Hedberg, who has started six of Atlanta's seven games since the break, is 3-5-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average in his career versus the Coyotes, while Ondrej Pavelec has never faced them.

The Coyotes picked up their 41st victory on Saturday with a 4-0 blanking of the Hurricanes, the club's highest single-season win total since moving to Phoenix in 1996. The franchise record for wins in a season is 43, set by the 1984-85 Winnipeg-based club.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves to post his NHL-leading and club-record tying eighth shutout of the season. Bryzgalov, who set a single-season career high in shutouts and notched his 16th career blanking, matched Nikolai Khabibulin's club mark set in 1998-99.

Lee Stempniak and Martin Hanzal each scored a pair of goals for the Coyotes, who began a four-game road trip by winning their fourth game in a row. They also moved two points ahead of Los Angeles for the fourth spot in the Western Conference.

"I thought we played a solid road game," said Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett. "Bryzgalov made some really timely saves, and I thought we capitalized on some opportunities. We were able to push the lead along every period."

After netting just 14 goals in 62 games with Toronto, Stempniak now has five goals in four games with Phoenix since coming over in a trade.

Wwwpharoahscasino Hockey Betting News

<< Surging Bucks shoot for season sweep of Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks continue their push to the postseason Sunday when they attempt to sweep Central Division rival Indiana for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Bucks have already beaten the Pacers three times

<< ACC title game pits Blue Devils against Yellow Jackets
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils go for their record 18th ACC Tournament title today, as they take on the seventh-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the finals at Greensboro Coliseum. Th

<< Wildcats and Bulldogs square off for SEC crown
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The championship game of the SEC Tournament pits the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the top-seeded teams from the league's East and West Divisions, respectively. Miss

<< Buckeyes battle streaking Golden Gophers for Big Ten title
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An unlikely matchup will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse, as the sixth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers will battle the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship game of the Big Ten Conference Tourna

<< A-10 title up for grabs as Owls take on Spiders
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gunning for their ninth Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title, the third in as many seasons, the 17th-ranked and top-seeded Temple Owls take the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this afternoon agai

Sharks visit Ducks aiming for season series sweep >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After three straight come-from-behind victories, the Sharks finally ran out of magic on Saturday. Good thing they haven't need much when facing the Ducks this year. San Jose kicks off a six-game road trip this evening vers

Heat host hapless Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continue their push toward a postseason berth when they host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Heat are coming off a huge win over Chicago on Friday in which Quentin Richardson made 7-of-11 three-p

Magic shoot for 9th straight win; host Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats continue their push for the franchise's first postseason berth tonight against a streaking Orlando team in search of its ninth straight win. The Magic, who are currently the second seed in the Eastern

Jazz visit Thunder in key Western Conference matchup >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the Western Conference's top teams jockey for playoff position in Oklahoma City Sunday as Kevin Durant and the Thunder welcome the Utah Jazz to town. The Jazz are currently the fourth seed in the jumbled West, 1 1/2

Surging Flames visit Canucks, GM Place >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flames are getting hot at just the right time. Calgary will try to match its longest winning streak of the season tonight when it visits GM Place to take on the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames have won four straight as t

2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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

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 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.