Lightning play host to Penguins

Hockey Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lightning are coming off a big win over the Eastern Conference's top team. They wouldn't mind posting another one versus arguably the East's second-best team.

Tampa Bay will try to record just its third win in its last 10 games this evening when they host a Pittsburgh Penguins team at St. Pete Times Forum that is trying to avoid a third straight loss.

The Lightning visited the Capitals on Friday and managed to post a 3-2 win over the NHL's leader in points. Though Steven Stamkos had his franchise- record 18-game point streak end, Vincent Lecavalier scored for the fourth time in his last five games and defenseman Matt Walker lit the lamp for a second time in three contests after posting just two goals in his first 291 NHL games.

Brandon Bochenski also scored and Antero Niittymaki made 28 saves for Tampa Bay, which begins a four-game homestand tonight and is four points back of Boston for the eighth spot in the East.

"There's a lesson here and it's that we have to play with passion," said Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet. "The bench was alive and we got a balanced effort from the whole team."

The Lightning have won seven of their last 10 at home but could be without two players tonight in Ryan Malone (upper body) and Mattias Ohlund (leg). Tampa Bay would like to have the two available as they take on the Atlantic Division-leading Penguins.

Pittsburgh, though, holds just a two-point edge over second-place New Jersey after it lost a 3-1 test to the Devils on Friday. Sidney Crosby scored the Pens' only goal against Devils netminder Martin Brodeur, his NHL-leading 45th of the season that ran his point streak to eight straight games (6 goals, 6 assists). Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves.

The loss was the Penguins second straight after a four-game winning streak, as well as their fifth in a row this season to the Devils. Pittsburgh plays the third test of a five-game road trip and has dropped four of its last five as the guest.

"He's played really well against us this year, but I don't think we have allowed that to frustrate us," Crosby told NHL.com of Brodeur. "I think we have done some really good things and kept coming at him, but he's kept responding. We're hoping eventually we're going to get some more behind him."

The Pens and Lightning have split two meetings so far this year, with each team winning once on home ice. Pittsburgh has won six of the last eight in the series but has lost seven of its last 11 in Tampa.

Fleury is 6-6-3 with a 2.57 goals-against average in his career versus the Lightning, while Niittymaki is 4-6-3 with a 4.18 GAA against the Pens.

Wwwcarclub Hockey Betting News

<< Maple Leafs try to push win streak to four games versus Islanders
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to stretch their longest winning streak of the season to four games this evening when they visit the New York Islanders in a matchup of the two bottom teams in the Eastern Conference. Toro

<< Flyers visit Rangers in Atlantic Division battle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Flyers hope that they made a statement with their last- second victory on Saturday against one of the best teams in the NHL. They've already made their impression on the Rangers this season. Philadelphia visits Madison

<< Avalanche attempt to win season series versus Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to win their first season series with the Dallas Stars in five campaigns as the two clubs meet for the fourth and final time in the regular season this afternoon at American Airlines Center.

<< Predators aim to extend series win streak over Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is a chance that the Predators could visit the Kings in the postseason's opening round depending on how the Western Conference shakes down. Los Angeles would prefer that didn't happen. Currently seeded seventh in the

<< Capitals visit Blackhawks in clash of NHL powerhouses
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Capitals and Blackhawks could very well meet this year in the Stanley Cup Finals, but neither probably feels like a championship- caliber club right now. Both Washington and Chicago will try to bounce back from disappo

Blues wrap road trip versus Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues conclude a six-game road trip this evening that has kept them in the playoff race. They do so against one of the better home teams in the league, the Minnesota Wild, at Xcel Energy Center. The Blues hav

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

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

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

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

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.

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.