Ward, Hurricanes try to shut down Kings
Hockey Betting Lines
02/04/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes may be tied for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, but they showed again on Thursday that they can still hang with the best the NHL has to offer.
Hoping to win two in a row for just the second time in a little over a month, the Hurricanes welcome the Kings to town this evening following Los Angeles' disappointing offensive performance last night.
Carolina is tied for last in its conference along with Montreal with 47 points and has won back-to-back games just once, from Jan. 12-14, since late December. However, the Hurricanes recorded a four-game sweep of their season series with the defending Stanley Cup-champion Bruins, their first ever over the club, thanks to Thursday's 3-0 victory in Boston.
Cam Ward posted a season-high 47 saves for his third shutout of the season and 19th of his career. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner set a franchise record for the most saves ever by a Carolina netminder in a shutout.
Overall, the Hurricanes outscored the Bruins 14-5 in the season sweep.
"When we play like that we are capable of beating very good teams," said Ward. "They are the Stanley Cup champions and have a very good team. They just seem to bring out the best in us."
Brandon Sutter had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who had lost four of six coming in. Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Staal also lit the lamp as Carolina played without Chad LaRose due to flu-like symptoms.
If he gets the start again tonight, Ward could be in for another solid outing given that the Kings rank last in the NHL with 2.12 goals per game. They have been shut out six times this season, including three straight by a 1-0 margin. That was the result on Friday in a meeting with the St. Louis Blues.
Jonathan Quick made 32 saves and allowed two goals or less for the 12th time in his past 14 starts, but he still took the loss after giving up the only goal of the game at the 8:38 mark of the season. Quick is tied for the most shutouts in the NHL with six and is among the league leaders with a 1.91 goals-against average and .934 save percentage, but holds a record of 22-13-9 in 44 games.
Los Angeles had a two-game win streak come to an end in the opener of a season-long six-game road trip.
"Down the stretch you see a lot of shootout games; a lot of overtime games, low-scoring games. Every point is so, so crucial," said Kings forward Jarret Stoll. "Being on the road we've got to find ways to simplify our game and give up a lot less and create more."
The Kings remained four points behind the Sharks for the top spot in the Pacific Division and sit seventh overall in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles has won three straight versus the Hurricanes, having not lost to the club since Feb. 13, 2007. The Kings snapped a four-game series winless streak (0-1-2 with a tie) with a 5-2 victory in the last meeting at Carolina on Nov. 11, 2009.
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the postseason rapidly approaching, a pair of Big East Conference teams hoping to improve their prospects meet in the nation's capital this morning, as the South Florida Bulls take on the 14th-ranked Geo
<< Minus Howard, Red Wings visit healthy Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings seem to finally be hitting their
stride on the road, but they'll be without the league's leader in wins for the
rest of their swing.
Minus goaltender Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings look for their third s
<< Sharks, Coyotes engage in the desert
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks aim to push their win streak to four
straight games this evening as they begin a tough stretch of road games with a
matchup against the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Sharks halted a three-game slide with a 1-0 w
<< Wild seek to hold off Stars in Dallas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wild are coming off one road victory over a team that
is chasing them in the Western Conference standings. Minnesota hopes for
similar results tonight, but to do that it will have to beat the Stars in
Dallas for the first
<< Blues, Preds clash in likely defensive battle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have an All-Star goaltender who might
not even be his club's starter come playoff time.
The Nashville Predators are likely to start a netminder this evening who is on
the longest winning streak in club
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meeting in the first of two games scheduled over the next two weeks, the Auburn Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs square off at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville this afternoon for an SEC tussle. Auburn i
Bluejays go in search of 12th straight win >>
Cedar Rapids, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Creighton Bluejays take
aim at their 12th straight victory, as they fly into Cedar Rapids for today's
Missouri Valley Conference showdown with the Panthers of Northern Iowa.
Creighton picke
Hoosier State rivals square off in West Lafayette >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of in-state rivals jockeying for
position in the competitive Big Ten Conference meet at Mackey Arena in West
Lafayette this evening, as the 20th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers tangle with the
Purdue Boilerm
Waves hope to crash down on 24th-ranked Bulldogs >>
Malibu, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Coast Conference foes meet in Malibu
tonight, as the 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs pay a visit to the Pepperdine
Waves.
Gonzaga was recently re-admitted into the AP Top-25 after winning four in a
row from J
Sixth-ranked Bears battle Cowboys in Big 12 affair >>
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Baylor Bears will attempt
to stay within striking distance in the Big 12 Conference, as they invade
Stillwater this afternoon for a conference matchup with the Oklahoma State
Cowboys at Gallagh
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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