Bryzgalov, Coyotes stifle Lightning

Hockey Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 27-of-28 shots to continue his recent stellar play, and the Phoenix Coyotes won their sixth straight game with a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay.

With the win, the Coyotes set a new franchise record for wins in a season, topping the 1984-85 Winnipeg Jets with their 43rd win of the campaign.

Bryzgalov, who owns a league-best eight shutouts, has been on a roll of late allowing just five goals in his last five starts, which have all been wins and include two whitewashes. Vernon Fiddler and Mike Lombardi scored the goals for the Coyotes, who have recorded their second six-game win streak of the season.

Lee Stempniak, acquired at the trade deadline from Toronto, had an assist for Phoenix to extend his points streak to seven games.

Todd Fedoruk scored the only goal for the Lightning, who have lost nine of 11 to fall six points behind Boston for the last playoff spot in the East. Antero Niittymaki made 26 saves, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.

Stempniak was key in helping the Coyotes get on the board, feeding Fiddler from behind the net; Fiddler quickly fired a one-timer past Niittymaki's stick into the left side of the net at 7:56 of the opening period.

Less than two minutes later, Phoenix made it 2-0 on Lombardi's tally. Wojtek Wolski and Lombardi worked a perfect give-and-go, with Lombardi taking a pass down the slot and tucking it between Niittymaki's legs at 9:45.

Bryzgalov made eight stops to keep Tampa Bay off the board, but an unlucky bounce got the Lightning a goal in the second.

Brandon Bochenski fired a shot from the left side, and Fedoruk tipped it toward the net. The puck glanced off the post and hit Bryzgalov's left pad before trickling into the net.

The Lightning had a pair of power-play opportunities early in the third, but Phoenix was able to ward off the attack. Bryzgalov finished with seven saves in the third, and Tampa Bay was unable to put together a string of chances late despite pulling the goaltender in favor of an extra attacker.

Game Notes

Phoenix has outscored its opponents by a 20-7 margin during its winning streak...Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos has failed to record a point in three straight games following an 18-game point streak...The Coyotes are 18-12-3 on the road, while Tampa Bay fell to 18-10-6 at home, including 0-2-0 during a four-game homestand...The Lightning's Ryan Malone missed his third game in four contests with an uppper-body injury and underwent a minor surgery on his knee earlier Tuesday.

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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.