Kings end road trip in Dallas

Hockey Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to end a rough road trip on a positive note when they visit the rival Dallas Stars for today's Pacific Division battle at American Airlines Center.

The Kings are 1-3-1 so far on a six-game swing and they've managed just six total goals during the trip. The most recent result was a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday against the New York Islanders. Mark Streit scored just 96 seconds into the extra session to give the hosts the extra point and the OT setback dropped Los Angeles to 11-8-7 as the guest this season.

Los Angeles enters today three points behind the San Jose for first place in the Pacific and the Sharks have four games in hand over the Kings. LA is also the seventh seed in the West and is two points behind Chicago and just one ahead of Phoenix.

Andrei Loktionov lit the lamp in regulation for the Kings on Saturday, while Jonathan Quick made 23 saves. On the game-winner, Streit skated down the middle of the ice and eluded Milan Jurcina in the high slot before snapping his backhander past Quick.

"It's frustrating not getting the win, but at the same time getting one point can be so critical, especially down the stretch," Kings center Mike Richards said.

The Kings played Saturday without forward Jarret Stoll, who suffered a lower- body injury in LA's previous game against Florida. He has been placed on injured reserve and there is no timetable for his return.

After today's tilt, the Kings will return home for a pair of games against Phoenix and Calgary. LA will then close February by playing four out of five games on the road.

The Stars are seeded 11th in the West and are three in back of Phoenix for the last playoff spot in the conference. Dallas has lost two of three and three of its last five and was dealt a 3-2 shootout loss Friday night in Buffalo.

Dallas grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the third period against the Sabres, but Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek both scored for the home team to send the game to overtime. Nathan Gerbe would eventually end the contest when he scored for Buffalo in the fifth round of the shootout.

Michael Ryder and Tomas Vincour each had a goal for the Stars, while Kari Lehtonen made 30 stops in the loss.

"I think we played a pretty good game overall," said Ryder. "I think we maybe sat back a little too much in the third and gave them the momentum. It was a big point for us, but it would have been nice to get two."

Dallas defenseman Sheldon Souray missed Friday's game with a foot injury and is considered day-to-day.

Today's contest marks the sixth and final scheduled meeting between the Kings and Stars this season. LA won the first two encounters, but Dallas has since won three in a row and posted two of those victories after regulation. The Kings have won seven of nine and nine of their last 12 tests in Big D and Dallas is 15-10-2 as the host this season.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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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.

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