Hartnell helps Predators top Coyotes

Hockey Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Hartnell scored a pair of early second- period goals in a 23-second span for the fastest two goals ever scored by any Predator, as Nashville regained possession of first place in the Central Division with a 4-1 win over the slumping Phoenix Coyotes.

Jean-Pierre Dumont had a goal and an assist for Nashville, which briefly lost its grasp on the top spot in both the Central and the Western Conference following Saturday's loss to Minnesota at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, as the Wild spoiled Peter Forsberg's debut as a Predator by scoring three times in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory.

Forsberg, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday in the year's biggest in-season deal thus far, was not a factor in his second game with his new club. While still held without a point in Nashville, the five-time All- Star and 2003 Hart Trophy winner was productive with five shots on goal.

Jason Arnott also scored for Nashville, which has split its last four games. Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots in goal. Standout defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was scratched from the lineup against Minnesota with an upper-body injury, returned for this tilt.

The Predators are an outstanding 22-5-3 on home ice this season.

Oleg Saprykin scored for Phoenix, which is currently mired in a season-worst six-game losing streak, the club's longest since a six-game slide from March 22-31, 2003. Curtis Joseph stopped 31-of-35 shots.

With a penalty shot after getting taken down by Ed Jovanovski, Dumont got Nashville on the board with 1:11 remaining in the first period on a snap shot to the stick side, as the Predators held a 1-0 first-intermission lead.

In the second, they blew the game open. Arnott scored by backhanding in a loose puck after Steve Sullivan's centering pass just 39 seconds into the period.

Then, Hartnell got going. With 5:34 gone in the second, he led a 2-on-1 break and cut across the crease to beat a sprawling Joseph glove-side. Capping another fast-break, 23 seconds later, Hartnell took advantage of a pair of defenders colliding in the slot, and got off a wrister stick side for a 4-0 Nashville lead.

Phoenix finally got on the board when Saprykin deflected in Keith Ballard's missed shot from the point 17:14 into the final period.

Game Notes

Jovanovski got hit in the collarbone with a puck late in the third. He left under his own power, but did not return...This game marked the final meeting between these teams this season. The Coyotes won two of the three previous encounters, but dropped a 4-1 decision to the Preds in the Music City back in October...Phoenix has lost in each of its last five visits to Nashville and continued a seven-game winless streak (6 losses, 1 tie) at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The Coyotes' last road win in this series came on October 22, 2002.

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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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