Devils hold off Flyers for 6-4 win

Hockey Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurtis Foster scored two power-play goals and collected an assist, as the New Jersey Devils fended off a valiant comeback effort by the Philadelphia Flyers to escape the Wells Fargo Center with a 6-4 win Saturday afternoon.

When Foster struck on another two-man advantage, his tally gave the visitors a 6-0 cushion. And the contest hadn't even reached the midway point.

New Jersey goaltender Johan Hedberg made 17 saves through the first two periods, but was beaten four times on 24 shots in the third. Ultimately, the Flyers rally fell short.

Ilya Kovalchuk registered a goal and two assists for the Devils, who have won three in a row after going into the All-Star break with three consecutive losses.

Sergei Bobrovsky surrendered six New Jersey goals on 23 shots and was replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period. Bryzgalov finished with eight saves -- he needed to make only one in the third -- for Philadelphia, which had gained at least a point in its previous five games (3-0-2).

Wayne Simmonds put the Flyers on the board 3:58 into the third and they scored their next three goals in a 4:08 span to create doubt in the game's outcome.

After Jaromir Jagr notched his first goal since December 29 at Pittsburgh, Claude Giroux scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the slot. Jakub Voracek buried a rebound at 13:31, and the Flyers relentless pressure led to New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene tripping Jagr with 23 seconds remaining.

But the Devils overcame a flurry with Bryzgalov on the bench.

New Jersey was scoreless in 14 power-play chances in three previous meetings this season against the Flyers, but snapped its drought on a two-man advantage as Patrik Elias fed Foster for a one-timer at the 3:05 mark of the first period.

Later in the frame, the Devils appeared to catch a break with the Flyers on a power play as no whistle blew when Dainius Zubrus knocked down Giroux at the point. The non-call led to an odd-man rush, and Kovalchuk wound up scoring New Jersey's NHL-leading 12th short-handed goal with 57 seconds remaining.

Zubrus lit the lamp with just 0.4 seconds remaining to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

To make matters worse for Philadelphia, Scott Hartnell took a high-sticking penalty just as Zubrus scored, and Devils captain Zach Parise banged home his own rebound for a power-play goal 38 seconds into the second period.

Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Bobrovsky 59 seconds later, and Foster put New Jersey up 6-0 at 8:22 of the middle stanza.

Game Notes

Ponikarovsky registered his 300th career point with the secondary assist on Zubrus' goal...New Jersey was 4-for-7 on man advantage and now has scored a power-play goal in a season-high four consecutive games...The Flyers were 1- for-7 on the power play. They have at least one power-play goal in six straight...The Devils have won their last three games in Philadelphia.

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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.