Isles welcome lowly Flyers to the Coliseum

Hockey Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders play the sixth contest of their current seven-game homestand this evening, when they welcome the last-place Philadelphia Flyers to Nassau Coliseum.

The stand has been a successful one for the Islanders, who are 4-1 thus far on the residency to improve to 17-10-4 as the host this season. On Saturday, the club knocked off the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2.

Jason Blake scored the go-ahead goal and Frans Nielsen had a goal and an assist for his first NHL points to lead the Islanders in the win.

Richard Park added two assists and Rick DiPietro made 20 saves for New York, which has picked up 24 points in its last 16 games (10-2-4) to move into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders' recent winning surge has them just one point back of Carolina for the eight playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

New York will conclude its homestand Thursday against St. Louis.

The Islanders made a move on Monday to boost their offense as they acquired Richard Zednik from Washington for a second-round pick in the 2007 draft. Zednik, though, has just six goals and 12 assists through 32 games this season.

The Flyers have lost their last four games, including a 5-2 setback to Toronto on Saturday. Sami Kapanen and Simon Gagne scored for the Flyers and Michael Leighton stopped 25 shots.

Philadelphia begins a three-game road swing tonight. The club has been better on the road this season, compiling an 11-19-2 mark as the visitor compared to 5-18-7 at home.

The Flyers established themselves early on as sellers at this year's deadline when they shipped center Peter Forsberg to Nashville and Philadelphia made another move on Monday of the three-team variety.

The club shipped under-performing winger Kyle Calder to Chicago for defenseman Lasse Kukkonen and a third-round pick in 2007. The Blackhawks then moved Calder to Detroit.

Calder had scored a career-high 26 goals for Chicago in the 2005-06 season, but did not score a goal in his first 28 games with Philadelphia and has totaled nine goals and 12 assists in 59 contests.

Kukkonen, 25, is appearing in his second season in the NHL and has five goals and 10 assists in 64 games for his career.

Philadelphia had already sent defenseman Alexei Zhitnik to Atlanta on Saturday in exchange for defenseman Braydon Coburn.

The Flyers and Islanders will meet for the sixth time this season and for the final time at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders have taken three of the five games so far this season, although the Flyers are 8-5-1 (one tie) against New York over the last 14 meetings.

Freepono Hockey Betting News

<< Penguins acquire veteran F Roberts
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired veteran forward Gary Roberts from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Noah Welch on Tuesday. Roberts is in his 19th NHL season and has registered 29 points

<< Sabres, Leafs clash in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will look to rebound from an emotional weekend when they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening at the Air Canada Centre. Buffalo wrapped up a high energy home-and-home series on Saturday with Otta

<< Devils and Pens battle in the Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will get another opportunity to show the Pittsburgh Penguins who is boss in the Atlantic Division when the two clubs meet tonight at the Mellon Arena. The Penguins endured a stretch where they won 12

<< Cavs, Hornets square off in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers try and stop a two-game losing streak this evening when they host the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have dropped two in a row after a two-game win

<< Streaking Canadiens begin road swing against Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having re-discovered their winning ways, the Montreal Canadiens begin an important road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden against a New York Rangers team in desperate need of a victory. The Canadiens have rebounded str

Lightning and Stars collide in Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning conclude a three-game homestand this evening, when they welcome the Dallas Stars to the St. Pete Times Forum. The Lightning come into the game as winners in 10 of their past 13 games to

Pacers welcome Suns to Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns shoot for their fifth straight win when they visit the Indiana Pacers tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacific Division-leading Suns are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, and notched a 115-106 win

Wizards close out trip in Jersey >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southeast Division-leading Washington Wizards wrap up a three-game road trip when they visit the New Jersey Nets tonight at Continental Airlines Arena. Washington is 0-2 on the swing. On Sunday, Kevin Garne

Golden State opens trek at Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors begin a five-game road trip when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at the Bradley Center. This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On December 2nd, Mauric

Mavs shoot for win No. 13 at Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA-best Dallas Mavericks try to extend their winning streak to 13 games when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds t

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."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.