Quick, Kings blank Avs

Hockey Betting Lines

02/14/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Quick made 22 saves to pick up his second shutout of the season, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-0, in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break.

Quick collected his NHL-leading 35th victory of the season and notched the sixth shutout of his career.

Oscar Moller, Anze Kopitar, and Brad Richardson each scored for the Kings, who snapped a two-game skid. Jack Johnson and Rich Clune had two assists apiece for the victors.

"I think we have been sending a message," Quick said. "We have beaten some good teams; we have gone on the road and beaten some good teams, and we have beaten some good teams in our barn. I would not say it is today alone, obviously Colorado is a great team they are in a similar situation to us. They were not really picked overall to do that great at the beginning of the year. They have surprised some people just like we have."

Craig Anderson turned aside 20-of-23 shots for the Avalanche, who had a four- game win streak come to an end.

Following a scoreless first period, Richardson got the Los Angeles offense going with a goal at the 11:19 mark of the second. Rob Scuderi's slapper from the point deflected off the stick of Richardson and got past Anderson.

Kopitar's snap shot from the right circle on the power-play at the 3:48 mark of the third made it 2-0. Moller's wrister from the left circle at 7:02 made it a three-goal game.

Quick made four saves in the first, 12 in the second, and six in the third.

"I thought the first period we came out and we tried to weather the storm in the first period. And we did," Colorado head coach Joe Sacco said. "But we have a five-minute power play and it seemed to be a big turning point in the game and we weren't able to capitalize on it. They came back on us and score. It was a big moment shift in the game, but overall I think we're pretty pleased where we are heading into the break. I think our guys should be proud of what they've done up to this point. Obviously we're not satisfied but we know there's a long way to go. It's a competitive conference."

Game Notes

The Kings went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Avs went 0-for-3 on the man advantage...This was the first meeting between the clubs this season...The Kings' single-season record for wins in a season by a goaltender is 35, set by Mario Lessard in 1980-81.

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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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