Tkachuk says farewell to St. Louis as Blues host Ducks

Hockey Betting Lines

04/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis fans will get a chance to say goodbye to Keith Tkachuk tonight when the Blues play their home finale at Scottrade Center against the Anaheim Ducks.

Tkachuk officially announced Wednesday that he is retiring following the end of the season, which, unfortunately for the Blues, will not include a playoff run.

The Melrose, Massachusetts native has played in 1,200 career games and 542 have come as a member of the Blues. Tkachuk, 38, is considered to be one of the best power forwards of his generation, notching 1,063 points on 538 goals and 525 assists to go along with 2,219 penalty minutes. He has 13 goals and 17 assists in 66 games this season.

"I have been privileged to have a long career in this terrific league and play for first class organizations," said Tkachuk in a press release announcing his retirement.

Tkachuk was drafted by Winnipeg in the first round of the 1990 draft and remained with the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise until getting dealt to St. Louis during the 2000-01 season. He would spend the remainder of his career with the Blues, save for an 18-game stint with Atlanta at the end of the 2006-07 campaign.

The Blues will honor Tkachuk following Friday's game before he calls it a career after Saturday's season-finale in Nashville.

Like St. Louis, the Ducks are not headed to the postseason this year and they could also be saying farewell to a franchise legend. Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne, owner of 605 career goals, will turn 40 this summer, but has yet to reveal his plans for next year. The Finnish sniper has shown he can still produce, posting 47 points (26 goals, 21 assists) in just 53 games for the Ducks this year.

The Ducks, who will close their season at home Sunday against Edmonton, were dealt a 3-2 loss Thursday in Dallas in what could've been Mike Modano's final home game in a Stars uniform. Modano scored the tying goal with 1:47 left in regulation and netted the winner in the shootout to lift Dallas.

Bobby Ryan had both goals for the Ducks, who lost their second straight but have still gained a point in seven straight (4-0-3). Jonas Hiller returned after a six-game absence due to back issues and made 49 saves in the tough loss.

Anaheim fell to 14-20-6 as the visiting team on the season.

The Blues were handed a loss Wednesday night in Chicago, losing a wild 6-5 decision to the host Blackhawks. Chicago led 6-1 midway through the second period before watching St. Louis roar back to make a game of it.

T.J. Oshie had a goal and an assist while Brad Boyes, David Perron, Roman Polak and Erik Johnson each lit the lamp for the Blues, who had won five of six coming into the game.

Chris Mason gave up three goals on four shots in less than eight minutes before being pulled for Ty Conklin, who finished the game with 19 saves.

"We weren't mentally sharp, and you're asking for trouble," said Blues head coach Davis Payne. "When Chicago's been playing like they are in their building with the type of skill and ability they have -- we made a lot of bad reads, and they had a lot of easy opportunities."

Tkachuk didn't play in the game due to a lower-body injury, but will skate tonight in his swan song at Scottrade Center. Forwards Patrik Berglund (upper body) and Andy McDonald (undisclosed) and defenseman Barret Jackman (upper body) are questionable for this evening's test.

The Blues have struggled to a 17-18-5 record as the host this year, but will try to close their home schedule on a positive note.

Anaheim has taken two of three from the Blues this year and has won four of five and seven of the last nine encounters between the clubs. The Ducks have also claimed victory in five of their previous eight trips to the Gateway City.

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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.

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.