Chicago tops Wild, sets club mark with ninth straight win

Hockey Betting Lines

12/28/2008 - St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Byfuglien scored twice, and the Chicago Blackhawks extended their winning streak to a franchise-best nine games with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.

The Blackhawks had previously won eight in a row twice before: from January 4-21, 1981 and December 9-26, 1971. They also improved their record in December to 10-0-1.

Byfuglien added two assists, while Martin Havlat tallied a goal for the Blackhawks, who will try for 10 straight wins at Detroit on Tuesday. Cristobal Huet made 18 saves in the win.

Cal Clutterbuck scored the lone goal for the Wild, who have lost eight of 10. The Wild registered just 19 shots on goal, and Niklas Backstrom allowed three goals on 31 shots to take the loss.

Byfuglien got the Blackhawks on the board first, putting a backhand past Backstrom a little more than seven minutes into the game.

Just over two minutes later on the power play, Byfuglien tipped a shot out of mid-air and past Backstrom to give Chicago a 2-0 lead.

The Blackhawks increased their lead to three after a power play chance expired in the second period. With Minnesota still scrambling to get all five of its players back in the defensive end, Havlat took a pass from Brian Campbell in the slot and snuck it by Backstrom with 5:52 left in the frame.

Clutterbuck got the Wild on the board early in the third, blasting a wrister over Huet's left shoulder at the 2:47 mark of the final period.

Minnesota would get no closer, however, as Kris Versteeg's empty net goal with four seconds left in the game sealed the victory for Chicago.

Game Notes

Minnesota had won 10 of the previous 13 meetings with Chicago...The Blackhawks will also host Detroit on New Year's Day at Wrigley Field in the NHL's annual Winter Classic...Chicago forward Andrew Ladd's six- game point streak came to an end, while Patrick Kane's five-game point streak also ended...Jonathan Toews and Versteeg each had two assists for the Blackhawks.

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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."

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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

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