Hossa leads Thrashers over Bruins

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02/27/2007 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal to help the new-look Atlanta Thrashers to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden.

Atlanta made a couple of big moves over the weekend that the team hopes will improve its chances in the playoffs.

First, Atlanta sent defense prospect Braydon Coburn to Philadelphia in exchange for Alexei Zhitnik on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the Thrashers picked up Keith Tkachuk from St. Louis in exchange for forward Glen Metropolit, first and third round draft choices in 2007 and a second-round draft pick in 2008. Tkachuk has 20 goals and 23 assists on the season and 911 career points (466 goals, 445 assists).

Zhitnik tallied an assist while Tkachuk was held off the scoreboard in their first game with Atlanta.

Scott Mellanby and Eric Belanger each scored a goal for the Thrashers, who had lost six of seven coming into the game.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 22 shots for Atlanta, which has 74 points, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference and one point behind Tampa Bay for first place in the Southeast Division.

Shane Donovan and Brad Boyes each scored a goal while Tim Thomas made 17 saves for the Bruins, who have dropped their past two games after a four-game winning streak.

Boston has 64 points and currently resides in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

The game was tied, 2-2, to start the third period, but Atlanta grabbed the lead when a wrist shot by Hossa at the top of the left circle went through a screen and over the glove of Thomas 7:28 in.

The Thrashers held Boston off the scoreboard, also killing two Boston power plays, the remainder of the game for the win.

The Bruins drew first blood in the game when a shot by Jason York at the right point was stopped by Lehtonen, but the rebound bounced out to the slot and Donovan's turnaround shot went into the net just 1:29 in.

Atlanta, though, answered on the power play when a shot by Andy Sutton at the top of the left circle hit off of Mellanby and went by Thomas with 5:25 left in the first.

However, the Bruins took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission when a wrist shot by Boyes at the left circle went through a screen and into the net with 1:38 left in the frame.

The Thrashers tied the game just 2:09 into the second period when Greg De Vries sent a pass from the right side across the goalmouth to Belanger, who tapped the puck into the open net for his 11th goal of the season.

Game Notes

Atlanta hosts Ottawa on Friday...The Bruins continue their three-game homestand on Thursday when they face Philadelphia...Atlanta has won all three games against Boston this season and five straight overall...Atlanta went 2- for-5 on the power play while Boston was held off the scoreboard in all four of its chances...Hossa has 36 goals on the season...Atlanta's Slava Kozlov had two assists in the game.

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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."

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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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