Devils hold off Flyers for 6-4 win

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02/04/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurtis Foster scored two power-play goals and collected an assist, as the New Jersey Devils fended off a valiant comeback effort by the Philadelphia Flyers to escape the Wells Fargo Center with a 6-4 win Saturday afternoon.

When Foster struck on another two-man advantage, his tally gave the visitors a 6-0 cushion. And the contest hadn't even reached the midway point.

New Jersey goaltender Johan Hedberg made 17 saves through the first two periods, but was beaten four times on 24 shots in the third. Ultimately, the Flyers rally fell short.

Ilya Kovalchuk registered a goal and two assists for the Devils, who have won three in a row after going into the All-Star break with three consecutive losses.

Sergei Bobrovsky surrendered six New Jersey goals on 23 shots and was replaced by Ilya Bryzgalov in the second period. Bryzgalov finished with eight saves -- he needed to make only one in the third -- for Philadelphia, which had gained at least a point in its previous five games (3-0-2).

Wayne Simmonds put the Flyers on the board 3:58 into the third and they scored their next three goals in a 4:08 span to create doubt in the game's outcome.

After Jaromir Jagr notched his first goal since December 29 at Pittsburgh, Claude Giroux scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the slot. Jakub Voracek buried a rebound at 13:31, and the Flyers relentless pressure led to New Jersey defenseman Andy Greene tripping Jagr with 23 seconds remaining.

But the Devils overcame a flurry with Bryzgalov on the bench.

New Jersey was scoreless in 14 power-play chances in three previous meetings this season against the Flyers, but snapped its drought on a two-man advantage as Patrik Elias fed Foster for a one-timer at the 3:05 mark of the first period.

Later in the frame, the Devils appeared to catch a break with the Flyers on a power play as no whistle blew when Dainius Zubrus knocked down Giroux at the point. The non-call led to an odd-man rush, and Kovalchuk wound up scoring New Jersey's NHL-leading 12th short-handed goal with 57 seconds remaining.

Zubrus lit the lamp with just 0.4 seconds remaining to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

To make matters worse for Philadelphia, Scott Hartnell took a high-sticking penalty just as Zubrus scored, and Devils captain Zach Parise banged home his own rebound for a power-play goal 38 seconds into the second period.

Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Bobrovsky 59 seconds later, and Foster put New Jersey up 6-0 at 8:22 of the middle stanza.

Game Notes

Ponikarovsky registered his 300th career point with the secondary assist on Zubrus' goal...New Jersey was 4-for-7 on man advantage and now has scored a power-play goal in a season-high four consecutive games...The Flyers were 1- for-7 on the power play. They have at least one power-play goal in six straight...The Devils have won their last three games in Philadelphia.

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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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