12/01/2008 - St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Stastny had two goals and an assist, and capped a Colorado scoring binge with the eventual game-winner late in a four- goal second period as the Avalanche topped the Minnesota Wild, 6-5, at Xcel Energy Center.
Milan Hejduk also notched three points with two helpers and a goal in the second, where Stastny tallied both his markers as well. T.J. Hensick also lit the lamp in the middle stanza as Colorado erased a 3-2 deficit with the second-period outburst before having to hold on.
Peter Budaj was victimized for five goals on just 17 shots, but got the win behind a barrage for an Avalanche squad that has had trouble scoring this season.
"We got a couple good bounces, some nice passes -- we just kept going," Stastny said of the offensive breakout. "We're back to .500 and we have two days before the next game so we'll enjoy this one."
Colorado began a three-game road trip Monday, albeit in bizarre fashion, and is now 6-7-0 as the visiting team this year.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard had two goals and an assist while Mikko Koivu had two assists and a goal for Minnesota, which had won two straight and three of its last four games coming in.
Niklas Backstrom allowed a career-high six goals on 26 shots before Josh Harding took over for the third period, stopping all five shots he faced.
The Wild, still one point back of first-place Vancouver in the Northwest Division, is 7-5-1 at home this year and kicked off a three-game residency Monday. Vancouver suffered a 3-2 setback to Columbus earlier Monday.
Following a first period that featured four goals, Bouchard opened the middle frame with a power-play goal just 22 seconds in, banking the puck off a defender from the right of the net and in for a 3-2 lead.
Stastny then found the net for the first time by chipping in a backhander from the low slot, up and over Backstrom, tying the game 3-3 at the 3:49 mark.
The Avs proceeded to rattle of three straight scores. Hejduk picked off an errant Wild pass along the left boards and charged in on net -- firing a wrister up and over the left shoulder of Backstrom at 8:16.
Minnesota turned it over again, this time in the neutral zone, and Hensick broke in on net -- sliding the disc between the legs of Backstrom for a 5-3 game.
Ryan Smyth faked a shot and went right around a Wild defender -- cutting across the goal-mouth from the right for a shot that was blocked off by Backstrom -- but Stastny swooped in and buried the rebound with 2:09 left in the period to gain a three-goal lead. The tally came just 79 seconds after Hensick's goal.
The Wild got one back in that short span with Owen Nolan taking a centering feed from Andrew Brunette with the man advantage and firing a shot past Budaj through traffic for a 6-4 game after two periods.
Brent Burns made it a 6-5 game by cutting around a defender at the left circle and toward the net -- carrying the puck into the crease where it deflected off Budaj and in.
Minnesota put together a late flurry of chances -- even putting one past Budaj -- but several ticks past zero and the Avs skated off with the win.
"Some nights you struggle and those are the games you have to find a way to battle through," Koivu said. "I think in the third we did a good job with that -- but it just didn't happen tonight."
Bouchard started the barrage with his fourth of the season 5:50 into the contest but Marek Svatos tied things up just over three minutes later. David Jones netted his third of the season to put the Avs back in front with 7:17 left in the frame, but Kim Johnsson's shot from the high slot on a power play gave Koivu a perfect rebound to slam home, tying the game 2-2 after one.
Game Notes
The Avalanche got their first win in Minnesota since January 6, 2007...Colorado lost a 3-1 home decision to the Wild back on November 6...Minnesota came into Monday's contest second in the NHL on the power play at 24 percent (24-for-100) and went 3-for-4 with the man advantage, improving to 25.9 percent...The Avs played without Joe Sakic for the ninth time in 12 games due to a lingering back issue. He returned to the lineup on Friday against the Coyotes, but didn't play much and then sat out Saturday's 4-3 win over Tampa Bay. Sakic did not accompany Colorado to Minnesota and is out indefinitely...Colorado was without defenseman Adam Foote, who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday due to back and knee issues.
<< Thabeet dominates as No. 2 UConn rolls past Delaware State
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hasheem Thabeet had 10 points, 17 rebounds and
four blocked shots, as second-ranked Connecticut rolled past Delaware
State,
79-49.
Gavin Edwards scored 17 points in a reserve role, Jerome Dyson netted 15
<< Hossa, Red Wings slip past Anaheim
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Hossa's goal early in the third period
sent Detroit over Anaheim, 2-1, at Joe Louis Arena.
Johan Franzen provided the other goal for the Red Wings, who have won two of
three and improved to 16-4-4
<< Blue Jackets rally past Canucks; Sanford hurt
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kristian Huselius scored the game-winning
goal with 4:44 left in the third period and assisted on another score as the
Columbus Blue Jackets notched a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at
Nationw
<< Rangers offer Bradley salary arbitration
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers want draft picks if
Milton Bradley does not return next season, as the club offered the outfielder
salary arbitration on Monday.
Bradley, the Type-B free agent, batted .321 with 22
Marvelous Monday night debut: Slaton carries Texans past Jags >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Slaton was ready for prime time with 130
yards on the ground and two touchdowns, and the Houston Texans opened up the
offense in their first-ever Monday Night Football appearance, leading to a
30-17 v
Beasley comes up big as Heat shock Warriors in OT >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Beasley made a veteran play in his
rookie season, stepping front of an inbounds pass, getting fouled and
draining the winning free throw with 3.6 seconds left in overtime, as Miami
downed
Toronto rallies past Kings >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Stajan and Mikhail Grabovski scored
power play goals 81 seconds apart early in the third period, rallying Toronto
to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Jeff Finger added an empty-net goal and V
Mariners' Ibanez offered arbitration >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez
was offered salary arbitration by the team prior to Monday night's midnight
(et) deadline.
"With the deadline tonight, offering Raul arbitration keeps all of o
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
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While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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