Chara breaks his own record, but Team Alfredsson wins

Hockey Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zdeno Chara's record-breaking blast was part of the highlights at the NHL SuperSkills competition on Saturday.

Chara was captain of his own team that eventually lost to Team Alfredsson, 21-12.

In the hardest shot competition, Chara came into the event with a record 105.4 mph blast in 2011. His first shot shattered that record as it reached 108.8.

In the final round, his shot went down to 107.0, but it was still enough to beat Shea Weber of Nashville, who fired his 106.0 mph.

"It was probably the new stick," said Chara. "It's so much fun out here, and breaking the record adds to it."

Weber had a shot of 104.9 in the first round for the fastest shot for Team Alfredsson, but lost both rounds to Chara.

These two were also the finalists in the 2011 competition.

In the fastest skater competition, Carl Hagelin of the New York Rangers defeated Colin Greening of the Ottawa Senators.

The two rookies were the fastest in the opening round, with Greening posting a time of 12.993 and Hagelin skating to a time of 12.963.

The final round, though, saw Hagelin win that one with a time of 13.218 while Greening was just back with a time of 13.303.

"It was kind of tough on the first race because we hadn't been on the ice much lately," said Hagelin. "But that second one I felt real good and was able to win it."

In the breakaway challenge, Patrick Kane of Chicago won to get Team Chara a victory.

After missing his first attempt, Kane donned a Superman cape along with the thick Clark Kent glasses for his second shot.

On that one, he scored as he dove to the ice, threw the puck from the left side to the right with his hand and tapped it in with the stick.

His last attempt saw him use a trick puck that broke up into several pieces when he slapped it.

The winner of the event was determined by fan votes, and Kane garnered 49 percent of the vote to get his team one point.

In the accuracy event Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, who had an appendectomy on January 15, won for Team Chara.

In the qualifying round, he had the fastest score with a time of 13.583 seconds and then beat Matt Read of Philadelphia in the final round with a time of 10.204.

In the skills relay challenge, Team Alfredsson won all three points available.

The skills challenge consists of one-timers, target shooting, passing, puck control and stickhandling skills, eight players on each side compete against each other for the fastest time.

Team Alfredsson had a time of 2:28 in the first round while Team Chara did it in 2:45.

The second round saw Team Alfredsson win again with a time of 2:08 compared to 2:14 for Team Chara.

Each heat won Team Alfredsson a point, and the squad got an extra point for fastest overall time.

In the final event, Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara in the elimination shootout.

Consisting of breakaway attempts, both teams sent 12 skaters on net and Alfredsson's team scored six times in the first round while Team Chara had just three goals.

It went to another round with the original goal scorers having a second shot and Team Alfredsson scored three more while all three of Team Chara's shooters were stopped.

Steven Stamkos scored in the final round to win the event as John Tavares and Jason Pominville were stopped.

Onkinecasino Hockey Betting News

<< Rockets roll past skidding Knicks
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Budinger had 19 points and Goran Dragic added 16, as the Rockets cruised past the reeling Knicks, 97-84, on Saturday. Neither team was with its leading scorer. Kevin Martin was out with a foot injur

<< Virginia holds on to down North Carolina State
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Sammy Zeglinski and Jontel Evans draped all over him, Lorenzo Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer from the right wing fell short and No. 19 Virginia held on and escaped Raleigh with a 61-60 win over No

<< Team Alfredsson wins elimination shootout
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara in the elimination shootout at the NHL SuperSkills competition. Consisting of breakaway attempts, both teams sent 12 skaters on net and Alfredsson's team scored

<< Iguodala's triple-double fuels rout of Pistons
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Before starting a brutal seven-game stretch Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers had to take care of business against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. On his 28th birthday, Andre Iguodala record

<< McGee leads Wizards over Bobcats
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JaVale McGee had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks on Saturday, as the Wizards downed the Bobcats, 102-99, for their first road win of the season. Nick Young scored 21 and John Wall had 13 and 10 ass

Baylor routs Kansas >>
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brittney Griner scored 28 points and added seven rebounds to help No. 1 Baylor rout Kansas, 74-46. Kimetria Hayden added 10 points, five boards and four assists and Odyssey Sims had eight points and six assist

Murray State stays perfect with win over Eastern Illinois >>
Murray, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Isaiah Canaan and Donte Poole scored 18 points apiece and No. 11 Murray State remained the only unbeaten team in Division I with a 73-58 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The Racers (21-0, 9-0 Ohio Val

No. 15 Creighton tops Bradley for 10th straight win >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doug McDermott finished with a game-high 24 points and pulled down six rebounds as No. 15 Creighton topped Bradley, 73-59, on Saturday. Gregory Echenique recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebo

Undermanned Bucks down Lakers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Gooden had 23 points and the Milwaukee Bucks never trailed in the last 36-plus minutes of a 100-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The Lakers lost for the fourth time in five games and

UNLV downs Air Force in OT >>
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Moser had 27 points and 12 rebounds as No. 12 UNLV won its second consecutive overtime game on the road with a 65-63 triumph over Air Force. Oscar Bellfield added 15 points and seven a

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

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

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.