Blue Jackets host Oilers in meeting of disappointing clubs

Hockey Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both clubs headed towards disappointing finishes to the 2009-10 season, the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets face each other for the final time this year tonight at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus made the postseason for the first time in club history a season ago, but currently sits 14th in the Western Conference with 65 points, 13 back of a postseason spot. The only team the Blue Jackets are ahead of in the West standings are the Oilers, who are last in the NHL with 49 points and will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

The Blue Jackets have won two of three over the Oilers this year, winning each of the last two meetings. Columbus picked up a 3-2 shootout victory over Edmonton on Nov. 16 in the only meeting so far this year at Nationwide Arena, with Jakub Voracek getting the winner in the shootout.

Voracek had the only goal in Saturday's 5-1 loss to St. Louis as Columbus lost for the sixth time in its last eight games. Steve Mason made 31 saves.

"We have to keep stepping up as individuals," forward R.J. Umberger said. "We chased all game and they had puck possession and we could not get it at all. It wasn't like we were passing up opportunities to shoot this time, we just didn't have the puck at all. It's tough to play like that."

Columbus was without two of its top three scorers, as Rick Nash missed his third straight game due to a lower-body injury and Kristian Huselius sat out for the third time in four contests because of a lower-body issue. Nash leads Columbus with 28 goals and 57 points, while Huselius is tied for the team lead with 31 assists and is third with 49 points.

Huselius, though, could return tonight after skating on Sunday, but Nash is doubtful as he is also now battling illness.

Mason is 2-1-0 with a 2.68 goals-against average in three career starts versus the Blue Jackets, but has yet to face them this year. Instead, Mathieu Garon has posted a 2.93 GAA in the three meetings.

The Oilers come to town after dropping a 6-4 decision in Toronto on Saturday. Dustin Penner had a goal and two assists while Andrew Cogliano, Gilbert Brule and Aaron Johnson all scored. However, the Oilers dropped their third straight overall and lost for the 15th time in their last 16 road games.

Jeff Deslauriers stopped 23-of-28 shots before being pulled after the second period. Devan Dubnyk made 18 saves in relief.

"It was disappointing for a few of our guys tonight," said Oilers coach Pat Quinn, who coached his first game at Air Canada Center since being fired by Toronto after the 2005-06 season. "They seemed lost in our zone. For 10 minutes we were fine, but I haven't played in a 10-minute game in a long time. It wasn't good enough for us."

Deslauriers has never faced the Blue Jackets while Dubnyk stopped 25-of-29 shots in his only ever start versus them. That came in a 4-2 setback at Edmonton on Jan. 7 in the most recent meeting between the teams.

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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 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.

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