Arnott gives Nashville shootout win over Red Wings

Hockey Betting Lines

04/09/2009 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joel Ward scored the equalizer with 59.3 seconds left in regulation and Jason Arnott had the deciding goal in the shootout, as Nashville stayed in the playoff race with a key 4-3 win over Detroit.

With the win, the Predators pulled into a tie with Anaheim and St. Louis with 88 points, as all three teams are in position for the final two playoff spots. The Ducks are currently in the seventh position and the Blues are in eighth, but both were idle Thursday and have a game at hand over Nashville.

Nevertheless, the comeback win was a big one for Nashville, which won the season series against Detroit for the first time in franchise history. The Predators took four of six games from the Red Wings this season, including three in a row -- the last two at Detroit.

Arnott finished with a goal and assist for the Predators, who have won two of three, with both victories coming in a shootout. Scott Nichol also lit the lamp, while Pekka Rinne made 23 saves.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen had the goals for Detroit, which had won two in a row. The Red Wings got a point in the loss, but at 112 total are no longer in contention for the top seed in the West, as they trail San Jose by five with just two games to play. The Sharks host Phoenix later Thursday.

Chris Osgood stopped 22 shots in the loss.

Detroit held a 3-1 lead after Franzen sent a shot from the slot past Rinne by the left post just 2:12 into the third period.

But Nashville got back within a goal with 6:42 remaining, when Arnott got the rebound off his own shot and sent it over a sprawled Osgood.

The Predators' chances of winning took a hit when Arnott was called for holding with 4:05 remaining, but Kronwall was whistled for tripping with 2:52 to play. The teams played 4-on-4 until Arnott's penalty ran out, with the Red Wings getting a great scoring chance almost immediately after the faceoff. However, Rinne stuffed the shot and eventually Nashville went on the power play.

With a little over a minute to play, Rinne skated off, giving the Predators a 6-on-4. Nashville's attackers flooded the Detroit zone, and Ryan Jones took a shot from the right side. The puck fluttered into the slot, where Arnott took a whack at it. Ward followed with another swing to get it past Osgood with 59.3 ticks left to tie the contest.

Nashville got another power play with 43.2 left in overtime, but Detroit killed it off to send the contest to a shootout.

Detroit's Jiri Hudler was the fifth shooter and scored on a snap shot between Rinne's pads. However, in a do-or-die chance, Ville Koistinen scored top shelf on a backhander to send it to a fourth round.

Rinne stopped Dan Cleary's forehand chance before Arnott scored five hole to give Nashville the win.

Kronwall got Detroit on the board with a power play goal 11:50 into the first period. However, Nichol's shot from the right circle at 6:18 of the middle frame evened the score.

Lidstrom tipped in a shot on the power-play with 32.7 ticks left in the second to give the Red Wings the 2-1 edge.

Game Notes

Nashville closes out its regular season Friday at Minnesota...Detroit plays a home-and-home set with Chicago over the weekend to close the season...The Red Wings were 2-for-4 on the power play, while Nashville went 1-for-6 with the man advantage.

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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 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.