11/20/2008 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patrick Kane scored twice to pace the Blackhawks to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars as Chicago continued its successful six-game road trip.
Kris Versteeg had a goal and two assists, while Brian Campbell and Ben Eager each scored and had a helper for the Blackhawks, who opened the swing with a 3-2 shootout win at Phoenix on Tuesday. They still have games against Toronto, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles before returning to the United Center on Dec. 3.
Nikolai Khabibulin made 31 saves for the Blackhawks, winners in six of their last nine overall. They also won at Dallas for just the second time in the last 12 encounters.
Mike Modano, Brenden Morrow and James Neal had the goals for the Stars, losers in four of their last five games. Marty Turco made 24 saves in defeat.
Campbell gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 advantage at 9:08 of the middle period, but Neal tied the game again with a rebound tally with 3:54 remaining in the frame.
Versteeg then boosted Chicago to the lead again with 30 seconds remaining in the period on a tremendous individual effort. He skated with the puck through the left circle before veering in front, and while falling down got the puck past Turco.
Martin Havlat made it a two-goal difference at 6:40 of the third with a successful wrist shot from the right circle and Kane added an empty-net tally in the last minute.
Morrow scored on a rebound of a Mark Parrish shot 7:37 into the contest, but Kane tied the game with 37 seconds remaining in the stanza on a wrister from the top of the left circle.
Eager gave Chicago a 2-1 edge at 6:44 of the second as his snap shot squeaked between the pads of Turco, but Modano lit the lamp 66 seconds later on the power play on a shot from above the left circle.
Game Notes
On Oct 31, 2008 the Blackhawks defeated Dallas 5-2 at the United Center. Kane had a goal and two assists in that game...Darryl Sydor made his debut in Dallas for the third time as a Star. Sydor is the third player in franchise history to have three stints with the club (Jack Carlson and Benoit Hogue). Sydor skated for Dallas from 1995-2003 and again during the 2006-2007 season, and in 649 games with the club, has recorded 67 goals and 254 assists for 321 points.
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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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