Flames host Avs to open home-and-home set

Hockey Betting Lines

11/18/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames seek their third straight win over the Colorado Avalanche, as the clubs open a home-and-home set tonight in Canada at Pengrowth Saddledome.

After dropping five of eight versus the Avalanche last year, including a split of four games in Calgary, the Flames have already beaten Colorado twice this year.

That includes a 5-4 win on October 14 and a 3-0 blanking two weeks later on the 28th. Both of those tests were also in Calgary, as the clubs have yet to play in Denver. That first matchup at the Pepsi Center will be played on Thursday.

The Flames, 6-2-1 at home this year, are anything but hot heading into this test, as last Thursday's 6-1 setback in San Jose was their fifth loss in seven games. Mike Cammalleri scored Calgary's lone goal in that setback, breaking up a shutout bid with 9:47 left to play.

Miikka Kiprusoff continued his season-long struggles, allowing four goals on 20 shots in the first period. Curtis McElhinney replaced Kiprusoff in the second frame, allowing two goals on 26 shots faced the rest of the way.

Kiprusoff is 9-7-1 with a 3.49 goals against average and .885 save percentage this year, as he has been in net for all but one of Calgary's 18 games. He has allowed 19 goals over his last four starts, but has beaten the Avalanche twice this year. That includes his third-career shutout against the Colorado franchise in late October.

The Avs' Peter Budaj has been in net for both of his team's losses to the Flames this year and is 4-7-1 with a 3.88 GAA lifetime against them. He helped backstop Colorado to a 3-2 shootout win over Edmonton on Saturday.

Budaj made 33 saves in the win and turned aside four of five skaters faced in the extra session. That includes a save on the Oilers' Shawn Horcoff in the fifth round after a goal by Darcy Tucker.

Tucker also scored the game-tying goal for the Avalanche, tipping a shot past Edmonton netminder Edmonton Oiler with 11 ticks left in regulation. The tally came with Colorado skating on a 6-on-3 advantage, as the Oilers had two men in the penalty box and Budaj was on the bench in favor of an extra attacker.

Former Oiler Ryan Smyth netted the equalizer for Colorado, his first goal scored against his former club, with whom he played for more than 11 seasons. The victory was Colorado's third straight, getting it back to .500 (8-8-0) on the season.

Paul Stastny will skate in his first game tonight since signing a five-year contract extension on Monday that will keep the 22-year-old in Colorado through the 2013-14 season.

Stastny led the team in scoring with 71 points in 66 games last season and was selected to his first All-Star game, but couldn't play because of an appendectomy. The Quebec native leads the Avs with 12 assists and 15 points this season.

Joe Sakic, who has two goals and 10 assists this season, has missed Colorado's last two games due to a strained back and is out for tonight, as the Avalanche wrap a three-game road trip. Colorado is 4-4-0 as the road club this year.

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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

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