But other researchers say such adjustments could reward a fluky result from a tiny country, plus they don't matter to the superpowers.

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There was nothing fluky about Crosby's third goal of the series, a masterpiece that ranks among the more dazzling plays of his already highlight-heavy career.

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Backstrom got a power-play tally at 7:54 on a fluky play.

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Stosur reached set point for the fourth time on a fluky point with her opponent at the net, hitting a line-drive reflex volley that sent Mladenovic ducking to avoid.

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If Boston collector Scott Black likes an Impressionist or modern painting, he checks the year it was made, because huge fluctuations in value can hinge on whether the piece dates to an artist's best-loved period or amounts to a fluky offshoot.

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The game was a bit fluky: Mexico controlled the run of play, and the U.S. survived only because of the heroics of goalkeeper, Tim Howard, who seems to have recovered from his recent funk (a funk only by his high standards, of course).

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