In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NBA Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAB Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 0-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 5-3

Over/Under Predictions: 2-6

Spread Predictions: 5-3

Featured Matchup: 0-1

11 NHL games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 11 matchups can be found below.

Boston Bruins @ Philadelphia Flyers

Model Predicts- Bruins ML, OVER 5.5, Flyers +1.5

The Boston Bruins will kick off a six-game road trip on Saturday, with the first stop coming in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take on the Flyers.

Boston enters today’s matchup fresh off a loss to the New York Rangers, a loss that ended a three-game win streak for the Bruins. Philadelphia also comes into today following an appearance in the loss column, dropping a game to the Hurricanes in what was the fourth loss in the last six games for the team.

Our model shows value on both the Bruins and the over here, but we are more focused on the total in this matchup. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Boston Bruins

• Enter today off loss against Rangers

  • Lost game 5-2. Outshot 31-26

• Defense is due to see more regression

  • Own 2.09 GA/60 in 5-on-5 this season (4th in NHL), but xGA/60 stands at 2.54 (15th in NHL)

  • Allow surpising amount of pressure on net- rank in bottom half of league in high-danger scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5

• Expected goalie- Linus Ullmark

  • .929 Save % in 5-on-5 situations. Ranks 11th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with +12.2

Philadelphia Flyers

• Enter today off loss to Hurricanes

  • Lost 3-2 in overtime. Played very even game (1 less shot on goal, three more hits)

• Defense and goaltending is the source for recent struggles

  • Allowing 4.5 goals per game over last seven games

  • Rank in bottom six in GA/60 (3.63) and HDCA/60 (12.83) in 5-on-5 in that same seven-game span

• Expected goalie- Samuel Ersson

  • .907 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 30th in GSAx (+3.0)

What’s the Play?

Our model expects the Bruins to take care of business on the road this afternoon, but we think both Boston and Philadelphia can score enough goals to push this total over 5.5.

Philadelphia’s defense has struggled to keep pucks out of the net, and it is largely due to the Flyers’ sudden susceptibility to high-danger chances. That is going to open up the door for the Bruins to score in bunches, but Philadelphia shouldn’t be counted out either as several statistics point towards Boston experiencing further defensive regression.

Boston has seen a total greater than 5.5 in five of the last six games, while Philadelphia has surpassed that total in four of its last six contests, which includes an 11 goal game the last time these two met last Saturday. We expect another high-scoring game today.

The Play: Over 5.5 (-130)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Winnipeg Jets- 44-20-5 overall this season, 21-11-3 as the away team

• Boston Bruins- 41-15-15 overall this season, 18-6-9 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Boston Bruins- Over is 5-1 in last six games with average total of 6.83

• Calgary Flames- Over is 40-26-2 this season with average total of 6.37

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Flyers- Puck line is 42-28 this season

• Columbus Blue Jackets- Puck line is 40-29 this season

😬 Tom Wilson handed six-game suspension for high stick. Washington Capitals veteran Tom Wilson received a six-game suspension for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor, as announced by the NHL Department of Player Safety. The incident happened during the third period of the Capitals' 7-3 loss, where Wilson checked Gregor from behind and then struck him in the face with his stick. This marks Wilson's sixth career suspension, with his previous infractions including hits and boarding incidents, making him the league's active leader in penalty minutes and misconduct penalties.

💪 Capitals snap Hurricanes’ five-game win streak. Sonny Milano notched his first NHL hat trick as the Washington Capitals halted the Carolina Hurricanes' five-game winning streak with a thrilling 7-6 shootout win. Alex Ovechkin continued his scoring streak, netting his 846th career goal, and fans cheered "Ovi! Ovi!" as he closes in on Wayne Gretzky's record. Despite a back-and-forth game, the Capitals secured a crucial victory in their playoff push, climbing within one point of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Who did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat in the 2002-03 Super Bowl (XXXVII)?

Question #2- American businessman Steve Balmer is the current owner of what NBA team?

Question #3- Who owns the record for the largest NHL contract, one that pays him $124 million over 13 years?

Anyone know what has happened on March 23rd throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On March 23rd…

1968- The 30th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is contested between UCLA and North Carolina. The Bruins took down the Tar Heels 78-55 to win the game, giving UCLA back-to-back national titles. Lew Alcindor, A.K.A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

1982- New York Islanders star Mike Bossy scores four goals in an 8-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The performance was the 20th career hat trick for Bossy, as well as the fifth time he scored four goals in a single game. He would end his career with 39 hat tricks, the third most in NHL history.

2000- NHL legend Joe Sakic, scores his 400th career goal. The goal gave Sakic 1,049 points for his career, making him the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche all-time leading scorer. He would end his career with 1,641 points, the ninth-most in NHL history.

1. Oakland Raiders

2. Los Angeles Clippers

3. Alex Ovechkin