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 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 6-2

Over/Under Predictions: 4-4

Spread Predictions: 3-5

Featured Matchup: 1-0

13 NHL games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 13 matchups can be found below.

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Detroit Red Wings

Model Predicts- Red Wings ML, OVER 6.5, Red Wings -1.5

The Columbus Blue Jackets will begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday, with the first stop coming in Detroit, Michigan against the Red Wings.

Columbus enters tonight’s in the midst of a slump, dropping four of the last five games following a 6-1 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. However, Detroit is in a similar spot to Columbus, losing eight of the last nine games dating back to February 29th.

Winning hockey games has been far from easy for these two squads. but our model expects Detroit to win big tonight in a high-scoring contest. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Columbus Blue Jackets

• Fresh off loss to Jets on Sunday

  • Loss game 6-1. Still out-shot Winnipeg 31-27

• Defense has been major issue over last five games

  • Rank 30th in xGA/60 in 5-on-5 situations (3.26)

  • Allowing tons of pressure on net- surrendering 14.92 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (HDCA/60)

• Expected goalie- Daniil Tarasov

  • .918 Save % in 5-on-5 situations. Ranks 63rd in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -2.1

Detroit Red Wings

• Have won one game in March

  • Win came on Saturday against Sabres

  • Outscored 38-16 this month

• Weak defense/goaltending is responsible for slump

  • Rank 32nd in GA/60 in 5-on-5 since March 1st

  • Have allowed at least four goals in seven of last eight games

• Expected goalie- Alex Lyon

  • .910 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 47th in GSAx (+0.1)

What’s the Play?

Our model signals that this is a good spot to back the Red Wings, but we would rather back the over in this spot.

Alex Lyon’s struggles in net have been a big reason for Detroit’s struggles. Lyon has been in net in seven of the Red Wings’ last nine games, allowing 4.14 goals per game in that time and posting a brutal 0-7 record. For most of the season he was a reliable option, but it does not appear that he has found rock bottom just yet.

However, Detroit will likely be able to match any offensive production Columbus generates due to Tarasov getting the start, who has been statistically worse than Lyon this season and has a defense in front of him that is consistently failing to stop scoring opportunities near the net. Expect plenty of goals here as a result.

The Play: Over 6.5 (-120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Detroit Red Wings- 34-28-6 overall this season, 19-11-5 as the home team

• New York Rangers- 45-19-4 overall this season, 24-8 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Detroit Red Wings- Over is 38-30 this season with average total of 6.78

• New York Islanders- Over is 37-26-4 this season with average total of 6.33

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Flyers- Puck line is 40-28 this season

• Montreal Canadiens- Puck line is 43-24 this season

😬 Kulikov suspended two-games after hit to head. Dmitry Kulikov, a defenseman for the Florida Panthers, received a two-game suspension from the NHL's Department of Player Safety for a hit to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning's Conor Sheary. The hit led to a match penalty, nullifying a Panthers goal, and Sheary left the game but is not expected to miss more time. This is Kulikov's second suspension in his 15-year NHL career; he was previously suspended for four games in 2015.

👏 Wayne Simmonds officially retires from NHL. Wayne Simmonds, aged 35, announced his retirement from the NHL and will sign a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on April 13. During his eight-year tenure with the Flyers, he scored 203 goals and accumulated 378 points in 584 games. Simmonds expressed his deep connection to Philadelphia, highlighting the special feeling of wearing a Flyers sweater and the unique bond with the fans.

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 Milwaukee Bucks select with the No.1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft?

Question #2- What MLB team did Matt Olson play for from 2016-21 before his current stint with the Atlanta Braves?

Question #3- Mark Rypien and the Washington Redskins defeated what team in the 1991-92 Super Bowl (XXVI)?

Anyone know what has happened on March 19th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On March 19th…

1991- NHL legend Brett Hull scores his 80th goal of the season. The goal made Hull just the third player in NHL history to reach the 80-goal milestone, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux on the list. Hull would end his career with 741 goals, the fifth-most in NHL history.

2019- Houston Rockets star James Harden scores 31 points in a 121-105 win over the Houston Rockets. The scoring outburst was one for the history books, as Harden became the first player in NBA history to score 30+ points against all 29 NBA teams in a single season. Harden would end the season averaging 36.1 points per game, 8.1 points more than any other player.

2022- LeBron James scores 38 points in a Lakers’ 127-119 loss to the Washington Wizards. The performance gave James more than 36,900 points for his career, enabling him to surpass Karl Malone on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. James now has 40,154 points in his career, the most in NBA history.

1. Andrew Bogut

2. Oakland Athletics

3. Buffalo Bills