In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NCAAF Model Predictions- Click Here

NBA Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAB Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA and NHL, with our model focusing in on two of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 2-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model’s performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 8-2

Over/Under Predictions: 8-2

Spread Predictions: 7-2-1

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Money Line Predictions: 5-4

Over/Under Predictions: 6-3

Puck Line Predictions: 5-4

Featured Matchup: 1-0

One NFL game is scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for that matchup can be found below.

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys

Model Predicts- Cowboys ML, UNDER 52, Cowboys -5.5

The Detroit Lions will hit the road for the fourth-time in five games on Saturday, with their next stop coming in Dallas, Texas to take on the Cowboys.

Detroit enters tonight’s matchup with a stellar 11-4 record, most recently defeating the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the NFC North for the first time in 30 years. On the other sideline is the Dallas Cowboys, who own a slightly worse record at 10-5 after collecting two straight losses to the Bills and Dolphins.

These teams are trending in opposite directions, but our model expects the Cowboys to get back on track in a big way tonight. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Detroit Lions

• Defense is biggest concern

  • Allow 5.4 yards per play. Up to 5.7 in last three weeks

    • Jumped to 7.6 last week against Vikings despite winning

  • Have surrendered 27.1 points per game since Week 9 bye

• Worse on road than record indicates

  • 6-2 on road this season, but own -0.5 average scoring margin

  • 2-1 on road this month, but out-gained by opponent in two of three games

• Secondary dealing with injuries

  • Cam Sutton questionable, CJ Gardner Johnson still on IR despite rumors he would play

Dallas Cowboys

• Two consecutive losses, but came against good teams

  • Losses to Bills and Dolphins

  • Both losses came on road, where Dallas is not good

    • Score 19 less points per game and average 1.1 yards per play less on road than at home

• Demolish teams at home this season

  • 7-0 record. Win by average margin of 24.4 points

• Rush defense is largest concern

  • 32nd in opponent rush success rate, 357 total rush yards allowed in last two weeks

What’s the Play?

As previously mentioned, Detroit and Dallas are trending in opposite directions, but we agree with our model this is a great spot to back the Cowboys.

Dallas’ losing skid has come on the road, a spot where the Cowboys are historically bad in the Dak Prescott era. However, history also states that the Cowboys bounce back in these kinds of spots, as Dallas is 31-16 straight up and 27-20 against the spread following a loss since 2016 (TeamRankings).

The Cowboys crush teams at home and the Lions are just barely scraping by on the road and are likely due for a letdown following an emotional win last week. We’ll take Dallas on the spread here.

The Play: Cowboys -5.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Dallas Cowboys- 10-5 overall this season, 7-0 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Dallas Cowboys- Under is 3-1 when coming off a loss

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Dallas Cowboys- 9-6 against the spread (ATS) this season, 6-1 ATS as the home team

For additional Week 17 NFL bets, check out our collaboration with Chuck Scalies on Youtube. You can also follow him on the Action Network app at the link below to see all of his plays as he bets them.

Chuck Scalies Action Network- https://app.actionnetwork.com/4zu6/zvyg60r1

💪 Rudolph set to start against Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers will continue starting Mason Rudolph against the Seattle Seahawks, as announced by coach Mike Tomlin. The announcement comes due to the uncertainty around Kenny Pickett's return due to an ankle injury sustained earlier in December. Rudolph's standout performance in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he led the team to a crucial win by throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns, solidified his place as the starting quarterback and kept the Steelers in playoff contention.

🤕 Marquise Brown out for the rest of the season. Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Marquise Brown will miss the remainder of the season due to a heel injury. Despite playing through the lingering heel issue for weeks, Brown was sidelined in the last game against the Chicago Bears, capping off a season marked by lower production. Acquired from the Baltimore Ravens in 2022, Brown's tenure in Arizona saw a decline in performance, contributing to the Cardinals' ongoing struggle with wide receiver production.

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

Carolina Hurricanes @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Model Predicts- Hurricanes ML, OVER 6.5, Hurricanes +1.5

The Carolina Hurricanes will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday night, with the first stop coming in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs.

Carolina enters tonight’s battle with a 19-13-4 record, good enough for 3rd place in the Metropolitan division. Toronto owns a similar record at 17-9-7, with the Maple leafs’ most recent contest being an overtime loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Sportsbooks make Toronto a short favorite in this contest, but our model sees a sizable edge on the Hurricanes in this spot. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Carolina Hurricanes

• Enter tonight on two-game win streak

  • Defeated Predators and Canadiens

  • +5 goal differential in that time

• One of best defensive groups in NHL

  • Rank 4th in xGA/60 in 5-on-5 situations

  • Surrender just 9.95 High-Danger Scoring Chances per 60 minutes (HDCA/60) in 5-on-5 & allow fewest shots on goal per game (25.8)

• Expected goalie- Pyotr Kochetkov

  • .902 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 67th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -4.0

Toronto Maple Leafs

• Another brutal loss on Friday night

  • Lost 6-5 in OT to Blue Jackets

  • Still some good takeaways- outshot Columbus 33 to 21

• Defense continues to be achilles heel

  • Rank 26th in xGA/60 and 28th in HDCA/60 in 5-on-5

  • Allow sixth-most shots on goal per game (32.4) and penalty kill ranks in bottom half of NHL

• Expected goalie- Martin Jones

  • .931 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 27th in GSAx (+3.4)

What’s the Play?

This will be the second game of a back-to-back for Toronto, and as a result we agree with our model that the Hurricanes are in a good spot to win this game outright.

Toronto has far too many defensive concerns, especially when it comes to the amount of pressure the Maple Leafs surrender to their opponents. Toronto’s opponents are walking into high-quality scoring chances on a nightly basis, while Carolina’s opponents are struggling to find any breathing room beyond the blue line.

Toronto has the better goalie on paper here, but Carolina has the far better defense as well as the rest advantage. We’ll take the Canes.

The Play: Hurricanes ML (-105)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Wild- 16-13-4 overall this season, 4-0 in last four games

• Boston Bruins- 20-7-6 overall this season, 10-2-3 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• New Jersey Devils- Over is 21-12-1 this season with average total of 7.03

• Florida Panthers- Under is 21-14 this season with average total of 5.57

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Columbus Blue Jackets- Puck line is 23-14 this season

• Montreal Canadiens- Puck line is 21-13 this season

😞 MacKinnon’s point streak ends as Avalanche beat Blues. Ryan Johansen and Devon Toews scored as the Colorado Avalanche triumphed 2-1 against the St. Louis Blues. Avalanche goalie Alexander Georgiev made 29 saves in the contest, helping propel Coloardo to the division lead. Despite the win, Nathan MacKinnon's 19-game points streak ended without a point in this game.

😬 Samsonov has another bad performance against Columbus. Struggling Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov remains positive despite recent poor performances, expressing hope for better luck in upcoming games. His most recent blunder came in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game in which Samsonov surrendered six goals on just 21 shot attempts. Samsonov's .862 save percentage this season ranks poorly among NHL goalies, prompting Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe to express the team's need for better support and defensive consistency.

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- Which active NHL player has the most hat tricks in his career?

Question #2- What university did Titans quarterback Will Levis attend prior to finishing his collegiate career at Kentucky?

Question #3- Three pitchers, Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, and Max Scherzer hold the MLB record for strikeouts in a game with 20. Which of those three struck out 20 batters on two separate occassions?

Anyone know what has happened on December 30th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On December 30th…

1981- Wayne Gretzky records five goals and one assist in a 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The performance gave Gretzky 50 goals and assists for the season in just 39 games, the fastest a player has ever recorded 50 in both categories. It also gave Gretzky a 15-game assist streak, a new NHL record.

2018- Patrick Mahomes becomes the second player in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a single season. Mahomes accomplished both feats on one play, an 89-yard TD pass to Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Mahomes joined Peyton Manning on the small list, which resulted in Mahomes later winning the NFL MVP award.

2020- San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon becomes the first female to coach an NBA game. Hammon was crowned head coach due to an altercation between Gregg Popovich and several officials, leading to Popovich’s ejection. San Antonio lost the game 121-107, and Hammon is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.

1. Alex Ovechkin

2. Penn State

3. Roger Clemens