In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NBA Model Predictions- Click Here

There were no model predictions yesterday, February 25, 2024.

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

Ottawa Senators @ Washington Capitals

Model Predicts- Senators ML, UNDER 6.5, Capitals +1.5

The Ottawa Senators will begin a short two-game road trip on Monday, with the first stop coming in Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals.

Ottawa enters tonight’s matchup on a two-game win streak, picking up wins over the Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in that time. The Senators are now 7-2-1 in their last ten games, while the Capitals are 4-3-3 in that same span following a loss to the Panthers on Saturday.

Ottawa is one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment, and our model expects that to remain the case tonight. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Ottawa Senators

• Enter tonight on two-game win streak

  • Wins over Stars and Golden Knights

  • +4 goal differential in that time

• Dominating offensively in last ten games

  • GF/60 in 5-on-5 situations is 2.78- 7th in NHL. xGF/60 in same situations is even higher at 2.86

  • Great at generating pressure- 12.57 HDCF/60 in 5-on-5

• Expected goalie- Anton Forsberg

  • .901 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 66th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -3.1

Washington Capitals

• Coming off loss to Panthers in most recent game

  • Lost 3-2 in overtime. Outshot 29-24

• One of worst offensive/defensive combos in NHL

  • Rank 26th in xGF/60 in 5-on-5. 29th in shots on goal per game

  • Rank 27th in xGA/60 in 5-on-5

• Expected goalie- Charlie Lindgren

  • .924 Save % in 5-on-5. Ranks 15th in GSAx (+8.8)

What’s the Play?

Washington has the edge in net tonight, but we agree with our model that the Senators can pick up another win here.

Several metrics prove that Washington is one of the worst scoring attacks in the NHL this season, and those same metrics show that the team has had luck on its side from a defensive standpoint. Regression is on the way defensively, and the Capitals’ offensive lacks the firepower needed to keep up with a hot offense like Ottawa’s.

The Senators still aren’t a great team, but they are beginning to click at the right time. We expect that to continue tonight.

The Play: Senators ML (-120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Ottawa Senators- 25-27-3 overall this season, 7-2-1 in the last ten games

• Dallas Stars- 35-16-8 overall this season, 17-8-3 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Washington Capitals- Under is 30-24-2 this season with average total of 5.70

• Dallas Stars- Over is 35-23-1 this season with average total of 6.68

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Seattle Kraken- Puck line is 30-27 this season

🎉 Patrick Kane scores OT winner in return to Chicago. Patrick Kane returned to Chicago as a Detroit Red Wing and scored the overtime winner, marking an emotional moment as he faced his former team for the first time. Kane expressed gratitude to the Blackhawks fans for their warm welcome and reminisced about his time with the team, which included three Stanley Cups. Despite now being with the Red Wings, Kane's bond with Chicago remains strong, evident in the special reception he received and his acknowledgment of the fans' support.

⭐️ Stars expressing interest in Tanev ahead of deadline. The Dallas Stars are among the teams interested in acquiring Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev, according to reports. Stars GM Jim Nill acknowledged the team's focus on bolstering their defense, recognizing the importance of having depth in that position. Tanev, a pending unrestricted free agent, has attracted interest from multiple teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, as the trade deadline approaches.

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- The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted two players in the top-six of the 2009 NBA Draft. Who were those players?

Question #2- Who leads the NHL in goals in the last five seasons, scoring 240 in that time?

Question #3- What team did Giancarlo Stanton play for prior to his current stint with the New York Yankees?

Anyone know what has happened on February 26th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On February 26th.

1989- The Dallas Cowboys first head coach Tom Landry. The firing came following a season in which the Cowboys posted a 3-13 record, marking the third consecutive losing season for the team. Landry was the head coach for Dallas from 1960-1988, posting a 270-178-6 record in that time.

1994- The St. Louis Blues dominate the Ottawa Senators, winning by a score of 11-1. Brendan Shanahan opened up the scoring for the Blues, potting the first goal of the game just 31 seconds into the first period. St. Louis would score three goals before Ottawa found the back of the net, then going on to score eight unanswered goals.

2012- The 61st All-Star game is played at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The Western Conference took down the Eastern Conference in a tight battle, winning by a score of 152-149. Kevin Durant, who score 36 points in the game, was named MVP.

1. Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn

2. Auston Matthews

3. Florida/Miami Marlins