Welcome back! Hopefully all of you had a Christmas to remember, enjoying time with friends and family, or watching some WJC Hockey. On a side note, I had no idea that the CAN/USA game yesterday was going to be played outdoors and was pleasantly surprised. That said, the camera angle throughout the game was a bit off to me, it made the rink look tiny… maybe it was just me.

Looking back over the 2017 year, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at to end it. As you may or may not remember, after my first week I was 39% (Personal) and 33% (Dobber) and things were not looking great. It's been a slow but steady turn around and I'm eagerly awaiting to see where I'll be sitting at the end of the season. However, as it is the final week in 2017 I figured I'd go solely with the gut this week as opposed to trying to pad my record. Considering there are only 6 games this week, I didn't even have to select the games to pick. 

To end, something you guys may be interested in knowing about (maybe not): Since I started tracking my bets/picks, I've been looking at creating a database to try and see what factors stand out in determining winners of games. All the data is available, but trying to find the right set of markers has been more than difficult. Things like miles traveled, current streaks, line production, etc. there are an infinite number of things that could be considered. I originally spent a lot of time trying to work in player data as I first thought that would have a significant impact on the outcome of games, but after leaving this on the shelf for some time, I'm planning to cut player data out completely and focus solely on team-based stats. I don't know how well it will work out, but I figure by simplifying things to start I can at least get something going and add on to it later to improve its accuracy. This is far from being done, but I thought I'd let you guys know and I'll update as progress is being made.

A few thoughts:

·         How far can the Golden Knights go in their inaugural season? Currently sitting at +1200 to win the cup which is astonishing given they opened the season at +20000. I still don't see that happening, but what a story that would be. 

·         On that note, I'm thinking about throwing $50 on Winnipeg at +1800. Who's your pick this year or is everyone going with Tampa?

·         A cousin of mine who's been a life long basketball fan made the jump to hockey this season and decided to pick the Philadelphia Flyers as his team. Given how Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostibehere have turned things around, he sure picked a great year. To add, a bit of a shameless plug here but he recently released his first single "It's You" and it made the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart last week. Give it a listen if you've got a moment!

·         While I may be an ex-Canuck fan, even I have to admit that Brock Boeser is truly something special. Hat's off to the Canucks for finally putting together some solid draft picks. 

Cheers to 2017. Wishing all of you guys a great New Year's Eve and 2018! 

Personal Record: 99-73 (58%)

Dobber Record: 43-29 (60%)

Boston @ Ottawa (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Ottawa – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 3.5/5

Montreal @ Florida (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Florida – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 4/5

New Jersey @ Washington (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Washington – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 4.5/5

Carolina @ St. Louis (8:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Carolina – Visitor Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 3/5

Minnesota @ Nashville (8:00 PM EST) 

Pick: Nashville – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 3.5/5

Los Angeles @ Vancouver (10:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Vancouver – Home Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 4/5