Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins face off at TD Garden in an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 25, and it can be viewed live on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston enters the game as the heavy favorite with a -160 moneyline. The line for Philadelphia sits at +140, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.
Boston is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has netted 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team managed during last year’s regular season (50-32). Through nine regular season matches, five of the team’s games have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 3-0 SU at home so far this year.
The Bruins have successfully converted on 29.2 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a big improvement from last year, when they were ranked second in the league by scoring on 25.0 percent of their extra-man chances. Their penalty kill has fallen off significantly year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 82.5 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked fourth overall last season) to 75.0 percent this year.
As a team, the Bruins have been penalized 4.8 times per game this season, a number that has climbed some from the 3.8 penalties per game they were whistled for last year. After serving an average of 9.4 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to kill penalties for 12.1 minutes per outing this year.
Boasting a .901 save percentage and 27.2 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (3-2) has been the best goalkeeper for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to give him a breather, however, the team could turn to Jaroslav Halak (2-3-3 record, .933 save percentage, 1.74 goals against average).
Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak will both spearhead the attack for the Bruins. Bergeron (16 points) is up to seven goals and nine assists while Pastrnak has 10 goals and five assists to his name so far in the early stages of the season.
Philadelphia is 4-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of seven of its outings have gone over the total, while two have gone under the total and none have pushed. As an away team so far, the Flyers are 2-2 SU.
The Flyers have scored on 17.6 percent of their power play chances this year after successfully converting on 19.9 percent of their extra-man opportunities last season (a figure that was right in line with the league average). The team has gone from successfully defending 76.3 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 26th overall last season) to 68.8 percent this year.
Philadelphia’s skaters have been penalized 4.8 times per game this season, a number that has risen some from the 3.6 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.6 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 10.4 minutes per outing this season.
Brian Elliott (25.7 saves per game) has been the main option in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott has three wins and four losses to his credit, and has registered a .882 save percentage and 3.59 goals against average this year.
Jakub Voracek (three goals, nine assists) has been one of the top playmaking threats for the visiting Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Bruins are 3-1 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Flyers are 1-2 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
After posting a 2-7 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Philadelphia is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Boston was 3-3 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The under has hit in three of Boston’s last five games.
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