ROAD TRIP! Two games on the West Coast, and one game on the East Coast. Here are the numbers for tonight’s matchup in the desert:
Odds
Puck Lines
- Arizona -1.5 (+210)
- Philadelphia +1.5 (-258)
Over/Under
- Over 6 (-115)
- Under 6 (-105)
Money Line
- Arizona (-112)
- Philadelphia (-108)
Miscellaneous
- Total First Period Goals Over 1.5 (-130)
- Scott Laughton Over .5 Points (+130)
- Rasmus Ristolainen Anytime Goalscorer (+1100)
- Tyson Foerster Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+124)
Predictions
We’ve previously made jokes about how, despite having a winning record and sitting in the mid-to-upper echelon of the Metro, the Flyers are repeatedly given underdog odds entering each game. Regardless of the opponent, the Flyers can’t seem to convince DraftKings Sportsbook that this roster is worth more than the ice it plays on.
Tonight is yet another example of the Flyers being disrespected…or so you’d think. When you look more closely at the Arizona Coyotes, you might notice that this team isn’t performing on the same (utterly atrocious) level as past Coyotes teams. The Coyotes have been relegated to a college hockey barn; they would be kicked out of their city if another city actually wanted them; and they are, by most metrics, less popular than their MLB roommates, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who despite making it to the World Series, struggled to fill their stadium.
But watch out. The Coyotes are 13-9-2, with a record of 6-3-1 in their last ten games. They sit in the middle of Central division, only three points back from the Dallas Stars, and they have an extremely cocky social media presence. We live in weird times.
Let’s face it: We have absolutely no idea what is going to happen tonight. Both of these teams are profoundly overrated, but no one can deny that they pass the eye test for now. Will either team slack off as the season progresses? That is certainly been the question we’ve consistently raised with respect to the Flyers, and the Coyotes seem to be in the exact same position. Here are our picks:
Picks
Over 6 (-115)
- Though the Money Line is a toss up and DraftKings hates both sides of the Puck Line, we think one thing is fairly certain–this should be a high scoring game. The Coyotes have scored seventeen goals in their last four games, and if your first thought is, “Well, who did they play?” you won’t be any less surprised by the answer. Those games were against the Lightning, the Avalanche, the Blues, and the Capitals–not bad competition. In almost every bet breakdown, we speak about the strength of the Flyers defense, and the surprising ability to keep the team in games. However, barring a total Arizonan implosion, the defense will have a tall task ahead of them tonight. The Under/Over drops from 6.5 to 6, and we think these two teams can exceed it.
Tyson Foerster Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+124)
- He’s just looked so good. With four goals and six points in his last five games, we would like to hope that the long road trip doesn’t stunt Foerster’s recent success. He seems to be gaining confidence with each passing game, and this has resulted in a lot of pucks thrown on net. In reality, we wish this bet were an Over/Under 1.5 SOG, but he’s tallied 17 shots in his last five games, which seems to suggest that he could hit the Over 2.5 tonight.
BSH Pick Record
13-14
Best of luck, and check back in on Saturday when the Flyers face the Colorado Avalanche!
