In the unforgettable words of a famous motivational figure, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers try to stave off the playoff-bound Carolina Hurricanes. It won’t be easy. It might not be pretty. But it is yet another installment in the never ending grind against the NHL’s top teams. The Flyers have no choice but to buckle down and hope for the best. Here are the numbers:
Odds
Puck Lines
- Carolina -1.5 (+100)
- Philadelphia +1.5 (-120)
Over/Under
- Over 6 (-112)
- Under 6 (-108)
Money Line
- Carolina (-245)
- Philadelphia (+200)
Miscellaneous
- Carolina Total Goals Under 3.5 (+100)
- Philadelphia Total Goals Over 2.5 (+105)
- Tyson Foerster Anytime Goalscorer (+310)
- Morgan Frost Over 1.5 SOG (-130)
Predictions
Tuesday marked an absolutely monstrous win for the Philadelphia Flyers who took down the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3. In reality, the game wasn’t quite as close the score seems to represent. The Flyers took the lead only 19 seconds in and carried the lead all the way until the end, when the Maple Leafs’ comeback attempt fell short.
Tonight’s game comes against a much more formidable opponent. The Carolina Hurricanes currently sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with record of 43-20-6 and a goal differential of +51. For comparison, the Flyers (who sit only one spot behind the Hurricanes in the playoff race) have 14 fewer points in the standings and a goal differential of -5. For this reason, the fact that this is a divisional matchup doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the Flyers still need upset wins, regardless of who sits on the other end of the ice.
Lurking in the background behind the Flyers are the Washington Capitals, who the Hurricanes will hopefully beat tomorrow night, and the New York Islanders, who will hopefully prove to be fools on April 1. The Flyers, to their credit, have done their part over the last couple of weeks. Counting tonight, there are four games left in the gauntlet–the others being against the Bruins, the Rangers, and the Panthers–and the Flyers sit above a .500 point percentage during the tough stretch.
How do we think tonight’s matchup will play out? We should probably temper our expectations. While the Flyers have pleasantly surprised us with recent wins over the Panthers and the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes are currently cruising through a four-game win streak with twenty total goals in those contests. Here are our picks:
Picks
Under 6 (-108)
- Notwithstanding the Hurricanes recent offensive success, hot streaks always come to an end. We don’t necessarily think that the Flyers will find a way to win this game–at least, we aren’t confident enough to place a Flyers Moneyline bet–but we think that the Flyers will put up a good fight. These teams failed to hit the over in each of their previous two meetings, games that they split 3-1 (Flyers) and 4-1 (Hurricanes). Tonight could very well yield the same results. We are taking the Under 6.
Philadelphia Total Goals Over 2.5 (+105)
- Consider this a hedge. If the Under hits, we think it will likely be because the Flyers struggled to get on the scoreboard; and in that case, we will likely lose this bet. If, however, the Flyers net more than two goals, cashing this bet, it is extremely likely that we lose the Under. Of course, it is always possible that the Flyers pull off a shocking 4-1 victory, winning us both bets, but let’s not get crazy.
BSH Pick Record
37-31-1
